JP2001188663A - Printing management method, printer system, its host computer for user and manager, and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make judgeable whether or not a personal computer to be used by a user is receiving printing restriction by itself before the printing data are transmitted to a network. SOLUTION: A printer 10 is connected to a host computer 2 for manager and a host computer 1 for user via a network 3, the host computer 2 has a user management information file 22 to perform the printing restriction to the use, the user management information file 22 is referred to when the host computer 1 makes the printer 10 to print the printing data, and the printing restriction is performed according to the contents of user management information.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a print management method for a printer system in which a printer is connected to a host computer for an administrator and a host computer for a user via a network, the printer system, and a user configuring the printer system. The present invention relates to a computer host computer and an administrator host computer, and a computer-readable recording medium on which a program for causing each computer to execute necessary functions is recorded.

[0002] The host computer mentioned here includes a personal computer, a word processor,
It includes a drawing computer, various terminal devices having computer functions, and the like.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, many personal computers (hereinafter abbreviated as "PCs") have been used in the same company, government office, university, etc. with the OA of offices and schools. A printer is also indispensable for outputting created documents, search results, correspondence documents, and the like.

However, it is not only uneconomical to provide a printer with a short usage time for each personal computer, but also it is impossible in terms of space. Therefore, a plurality of personal computers are connected to one or more printers via a network. A printer system is constructed by using such a printer, and the printer is commonly used by a plurality of personal computers.

However, in such a printer system, the user (user) of each personal computer easily uses the printer, which increases the cost of consumables such as paper, toner or ink, and promotes waste of resources. Or deterioration of the printer may be accelerated. In order to deal with such a problem, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No.
As disclosed in JP-A-30057 and JP-A-10-207661, the use of a printer is restricted for each user, each group, or each personal computer.

Therefore, when printing is restricted in such a conventional printer system, print data sent from a personal computer (in such a system, also referred to as a higher-level device or a host device to the printer) to the printer is used by the user. Information such as user name, group name, device name, etc., and the printer compares the information such as the user name with the list information such as the user name which the printer has in the printer and whose use is to be conditionally restricted. However, if the information and the conditions match, printing is restricted.

[0007]

However, in such a printer system, since the printer determines whether or not to apply the print restriction, even if the print data is not printed due to the print restriction, the user's personal computer may not be able to print the print data. Has transmitted print data with information such as a user name to a printer via a network. For this reason, there has been a problem that network traffic increases, and the efficiency of use when many personal computers share the printer is poor. Further, when a plurality of printers are connected to a network, information such as a user name for restricting printing must be held for each printer.

The present invention has been made in order to solve such a problem. Before a personal computer used by a user (a host computer for a user) sends print data to a network, the print control itself is performed. It is a common object to make it possible to determine whether or not the print data has been received, and to avoid unnecessary transmission of print data when printing cannot be performed.

[0009] Further, it is possible to finely control the printing restrictions, to inform the user of information regarding the printing restrictions, and to automatically set the printing restrictions for each user or each personal computer used by the user. Another purpose is to be able to cancel.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a print management method and a printer system for achieving the above object.
A host computer for a user and a host computer for an administrator constituting the printer system; and a computer-readable recording medium on which a program for causing the computer to execute necessary functions is recorded.

In a print management method according to the present invention, a printer is connected to a host computer for an administrator and a host computer for a user via a network to form a printer system, and the host computer for the administrator restricts printing for the user. When the user host computer causes the printer to print the print data, it refers to the user management information of the administrator host computer and restricts printing according to the contents of the user management information. Is performed.

It is preferable that the user management information is information for restricting printing by a combination of a user host computer name and the user name. In addition, the user management information includes status information indicating whether the printing is restricted or not, or is not restricted, so that the user host computer performs processing according to the status information when printing. Is also good.

[0013] Further, the user management information includes usable time restriction information, and the present time is measured in the manager host computer. The user host computer manages the user of the manager host computer. When referring to the information, it is also possible to acquire information on the current time from the administrator's host computer, and to restrict printing based on the current time and the information on the available time based on the user management information.

Alternatively, the user management information may include information on whether or not to display a message, and the user host computer may select whether or not to display a message relating to printing restrictions in accordance with the information on whether or not to display the message when printing. it can.

Further, at the time of printing, the user's host computer sends at least information on the user name and the number of prints to the manager's host computer, and the manager's host computer accumulates the number of prints for each user name based on the information. When the cumulative number of sheets exceeds a set value, information for prohibiting subsequent printing of the user name can be added to the user management information. In this case, the administrator's host computer has calendar information, resets the storage of the cumulative number of prints for each user when the month changes, and also cancels information that prohibits printing of user management information. You can also.

A printer system according to the present invention is a printer system in which a printer, an administrator host computer and a user host computer are connected via a network.
A user management information file storing user management information for restricting printing to a user is provided. When a user host computer causes a printer to print print data, a user management information file of the administrator host computer is provided. And means for reading the user management information, and means for restricting printing in accordance with the contents of the user management information.

The user management information is information to be subjected to printing restriction by a combination of the user host computer name and the user name, and means for reading the user management information of the user host computer is provided. Of these, the means for reading only the information of the own user name or the own host computer name may be used. Further, the user management information includes status information indicating whether the printing is in a restricted printing state, a state in which the printing restriction is close, or a state in which the printing is not restricted. May be performed.

Alternatively, the user management information may include restriction information on available time, and a clock for measuring the current time may be provided in the host computer for the administrator. Means for obtaining current time information from the clock of the computer, and means for restricting printing of the host computer for the user, the means for restricting printing based on the obtained current time and the information on the available time based on the user management information. Can be performed.

Means for including, in the user management information, information on the presence / absence of a message display, and the user's host computer selecting whether or not to display a message relating to printing restrictions in accordance with the information on the presence / absence of the message display during printing. Means for displaying a message selected by the means to be displayed.

Further, the user host computer has means for transmitting at least information of a user name and the number of prints to the manager host computer at the time of printing, and the manager host computer receives the information from the user host computer. Means for acquiring information on the user name and the number of prints, and accumulatively adding and storing the number of prints for each user name. When the accumulated number of prints exceeds a set value, the user Means for adding information prohibiting subsequent printing of the user name to the management information file.

In this printer system, the administrator's host computer includes means for generating calendar information, and cumulative addition of the number of prints for each user stored in the cumulative addition number storage means when the month changes. Means may be provided for resetting the number of sheets and canceling the information prohibiting printing of the user management information file.

A host computer for a user and a host computer for an administrator, which constitute each of the above printer systems, are also according to the present invention. For example,
The administrator's host computer has a user management information file storing user management information for restricting printing to a user, and means for adding and changing user management information in the user management information file. It has.

Further, the recording medium for the user host computer according to the present invention provides the user host computer with access to the user management information file of the administrator host computer when the print data is printed by the printer. It records a program for executing a function of reading user management information for restricting printing and a function of restricting printing in accordance with the content of the user management information.

In the recording medium, the user management information is information for restricting printing by a combination of a user host computer name and the user name, and a program for causing the user host computer to execute a function of reading the user management information. May be a program that executes a function of reading only information on the own user name or own host computer name in the user management information.

Further, the user management information includes status information indicating whether the printing is in a restricted printing state, a state in which the printing restriction is close, or a state in which the printing is not restricted, and a program for causing the user host computer to execute the function of performing the printing restriction is provided. The program may be a program that executes a process according to the status information.

Furthermore, when the user host computer causes the printer to print the print data, the user computer accesses the user management information file of the administrator host computer and prints the information including the time limit information on the available time for the user. A function to read the user management information for performing the restriction, a function to obtain the current time information from the administrator host computer, and printing according to the read user management information and the obtained current time information. There is also provided a computer-readable recording medium in which a program for executing the function of performing the restriction is recorded.

The user management information on the recording medium includes information on whether or not to display a message, and the user host computer further relates to the print restriction according to the information on whether or not to display the message in the user management information read at the time of printing. A program for executing a function of selecting whether to display a message and a function of displaying a message selected to be displayed by the function may also be recorded.

Further, the recording medium for the administrator host computer according to the present invention has the administrator host computer obtain information on the user name and the number of copies when the user host computer causes the printer to print the print data. Cumulative addition number storage function for cumulatively adding and storing the number of prints for each of the acquired user names,
When the accumulated number of added sheets exceeds a set value, a function to add information for prohibiting subsequent printing of the user name to the user management information for restricting printing of the user in the user management information file is executed. This is a record of the program.

In the recording medium, a function of further generating calendar information is provided to the host computer for the administrator.
A function for resetting the stored cumulative number of printed sheets for each user when the month changes, and canceling the information prohibiting printing of the user management information stored in the user management information file And a program for executing the above.

According to the print management method and the printer system of the present invention, when the user's host computer prints the print data to the printer connected via the network, the user's host computer uses the administrator's host computer. With reference to the user management information, printing is restricted according to the content.

Therefore, when printing cannot be performed due to printing restrictions, print data does not go out on the network, thereby preventing an increase in network traffic. Also, the user management information only needs to be held by the host computer for the administrator, and there is no need to provide the printer with any special data or add any new functions.
Printing can be restricted for all printers connected to the network, and management can be simplified.

[0032]

Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a network connection diagram showing a configuration example of a printer system according to the present invention. In this example, five user host computers 1 and one administrator host computer 2
And two printers 10 are connected via a network 3 such as a LAN, so that all the user host computers 1 can use the two printers 10.

The user host computers 1 need not be the same, and any number of host computers may be connected. The invention is not limited to a desktop or notebook personal computer, but may be a word processor, a drawing computer, various terminal devices having computer functions, and the like. Two or more administrator host computers 2 can be connected.

Each user's host computer 1 and administrator's host computer 2 may have various functions according to the present invention from the beginning, or may be provided with a built-in or external floppy disk device or optical disk device. The program may function by reading a program recorded on a recording medium (floppy disk, optical disk, or the like) according to the present invention and installing the program on an internal hard disk or RAM.

The number of printers 10 may be one, but they can be increased according to the number of user host computers 1 to be connected and the frequency of use. As a type of the printer 10, a high-speed page printer such as a laser printer is desirable, but not limited thereto.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a connection relationship between the configuration example of the printer 10 and the user host computer 1. The user host computer 1 is connected to the printer 10 via the network 3 shown in FIG. 1, and transmits a printer setting command and print data to the printer 10 to perform printing.

The printer 10 includes a controller 100 and
An engine 108, which is an electrophotographic image forming unit, includes a panel device 110, a disk device 114, and the like. The panel device 110 includes operation keys and a display, and is used for notifying a user of a current printer state and giving a mode instruction.
The disk device 114 stores font data, programs,
A disk device for storing various data such as print data, such as a floppy disk device or a hard disk device.

The controller 100 includes a CPU 101, I
C card 102, NVRAM 103, program ROM
104, font ROM 105, RAM 106, engine I / F 107, panel I / F 109, disk I / F
113, a host I / F 111, and a bus line 120 interconnecting them.

The CPU 101 has a program ROM 104
This is a central processing unit that controls the entire controller 100 in accordance with the program, a mode instruction from the panel device 110, and a command from the host computer 1 for user or the host computer 2 for manager shown in FIG. The IC card 102 is for supplying font data and programs from outside.

The NVRAM 103 is a non-volatile storage device for storing the contents of the mode instruction from the panel device 110 and the like. The program ROM 104 is a read-only memory in which a control program for the controller 100 is stored. The font ROM 105 is a read-only memory that stores pattern data of various character fonts and the like.

The RAM 106 is a large-capacity random access memory used as a work memory of the CPU 101, an input buffer for input data, a page buffer for print data, a memory for download fonts, and the like.
The engine I / F 107 is an interface for communicating commands, statuses, print data, and the like with the engine 108.

The panel I / F 109 is a panel device 110
And an interface for communicating commands and status. The host I / F 111 is an interface for communicating with the user host computer 1 or the manager host computer 2 shown in FIG. 1, and is usually a Centro I / F or RS232C. The disk I / F 113 is an interface for communicating with the disk device 114.

When the controller 100 receives data (character codes, control codes, and control commands) from the host computer 1 or 2 through the host interface 111, the data is temporarily stored in an input buffer which is an area secured in the RAM 106. To be stored. Next, the data held in the input buffer is fetched, and the head address of the font pattern for each character of the data, the width of the font pattern, the font pattern And page layout information such as the print position and the like.

When the page buffer has been completed for one page, the data in the page buffer is subsequently stored in R
The data is developed as a bit map in a frame buffer which is an area secured in the AM 106. When the development is completed, a feed tray selection command, a discharge tray selection command, and a print command are sent to the engine 108 through the engine I / F 107, and the bitmap data developed in the frame buffer is output as video data.

On the other hand, the engine 108
In accordance with the paper feed tray selection command, the paper discharge tray selection command, and the print command sent from 00, paper is fed from the specified paper feed tray, printing is performed in accordance with the video data, and the printed paper is output to the specified paper output tray. Output to

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a connection relationship of a part of the printer system according to the present invention and showing a functional configuration according to the present invention in the host computer 2 for manager. In this example, two user host computers 1, one administrator host computer 2, and two printers 10 are connected via a network 3.

Then, the administrator host computer 2
, As hardware, like a normal PC
PU, memory, hard disk, FD drive device, C
A main body having a D-ROM reader and the like, a keyboard, a monitor display, and the like are provided. As software for performing print management according to the present invention, there are provided a user management application 21, a user management information file 22, a print log file 23, and a clock 24 with a calendar.

The user management information file 22 stores user management information for restricting printing to a user. When the user host computer 1 performs printing, the user management information of this file is stored. refer. Also,
When the user host computer 1 causes the printer 10 to print, the information of the user name and the host computer name set in the user host computer 1 in advance is transmitted to the administrator host computer 2 together with the number of prints. The administrator's host computer 2 receives the information and stores the number of prints in the print log file 23 for each combination of the host computer name and the user name.

The administrator refers to the storage contents of the print log file 23 using a display, keyboard and mouse (not shown), and reads the user management information file 22.
Can be directly edited to register (including additions and changes) user management information such as a user name for which printing is restricted.

When the user management information file 22 is automatically updated, the administrator host computer 2 itself refers to the added storage number for each combination of the user name and the computer name in the print log file 23. Then, the user exceeding the preset number is automatically registered in the user management information file 22. These processes are performed by the user management application 21. The preset number may be different for each user. For example, it is possible for a user who has paid a fee to increase the number of prints.

When the number of prints is limited on a monthly basis, when the month is changed by the calendar function using the clock 24,
It is possible to reset each additional storage number in the print log file 23 and automatically release the print restriction of the user management information file 22. Table 1 shows an example of the contents of the user management information file 22. In this file, the setting items are described on the first line, and the second and subsequent lines are user information data for which printing is restricted. One user is set per line.

[0052]

【table】

[Table 1]

The setting item "Machinenam" in the first line of this table
"e" is the user's host computer name, "UserName" is the user name, "Time" is the available time, "Stasus" is the status information, "Stop" is the printing restricted (printing prohibited) state, "Caution "The print limit is close but printing is possible,"
ady "indicates that printing is not restricted (printing is permitted)." Messag
"e" is information indicating whether a message is displayed, "ON" indicates that a message is displayed, and "OFF" indicates that no message is displayed.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration in the user host computer 1 shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. The host computer 1 for the user also has the same hardware as a normal desktop personal computer, notebook personal computer, or various information terminal devices.
U, memory, hard disk, FD drive, CD
-Equipped with ROM reader, keyboard, monitor display, etc.

As software, various applications 11 and OS (operation system) 1
2, printer driver 13, print manager 14,
A user information file 16 for storing information on its own host computer name and the name of a user who uses it, an address information of the administrator host computer 2 and a user management information file 22 thereof. An address information file 17 that stores information on the location of the user and a message file that stores message information for displaying a warning or the like are provided.

The address information of the manager host computer 2 and the information of the location of the user management information file 22 in the manager host computer 2 are set in advance when the printer driver 13 is installed or at other times. Need to be kept. The set contents are stored in the address information file 17, and the printer driver 13 can refer to the contents at the time of printing.

When printing data, the application 11 sends to the printer driver 13 intermediate print data unique to the OS created via the OS (operating system) 12. The printer driver 13 converts the received intermediate print data into a printer control command (final print data) unique to the printer 115 and sends it to the print manager 14.

Here, after temporarily spooling the print data, the print manager 14 transmits the print data to the printer 10 via the printer monitor 15. Here, the print manager 14 temporarily spools the print data so that the application 1
The first print process can be completed quickly, and there is an advantage that the release of the application 11 is accelerated.

The print manager 14 can acquire information such as printer status from the printer 10 via the printer monitor 15. Further, the printer monitor 15 can send items set from a user interface such as a keyboard and a mouse as commands to the printer 10 based on the information acquired from the printer 10.

When the printer driver 13 imposes printing restrictions, the display contents can be obtained from the message file 18 and a message can be displayed on the display. When the user uses the user host computer 1, the user logs in with the user name. The logged-in user name and the host computer name are set in the user information file 16, and the printer driver 13 can refer to the set contents as needed.

The details of the print management process according to the present invention will be described below. FIGS. 5 to 9 are flowcharts showing different embodiments (corresponding to each claim) of processing at the time of printing by the user host computer 1. In each of these drawings, steps are abbreviated as “S”. In these figures, the same step numbers are given to processes or judgments having the same contents.

[First Embodiment: FIG. 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a printing process performed by the user host computer 1 in the case of the first embodiment (corresponding to claims 1, 8, and 16). When the user inputs a user name and instructs printing, this process is started.

First, in step 1, the application 11
Instructs the printer driver 13 to start printing. Then, in step 2, the printer driver 13 accesses the administrator host computer 2 by referring to the address of the administrator host computer and the location information in the user management information file 22 from the address information file 17, and The management information file (abbreviated as “user management file” in the flowchart) 22 is referred to, and its contents (see Table 1) are read.

Next, at step 3, the printer driver 1
Reference numeral 3 refers to the read contents and the information in the user information file 16 to check whether the "UserName" item has the user name input at the time of printing, and finds the corresponding user name. In this case, the process proceeds to step 6 to interrupt the printing process and end the process. If not, the process proceeds to step 4 to continue the printing process. After it is determined in step 5 that printing has been completed, the process ends.

In this case, “UserName” in the user management information file 22 is a list of unprintable persons, but this “UserName” can be used as a list of printable persons (user registration). In this case, if there is a corresponding user name, the printing process is continued, and if there is no corresponding user name, the printing process is stopped.

According to this embodiment, the presence or absence of the print restriction can be determined by the user host computer 1, so that when printing is not possible, the print data does not have to be sent over the network, and the traffic of the network 3 It is possible to prevent the increase and increase the network use efficiency.

In the conventional method, when a plurality of printers are connected to a network, list information of user names that can be used or cannot be used must be held for each printer. According to this embodiment, since the administrator host computer 2 has a list of usable or unusable user names, use restrictions on user names for all printers connected to the network are restricted. This makes it possible to simplify print management.

[Second Embodiment: FIG. 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a process at the time of printing by the user host computer 1 in the second embodiment (corresponding to claims 2, 9 and 17). It is. In the first embodiment shown in FIG. 5, it is determined whether to stop or continue the printing process only by checking the “UserName”. In the second embodiment,
Using “UserName” and “MachineName” in the user management information shown in Table 1, the print restriction is determined based on a combination thereof.

That is, in the flowchart of FIG. 6, the user name ("UserName") is checked in step 3, the host computer name ("MachineName") is checked in step 7, and the printing process is executed only when both match. I try to cancel. Other processes are the same as those of the first embodiment described with reference to FIG.

In this case as well, “UserName” and “MachineName” in the user management information file 22 can be used as a list (user registration) of a printable person and the user's host computer. If the corresponding user name and host computer name are found, the printing process is continued, and if one or both of them are not found, the printing process is stopped.

In addition, the user management information file 22
May be provided with a group name item, and a group condition may be added to restrict printing. The conditions of the combination of the user name and the host computer name, or further, the group name can be set such as an AND condition or an OR condition by operation.

If the printing restriction is managed only by the user name,
When a user having the same user name is used in a plurality of user host computers 1, whether the users are the same person,
Can't tell if they happen to be different people with the same username.
Therefore, as in this embodiment, the user host computer name is also registered in the user management information file 22 of the administrator host computer 2, and the user host computer 1 refers to the user name and host computer name information at the time of printing. However, there is an advantage that the printing restriction can be more accurately managed by applying the printing restriction based on the information.

[Third Embodiment: FIG. 7] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a printing process performed by the user host computer 1 according to the third embodiment (corresponding to claims 3, 10, and 18). It is. In this embodiment, the status (“Status”) information corresponding to the user name is also acquired from the user management information file 22 in step 2 and the processing corresponding to the status is performed.

That is, in the flowchart of FIG. 6, if it is determined in step 2 that the user management information file is referred to and there is no user name input (to be printed) in step 3, the process proceeds to step 4. Continue the printing process. If the user name is found, the process proceeds to step 8 to determine whether the corresponding status is “Stop”,
In the case of "Stop", the printing process is stopped. Otherwise, it is determined in step 9 whether the status is "Caution".

If it is "Caution", a warning message (for example, "printing will soon be impossible") is displayed in step 10, and the printing process is continued in step 4. “Caution” is used as a status when, for example, the number of prints approaches the limited number of prints. If the status is "Ready", no printing restriction is imposed.

As the status, “Ready”, “Ca
ution ”and“ Stop ”can be set, but this can be changed according to the situation without fixing. For example, if you pay for printing, you can increase the number of printable pages, In that case, change the limit number at the time of paying the fee, change the status from "Stop" to "Ready" so that printing can be performed. In the case of (1), a process of changing the “Stop” state to “Ready” at the beginning of the month is possible.

As described in this embodiment, by giving status information corresponding to a user name or the like, such as “printing is impossible, the number of prints is close to the limit,” the status information is obtained when printing from the user host computer 1. Then, according to the status, for example, when the number of prints is close to the print limit, by displaying a warning message to that effect, it is possible to perform processes such as alerting the user about the use status. Also in this case, it is needless to say that printing may be restricted by a combination of the user name and the host computer name.

[Fourth Embodiment: FIG. 8] FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing processing at the time of printing by the user host computer 1 in the fourth embodiment (corresponding to claims 4, 11 and 20). It is. In the flowchart of FIG. 8, in step 11, the printer driver 13 acquires information on the current time from the administrator host computer 2. As described above, the time information is acquired from the administrator host computer 2 because of the condition that the time cannot be changed on the user side. The time may be acquired in the host computer 1.

Next, at step 2, the printer driver 1
Reference numeral 3 refers to the user management information file 22 of the administrator host computer 2, and at this time, also obtains information on the available time corresponding to the user name (set time of the item "Time" in Table 1).

Then, if there is no user name input in step 3, or if the current time is within the set available time in step 12, the process proceeds to step 4 to continue the printing process. However, if there is a user name input in step 3 and the current time is not within the set available time in step 12, the process proceeds to step 6 to stop the printing process.

According to this embodiment, it is possible to shift the printing time zone of each user so that the use of the printer is not concentrated, and the operation efficiency of the printer can be improved. By giving information on the printable time corresponding to the user name etc. to the host for the corps manager, obtain the available time and time when printing from the user host, If it is outside the usable time, the user can be notified to that effect. Also in this case, it is needless to say that printing may be restricted by a combination of the user name and the host computer name.

[Fifth Embodiment: FIG. 9] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a printing process performed by the user host computer 1 in the fifth embodiment (corresponding to claims 5, 12, and 21). It is. In the flowchart of FIG. 9, when the printer driver 13 refers to the contents of the user management information file 22 of the administrator host computer 2 in step 2, message display information ("Message" in Table 1) corresponding to the user name is displayed. Item settings) is also acquired.

If there is no user name input in step 3, the process proceeds to step 4 to continue the printing process.
If there is an input user name, it is determined in step 15 whether or not the message is "ON", and if "ON", a print stop message is displayed in step 16 and then the print processing is stopped in step 6. . If the message is "OFF", the printing process is stopped in step 6 without displaying the message of printing stop.

As in this embodiment, by giving information on the presence / absence of a message to the user management information file 22 of the host computer 2 for the administrator, when printing from the user host, the status such as print restriction is displayed. A message can be displayed above to inform the user of the situation. Also in this case, it is needless to say that printing may be restricted by a combination of the user name and the host computer name.

[Embodiment of Administrator Host Computer: FIG. 10] FIG.
9 is a flowchart showing processing by the administrator host computer 2 in an embodiment (corresponding to claims 6 and 13) in which the print restriction list of the user management information file 22 is automatically updated.

The administrator host computer 2 starts the process shown in FIG. 10 when accessing from the user host computer 1, and in step 21 the user information (user name and host computer name) from the user host computer 1 The print number information is received, and is temporarily stored in the print log file 23 in step 22.

Next, in step 23, the user management information file 22 is searched, and in step 24, it is checked whether there is file information corresponding to the user information obtained,
If not, printing is performed.
The number of prints for the user information is added and stored.

If there is file information corresponding to the user information obtained in step 24, it is checked in step 25 whether the status for the user information is "stop". If so, printing is not performed. The processing is terminated without any further processing. If the status is not "stop", printing is performed, so the process proceeds to step 26, and the number of prints for the user information is added and stored.

In the next step 27, it is determined whether or not the added number has exceeded a set value. If not, the process is terminated as it is. After the status for the user is set to "stop" and the subsequent printing is prohibited, the process is terminated.

The manager host computer 2 is a clock 24 with a calendar (software clock function may be used).
Therefore, if the print limit for each user is determined on a monthly basis, the stored value of the cumulative number of prints for each user is reset when the month changes, and the user management information In order to cancel the information prohibiting printing for each user name in the file 22, the status "stop" is set to "Ready". The print limit number may be changed to a daily unit, a week unit, or another predetermined period unit instead of the monthly unit.

According to this embodiment, the number of prints for each user can be automatically restricted, and can be managed on a monthly or other arbitrary period basis, greatly improving print management. It can be simplified. The upper limit of the number of prints in the period unit can be arbitrarily set according to the past use situation, the necessity depending on the type of job or post, the payment amount of the use fee, and the like.

[Recording Medium] A computer-readable floppy disk or optical disk which stores a program for causing the administrator's host computer 2 and the user's host computer 1 to execute the above-described functions (processing, determination, etc.). Can be created (corresponding to claims 24 to 30).

The recording medium is inserted into a floppy disk device such as a general-purpose personal computer or a CD-ROM reader, and the program recorded therein is read and installed in an internal storage device such as a hard disk. Accordingly, the function as the user host computer 1 or the administrator host computer 2 used in the printer system according to the present invention can be provided.

[0094]

As described above, according to the present invention, before a personal computer (a host computer for a user) used by a user sends print data to a network, whether or not the personal computer is subjected to printing restrictions by itself. Since it is possible to judge whether or not printing can be performed, unnecessary transmission of print data is not required, so that network traffic is reduced, and the efficiency of shared use of printers by a large number of user host computers can be increased.

Further, when a plurality of printers are connected to the network, it is necessary to hold user management information (information such as a user who can restrict printing or use a printer) for each printer. It is sufficient that only the administrator host computer 2 has the user management information.

Further, it is possible to finely control the print restriction according to the time zone or the like, to inform the user of the information relating to the print restriction, or to automatically set the print restriction for each user or each personal computer used by the user. It is also possible to set or cancel it dynamically.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a network connection diagram showing a configuration example of a printer system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a connection relationship between a configuration example of a printer 10 and a user host computer 1 in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a connection relationship of a part of the printer system according to the present invention and showing a functional configuration according to the present invention in a host computer for an administrator.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration in a user host computer in FIG. 1 or FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a printing process performed by the user host computer according to the first embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a printing process performed by a user host computer according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a printing process performed by a user host computer according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a printing process performed by a user host computer according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a printing process performed by a user host computer according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a process performed by the administrator host computer in the case of automatically updating the print restriction list of the user management information file.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1: Host computer for user 2: Host computer for administrator 3: Network 10: Printer 11: Application 12: OS (operating system) 13: Printer driver 14: Print manager 15: Printer monitor 16: User information file 17: Address information File 18: Message file 21: User management application 21 22: User management information file 23: Print log file 24: Clock (with calendar) 100: Controller 108: Engine 110: Panel device 114: Disk device

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F-term (reference) 2C061 AP01 HJ03 HJ04 HK15 HK19 HN17 HN18 HN23 HQ12 2C087 AB01 AB05 AB06 AB08 BA01 BA05 BA14 BD52 CB02 CB17 5B021 CC07 EE04 KK01 NN19 5B089 GA13 JA35 JB15 KA06

Claims (30)

[Claims] 1. A printer system comprising a printer, an administrator's host computer, and a user's host computer connected via a network, and user management information for allowing the administrator's host computer to restrict printing to a user. When the user host computer causes the printer to print the print data, the user host computer refers to the user management information of the administrator host computer, and performs printing restriction according to the contents of the user management information. A print management method characterized in that: 2. The print management method according to claim 1, wherein the user management information is information for restricting printing by a combination of a user host computer name and the user name. 3. The print management method according to claim 1, wherein the user management information includes status information indicating a print restricted state, a state in which print restriction is close, or a state in which print restriction is not performed, and the host for the user. A print management method, wherein a computer performs a process according to status information at the time of printing. 4. The print management method according to claim 1, wherein the user management information includes usage time restriction information, and a current time is set in the administrator host computer. Measuring, when the user host computer refers to the user management information of the manager host computer, obtains information of the current time from the manager host computer; A print management method, wherein printing is restricted by use time restriction information based on user management information. 5. The print management method according to claim 1, wherein the user management information includes information indicating whether a message is displayed, and the user host computer determines whether the message is displayed during printing. A print management method, comprising: selecting whether to display a message regarding print restrictions in accordance with information. 6. The print management method according to claim 1, wherein the user's host computer sends at least information of a user name and the number of copies to the administrator's host computer when printing. The manager host computer accumulatively adds and stores the number of prints for each user name based on the information, and stores the number of prints after the user name in the user management information when the accumulated number of prints exceeds a set value. A print management method characterized by adding information prohibiting printing of a print job. 7. The print management method according to claim 6, wherein the administrator host computer has calendar information and resets the storage of the cumulative number of prints for each user when the month changes. A print management method for canceling the information prohibiting printing of the user management information. 8. A printer system in which a printer, an administrator's host computer, and a user's host computer are connected via a network. In the printer system, the administrator's host computer stores user management information for restricting printing to a user. Providing the stored user management information file, when the user host computer causes the printer to print the print data, accesses the user management information file of the manager host computer to access the user management information file. And a means for restricting printing in accordance with the contents of the user management information. 9. The printer system according to claim 8, wherein the user management information is information for restricting printing by a combination of a user host computer name and the user name, and the user management information of the user host computer. Wherein the means for reading only the information of the own user name or the own host computer name in the user management information. 10. The user host computer according to claim 8, wherein the user management information includes status information indicating a print restriction state, a state in which print restriction is close, or a state in which print restriction is not performed, and the user host computer. Wherein the means for restricting printing performs processing according to the status information. 11. The printer system according to claim 8, wherein the user management information includes usable time limit information, and a current time is measured in the manager host computer. The user's host computer has means for acquiring information on the current time from the clock of the administrator's host computer at the time of printing, and means for restricting printing of the user's host computer, A printing system that limits printing based on the current time and the available time limitation information based on the user management information. 12. The printer system according to claim 8, wherein the user management information includes information indicating whether a message is displayed, and the user host computer determines whether the message is displayed during printing. A print management method, comprising: means for selecting whether to display a message related to print restriction in accordance with information; and means for displaying a message selected by the means to be displayed. 13. The printer system according to claim 8, wherein the host computer for the user includes means for transmitting at least information of a user name and the number of copies to the host computer for the administrator during printing. The administrator host computer has a user name and print number information from the user host computer, and cumulatively adds and stores the print number for each user name and stores the cumulative number of prints. Means for adding information for prohibiting subsequent printing of the user name to the user management information file when the accumulated number of added sheets exceeds a set value. 14. The printer system according to claim 13, wherein said manager host computer generates calendar information, and each user stored in said cumulative addition number storage means when a month changes. Means for resetting the cumulative number of prints of the user management information file and canceling the information prohibiting printing of the user management information file. 15. An administrator's host computer connected to a printer and a user's host computer via a network, the user's management information file storing user's management information for restricting printing to a user, Means for adding and changing user management information in the user management information file. 16. An administrator's host computer connected to an administrator's host computer and a printer via a network, wherein the administrator's host computer is used when printing data is printed by the printer. And a means for accessing the user management information file and reading the user management information, and a means for restricting printing in accordance with the contents of the user management information. 17. The user host computer according to claim 16, wherein the user management information is information for restricting printing by a combination of a user host computer name and the user name, and the user management information is read. Is a means for reading only the information of the own user name or the own host computer name from the user management information. 18. The user host computer according to claim 16, wherein the user management information includes status information indicating a print restricted state, a state in which print restriction is near, or a state in which print restriction is not performed, and the print restriction. A host computer for a user, wherein the means for performing performs processing according to the status information. 19. The administrator's host computer according to claim 15, wherein the user management information of the user management information file includes usable time restriction information and a clock for measuring a current time is provided. Characteristic administrator host computer. 20. A host computer for a user connected to a host computer for an administrator and a printer via a network according to claim 19, wherein the host computer for the administrator is used when printing data is printed by the printer. Means for accessing the user management information file and reading the user management information; means for obtaining the current time information from the clock of the host computer for the administrator; Means for restricting printing in accordance with time information. 21. The user host computer according to claim 16, wherein the user management information includes information on whether or not to display a message, and determines whether or not to display the message when printing. A host computer for a user, comprising: means for selecting whether to display a message related to print restriction in accordance with information; and means for displaying a message selected to be displayed by the means. 22. The administrator's host computer according to claim 15, wherein the administrator's host computer determines the user name and the number of prints when the user's host computer causes the printer to print the print data. Means for obtaining information;
A cumulatively added number storage means for cumulatively adding and storing the number of printed sheets for each of the acquired user names; and when the cumulatively added number exceeds a set value, the user management information file contains Means for adding information for prohibiting printing, the host computer for an administrator. 23. The manager host computer according to claim 22, wherein: means for generating calendar information; and accumulation of the number of printed sheets for each user stored in said accumulated number-of-additions storage means when a month changes. Means for resetting the number of added sheets and canceling information prohibiting printing of the user management information file. 24. When a print data is printed by a printer at a host computer for an administrator and a user host computer connected to the printer via a network, a user management information file of the host computer for the administrator is stored in the user management information file. A computer having recorded therein a program for accessing and reading user management information for restricting printing for a user, and a program for executing a function for restricting printing according to the contents of the user management information. A readable recording medium. 25. The recording medium according to claim 24, wherein the user management information is information for restricting printing by a combination of a user host computer name and the user name, and the user management information is stored in the user host computer. The program that executes the function to read information is
A computer-readable recording medium which is a program for executing a function of reading only information of a user name or a host computer name in the user management information. 26. The recording medium according to claim 24, wherein the user management information includes status information indicating a print restriction state, a state in which the print restriction is close, or a state in which the print restriction is not performed, and the user host computer. A computer-readable recording medium characterized in that a program for causing a computer to execute a function of restricting printing is a program for executing a process according to the status information. 27. When a print data is printed on a printer by a host computer for an administrator and a user host computer connected to the printer via a network, the user management information file of the host computer for the administrator is stored in the user management information file. A function of accessing and reading user management information for restricting printing including information on a usable time for a user, a function of acquiring information of a current time from the administrator host computer, and a function of the read use. A computer-readable recording medium on which is recorded a program for executing a function of restricting printing according to user management information and acquired current time information. 28. The recording medium according to claim 24, wherein the user management information includes information indicating whether a message is displayed, and the user management information is further read to the user host computer during printing. A program for executing a function of selecting whether or not to display a message related to print restriction in accordance with information on whether or not to display a message in the user management information, and a function of displaying a message selected to be displayed by the function. A computer-readable recording medium characterized by the above-mentioned. 29. When the user host computer causes the printer to print the print data, the user name and the number of prints are sent to the user host computer and the administrator host computer connected to the printer via a network. A function for acquiring information, a function for storing cumulatively added sheets for each of the acquired user names, and a function for storing the accumulated number of sheets to be printed, and a function for storing the user management information file when the cumulative number of sheets exceeds a set value. A computer-readable recording medium on which a function for adding information for prohibiting subsequent printing of a user name to user management information for restricting printing to a user and a program for executing the function are recorded. 30. The recording medium according to claim 29, wherein the manager host computer further has a function of generating calendar information, and a function of accumulating the stored number of printed sheets for each user when the month changes. Reset the added number,
A computer-readable recording medium, which also records a program for executing a function of canceling information prohibiting printing of the user management information stored in the user management information file.