Output control system, output control method, and output control apparatus for determining whether to store or transmit target data based on use state

• US 8,861,001 B2
• Filed: 01/02/2013
• Issued: 10/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Sasaki, Koji
• Primary Examiner(s): Yang, Qian
• Application Number:
  US13/732,810
• Publication Number:
  US 20130176592A1
• Time in Patent Office: 650 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.15
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1222 Increasing security of the print job
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1238 Secure printing, e.g. user identification, user rights for device usage, unallowed content, blanking portions or fields of a page, releasing held jobs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1267 Job repository, e.g. non-scheduled jobs, delay printing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1288 in client-server-printer device configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1296 Printer job scheduling or printer resource handling

Abstract

An output control apparatus includes a state information storage unit configured to store therein state information in which apparatus identification information about an output apparatus and a use state of the output apparatus are associated; a use state management unit configured to store the state information for the use state received from the output apparatus in the state information storage unit; a designation of the output apparatus, and a request to output the target data to the designated output apparatus; an output control unit configured to determine whether to store the target data in a data storage unit or transmit the target data to the designated output apparatus based on the use state of the designated output apparatus; and a data transmitting unit configured to transmit the target data and the request to the designated output apparatus when the target data is to be transmitted to the designated output apparatus.

Claims

1. An output control system comprising:

an output apparatus; and

an output control apparatus connected to the output apparatus through a network, wherein

the output apparatus includes

an output unit configured to output target data; and

a state transmitting unit configured to transmit a use state of the output apparatus to the output control apparatus,

the output control apparatus includes

a state information storage unit configured to store therein state information in which unique apparatus identification information about the output apparatus and the use state are associated with each other;

a data storage unit configured to store therein the target data;

a use state management unit configured to receive the use state from the output apparatus and store the state information in which the received use state and the apparatus identification information are associated with each other in the state information storage unit;

a data receiving unit configured to receive the target data, a designation of the output apparatus that is an output destination, and a request to output the target data to the designated output apparatus from a terminal apparatus;

an output control unit configured to determine whether to store the target data received by the data receiving unit in the data storage unit or transmit the target data received by the data receiving unit to the designated output apparatus in response to the request, on the basis of whether or not the use state corresponding to the apparatus identification information about the designated output apparatus with reference to the state information is a state in which use authority is already given; and

a data transmitting unit configured to transmit the target data and the request to the designated output apparatus when it is determined that the target data is to be transmitted to the designated output apparatus, and

the output control unit stores the target data in the data storage unit when it is determined that the target data is to be stored in the data storage unit.

2. The output control system according to claim 1, wherein

when the use state of the designated output apparatus is a state in which the use authority is already given, the output control unit determines whether there is another output apparatus to which the use authority is not given with reference to the state information,

the output control apparatus includes

a list information transmitting unit configured to, when there is another output apparatus to which the use authority is not given, transmit information about a list of other apparatuses to which the use authority is not given to the terminal apparatus;

and

a selected apparatus receiving unit configured to receive information about one of the other output apparatuses which is selected by a user from the terminal apparatus, and

the data transmitting unit transmits the target data to the selected output apparatus in response to the request.

3. The output control system according to claim 1, wherein,

when the use state of the output apparatus is changed, the state transmitting unit transmits the changed use state to the output control apparatus.

4. The output control system according to claim 3, wherein,

when the use state of the output apparatus is changed from a state in which the use authority is already given to a state in which the use authority is not given and when the output of the target data by the output unit is completed, the state transmitting unit transmits the use state indicating that the use authority is not given to the output apparatus to the output control apparatus.

5. The output control system according to claim 1, wherein,

when the target data is transmitted to the designated output apparatus in response to the request, the use state management unit stores, in the state information storage unit, the state information in which the use state indicating that the output apparatus is outputting data and the apparatus identification information about the designated output apparatus are associated with each other.

6. The output control system according to claim 5, wherein

the output control apparatus further includes

an inquiry transmitting unit configured to transmit an inquiry about the use state to the designated output apparatus after the target data is transmitted to the designated output apparatus in response to the request;

and

a response receiving unit configured to receive a response to the inquiry from the designated output apparatus, and

when the response indicating that the output is completed is received from the designated output apparatus, the use state management unit stores, in the state information storage unit, the state information in which the use state indicating that the use authority is not given to the output apparatus and the apparatus identification information about the designated output apparatus are associated with each other.

7. The output control system according to claim 5, wherein

the output apparatus further includes

an input receiving unit configured to receive input of unique user identification information about a user;

and

an authority control unit configured to control the use authority of the user to use the output apparatus on the basis of the received user identification information,

when the use state indicates that the target data is being output, the authority control unit does not give the use authority to the user who inputs the user identification information, and

when the use state indicates that the target data is being output and when the use authority is not given to the user who inputs the user identification information, the state transmitting unit does not transmit the use state to the output control apparatus.

8. The output control system according to claim 1, wherein

the output control apparatus further includes

a selection request transmitting unit configured to transmit, to the terminal apparatus, a request for the user to select whether to store the target data in the data storage unit or transmit the target data to the designated output apparatus in response to the request to output the target data;

and

a selection result receiving unit configured to receive a selection result for the request to select from the terminal apparatus,

when the selection result indicates that the target data is to be transmitted to the designated output apparatus, the output control unit determines whether to store the target data in the data storage unit or transmit the target data to the designated output apparatus in response to the request to output on the basis of the use state corresponding to the apparatus identification information about the designated output apparatus with reference to the state information.

9. The output control system according to claim 1, wherein,

when the use state of the designated output apparatus is a state in which the use authority is not given, the output control unit determines that the target data is to be transmitted to the designated output apparatus in response to the request to output.

10. The output control system according to claim 9, wherein

when the use state of the designated output apparatus is a state in which the use authority is already given, the output control unit determines whether there is another output apparatus to which the use authority is not given with reference to the state information,

the output control apparatus includes

a list information transmitting unit configured to, when there is another output apparatus to which the use authority is not given, transmit information about a list of other apparatuses to which the use authority is not given to the terminal apparatus;

and

a selected apparatus receiving unit configured to receive information about one of the other output apparatuses which is selected by a user from the terminal apparatus, and

the data transmitting unit transmits the target data to the selected output apparatus in response to the request.

11. The output control system according to claim 9, wherein,

when the use state of the output apparatus is changed, the state transmitting unit transmits the changed use state to the output control apparatus.

12. The output control system according to claim 11, wherein,

when the use state of the output apparatus is changed from a state in which the use authority is already given to a state in which the use authority is not given and when the output of the target data by the output unit is completed, the state transmitting unit transmits the use state indicating that the use authority is not given to the output apparatus to the output control apparatus.

13. The output control system according to claim 9, wherein,

when the target data is transmitted to the designated output apparatus in response to the request, the use state management unit stores, in the state information storage unit, the state information in which the use state indicating that the output apparatus is outputting data and the apparatus identification information about the designated output apparatus are associated with each other.

14. The output control system according to claim 13, wherein

the output control apparatus further includes

an inquiry transmitting unit configured to transmit an inquiry about the use state to the designated output apparatus after the target data is transmitted to the designated output apparatus in response to the request;

and

a response receiving unit configured to receive a response to the inquiry from the designated output apparatus, and

when the response indicating that the output is completed is received from the designated output apparatus, the use state management unit stores, in the state information storage unit, the state information in which the use state indicating that the use authority is not given to the output apparatus and the apparatus identification information about the designated output apparatus are associated with each other.

15. The output control system according to claim 9, wherein

the output apparatus further includes

an input receiving unit configured to receive input of unique user identification information about a user;

and

an authority control unit configured to control the use authority of the user to use the output apparatus on the basis of the received user identification information,

when the use state indicates that the target data is being output, the authority control unit does not give the use authority to the user who inputs the user identification information, and

when the use state indicates that the target data is being output and when the use authority is not given to the user who inputs the user identification information, the state transmitting unit does not transmit the use state to the output control apparatus.

16. The output control system according to claim 9, wherein

the output control apparatus further includes

a selection request transmitting unit configured to transmit, to the terminal apparatus, a request for the user to select whether to store the target data in the data storage unit or transmit the target data to the designated output apparatus in response to the request to output the target data;

and

a selection result receiving unit configured to receive a selection result for the request to select from the terminal apparatus,

when the selection result indicates that the target data is to be transmitted to the designated output apparatus, the output control unit determines whether to store the target data in the data storage unit or transmit the target data to the designated output apparatus in response to the request to output on the basis of the use state corresponding to the apparatus identification information about the designated output apparatus with reference to the state information.

17. The output control system according to claim 1, wherein the state information includes the output apparatus name, an update time of when the output apparatus is updated, whether a user is logged in to the output apparatus, and a user name of a user logged in to the output apparatus.

18. An output control method performed in an output control system that includes an output apparatus and an output control apparatus connected to the output apparatus through a network, the output control apparatus including a state information storage unit configured to store therein state information in which unique apparatus identification information about the output apparatus and a use state of the output apparatus are associated with each other, and a data storage unit configured to store therein target data to be output by the output apparatus, the output control method comprising:

transmitting the use state from the output apparatus to the output control apparatus;

receiving the use state from the output apparatus;

storing the state information in which the received use state and the apparatus identification information are associated with each other in the state information storage unit;

receiving, by the output control apparatus, the target data, a designation of the output apparatus that is an output destination, and a request to output the target data to the designated output apparatus from a terminal apparatus;

determining, by the output control apparatus, whether to store the target data in the data storage unit or transmit the target data to the designated output apparatus in response to the request, on the basis of whether or not the use state corresponding to the apparatus identification information about the designated output apparatus with reference to the state information is a state in which use authority is already given; and

transmitting the target data and the request to the designated output apparatus when it is determined that the target data is to be transmitted to the designated output apparatus,

wherein the target data is stored in the data storage unit when it is determined that the target data is to be stored in the data storage unit.

19. An output control apparatus connected to an output apparatus that outputs target data through a network, the output control apparatus comprising:

a state information storage unit configured to store therein state information in which unique apparatus identification information about the output apparatus and the use state are associated with each other;

a data storage unit configured to store therein the target data;

a use state management unit configured to receive the use state from the output apparatus and store the state information in which the received use state and the apparatus identification information are associated with each other in the state information storage unit;

a data receiving unit configured to receive the target data, a designation of the output apparatus that is an output destination, and a request to output the target data to the designated output apparatus from a terminal apparatus;

an output control unit configured to determine whether to store the target data received by the data receiving unit in the data storage unit or transmit the target data received by the data receiving unit to the designated output apparatus in response to the request, on the basis of whether or not the use state corresponding to the apparatus identification information about the designated output apparatus with reference to the state information is a state in which use authority is already given; and

a data transmitting unit configured to transmit the target data and the request to the designated output apparatus when it is determined that the target data is to be transmitted to the designated output apparatus,

wherein the output control unit stores the target data in the data storage unit when it is determined that the target data is to be stored in the data storage unit.