JP2004110116A - Printing data reclamation support system, printing data reclamation support program, and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printing data reclamation support system for automatically storing printed documents to make them reclaimable from a Web browser. <P>SOLUTION: A computer 1 transmits a hypertext markup language (html) document converted into an html format and instructs a printer 2 to store the transmitted html document (document name: document1. html) simultaneously with the transmission and printing instruction of the document. The printer 2 follows the storage instruction and stores the transmitted html document in a document storage hard disk 3. When a uniform resource locator instructs "http://printer.xx.yy/documentl. html" from the Web browser 4, the printer 2 outputs the html document with the document name: document1. html. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a print data reuse support system, a print data reuse support program, and a recording medium, and more particularly, to a print data reuse support system capable of reusing a print document printed via a network printer, The present invention relates to a print data reuse support program and a recording medium.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, computers have been introduced for the purpose of improving work efficiency, and many documents are created by computers, and the created documents are often printed using a shared printer connected to a network. Also, with the spread of the WWW (World Wide Web), a system has been proposed in which a document to be handled is in an HTML (hypertext markup language) format and can be used from a WEB browser.
[0003]
A print processing apparatus that saves a conventional fixed form and makes it reusable converts the stored fixed form data into an html format and transmits the converted data to an information processing apparatus, and the contents input to the fixed form. Is received from the information processing apparatus, and the input contents are reflected on a fixed form before being converted into the html format and printed. By converting the data of the fixed form into the html format and transmitting the converted data, the information processing apparatus can display the fixed form on the WEB browser and input the data from the WEB browser, so that new software can be installed or the fixed form can be installed. Need not be stored (for example, see Patent Document 1).
[0004]
Also, in a form output system using an intranet, the server creates a form file by combining the data stored in the server and the data form in response to a request from the client, and is suitable for distribution on the web. When converted to a format and transmitted to the client, the client outputs the received form file. This client is equipped with a WEB browser, and makes a request for a form file to the server using web information in html format, so that data and data forms stored in the server can be reused without depending on the OS of the client. (For example, see Patent Document 2).
[0005]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-11-219353 (page 2-6, FIG. 1)
[Patent Document 2]
JP-A-2000-66984 (pages 5-8, FIG. 4)
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, all of these conventional techniques use a fixed form and an html format prepared in advance to create and print a document. The printed document cannot be reused.
[0007]
In order to improve the efficiency of business, it is desirable that the created document can be reused later. However, the reuse is not so advanced for the following reasons.
(1) It is difficult to find a target document because the created document is not stored systematically or the user forgets where the file is stored on the hard disk.
(2) A document created once is erased because it is unnecessary or is erased by mistake with other documents.
(3) If the document format is different, it cannot be reused by software different from the software that created the document.
[0008]
The present invention provides a print data reuse support system, a print data reuse support program, and a recording method for automatically saving a printed document and reusing the document from a web browser in order to solve the above problems. The purpose is to provide a medium.
[0009]
Further, the present invention enables a diagram or a text that can be handled in the html format of a web browser to be output in an html format that does not depend on the software used for creating a document, so that even a person unfamiliar with computer operations can reuse the web browser. In this way, it is intended to improve the reusability of a document.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention relates to a printing system in which a computer and a printer having a web server function are connected via a network, wherein the computer converts the print data into a format that can be handled by a web browser when transmitting the print data to the printer. The printer also transmits the web data at the same time, the printer stores the transmitted web data, and outputs the stored web data in response to an output request from a web browser.
[0011]
When the output request from the web browser is a search condition, the printer searches the stored web data in accordance with a search condition specified by a user, and transmits the search result to the web browser. And
[0012]
Further, when the output request from the WEB browser is a hierarchical name, the printer classifies the list of information belonging to a lower hierarchy of the designated hierarchical name to the WEB browser when the output request from the WEB browser is a hierarchical name. It is characterized by replying.
[0013]
The hierarchical classification is classified by date for each user, and the printer returns a list of the stored WEB data requested by the user following the hierarchy.
[0014]
Further, an html format is used as a format that can be handled by the web browser.
[0015]
Further, the present invention is a program for causing a computer to execute the function of the print data reuse support system according to the present invention.
[0016]
Further, the present invention is a computer-readable recording medium on which the program is recorded.
[0017]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an embodiment of a print data reuse support system according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, 1 is a computer, 2 is a printer having a Web server function, 3 is a hard disk for storing documents, Is a WEB browser that runs on a computer accessible to the printer 2 via the network. The computer 1 transmits a document (document name “document 1”) to the printer 2 and sends a print instruction at the same time, transmits an html document obtained by converting the document into an html format as an html file, and renames the transmitted html file to a document name “document 1”. .Html ”to the printer 2.
[0018]
The printer 2 prints the transmitted document according to the print instruction, and saves the transmitted html document as an html file on the hard disk 3 connected to the printer 2 according to the save instruction.
[0019]
When reusing the document stored in this way, the user operates a Web browser running on a computer to use a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of the stored document, for example, “http: //printer.xx.yy/ document1.html "to the printer 2, the WEB server of the printer 2 sends the document name document1.html. html document of html and reply. The received WEB browser displays it and can reuse it.
[0020]
FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a function of searching for a stored document. In FIG. 2, when the printer 2 saves the html document on the hard disk 3, the user name transmitted from the computer 1 together with the html file, The date and the document name are stored in association with the html file so that they can be used as search conditions.
[0021]
When the search condition specified by the WEB browser is “user1” as the user name and “report” as the keyword as shown in the WEB browser 4a, the specification of the URL for executing the search program (search) from the WEB browser is as follows. , "Http: //printer.xx.yy/cgi-bin/search? User = user1 & keyword = report". According to the instruction of the URL, the WEB server of the printer 2 executes the search program search under the search condition “user = user1, keyword = report”, creates the search result in the html format, and receives the 4b Output in the format In the WEB browser 4b, a document name that matches the search condition "user = user1, keyword = report" is displayed together with the date. By selecting a desired document from this document name, it is displayed on the WEB browser and can be reused.
[0022]
This search program search is called from the WEB server of the printer 2 by CGI (Common Gateway Interface), and searches the html file stored in the hard disk 3 for the html file that matches the search condition such as the specified user name. This is a program that performs a search, performs a full-text search on the searched html file using a specified keyword, and returns a document name and related information that match the search conditions to the web server in a html format as a search result. Since the stored print document includes a plain text of html, full-text search of the text by a keyword is possible.
[0023]
FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a function of displaying a list of documents stored in the printer. In FIG. 3, when the printer 2 stores the html document on the hard disk 3, the printer 2 sends the html document together with the html file. The incoming user name, date, document name, etc. are stored hierarchically. For example, documents are classified for each user, and the classification is further classified for each date, and stored hierarchically. That is, in accordance with a request from the WEB browser, the information is linked and stored so that a list of lower hierarchical information can be displayed sequentially.
[0024]
First, when the URL is designated as “http: //printer.xx.yy/user” from the web browser 4, the printer 2 accesses the hard disk 3 and displays the user list on the web browser screen in the web browser 4 c. Output in the format Note that, in the screen of the web browser, a column of underlined letters, numbers, and the like indicates that there is a link destination.
Next, when the user “user1” is selected from the user list of the web browser 4c, the printer 2 accesses “http: //printer.xx.yy/user/user1”, and displays a date list on the user1 in the web browser 4d. Output in the format
Further, when "date 2001/1/10" is selected from the date list of the web browser 4d, the printer 2 accesses "http: //printer.xx.yy/user/user1/2001010110" and obtains a document list, that is, html. A list of files is displayed in the format of the web browser 4e. By selecting a desired document from among them, the document is displayed on the WEB browser, so that even a person who is unfamiliar with computer operation can easily reuse the document.
[0025]
In the above description, the html format has been described as a format that can be handled by the WEB browser. However, other formats that can be handled by the WEB browser, for example, XML (Extended Markup Language) can also be used. Further, even when a printed document is converted to a PDF (Portable Document Format) file and saved, the document saved from the WEB browser can be reused in combination with plug-in software that can handle the PDF file.
[0026]
As described above, each function in each embodiment of the print data reuse support system according to the present invention has been mainly described. However, the present invention is similar to the print data reuse support system having this function, in which the print data reuse support system is provided to a computer. It may be in the form of a program for functioning as a use support system, or in the form of a computer-readable recording medium on which the program is recorded.
[0027]
An embodiment of a recording medium that stores a program and data for realizing a print data reuse support function according to the present invention will be described. Specific examples of the recording medium include a CD-ROM, a magneto-optical disk, a DVD-ROM, an FD, a flash memory, a memory card, a memory stick, and various other ROMs and RAMs. The functions of the system according to each embodiment of the present invention described above are executed by a computer, and a program for realizing the print data reuse support function is recorded and distributed, thereby facilitating the realization of the function. Then, the program is read by the information processing apparatus by attaching the recording medium as described above to an information processing apparatus such as a computer, or the program is stored in a recording medium provided in the information processing apparatus. By reading in response, the function of print data reuse support according to the present invention can be executed.
[0028]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, when a document is printed, the printed document is saved without the user's consciousness, and the saved document can be easily output from a WEB browser. Available. In particular, a document to be reused is often a figure or a text that can be handled in the html format, and is output in an html format that does not depend on the software used to create the document, thereby improving the reusability of the document.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a print data reuse support system according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a function of searching for a stored document.
FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a function of displaying a list of documents stored in a printer.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 ... computer, 2 ... printer, 3 ... hard disk, 4 ... web browser.

Claims (7)

In a printing system in which a computer and a printer having a WEB server function are connected via a network, when transmitting the print data to the printer, the computer simultaneously transmits WEB data obtained by converting the print data into a format that can be handled by a WEB browser. A print data reuse support system, wherein the printer transmits the transmitted web data, and outputs the stored web data in response to an output request from a web browser. When the output request from the web browser is a search condition, the printer searches the stored web data in accordance with a search condition specified by a user, and transmits the search result to the web browser. The print data reuse support system according to claim 1. If the output request from the web browser is a hierarchical name, the printer returns a list of information belonging to a lower hierarchy of the specified hierarchical name to the web browser when the stored web data is hierarchically classified. The print data reuse support system according to claim 1, wherein: 4. The printer according to claim 3, wherein the hierarchical classification is a classification by date for each user, and the printer returns a list of the stored WEB data requested by the user following the hierarchy. 3. A print data reuse support system according to (1). 5. The print data reuse support system according to claim 1, wherein an html format is used as a format that can be handled by the web browser. A program for causing a computer to execute the function of the print data reuse support system according to claim 1. A computer-readable recording medium on which the program according to claim 6 is recorded.

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