Printing system, printing management device, print server, printing method, and storage medium

• US 7,460,261 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2003
• Issued: 12/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Itoh, Masanori
• Primary Examiner(s): Dehkordy; Saeid Ebrahimi
• Application Number:
  US10/742,971
• Publication Number:
  US 20040190049A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,806 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.15, 358/1.14, 358/1.18, 709/219, 709/206, 709/230, 399/8, 399/81
• 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 3/1205 resulting in increased flexibility in print job configuration, e.g. job settings, print requirements, job tickets
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1247 by conversion to printer ready format
• 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 3/1268 Job submission, e.g. submitting print job order or request not the print data itself
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1287 via internet
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1292 Mobile client, e.g. wireless printing

Abstract

In a printing system, a printing management server is provided to receive a document specific data identifying a print-out document from a mobile station and transmit the document specific data to a print server. The printing management server transmits a reservation identification data identifying a printing reservation of the print-out document to both the mobile station and a printing management terminal. The printing management terminal receives a printable data of the print-out document and causes a printer to perform printing of the print-out document when the reservation identification data is received.

Claims

1. A printing system designed to operate on a network, comprising:

a printing terminal connected to the network and printing a print-out document;

a communication terminal connected to the network and transmitting a request of the print-out document;

a WWW server connected to the network and communicating with the communication terminal via the network;

a printing management device connected to the network and transmitting a printing-related data to the communication terminal through the WWW server; and

a document converter connected to the network and converting the print-out document into a printable data for the printing terminal when the print-out document is not in a printable form that is appropriate for the printing terminal,

wherein the printing management device receives a document specific data identifying the print-out document from the communication terminal and transmits the document specific data to the document converter, the printing management device transmits a first reservation identification data identifying a printing reservation of the print-out document to both the communication terminal and the printing terminal, and the printing terminal performs printing of the print-out document with the printable data when a second reservation identification data received from the communication terminal at the printing terminal matches the first reservation identification data received from the printing management device at the printing terminal.

2. The printing system according to claim 1 further comprising a print-out location storage unit storing a print-out location data for a plurality of print-out locations, contained in the printing-related data, wherein the printing management device transmits the print-out location data to the WWW server via the network.

3. The printing system according to claim 2 wherein the printing management device comprises the print-out location storage unit.

4. The printing system according to claim 2 wherein the printing management device receives the print-out location data by transmitting a request to another device connected to the network.

5. The printing system according to claim 2 wherein the printing management device receives the print-out location data by accessing the printing terminal connected to the network.

6. The printing system according to claim 2 wherein the print-out location data comprises a print-out location list.

7. The printing system according to claim 6 wherein the print-out location list contains any of a print-out location identification data, a printer identification data, an IP address of the print-out location, a MAC address of the print-out location, a network path of the print-out location, and a print-server name of the print-out location.

8. The printing system according to claim 2 wherein the print-out location data comprises a printing functional data for every print-out location.

9. The printing system according to claim 8 wherein the printing functional data contains any of a color/monochrome printing, a double-sided printing, an intensive printing, a sheet size, a magnification, a quality of image, a sheet tray, an output tray, a stapler binding, a form kind, a sorting, a punch, a composition, a printing direction, and a sheet orientation.

10. The printing system according to claim 1 wherein the printing management device receives the document specific data identifying the print-out document from the WWW server and transmits the document specific data to the document converter, and the printing management device transmits the printable data from the document converter to the printing terminal.

11. The printing system according to claim 10 wherein the printing management device receives an access right data, a print-out location specific data, and a printing condition data of the print-out document from the WWW server, and transmits the access right data, the print-out location specific data, and the printing condition data to the document converter.

12. The printing system according to claim 10 wherein the printing management device transmits to the document converter a document name of the print-out document or a document set name for a set of print-out documents, a total data size, a reservation date, a user identification data, a term, a reading authority, and a printing authority.

13. The printing system according to claim 1 wherein the printing management device generates a reservation data containing the reservation identification data identifying the printing reservation of the print-out document, and transmits the reservation data to both the printing terminal and the WWW server.

14. The printing system according to claim 13 wherein the reservation data contains any of a printing reservation number, a printing reservation name, a document name of the print-out document or a document set name for a set of print-out documents, a total data size of the print-out document, a print-out location specific data, a printing condition data, a reservation date indicating a date when the printing reservation is performed, a term indicating a permissible term within which the print-out document can be printed, a user identification data identifying a user who performs the printing reservation, a password, and a printing authority.

15. A printing management device for use in a printing system, the printing system designed to operate on a network and comprising a printing terminal connected to the network and printing a print-out document, a communication terminal connected to the network and transmitting a request of the print-out document, a WWW server connected to the network and communicating with the communication terminal via the network, a document converter connected to the network and converting the print-out document into a printable data for the printing terminal when the print-out document is not in a printable form that is appropriate for the printing terminal, and the printing management device connected to the network and transmitting a printing-related data to the communication terminal through the WWW server, the printing management device comprising:

a first unit acquiring a document specific data identifying the print-out document from the communication terminal and transmitting the document specific data to the document converter;

a second unit transmitting a first reservation identification data identifying a printing reservation of the print-out document to both the communication terminal and the printing terminal; and

a third unit transmitting the printable data from the document converter to the printing terminal, so that the printing terminal performs printing of the print-out document with the printable data when a second reservation identification data received from the communication terminal at the printing terminal matches the first reservation data received from the printing management device at the printing terminal.

16. The printing management device according to claim 15 wherein, when a print-out location storage unit which stores a print-out location data for a plurality of print-out locations, contained in the printing-related data, is connected to the network, the printing management device transmits the print-out location data to the WWW server via the network.

17. The printing management device according to claim 16 wherein the print-out location data comprises a print-out location list.

18. The printing management device according to claim 17 wherein the print-out location list contains any of a print-out location identification data, a printer identification data, an IP address of the print-out location, a MAC address of the print-out location, a network path of the print-out location, and a print-server name of the print-out location.

19. The printing management device according to claim 16 wherein the print-out location data comprises a printing functional data for every print-out location.

20. The printing management device according to claim 19 wherein the printing functional data contains any of a color/monochrome printing, a double-sided printing, an intensive printing, a sheet size, a magnification, a quality of image, a sheet tray, an output tray, a stapler binding, a form kind, a sorting, a punch, a composition, a printing direction, and a sheet orientation.

21. The printing management device according to claim 15 further comprising a print-out location storage unit which stores a print-out location data for a plurality of print-out locations, contained in the printing-related data, and is connected to the network, wherein the printing management device transmits the print-out location data to the WWW server via the network.

22. The printing management device according to claim 15 wherein the printing management device receives the print-out location data by transmitting a request to another device connected to the network.

23. The printing management device according to claim 15 wherein the printing management device receives the print-out location data by accessing the printing terminal connected to the network.

24. The printing management device according to claim 15 wherein the printing management device receives the document specific data identifying the print-out document from the WWW server and transmits the document specific data to the document converter, and the printing management device transmits the printable data from the document converter to the printing terminal.

25. The printing management device according to claim 24 wherein the printing management device receives an access right data, a print-out location specific data, and a printing condition data of the print-out document from the WWW server, and transmits the access right data, the print-out location specific data, and the printing condition data to the document converter.

26. The printing management device according to claim 24 wherein the printing management device transmits to the document converter a document name of the print-out document or a document set name for a set of print-out documents, a total data size, a reservation date, a user identification data, a term, a reading authority, and a printing authority.

27. The printing management device according to claim 15 wherein the printing management device generates a reservation data containing the reservation identification data identifying the printing reservation of the print-out document, and transmits the reservation data to both the printing terminal and the WWW server.

28. The printing management device according to claim 27 wherein the reservation data contains any of a printing reservation number, a printing reservation name, a document name of the print-out document or a document set name for a set of print-out documents, a total data size of the print-out document, a print-out location specific data, a printing condition data, a reservation date indicating a date when the printing reservation is performed, a term indicating a permissible term within which the print-out document can be printed, a user identification data identifying a user who performs the printing reservation, a password, and a printing authority.

29. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program embodied therein for causing a computer of a printing management device to execute a printing method, the printing management device adapted for use in a printing system, the printing system designed to operate on a network and comprising a printing terminal connected to the network and printing a print-out document, a communication terminal connected to the network and transmitting a request of the print-out document, a WWW server connected to the network and communicating with the communication terminal via the network, a document converter connected to the network and converting the print-out document into a printable data for the printing terminal when the print-out document is not in a printable form that is appropriate for the printing terminal, and the printing management device connected to the network and transmitting a printing-related data to the communication terminal through the WWW server, the printing method comprising:

acquiring a document specific data identifying the print-out document from the communication terminal and transmitting the document specific data to the document converter;

transmitting a first reservation identification data identifying a printing reservation of the print-out document to both the communication terminal and the printing terminal; and

transmitting the printable data from the document converter to the printing terminal, so that the printing terminal performs printing of the print-out document with the printable data when a second reservation identification data received from the communication terminal at the printing terminal matches the first reservation identification data received from the printing management device at the printing terminal.