Printing system, control method, storage medium

• US 8,599,414 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2011
• Issued: 12/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Numata, Masahito
• Primary Examiner(s): DICKERSON, CHAD S
• Application Number:
  US13/269,132
• Publication Number:
  US 20120086980A1
• Time in Patent Office: 788 Days
• Field of Search: 358 111- 118, 358/1.1, 358/400, 709201-203, 709217-219
• 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 3/1228 Printing driverless or using generic drivers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1232 Transmitting printer device capabilities, e.g. upon request or periodically
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1239 Restricting the usage of resources, e.g. usage or user levels, credit limit, consumables, special fonts
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1247 by conversion to printer ready format
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1288 in client-server-printer device configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1292 Mobile client, e.g. wireless printing

Abstract

A system and method for registering an image forming apparatus in a print server when the image forming apparatus is used on a temporarily basis, and for unregistering the image forming apparatus from the print server after the temporary use ends.

Claims

1. A printing system comprising:

a print conversion server configured to supply print data;

an image forming apparatus configured to execute printing based on the print data; and

a portable device, wherein

the portable device comprises;

a microprocessor coupled to a memory, wherein the microprocessor is configured to control;

an acquisition unit configured to acquire device information from the image forming apparatus to print the print data supplied from the print conversion server by the image forming apparatus; and

a requesting unit configured to request the print conversion server to temporarily register the device information acquired by the acquisition unit;

wherein, the print conversion server comprises;

a microprocessor coupled to a memory, wherein the microprocessor is configured to control;

a reception unit configured to receive the request of temporarily registering the device information of the image forming apparatus from the requesting unit; and

a registration unit configured to temporarily register the device information received by the reception unit;

wherein, the microprocessor of the portable device is further configured to control;

a transmission unit configured to transmit, to the print conversion server, information indicating use of the print conversion server at the image forming apparatus corresponding to the temporarily registered device information; and

a transmission control unit configured to control the transmission unit not to transmit the information in response to disconnection of communication with the image forming apparatus; and

wherein, the microprocessor of the print conversion server is further configured to control;

a supply unit configured to supply, if the information transmitted from the transmission unit is received within a predetermined period of time, the print data to the image forming apparatus corresponding to the device information registered by the registration unit in response to an acquisition request of the print data; and

a control unit configured to control, when the information transmitted from the transmission unit is not received within the predetermined period of time, the supply unit not to supply the print data to the image forming apparatus corresponding to the device information registered by the registration unit,

wherein the image forming apparatus comprises;

a microprocessor coupled to a memory, wherein the microprocessor is configured to control;

a detection unit configured to detect the disconnection of communication with the portable device; and

a requesting unit configured to request, when the detection unit detects the disconnection of the communication with the portable device, the print conversion server to delete the device information corresponding to the image forming apparatus registered by the registration unit.

2. The printing system according to claim 1, wherein:

the registration unit registers the device information by storing the device information in a memory of the print conversion server; and

the control unit controls, when the reception unit does not receive the information transmitted from the transmission unit within the predetermined period, the supply unit not to supply the print data to the image forming apparatus corresponding to the device information by deleting the device information registered by the registration unit from the memory of the print conversion server.

3. The printing system according to claim 1, wherein:

the microprocessor of the print conversion server is further configured to control;

a notification unit configured to send notification of a communication method employed when the requesting unit makes the request,

wherein the requesting unit requests, based on the communication method notified by the notification unit, the deletion of the device information corresponding to the image forming apparatus registered by the registration unit.

4. The printing system according to claim 1, the transmission unit transmits the information indicating use of the print conversion server at the image forming apparatus corresponding to the temporarily registered device information at a fixed interval.

5. A method for controlling a print conversion server communicable with a portable device that communicates with an image forming apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving a request to register device information of the image forming apparatus, configured to execute printing based on print data, from the portable device;

registering the received device information;

receiving information indicating use of the print conversion server by the image forming apparatus;

supplying, if the information indicating use of the print conversion server is transmitted within a predetermined period of time, print data to the image forming apparatus corresponding to the registered received device information in response to an acquisition request of the print data,

wherein if the transmitted information is not received within the predetermined period of time, the print data is not supplied to the image forming apparatus corresponding to the registered device information,

receiving a request from the image forming apparatus, when the image forming apparatus detects disconnection of communication with the portable device, to delete the registered received device information corresponding to the image forming apparatus.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for storing a program executed by a portable device communicable with a print conversion server configured to supply print data and an image forming apparatus, the program comprising:

acquiring, to print the print data supplied from the print conversion server by the image forming apparatus, device information from the image forming apparatus, which the image forming apparatus is configured to execute printing based on the print data; and

requesting the print conversion server to temporarily register the acquired device information;

transmitting, to the print conversion server, information indicating use of the print conversion server at the image forming apparatus, the device information of which has temporarily been registered; and

inhibiting the transmission of the information in response to disconnection of communication with the image forming apparatus,

wherein when the image forming apparatus detects disconnection of communication with the portable device, the image forming apparatus requests the print conversion server to delete the acquired device information.