Printing method, storage medium and program for performing a printing operation and a printing device

• US 7,352,485 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2002
• Issued: 04/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Kinoshita, Koji
• Primary Examiner(s): Popovici; Dov
• Application Number:
  US10/229,143
• Publication Number:
  US 20030053122A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,043 Days
• Field of Search: 710/33, 710/38, 455/422, 455/422.1, 709/217, 709/219, 709/203, 709214-215, 709/216, 370/389, 358/1.15, 358/1.16, 358/1.14, 358/1.13, 358/1.17, 358/1.6, 358/1.18, 358/402, 358/407, 358/468, 358/404, 358/444, 358/1.1
• 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 3/1226 Discovery of devices having required properties
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1265 Printing by reference, e.g. retrieving document/image data for a job from a source mentioned in the job
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1287 via internet
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1292 Mobile client, e.g. wireless printing

Abstract

A printing method for printing an electronic file using a printing device is disclosed. The printing device is connected via a network to a user terminal and to a file server in which electronic files accompanied by respective identifiers are stored. The method includes the steps of enabling the printing device to receive a print request from the user terminal via the network, the print request containing the identifier of the electronic file, to retrieve the electronic file from the file server via the network using the identifier of the electronic file and to print the retrieved electronic file.

Claims

1. A printing method for printing an electronic file using printing devices that are coupled via a network to a user terminal which requests a printing operation, to a provider server which stores guidance information that includes e-mail addresses of the printing devices and maps indicating locations of the printing devices, and to a file server which stores electronic files identifiable by corresponding identifiers, said method comprising the steps of:

sending the guidance information that includes the e-mail addresses and the map of at least one location of the printing device from the provider server to the user terminal via the network in response to a request, originated from the user terminal and received via the network, indicating a desired printing location;

receiving, by an arbitrary printing device having the e-mail address specified by the user terminal, via the network, an e-mail originated from the user terminal, said e-mail being a print request containing an identifier of a predetermined electronic file to be printed on the arbitrary printing device;

retrieving the predetermined electronic file from the file server via the network by the arbitrary printing device itself using the identifier of the predetermined electronic file contained in the print request; and

printing the predetermined electronic file that is retrieved on the arbitrary printing device in response to a print execution instruction originated from the user terminal and received via the network.

2. The printing method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said identifier of said electronic file is an identifier for indicating a location where said electronic file is stored.

3. The printing method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said network includes the Internet.

4. The printing method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of:

displaying at the user terminal a screen on which the desired location of the arbitrary printing device that is to receive the print request is input.

5. The printing method as claimed in claim 4, further comprising the step of:

searching, by the provider server, the arbitrary printing device approximately matching the desired location based on address data of the printing devices stored in a storage part of the provider server.

6. The printing method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the address data include data related to addresses, shop names and e-mail addresses that are stored in the storage part in a mutually linked manner, and are used to generate the guidance information.

7. The printing method as claimed in claim 4, further comprising the step of:

inputting the e-mail address of the arbitrary printing device on said screen, as the desired location of the arbitrary printing device that is to receive the print request.

8. The printing method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of:

notifying from the arbitrary printing device via the network the user terminal a fee to print the predetermined electronic file that is retrieved on the arbitrary printing device.

9. The printing method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

sending guidance information, including information related to the location of the arbitrary printing device and information related to a printing fee, from the arbitrary printing device to the user terminal via the network, in response to the e-mail originated from the user terminal.

10. The printing method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the user terminal is a mobile terminal.

11. The printing method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said retrieving the predetermined electronic file retrieves the predetermined electronic file from the file server before or after receiving the print execution instruction originated from the user terminal.

12. A printing device coupled via a network to a user terminal which requests a printing operation and to a file server which stores electronic files identifiable by corresponding identifiers, said printing device comprising:

a receiving part configured to receive via the network an e-mail having an e-mail address of the printing device and originated from said user terminal, said e-mail being a print request containing an identifier of a predetermined electronic file to be printed on the printing device;

a retrieving part configured to retrieve said predetermined electronic file from said file server itself via said network using said identifier of said predetermined electronic file; and

a printing part configured to print said predetermined electronic file in response to a print execution instruction originated from said user terminal and received via said network.

13. The printing device as claimed in claim 12 wherein said identifier of said electronic file is an identifier for indicating a location where said electronic file is stored.

14. The printing device as claimed in claim 12 wherein said network includes the Internet.

15. The printing device as claimed in claim 12, further comprising:

a notifying part configured to notify to the user terminal via the network a fee to print the predetermined electronic file that is retrieved on the printing device.

16. The printing device as claimed in claim 12, further comprising:

a sending part configured to send guidance information, including information related to the location of the arbitrary printing device and information related to a printing fee, to the user terminal via the network, in response to the e-mail originated from the user terminal.

17. The printing device as claimed in claim 12, wherein said retrieving part retrieves the predetermined electronic file from the file server before or after receiving the print execution instruction originated from the user terminal.

18. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program for causing a computer to operate as a printing device, said computer being coupled via a network to a user terminal which requests a printing operation and to a file server which stores electronic files identifiable by corresponding identifiers, said program comprising:

a receiving procedure causing the computer to receive via the network an e-mail having an e-mail address of the computer and originated from the user terminal, said e-mail being a print request containing an identifier of a predetermined electronic file to be printed on the computer;

a retrieving procedure causing the computer to retrieve the predetermined electronic file from the file server itself via the network using the identifier of the predetermined electronic file; and

a printing procedure causing the computer to print the predetermined electronic file in response to a print execution instruction originated from the user terminal and received via the network.

19. The computer-readable storage medium as claimed in claim 18, said program further comprising:

a notifying procedure configured to cause the computer to notify the user terminal via the network a fee to print the predetermined electronic file that is retrieved on the computer.

20. The computer-readable storage medium as claimed in claim 18, said program further comprising:

a sending procedure causing the computer to send guidance information, including information related to the location of the arbitrary printing device and information related to a printing fee, to the user terminal via the network, in response to the e-mail originated from the user terminal.

21. The computer-readable storage medium as claimed in claim 18, wherein said retrieving procedure causes the computer to retrieve the predetermined electronic file from the file server before or after receiving the print execution instruction originated from the user terminal.