Printing system, printing apparatus, printing server and printing method utilizing wireless communication

• US 7,474,425 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2003
• Issued: 01/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation), Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation), Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Sasama, Kazuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Popovici; Dov
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pham; Thierry L
• Application Number:
  US10/378,817
• Publication Number:
  US 20040174557A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,134 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.1, 358/1.9, 358 111- 118, 358/403, 709/223, 709/200, 379/100.12, 455/3.06, 701/209, 340/995.1, 715/205
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• 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 3/1263 based on job priority, e.g. re-arranging the order of jobs, e.g. the printing sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1288 in client-server-printer device configuration

Abstract

In a printing system built on a predetermined network, a printing apparatus receives a print job requested by a print request terminal via a printing server and processes the print job, thus performing printing corresponding to the print job. The printing server comprise a first-in first-out type of server-side job buffer portion in which a server-side queue for print jobs is formed to temporality memorize print jobs in the order of arrival of the print jobs requested by the print request terminal and a server-side buffer control portion for changing the order of the print jobs memorized in the server-side queue in response to an order change request signal coming from the printing apparatus. The printing apparatus comprises an event detection portion and an order change request portion. Print jobs read out from the server-side job buffer portion in the order of the print jobs memorized in the server-side queue are transmitted to the printing apparatus.

Claims

1. A printing system built on a predetermined network in which a printing apparatus receives a print job requested by a print request terminal via a printing server and processes the print job, thus performing printing corresponding to the print job, comprising:

a printing server comprising;

a first-in first-out type of server-side job buffer portion in which a server-side queue for the print job is formed to temporarily memorize the print job in the order of arrival of the print job requested by the print request terminal; and

a server-side buffer control portion for changing the order of the print job

memorized in the server-side queue in response to an order change control signal coming from the printing apparatus;

a printing apparatus comprises;

an event detection portion for detecting an occurrence of a predetermined event; and

an order change request portion for transmitting the order change control signal in cases where the event detection portion detects the event,

wherein the order change control signal is utilized to perform terminal authentication to check a validity of a terminal that transmitted the order change control signal, and

whereby the print job read out from the server-side job buffer portion in the order of the print job memorized in the server-side queue is transmitted to the printing apparatus; and

a mobile communication terminal being able to move together with a user who requests for the print job by operating the print request terminal and having a first wireless communication portion for performing wireless communication,

wherein the event is defined as an arrival of the mobile communication terminal within a predetermined terminal search area defined around a location of the printing apparatus,

wherein a change in the order in the server-side queue is to change the order so that a specified print job is located at the head of the server-side queue,

wherein if a plurality of mobile communication terminals, having the first wireless communication portions, come into a print priority control range almost simultaneously, a priority is selectively given to the mobile communication terminal that arrives first in the print priority control range,

wherein the mobile communication terminal comprises a job identification information memorizing portion for memorizing job identification information for uniquely identifying the print job on the network,

wherein the printing apparatus comprises a second wireless communication portion for receiving the job identification information from the first wireless communication portion of the mobile communication terminal, and

whereby, in cases where the printing apparatus transmits the order change control signal, the job identification information is utilized to specify a print job to be changed in the order of the print job memorized in the server side queue.

2. The printing system according to claim 1, where the mobile communication terminal comprises a job identification information acquiring portion for acquiring, in cases where the user operates the print request terminal to request a print job, the job identification information of the print job from the print request terminal.

3. The printing system according to claim 1, wherein the printing apparatus comprises a first-in first-type of printing-apparatus-side job buffer portion in which a printing-apparatus-side queue for the print job is formed to temporarily memorize the print job transmitted from the printing server in the order of arrival of the print job and

a printing-apparatus-side buffer control portion for changing, in cases where a print job of which order in the server-side queue is changed at the head thereof arrives together with the order change control signal, the order of the print job memorized in the printing-apparatus-side queue immediately after the arrival so that the last print job in the printing-apparatus-side queue is located at the head thereof.

4. The printing system according to claim 1, wherein the printing server comprises an access control portion for permitting only a change in the order of the print job memorized in the server-side queue in response to the request from the printing apparatus.

12. The printing system according to claim 1, wherein a currently executed print job is temporarily interrupted while a ranking-changed printed job is executed ahead of other print jobs memorized in the server side queue.

5. A printing apparatus, operable in a predetermined network, for receiving from a printing server a print job sent from a print request terminal to the printing server and performing printing corresponding to the print job, the printing apparatus comprises:

an event detection portion for detecting an occurrence of a predetermined event;

an order change request portion for transmitting an order change control signal in cases where the event detection portion detects the event,

wherein the order change control signal is utilized to perform terminal authentication to check a validity of a terminal that transmitted the order change control signal,

whereby the order change control signal is used to change the order of the print order memorized in a server side queue,

wherein the event is defined as an arrival of a mobile communication terminal within a predetermined terminal search area defined around a location of the printing apparatus, the mobile communication terminal being able to move together with a user who requests for the print job by operating the print request terminal and having a first wireless communication portion for performing wireless communication,

wherein a change in the order in the server-side queue is to change the order so that a specified print job is located at the head of the server-side queue, and

wherein if a plurality of mobile communication terminals, having the first wireless communication portions, come into a print priority control range almost simultaneously, a priority is selectively given to the mobile communication terminal that arrives first in the print priority control range; and

a second wireless communication portion for receiving job identification information from the first wireless communication portion of the mobile communication terminal, the job identification information being, for identifying uniquely the print job on the network, and

whereby, in response to transmitting the order change control signal, the job identification information is utilized to specify a print job to be changed in the order of the print job memorized in the server side queue.

6. The printing apparatus according to claim 5, comprising

a first-in first-type of printing-apparatus-side job buffer portion in which a printing-apparatus-side queue for the print job is formed to temporarily memorize the print job transmitted from the printing server in the order of arrival of the print job and

a printing-apparatus-side buffer control portion for changing, in cases where a print job of which order in the server-side queue is changed at the head thereof arrives together with the order change control signal, the order of the print job memorized in the printing-apparatus-side queue immediately after the arrival so that the last print job in the printing-apparatus-side queue is located at the head thereof.

13. The printing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a currently executed print job is temporarily interrupted while a ranking-changed printed job is executed ahead of other print jobs memorized in the server side queue.

7. A printing method, operable in a predetermined network, by which a printing apparatus receives a print job requested by a print request terminal via a printing server and processes the print job, thus performing printing corresponding to the print job,

the printing method comprising the steps of:

in the printing server, the printing server memorizes temporarily the print job requested by the print request terminal into a first-in first-out type of server-side job buffer portion in the order of arrival of the print job, whereby a server-side queue for the print job is formed;

in the printing apparatus, the printing apparatus transmits the order change control signal from an order change request portion in cases where an event detection portion detects a predetermined event, wherein the order change control signal is utilized to perform terminal authentication to check a validity of a terminal that transmitted the order change control signal;

in the printing server that receives the order change control signal, a server-side control portion changes the order of the print job memorized in the server-side queue in response to the order change control signal and transmits to the printing apparatus a particular print job read from the print job memorized in the server-side job buffer portion in the changed order of the print job,

wherein a mobile communication terminal, which is movable together with a user who requests for the print job by operating the print request terminal, is subjected to wireless communication through a first wireless communication portion,

wherein the event is defined as an arrival of the mobile communication terminal within a predetermined terminal search area defined around a location of the printing apparatus,

wherein a change in the order in the server-side queue is to change the order so that a specified print job is located at the head of the server-side queue,

wherein if a plurality of mobile communication terminals, having the first wireless communication portions, come into a print priority control range almost simultaneously, a priority is selectively given to the mobile communication terminal that arrives first in the print priority control range;

in the mobile communication terminal, a job identification information memorizing portion memorizes job identification information for uniquely identifying the print job on the network; and

in the printing apparatus, a second wireless communication portion receives the job identification information by performing wireless communication with the first wireless communication portion of the mobile communication terminal, and

whereby, in cases where the printing apparatus transmits the order change control signal, the job identification information is utilized to specify a print job to be changed in the order of the print job memorized in the server side queue.

8. The printing method according to claim 7, wherein

in the mobile communication terminal, in cases where the user operates the print request terminal to request a print job, a job identification information acquiring portion acquires the job identification information of the print job from the print request terminal.

9. The printing method according to claim 7, wherein

in the printing apparatus,

a first-in first-type of printing-apparatus-side job buffer portion temporarily memorizes the print job transmitted from the printing server in the order of arrival of the print job and

a printing-apparatus-side buffer control portion changes, in cases where a print job of which order in the server-side queue is changed at the head thereof arrives together with the order change control signal, the order of the print job memorized in the printing-apparatus-side queue immediately after the arrival so that the last print job in the printing-apparatus-side queue is located at the head thereof.

14. The printing method according to claim 7, further comprising temporarily interrupting a currently executed print job while a ranking-changed printed job is executed ahead of other print jobs memorized in the server side queue.

10. The printing method according to clam 7, wherein

in the printing server, an access control portion permits only a change in the order of the print job memorized in the server-side queue in response to the request from the printing apparatus.

11. A printing server, operable in a predetermined network, for memorizing temporarily a print job requested by a print request terminal and supplying the print job to a printing apparatus to make the printing apparatus perform printing corresponding the print job, the printing server comprising:

a first-in first-out type of server-side job buffer portion in which a server-side queue for the print job is formed to temporality memorize the print job in the order of arrival of the print job requested by the print request terminal;

a server-side buffer control portion for changing the order of the print job memorized in the server-side queue in response to an order change control signal coming from the printing apparatus, wherein the order change control signal is utilized to perform terminal authentication to check a validity of a terminal that transmitted the order change control signal,

thereby transmitting to the printing apparatus the print job read out from the server-side job buffer portion in the order of the print job memorized in the server-side queue; and

,

a mobile communication terminal being able to move together with a user who requests for the print job by operating the print request terminal and having a first wireless communication portion for performing wireless communication,

wherein an event is defined as an arrival of the mobile communication terminal within a predetermined terminal search area defined around a location of the printing apparatus,

wherein a change in the order in the server-side queue is to change the order so that a specified print job is located at the head of the server-side queue,

wherein if a plurality of mobile communication terminals, having the first wireless communication portions, come into a print priority control range almost simultaneously, a priority is selectively given to the mobile communication terminal that arrives first in the print priority control range,

wherein the mobile communication terminal comprises a job identification information memorizing portion for memorizing job identification information for uniquely identifying the print job on the network,

wherein the printing apparatus comprises a second wireless communication portion for receiving the job identification information from the first wireless communication portion of the mobile communication terminal, and

whereby, in cases where the printing apparatus transmits the order change control signal, the job identification information is utilized to specify a print job to be changed in the order of the print job memorized in the server side queue.

15. The printing server according to claim 11, wherein a currently executed print job is temporarily interrupted while a ranking-changed printed job is executed ahead of other print jobs memorized in the server side queue.