Printer status monitoring method and storage medium using packets

• US 6,583,886 B1
• Filed: 07/29/1998
• Issued: 06/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Ochiai, Masato
• Primary Examiner(s): Garcia, Gabriel
• Application Number:
  US09/124,021
• Time in Patent Office: 1,791 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.1, 358/1.9, 358/1.12, 358/1.13, 358/1.14, 358/1.15, 358/401, 358/448, 358/501, 358/504, 382/309, 345/112, 345/117, 345/204, 399/8, 399/9, 399/18, 399/79, 399/81, 714/1, 714/38, 714/47, 714/48, 714/49, 714/53, 364/138
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1207 resulting in the user being informed about print result after a job submission
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1229 Printer resources management or printer maintenance, e.g. device status, power levels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1259 Print job monitoring, e.g. job status
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server

Abstract

An object of the invention is to automatize monitoring processing for displaying on a display unit a status of a print apparatus which is receiving a transferred print job. In order to achieve the object, after print data is transmitted, as a packet received from a printer (103) is analyzed to control start or end of status monitoring of the printer (103) by a CPU of a computer system (101), the packet received from the printer (103) is also analyzed to monitor a status of the printer (103) and then display monitored contents on a monitor (104).

Claims

1. A data processing apparatus, which performs a communication with a print apparatus through a predetermined communication medium, said data processing apparatus comprising:

a converter adapted for converting data from an application into print data, wherein a print job including the print data and a reply address is transmitted to the print apparatus;

a monitor adapted for monitoring a status of the print apparatus by analyzing a packet received from the print apparatus and for displaying the status of the print apparatus on a display unit; and

a controller adapted for controlling said monitor to monitor the status of the print apparatus after a print request is made by a user, and to end monitoring of the status of the print apparatus if the packet from the print apparatus represents a print end,

wherein the print apparatus sends the packet to said data processing apparatus according to the reply address included in the transmitted print job.

2. A print apparatus which performs a communication with a data processing apparatus through a predetermined communication medium, said print apparatus comprising:

an analyzer adapted for analyzing a print job received from the data processing apparatus;

a memory adapted for storing a reply address obtained from an analysis by said analyzer;

a transmitter adapted for transmitting a packet representing a status of said print apparatus, based on the print job, to the data processing apparatus according to the reply address stored in said memory; and

a controller adapted for controlling, after said transmitter transmits the packet, said transmitter to analyze a packet received from the data processing apparatus and for sequentially transmitting a response packet representing the status of said print apparatus to the data processing apparatus.

3. A print apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said transmitter transmits the packet to the data processing apparatus according to the reply address and a port number.

4. A print apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the packet represents job start, job error and job end.

5. A print apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said transmitter comprises a network board, which transmits the print job received through a network to said analyzer and transmits the packet through the network.

6. A print apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said print apparatus is a laser beam printer.

7. A print apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said transmitter transmits the packet, which represents job spool, and includes an address of said print apparatus when the print job is received by said print apparatus.

8. A print apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a job manager adapted for registering job management data by storing the reply address and a job ID corresponding to the print job in said memory, when the print job is received by said print apparatus.

9. A print system in which a data processing apparatus and a print apparatus perform a packet communication with each other through a predetermined communication medium,

wherein said data processing apparatus comprises:

a converter adapted for converting data from an application into print data;

a monitor adapted for monitoring a status of said print apparatus by analyzing a packet received from said print apparatus and for displaying the status of said print apparatus on a display unit; and

a controller adapted for controlling said monitor to monitor the status of said print apparatus after a print request is made by a user, and to end monitoring of the status of said print apparatus if the packet from said print apparatus represents a print end, and

wherein said print apparatus comprises;

an analyzer adapted for analyzing a print job including the print data received from said data processing apparatus;

a memory adapted for storing a reply address obtained from an analysis by said analyzer;

a transmitter adapted for transmitting the packet representing the status of said print apparatus, based on the print data, to said data processing apparatus according to the reply address stored in said memory; and

a controller adapted for controlling, after said transmitter transmits the packet, said transmitter to analyze a packet received from said data processing apparatus and for sequentially transmitting a response packet representing the status of said print apparatus to said data processing apparatus.

10. A system according to claim 9, wherein the packet transmitted by said transmitter represents print start based on the print data, print end, abnormality in said print apparatus, or development of the print data.

11. A status monitoring method for a print system in which a data processing apparatus and a print apparatus perform a packet communication with each other through a predetermined communication medium, said method comprising:

a generation step, of generating print data obtained by converting data from an application;

a transmission step, of transmitting the generated print job to the print apparatus;

a display step, of monitoring a status of the print apparatus by analyzing a packet received from the print apparatus, and displaying the status of the print apparatus on a display unit;

a monitor step, of monitoring the status of the print apparatus by analyzing the packet received from the print apparatus, after transmitting the print data, wherein the monitoring ends if the packet received from the print apparatus represents a print end;

an analysis step, of analyzing the print data received from the data processing apparatus;

a registration step, of registering in a memory a reply address obtained from an analysis in said analysis step;

a first informing step, of informing the data processing apparatus, according to the reply address registered in the memory, about the packet representing the status of the print apparatus based on the print data; and

a second informing step, of analyzing, after said first informing step, a packet received from the data processing apparatus, and sequentially informing the data processing apparatus about a response packet representing the status of the print apparatus.

12. A storage medium storing a computer-readable program for implementing a method to control status monitoring for a print system in which a data processing apparatus and a print apparatus perform a packet communication with each other through a predetermined communication medium, the program comprising:

code for a generation step, of generating print data obtained by converting data from an application;

code for a transmission step, of transmitting the generated print data to the print apparatus;

code for a display step, of monitoring a status of the print apparatus by analyzing a packet received from the print apparatus, and displaying the status of the print apparatus on a display unit;

code for a monitor step, of monitoring the status monitoring of the print apparatus by analyzing the packet received from the print apparatus, after the print data is transmitted;

code for an analysis step, of analyzing the print data received from the data processing apparatus;

code for a registration step, of registering in a memory a reply address obtained from an analysis in the analysis step;

code for a first informing step, of informing the data processing apparatus, according to the reply address registered in the memory, about the packet representing the status of the print apparatus based on the print data, and

code for a second informing step of analyzing, after the first informing step, a packet received from the data processing apparatus and sequentially informing the data processing apparatus about a response packet representing the status of the print apparatus.

13. A data processing method, which performs a communication with a print apparatus through a predetermined communication medium, said method comprising the steps of:

converting data from an application into print data, wherein a print job including the print data and a reply address is transmitted to the print apparatus;

monitoring a status of the print apparatus by analyzing a packet received from the print apparatus and displaying the status of the print apparatus on a display unit; and

controlling said monitoring step to monitor the status of the print apparatus after a print request is made by a user, and to end monitoring of the status of the print apparatus if the packet from the print apparatus represents a print end, wherein the print apparatus sends the packet according to the reply address included in the transmitted print job.

14. A data processing method according to claim 13, wherein in said monitoring step, it is displayed that the print data is accepted by the print apparatus.

15. A data processing method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of transmitting a print job including the print data, an address and a port number, wherein the print apparatus transmits the packet to said data processing apparatus according to the address and the port number.

16. A data processing method according to claim 13, wherein said monitoring step includes the step of generating a status request packet for requesting the status of the print apparatus and transmitting the status request packet to the print apparatus after the print data is converted and the print job is transmitted to the print apparatus.

17. A data processing method according to claim 13, wherein

said data processing method uses a computer to communicate with the print apparatus via a network, and

a monitoring application is executed by the computer after the print request is made by the user, to monitor the status of the print apparatus.

18. A storage medium which storing a computer-readable program for implementing a communication method for communication method between a data processing apparatus and a print apparatus through a predetermined communication medium, the program comprising:

code for a conversion step of converting data from an application into print data, wherein a print job including the print data and a reply address is transmitted to the print apparatus;

code for a monitoring step of monitoring a status of the print apparatus by analyzing a packet received from the print apparatus and displaying the status of the print apparatus on a display unit; and

code for a control step of controlling the monitoring step to monitor the status of the print apparatus after a print request is made by a user, and to end monitoring of the status of the print apparatus if the packet from the print apparatus represents a print end, wherein the print apparatus sends the packet to the data processing apparatus according to the reply address included in the transmitted print job.

19. A storage medium according to claim 18,

wherein the program further comprises code for a transmission step of transmitting a print job including the print data, an address and a port number, and

wherein the print apparatus transmits the packet to the data processing apparatus according to the address and the port number.

20. A storage medium according to claim 18, wherein the monitoring step includes generating a status request packet for requesting the status of the print apparatus, and includes transmitting the status request packet to the print apparatus after the print data is converted in the conversion step and the print job is transmitted to the print apparatus.

21. A storage medium according to claim 18, wherein

the data processing apparatus is a computer that communicates with the print apparatus via a network, and

the control step includes executing a monitoring application after the print data is transmitted in the conversion step and the print job is transmitted to the print apparatus.

22. A program product embodying a computer-readable program for implementing a communication method between a data processing apparatus and a print apparatus through a predetermined communication medium, the program comprising:

code for a conversion step of converting data from an application into print data, wherein a print job including the print data and a reply address is transmitted to the print apparatus;

code for a monitoring step of monitoring a status of the print apparatus by analyzing a packet received from the print apparatus and displaying the status of the print apparatus on a display unit; and

code for a control step of controlling the monitoring step to monitor the status of the print apparatus after a print request is made by a user, and to end monitoring of the status of the print apparatus if the packet from the print apparatus represents a print end, wherein the print apparatus sends the packet to the data processing apparatus according to the reply address included in the transmitted print job.

23. A program product according to claim 22,

wherein the program further comprises a transmission step of transmitting a print job including the print data, an address and a port number, and

wherein the print apparatus transmits the packet to the data processing apparatus according to the address and the port number.

24. A program product according to claim 22, wherein the monitoring step includes generating a status request packet for requesting the status of the print apparatus, and includes transmitting the status request packet to the print apparatus after the print data is converted in the conversion step and the print job is transmitted to the print apparatus.

25. A program product according to claim 22, wherein

the data processing apparatus is a computer that communicates with the print apparatus via a network, and

the control step includes executing a monitoring application after the print data is converted in the conversion step and the print job is transmitted to the print apparatus.

26. A print control method of performing a communication between a print apparatus and a data processing apparatus through a predetermined communication medium, said method comprising the steps of:

analyzing a print job received from the data processing apparatus;

storing in a memory a reply address obtained from an analysis in said analyzing step;

transmitting a packet representing a status of the print apparatus, based on the print job, to the data processing apparatus according to the reply address stored in the memory; and

controlling, after transmission of the packet in said transmitting step, said transmission step to analyze a packet received from the data processing apparatus and sequentially transmit a response packet representing the status of the print apparatus to the data processing apparatus.

27. A storage medium storing a computer-readable program for implementing a method of performing a communication between a print apparatus and a data processing apparatus through a predetermined communication medium, the program comprising:

code for an analysis step of analyzing a print job received from the data processing apparatus;

code for a storage step of storing in a memory a reply address obtained from an analysis in the analysis step;

code for a transmission step of transmitting a packet representing a status of the print apparatus, based on the print job, to the data processing apparatus according to the reply address stored in the memory; and

code for a control step of controlling, after transmission of the packet in the transmission step, the transmission step to analyze a packet received from the data processing apparatus and sequentially transmit a response packet representing the status of the print apparatus to the data processing apparatus.

28. A program product embodying a computer-readable program for implementing a communication method between a print apparatus and a data processing apparatus through a predetermined communication medium, the program comprising:

code for an analysis step of analyzing a print job received from the data processing apparatus;

code for a storage step of storing in a memory a reply address obtained from an analysis in the analysis step;

code for a transmission step of transmitting a packet representing a status of the print apparatus, based on the print job, to the data processing apparatus according to the reply address stored in the memory; and

code for a control step of controlling, after transmission of the packet in the transmission step, the transmission step to analyze a packet received from the data processing apparatus and sequentially transmit a response packet representing the status of the print apparatus to the data processing apparatus.