Printer device, printing method, printing program, and recording medium

• US 7,551,319 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2005
• Issued: 06/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Ogasawara, Naruhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Thomas D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brinich; Stephen M
• Application Number:
  US11/171,349
• Publication Number:
  US 20060001897A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,453 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.9, 358/2.1, 358/468, 358 115- 116, 358/437
• US Class Current: 358/1.9
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32128 attached to the image data, e.g. file header, transmitted message header, information on the same page or in the same computer file as the image for information embedded in the image H04N1/32144
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4413 involving the use of passwords, ID codes or the like, e.g. PIN
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/444 to a particular document or image or part thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3214 of a date
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3215 of a time or duration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3216 of a job size, e.g. a number of images, pages or copies, size of file, length of message
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3221 of a job number or identification, e.g. communication number
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3233 of authentication information, e.g. digital signature, watermark
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3235 Checking or certification of the authentication information, e.g. by comparison with data stored independently

Abstract

A printer device is provided that includes: an authenticating unit that performs user authentication; a determining unit that determines whether a print job is to be handled as a guest job that has limited authority to print and accumulate documents, based on predetermined information; and an executing unit that performs document printing and accumulation, based on the result of the determination by the determining unit.

Claims

1. A printer device, which can handle a plurality of printer control languages, comprising:

an authenticating unit that performs user authentication;

a determining unit that determines whether a print job is to be handled as a guest job that has limited authority to print and accumulate documents, based on predetermined information including stored information settable by an operator indicating whether a guest job is allowed to be executed; and

an executing unit that performs document printing and accumulation, based on the result of the determination by the determining unit,

wherein the determining unit determines the print job to be the guest job, not only based on the predetermined information, but also because the print job is written in a particular printer control language among the plurality of printer control languages.

2. A printer device, comprising:

an authenticating unit that performs user authentication;

a determining unit that determines whether a print job is to be handled as a guest job that has limited authority to print and accumulate documents, based on predetermined information including stored information settable by an operator indicating whether a guest job is allowed to be executed;

an executing unit that performs document printing and accumulation, based on the result of the determination by the determining unit; and

a plurality of interfaces,

wherein the determining unit determines the print job to be the guest job, not only based on the predetermined information, but also because the print job is received via a particular interface among the plurality of interfaces.

3. A printer device, which is connected to a plurality of terminals via a network, comprising:

an authenticating unit that performs user authentication;

a determining unit that determines whether a print job is to be handled as a guest job that has limited authority to print and accumulate documents, based on predetermined information including stored information settable by an operator indicating whether a guest job is allowed to be executed; and

an executing unit that performs document printing and accumulation, based on the result of the determination by the determining unit,

wherein the determining unit determines the print job to be the guest job, not only based on the predetermined information, but also because the print job is received from a particular terminal among the plurality of terminals.

4. A printer device, comprising:

an authenticating unit that performs user authentication;

a determining unit that determines whether a print job is to be handled as a guest job that has limited authority to print and accumulate documents, based on predetermined information including stored information settable by an operator indicating whether a guest job is allowed to be executed;

an executing unit that performs document printing and accumulation, based on the result of the determination by the determining unit; and

a document accumulating unit that accumulates documents relating to the print job,

wherein, once accumulated in the document accumulating unit, the documents relating to the guest job are printed in accordance with a request from the user authenticated by the authenticating unit.

5. The printer device as claimed in claim 4, wherein, when the user authenticated by the authenticating unit has the authority to manage the printer device, an instruction can be issued to collectively print the documents accumulated in the document accumulating unit.

6. A printing method, which can handle a plurality of printer control languages, and that is utilized by a printer device comprising an authenticating unit that authenticates a user, the method comprising:

determining whether a print job is to be regarded as a guest job that has limited authority to print and accumulate documents, based on predetermined information including stored information settable by an operator indicating whether a guest job is allowed to be executed; and

performing document printing and accumulation, based on the result of the determination performed in the step of determining the print job;

wherein the determining determines the print job to be the guest job, not only based on the predetermined information, but also because the print job is written in a particular printer control language among the plurality of printer control languages.

7. A printing method, that is utilized by a printer device comprising an authenticating unit that authenticates a user and a plurality of interfaces, the method comprising:

determining whether a print job is to be regarded as a guest job that has limited authority to print and accumulate documents, based on predetermined information including stored information settable by an operator indicating whether a guest job is allowed to be executed; and

performing document printing and accumulation, based on the result of the determination performed in the step of determining the print job;

wherein the determining unit determines the print job to be the guest job, not only based on the predetermined information, but also because the print job is received via a particular interface among the plurality of interfaces.

8. A printing method that is utilized by a printer device comprising an authenticating unit that authenticates a user, and which is connected to a plurality of terminals via a network, the method comprising:

determining whether a print job is to be regarded as a guest job that has limited authority to print and accumulate documents, based on predetermined information including stored information settable by an operator indicating whether a guest job is allowed to be executed; and

performing document printing and accumulation, based on the result of the determination performed in the step of determining the print job;

wherein the determining unit determines the print job to be the guest job, not only based on the predetermined information, but also because the print job is received from a particular terminal among the plurality of terminals.