Print control method, a print server, a client and a recording medium in a network environment

• US 7,283,263 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2001
• Issued: 10/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Sugiura, Takayuki, Sakamoto, Kazuya, Nakanishi, Koichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Poon; King Y.
• Assistant Examiner(s): EBRAHIMI DEHKORDY, SAEID
• Application Number:
  US09/828,841
• Publication Number:
  US 20020080391A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,380 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.15, 358/1.14, 358/1.9, 358/442, 358/1.16, 358/402, 709/208, 399/8, 399/81, 707/1, 707/104.1, 271/279, 271/298, 379/268, 379/269, 400/76, 400/702.1, 705/2
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1204 resulting in reduced user or operator actions, e.g. presetting, automatic actions, using hardware token storing data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1229 Printer resources management or printer maintenance, e.g. device status, power levels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1236 Connection management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1286 via local network
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1288 in client-server-printer device configuration

Abstract

A print control method in a network environment is provided in which a computer of a LAN transmits print data to a printer of another LAN via the Internet. On the Internet, a terminal device transmits print data to a print server managing a printer so as to use the printer for printing. As a communication protocol between the terminal device and the print server, HTTP is used. In the terminal device, a header including information about the printer to be used is added to the print data, which are transmitted. In the print server, the print data are received, and the print data are transmitted to the printer in accordance with the header of the print data. In the printer, the print data are printed.

Claims

1. A print server for managing a printer in a network environment, the printer server comprising:

a HTTP receiving unit that receives print data using HTTP as a communication protocol;

a print data transmitting unit that transmits the print data to a printer as an output target in accordance with a HTTP header of the print data;

a PDL converting unit that judges whether the print data is an appropriate PDL file for printing in the printer, and converts the print data into the appropriate PDL file corresponding to the printer when the print data is not the appropriate PDL file for printing in the printer;

a printer monitor that monitors a state of the printer;

a printer information managing unit that manages printer information such as an address of the printer, a type of a device or the communication protocol, or a name of the printer;

a printer information memorizing unit that memorizes the printer information for each printer;

a first hypertext generating unit that generates a hypertext describing the state of the printer; and

a second hypertext generating unit that generates a hypertext describing the printer information, wherein the print data transmitting unit removes the header of the print data before transmitting the print data to the printer.

2. A print control method for transmitting print data from a client to a print server managing a printer to print by the printer in a network environment, the method comprising:

using HTTP as a communication protocol between the client and the print server;

in the client, adding a header including information about the printer to be used to the print data so as to transmit the print data;

in the print server, receiving the print data and transmitting the print data to the printer in accordance with the header of the print data;

in the printer, printing the print data;

in the print server, converting a result of the printing or information about the printer into a hypertext and transmitting the result or the information to the client;

generating a hypertext describing printer registration information in the printer server; and

registering the printer in a terminal device of the client according to the generated printer registration information.