Print system and information processing apparatus

• US 7,634,719 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2005
• Issued: 12/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Miura, Kiyotaka
• Primary Examiner(s): RIES, LAURIE ANNE
• Application Number:
  US11/269,598
• Publication Number:
  US 20060055969A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,497 Days
• Field of Search: 715/221, 715/224, 709/201, 358/1.1
• US Class Current: 715/224
• 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 3/1257 by using pre-stored settings, e.g. job templates, presets, print styles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1287 via internet
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1288 in client-server-printer device configuration

Abstract

It is desirable for a user to perform optimum printing business in an environment of a print system used by the user, without being conscious of a function of forming document printing data by a server and a function of forming the document printing data by a client. If software for the function of forming the document printing data by the client is installed in a terminal of the client operated by the user, document-form data and document data are distributed from the server to the client in order to use the function.

Claims

1. A print system comprising a server and a client, wherein the server includes:

acquisition means for acquiring a template for generating inserted data corresponding to information displayed at a client, and data to be inserted in the template, in response to a request from the client;

generation means for generating the inserted data corresponding to the displayed information, by inserting the data into the template acquired by said acquisition means;

selection means for selecting at least one transmission method from plural transmission methods, in accordance with information transmitted from the client, wherein the plural transmission methods include at least a first transmission method, in which the template and the data are transmitted to the client without insertion processing, and a second transmission method, in which the inserted data generated by the generation means is transmitted to the client; and

program transfer means for transferring to the client a program for determining whether the client has a function of generating the inserted data by inserting the data into the template acquired by the acquisition means, wherein the selection means selects the at least one transmission method in accordance with information indicating the function of the client obtained from the program transferred to the client by the program transfer means.

2. A print system according to claim 1, wherein the template is a document form.

3. A print system according to claim 1, wherein the information is displayed by a Web browser based on display data transmitted to the client, and wherein the request is transferred according to a communication from the Web browser of the client.

4. A print system according to claim 3, wherein the display data transmitted to the client is described in HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language), and communications from the Web browser use HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol).

5. An information processing apparatus that communicates with a client, the information processing apparatus comprising:

acquisition means for acquiring a template for generating inserted data corresponding to information displayed at the client, and data to be inserted in the template, in response to a request from the client;

generation means for generating the inserted data corresponding to the displayed information, by inserting the data into the template acquired by the acquisition means;

selection means for selecting at least one transmission method from plural transmission methods, in accordance with information transmitted from the client,

wherein the plural transmission methods include at least a first transmission method, in which the template and the data are transmitted to the client without insertion processing, and a second transmission method, in which the inserted data generated by the generation means is transmitted to the client; and

program transfer means for transferring to the client a program for determining whether the client has a function of generating the inserted data by inserting the data into the template acquired by the acquisition means, wherein the selection means selects the at least one transmission method in accordance with information indicating the function of the client obtained from the program transferred to the client by the program transfer means.

6. An information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the template is a document form.

7. An information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the information is displayed by a Web browser of the client based on display data transmitted to the client, and wherein the request is transferred according to a communication from the Web browser of the client.

8. An information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the display data transmitted to the client is described in HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language), and communications with the Web browser of the client use HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol).

9. An information processing method performed by an information processing apparatus that includes a central processing unit coupled to a memory unit storing a program for communicating with a client, the information processing method comprising:

acquiring, by the central processing unit, a template for generating inserted data corresponding to information displayed at the client, and data to be inserted in the template, in response to a request from the client;

generating the inserted data corresponding to the displayed information, by inserting the data into the template acquired by the acquiring;

selecting at least one transmission method from plural transmission methods, in accordance with information transmitted from the client, wherein the plural transmission methods include at least a first transmission method, in which the template and the data are transmitted to the client without insertion processing, and a second transmission method, in which the inserted data generated by the generating is transmitted to the client; and

transferring, by the central processing unit, from the information processing apparatus to the client a program for determining whether the client has a function of generating the inserted data by inserting the data into the template acquired by the acquiring wherein the at least one transmission method is selected in accordance with information indicating the function of the client obtained from the program transferred from the information processing apparatus to the client.

10. An information processing method according to claim 9, wherein the template is a document form.

11. An information processing method according to claim 9, wherein the information is displayed by a Web browser of the client based on display data transmitted from the information processing apparatus to the client, and wherein the request is transferred according to a communication from the Web browser of the client to a Web server of the information processing apparatus.

12. An information processing method according to claim 11, wherein the display data transmitted from the information processing apparatus to the client is described in HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language), and the Web browser and the Web server communicate using HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol).

13. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program, in executable form, for performing an information processing method used by an information processing apparatus to communicate with a client, the program comprising:

code for acquiring a template for generating inserted data corresponding to information displayed at the client, and data to be inserted in the template, in response to a request from the client;

code for generating the inserted data corresponding to the displayed information, by inserting the data into the template acquired by the code for said acquiring;

code for selecting at least one transmission method from plural transmission methods, in accordance with information transmitted from the client, wherein the plural transmission methods include at least a first transmission method, in which the template and the data are transmitted to the client without insertion processing, and a second transmission method, in which the inserted data generated by the information processing apparatus is transmitted to the client; and

code for transferring to the client a program for determining whether the client has a function of generating the inserted data by inserting the data into the template acquired by execution of the code for acquiring wherein the at least one transmission method is selected in accordance with information indicating the function of the client obtained from the program transferred to the client by execution of the code for transferring.

14. A computer-readable storage medium according to claim 13, wherein the template is a document form.

15. A computer-readable storage medium according to claim 13, wherein the information is displayed by a Web browser of the client based on display data transmitted to the client, and wherein the request is transferred according to a communication from the Web browser of the client.

16. A computer-readable storage medium according to claim 15, wherein the display data transmitted to the client is described in HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language), and communications with the Web browser use HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol).