Mail printing system with printer selecting function

• US 6,426,799 B1
• Filed: 05/13/1998
• Issued: 07/30/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Funahashi, Hiroyuki, Okimoto, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Coles, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pokrzywa, Joseph R
• Application Number:
  US09/076,862
• Time in Patent Office: 1,539 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.13, 358/1.14, 358/1.15, 358/402, 358/407, 358/442, 358/468, 358/1.6, 358/1.16, 358/1.18
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1203 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. print management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1248 by printer language recognition, e.g. PDL, PCL, PDF
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/126 Job scheduling, e.g. queuing, determine appropriate device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1287 via internet
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1289 in server-client-printer device configuration, e.g. the server does not see the printer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail

Abstract

When the received mail is determined to be print mail in S981 based on its mail header, the program first determines in S982 what page description language is used to describe the print data in the mail. In S983, the program selects a printer which is being presently set to interpret that page description language. Then, in S1040, print data in the print mail is printed using the printer thus selected in S983. If there exists no printer appropriately set to interpret that page description language, the program selects in S983 a printer provided with a function to interpret that page description language. The program then sets the function mode of the printer into a mode to interpret the page description language. Then, in S1040, print data in the print mail is printed using the thus selected and set printer. Thus, the print mail is printed by a printer which can appropriately interpret the processing format of the print data included in the received print mail. Hence, the print data will not be printed erroneously. The user on the receiving end can receive printed matter in the form desired by the user on the transmitting end.

Claims

1. A mail print system provided in a computer system capable of receiving electronic mail via a communication line, the mail print system comprising:

a plurality of printers connected to a computer system for communicating by signals with the computer system;

processing format determining means for determining, based on print electronic mail, which is received through a communication line, a processing format at which print data included in the received print electronic mail should be printed;

printer selection means for selecting, from the plurality of printers, a printer having function conforming to the determined processing format;

print process means for controlling the selected printer to perform printing operation based on the received electronic mail to print the print data;

mail receiving means for receiving the print electronic mail and ordinary electronic mail which are transmitted via the communication line, the ordinary electronic mail including document data; and

judging means for judging whether the electronic mail received by the mail receiving means is print electronic mail or ordinary electronic mail, the processing format determining means determining the processing format of the print electronic mail and the printer selection means selecting the printer corresponding to the determined processing format when the judging means judges that the print electronic mail is received,

wherein the print process means includes print mail printing process means for causing the print data, included in the print electronic mail, to be printed by the selected printer.

2. A mail print system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing format is indicative of a type of page description language describing the print data.

3. A mail print system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the printer selection means includes:

judging means for judging whether a printer among the plurality of printers is capable of interpreting the determined type of page description language; and

converting means for converting, when no printer is capable of interpreting the determined type of page description language, the print data into another type of page description language that is interpretable by at least one printer among the plurality of printers.

4. A mail print system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing format is indicative of whether the print data is representative of monochromatic color print information or full color print information.

5. A mail print system claimed as claim 1, wherein the print electronic mail includes a mail header and the print data, the processing format determining means determining the processing format of the print data by examining either one of the mail header and the print data.

6. A mail print system as claimed in claim 5, where the mail header includes code data indicative of the processing format of the print data, the processing format determining means determining the processing format by examining the mail header.

7. A mail print system as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the print mail printing process means transfers the print data, included in the print electronic mail, to a print spooler, thereby causing the print data to be printed by the selected printer, and

wherein the print process means further includes ordinary electronic mail printing process means for processing the document data, included in the ordinary electronic mail, by an application program that corresponds to the document data, thereby causing the document data to be printed by a corresponding printer.

8. A mail print system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the printer selection means includes:

judging means for judging whether a printer among the plurality of printers has the function conforming to the determined processing format; and

converting means for converting, when no printer has the function conforming to the determined processing format, the print data into another processing format that corresponds to at least one printer among the plurality of printers.

9. A mail print device comprising:

a printer having at least one printing function;

print mail receiving means for receiving print electronic mail transmitted via a communication line;

processing format determining means for determining, based on the received print electronic mail, a processing format at which print data, included in the received print electronic mail, should be printed;

printing function selection means for selecting, from the at least one printing function, a printing function conforming to the determined processing format; and

print process means for controlling the printer to perform printing operation at the selected printing function based on the received electronic mail to print the print data,

wherein the print mail receiving means is capable of receiving ordinary electronic mail which is transmitted via the communication line, the ordinary electronic mail including document data,

further comprising judging means for judging whether electronic mail received by the print mail receiving means is print electronic mail or ordinary electronic mail, the processing format determining means determining the processing format of the print electronic mail and the printing function selection means selecting the printing function corresponding to the determined processing format when the judging means judges that the print electronic mail is received, and

wherein the print process means includes print mail printing process means for causing the print data, included in the print electronic mail, to be printed by the printer at the selected printing function.

10. A mail printing device as claimed in claim 9, wherein a plurality of printers are provided, each printer having at least one function, the printing function selecting means selecting, from the plurality of printers, a printer having a printing function conforming to the determined processing format, and setting the selected printer to the printing function conforming to the determined processing format.

11. A mail printing device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the processing format is indicative of a type of page description language describing the print data.

12. A mail print device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the printing function selection means includes:

judging means for judging whether the printer is capable of interpreting the determined type of page description language; and

converting means for converting, when the printer is not capable of interpreting the determined type of page description language, the print data into another type of page description language that is interpretable by the printer.

13. A mail printing device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the processing format is indicative of whether the print data is representative of monochromatic color print information or full color print information.

14. A mail print device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the print electronic mail includes a mail header and the print data, the processing format determining means determining the processing format of the print data by examining either one of the mail header and the print data.

15. A mail print device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the mail header includes code data indicative of the processing format of the print data, the processing format determining means determining the processing format by examining the mail header.

16. A mail print device as claimed in claim 9,

wherein the print mail printing process means transfers the print data, included in the print electronic mail, to a print spooler, thereby causing the print data to be printed by the printer at the selected printing function, and

wherein the print process means further includes ordinary mail printing process means for processing the document data, included in the ordinary electronic mail, by an application program that corresponds to the document data, thereby causing the document data to be printed by a corresponding printer.

17. A mail print device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the printing function selection means includes:

judging means for judging whether the printer has the function conforming to the determined processing format; and

converting means for converting, when the printer has no function conforming to the determined processing format, the print data into another processing format that corresponds to at least one printing function of the printer.

18. A mail print system provided in a computer system capable of receiving electronic mail via a communication line, the mail print system comprising:

a plurality of printers connected to a computer system for communicating by signals with the computer system;

processing format determining means for determining, based on print electronic mail, which is received through a communication line, a processing format at which print data included in the received print electronic mail should be printed;

printer selection means for selecting, from the plurality of printers, a printer having function conforming to the determined processing format;

print process means for controlling the selected printer to perform printing operation based on the received electronic mail to print the print data;

mail receiving means for receiving the print electronic mail and ordinary electronic mail which are transmitted via the communication line, the ordinary electronic mail including document data; and

judging means for judging whether electronic mail received by the mail receiving means is print electronic mail or ordinary electronic mail, the processing format determining means determining the processing format of the print electronic mail and the printer function selecting the printer corresponding to the determined processing format when the judging means judges that the print electronic mail is received,

wherein the print process means includes print mail printing process means for causing the print data, included in the print electronic mail, to be printed by the selected printer.

19. A mail print system provided in a computer system capable of receiving electronic mail via a communication line, the mail print system comprising:

a printer connected to a computer system for communicating by signals with the computer system and having a plurality of functions;

processing format determing means for determining, based on electronic mail received through a communication line, a processing format, at which print data included in the received print electronic mail should be printed;

printer function selection means for selecting, from the plurality of functions, a printing function conforming to the determined processing format;

print process means for controlling the printer to perform printing operation at the selected print function based on the received electronic mail to print the print data;

mail receiving means for receiving the print electronic mail and ordinary electronic mail which are transmitted via the communication line, the ordinary electronic mail including document data; and

judging means for judging whether electronic mail received by the mail receiving means is print electronic mail or ordinary electronic mail, the processing format determining means determining the processing format of the print electronic mail and the printer function selection means selecting the printing function corresponding to the determined processing format when the judging means judges that the print electronic mail is received,

wherien the print process means includes print mail printing process means for causing the print data, included in the print electronic mail, to be printed by the printer at the selected printing function.

20. A program storage medium capable of being read by a computer capable of receiving mail via a communication line, the program storage medium comprising:

a program of determining, based on print electronic mail, which is received through a communication line, a processing format at which print data included in the received print electronic mail should be printed;

a program of selecting, from a plurality of printers connected to the computer, a printer having function conforming to the determined processing format;

a program of controlling the selected printer to perform printing operation based on the received electronic mail to print the print data;

a program of receiving the print electronic mail and ordinary electronic mail which are transmitted via the communication line, the ordinary electronic mail including document data; and

a program of judging whether the electronic mail received by the mail receiving program is print electronic mail or ordinary electronic mail, the processing format determining program determining the processing format of the print electronic mail and the printer selection program selecting the printer corresponding to the determined processing format when the judging program judges that the print electronic mail is received,

wherein the printer control program includes a print mail printing process program for causing the print data, included in the print electronic mail, to be printed by the selected printer.

21. A program storage medium capable of being read by a computer capable of receiving electronic mail via a communication line, the program storage medium comprising:

a program of determining, based on electronic mail received through a communication line, a processing format, at which print data included in the print electronic mail should be printed;

a program of selecting, from a plurality of functions achievable by a printer connected to the computer, a printing function conforming to the determined processing format;

a program of controlling the printer to perform printing operation at the selected print function based on the received electronic mail to print the print data;

a program of receiving the print electronic mail and ordinary electronic mail which are transmitted via the communication line, the ordinary electronic mail including document data; and

a program of judging whether electronic mail received by the mail receiving program is print electronic mail or ordinary electronic mail, the processing format determining program determining the processing format of the print electronic mail and the printing function selection program selecting the printing function corresponding to the determined processing format when the judging program judges that the print electronic mail is received,

wherein the printer control program includes a print mail printing process program for causing the print data, included in the print electronic mail, to be printed by the printer at the selected printing function.