JP6439346B2 - Print control system, print control apparatus, and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a print control system, a print control apparatus, and a program.

  In Patent Document 1, when a portable terminal uploads a document file to a server, the portable terminal receives the two-dimensional code generated by the server, and causes the server to read the two-dimensional code displayed on the portable terminal. A system is described in which an uploaded document file is printed by a printer.

  In Patent Document 2, a user operates a terminal, uploads a document file to a server, sends an email including a document file storage location and user identification information to a printer, and identifies the user to the printer. It describes a system in which an uploaded document file is printed by a printer when information is input.

  Patent Document 3 describes a system in which when a server receives an e-mail transmitted by a user operating a terminal, the server converts the e-mail into print data and prints it on a printer.

JP 2004-139158 A JP 2003-158603 A JP 2000-339237 A

  An object of the present invention is to print a document file via a server with a print option specific to the model of the image forming apparatus to be printed.

  In order to achieve the above object, the print control system according to claim 1 includes user identification information input by an image forming apparatus and model-specific information for specifying a print option specific to the model of the image forming apparatus. Information receiving means for receiving from the image forming apparatus, request sending means for sending a request for a document file to a user terminal based on the user identification information, and a document for receiving the document file from the user terminal Receiving means, and data sending means for sending data for printing the document file to the image forming apparatus with a printing option specified by the model-specific information.

  The print control system according to claim 2, wherein the request transmission unit transmits a request for specifying a print option to the user terminal based on the model-specific information, and the document reception unit is specified by the user terminal. The data transmission means receives the information indicating the print option, and transmits data for printing the document file to the image forming apparatus with the print option designated by the user terminal.

  The print control system according to claim 3, wherein the information receiving unit receives the model-specific information indicating a printing option specified by the image forming apparatus, and the data transmission unit is specified by the image forming apparatus. Data for printing the document file with the print option is transmitted to the image forming apparatus.

  5. The print control system according to claim 4, wherein the information receiving unit receives the user identification information indicating a user's mail address input by the image forming apparatus, and the request transmission unit requests the document file. An e-mail to be sent to the e-mail address, and the document receiving means receives the document file from the user terminal that has received the e-mail.

  The print control system according to claim 5, wherein the information receiving unit registers the received user identification information and the received document file in association with each other in a storage unit, and receives the user identification information after receiving the user identification information. The user identification information inputted again by the image forming apparatus is received, and the data transmission means prints a document file associated with the inputted user identification information again with a printing option specified by the model-specific information. Data to be transmitted is transmitted to the image forming apparatus.

  The print control apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the user identification information input by the image forming apparatus and model specific information for specifying a print option specific to the model of the image forming apparatus are received from the image forming apparatus. Information receiving means for receiving, request sending means for sending a request for a document file to a user terminal based on the user identification information, document receiving means for receiving the document file from the user terminal, and the model-specific information Data transmitting means for transmitting to the image forming apparatus data for printing the document file with the print option specified by

  The program according to claim 7 receives user identification information input by the image forming apparatus and model-specific information for specifying a print option specific to the model of the image forming apparatus from the image forming apparatus. Information receiving means, request sending means for sending a document file request to a user terminal based on the user identification information, document receiving means for receiving the document file from the user terminal, printing specified by the model-specific information Optionally, the computer functions as data transmission means for transmitting data for printing the document file to the image forming apparatus.

  According to the first, sixth, and seventh aspects of the present invention, the document file is printed via the server with a print option specific to the model of the image forming apparatus to be printed.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, printing is performed with the print option specified on the user terminal.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, printing is performed with a printing option designated by the image forming apparatus.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the document file is received from the user terminal that has received the electronic mail addressed to the mail address input by the user.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the document file associated with the user identification information input again by the image forming apparatus is printed.

1 is a configuration diagram of a print control system according to an embodiment. FIG. It is a hardware block diagram of a printing control server. It is a functional block diagram of this embodiment. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of data storage in a print data management table. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of data storage in an image forming apparatus management table. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of an email. It is a figure which shows an example of a web page. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing processing executed in the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the second embodiment.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments (hereinafter referred to as embodiments) for carrying out the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[1. Embodiment 1]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a print control system according to the embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 1, for example, the print control system 1 includes a print control server 10 (print control apparatus, computer), a user terminal 20, and an image forming apparatus 30. Here, the print control server 10 and the user terminal 20 are connected via a network N so that data can be transmitted and received. The print control server 10 and the image forming apparatus 30 are connected via a network N so that data can be transmitted and received. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, it is assumed that the user terminal 20 and the image forming apparatus 30 cannot communicate directly. That is, here, it is assumed that the document file stored in the user terminal 20 cannot be directly transmitted to the image forming apparatus 30. In FIG. 1, the print control server 10 (print control apparatus, computer), the user terminal 20, and the image forming apparatus 30 are described as one, but a plurality of these may be provided.

  FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of the print control server 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the print control server 10 is a server computer, and includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a communication unit 13, and each unit is connected by a bus 14. The control unit 11 includes a CPU, for example, and controls each unit of the print control server 10 by executing a program stored in the storage unit 12. The storage unit 12 includes, for example, various memories such as a hard disk and a RAM, and stores a program executed by the control unit 11 and various data, and is used as a work memory. The communication unit 13 includes a network card and performs data communication with an external device.

  The user terminal 20 is a computer such as a portable terminal or a personal computer, and includes a control unit including a CPU, a storage unit including various memories, a communication unit including a network card, an operation unit including various buttons and a touch panel, a liquid crystal panel, and the like. It is comprised including the display part containing. The user terminal 20 can also be said to be a user operation terminal in the print control system 1. The user can operate the user terminal 20 to receive an e-mail or display various screens on the browser.

  The image forming apparatus 30 is an image processing apparatus having one or more functions such as copying and a printer. In the present embodiment, the image forming apparatus 30 is installed in a store such as a convenience store. The image forming apparatus 30 receives and prints the document file stored in the user terminal 20 via the print control server 10. The image forming apparatus 30 may include a control unit, a storage unit, a communication unit, a display unit, and an operation unit similar to the user terminal 20.

  In the present embodiment, the image forming apparatus 30 executes print options specific to the model. The print options that can be executed by the image forming apparatus 30 depend on the model of the image forming apparatus 30. In other words, the print options that can be executed differ for each model of the image forming apparatus 30. The print option is the content of the printing process executed by the image forming apparatus 30 and is an image forming method or a paper processing method when an image is formed on the paper. For example, double-sided printing / single-sided printing, color printing / monochrome printing, the type of paper feed tray to be used, N-up (printing multiple pages on one side of one sheet), punch position, or staple ( The number of staples and their position) corresponds to the print option. Printing options that can be executed by the image forming apparatus 30 are not limited to these, and various known printing options can be applied.

  In addition, various information storage media can be applied to each storage unit described above, and a semiconductor memory or the like may be used. In the present embodiment, the program and various data stored in each of the storage units may be acquired from an external device via the communication unit. Furthermore, the hardware configuration of the print control server 10 and the like is not limited to the above example, and various known hardware can be included. For example, the print control server 10 or the like may include a reading unit that reads a program or data recorded on a computer-readable information storage medium.

  In the print control system 1 according to the present embodiment, when a user inputs his / her mail address with the image forming apparatus 30, an e-mail including a URL of a web page for specifying a document file to be printed and a print option is sent to the user terminal 20. Sent to. When the user designates a document file and a print option from the web page, data for printing the uploaded document file with the print option is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 30. As described above, the print control system 1 is configured to print the uploaded document file with the print option designated by the user. Hereinafter, the configuration will be described in detail.

[2. Functions realized in the print control system]
FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the present embodiment. Functions realized by each of the print control server 10, the user terminal 20, and the image forming apparatus 30 will be described.

[2-1. Functions realized in the print control server]
The print control server 10 implements an information storage unit 101, an information reception unit 102, a request transmission unit 103, a document reception unit 104, and a data transmission unit 105. The information storage unit 101 is realized mainly by the storage unit 12. The information receiving unit 102, the request transmitting unit 103, the document receiving unit 104, and the data transmitting unit 105 are realized mainly by the control unit 11 and the communication unit 13.

[2-1-1. Information storage unit]
The information storage unit 101 stores various data relating to a print job to be executed by the image forming apparatus 30. Here, a print data management table and an image forming apparatus management table will be described as an example of data stored in the information storage unit 101.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a data storage example of the print data management table. As shown in FIG. 4, the print data management table is data indicating which print job is to be printed by which image forming apparatus 30, and includes a print data ID, user identification information, image forming apparatus ID, document file, and print option. , And print data are stored in association with each other.

  The print data ID is information that uniquely identifies the print data (information that has a one-to-one relationship with the print data). It can be said that the print data ID indicates a print job to be executed by the image forming apparatus 30. For example, the print data ID is issued when the information receiving unit 102 receives user identification information.

  The user identification information is information that uniquely identifies the user (information that has a one-to-one relationship with the user). Here, a case where the user's mail address corresponds to the user identification information will be described. Note that the user identification information is not limited to a mail address. In addition, for example, a user ID in SNS (social networking service) may correspond to the user identification information. The user identification information may be information that can identify the user.

  The image forming apparatus ID is information that uniquely identifies the image forming apparatus 30 (information that has a one-to-one relationship with the image forming apparatus 30). Here, a case where the name of the image forming apparatus 30 corresponds to the image forming apparatus ID will be described. The image forming apparatus ID is not limited to the name of the image forming apparatus 30. In addition, for example, the IP address of the image forming apparatus 30 may correspond to the image forming apparatus ID. The image forming apparatus ID may be information that can identify the image forming apparatus 30 that should execute printing of the document file.

  The document file is a document file to be printed received from the user terminal 20. The document file is data to be printed, and various data formats such as an image, text, and rich text are possible. The designation option is a printing option unique to the model of the image forming apparatus 30. Here, among all print options that can be designated by the image forming apparatus 30, the print options designated by the user are stored. The print data is data created based on the document file and print options. The print data is data obtained by processing a document file based on a print option designated by the user, and can be said to be data in a format that can be printed by the image forming apparatus 30.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a data storage example of the image forming apparatus management table. As shown in FIG. 5, the image forming apparatus management table is data indicating print options that can be executed by each image forming apparatus 30, and stores the image forming apparatus ID and the print options in association with each other. It is assumed that data for identifying print options executable by each image forming apparatus 30 is stored in the information storage unit 301 of the image forming apparatus 30. When receiving the data from each image forming apparatus 30, the print control server 10 stores the data in the image forming apparatus management table in association with the image forming apparatus ID of the image forming apparatus 30.

[2-1-2. Information receiver]
The information receiving unit 102 receives from the image forming apparatus 30 user identification information input by the image forming apparatus 30 and model specific information for specifying a print option specific to the model of the image forming apparatus 30. In the present embodiment, the information receiving unit 102 receives user identification information indicating the user's mail address input by the image forming apparatus 30. For example, the information receiving unit 102 associates the received user identification information with the received document file and stores them in the print data management table.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the model specific information is information indicating all print options executable by the image forming apparatus 30 will be described, but the model specific information is not limited thereto. Here, since the print option is stored in the image forming apparatus management table and the print option can be specified by the image forming apparatus ID, the image forming apparatus ID may correspond to the model-specific information. That is, the model-specific information may be information indicating the print option itself or information associated with the print option. The device specific information may include other information such as the IP address of the image forming apparatus 30.

[2-1-3. Request transmitter]
The request transmission unit 103 transmits a document file request to the user terminal 20 based on the user identification information. The request transmission unit 103 transmits a document file request to the user terminal 20 of the user indicated by the user identification information. The document file request may be made with data in a predetermined format. In the present embodiment, the request transmission unit 103 transmits an e-mail for requesting a document file to an e-mail address input by the user.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of an electronic mail. As shown in FIG. 6, the e-mail 40 includes a message 41 requesting a document file and a URL 42 of a web page for transmitting the document file. The URL 42 of the web page is generated when the information receiving unit 102 receives a mail address, and is recorded in the information storage unit 101 in association with the print data ID and user identification information. Note that the URL 42 may include a print data ID and user identification information. That is, the user who has selected the URL 42 may be able to specify which print job document file is uploaded and the print option is to be specified. When the URL 42 is selected on the user terminal 20, a web page is displayed on the display unit.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a web page. As shown in FIG. 7, the web page 50 includes an input form 51 and a button 52 for designating a folder in which a document file is stored, and a designation form for designating print options to be executed by the image forming apparatus 30. 53 and a determination button 54 for determining the designated content are displayed. The user can designate a document file stored in the storage unit of the user terminal 20 as an upload target by operating the operation unit of the user terminal 20 and selecting the input form 51 or the button 52.

  The designation form 53 displays input forms 53A to 53H for designating print options to be executed by the image forming apparatus 30 from a plurality of types of print options. For example, the user operates the operation unit of the user terminal 20 and performs an input form 53A for designating the printing direction, an input form 53B for designating whether to perform double-sided printing or single-sided printing, and color printing. Input form 53C for designating whether to perform monochrome printing, input form 53D for designating the paper feed tray, input form 53E for designating the number of copies, input form 53F for designating N-up, punch The contents of the print option are designated in the input form 53G for designating the method and the input form 53H for designating the stapling method.

  In the present embodiment, the request transmission unit 103 transmits a print option designation request to the user terminal 20 based on the model-specific information. The designation request may be made using data in a predetermined format. In the present embodiment, since the model-specific information indicates all print options that can be executed by the image forming apparatus 30, the request transmission unit 103 displays screen display data (in this case) for the user to specify from all print options. , Display data of the web page 50).

  The request transmission unit 103 generates the web page 50 based on the print data management table and the image forming apparatus management table. For example, the request transmission unit 103 refers to the print data management table and identifies the image forming apparatus ID associated with the user's mail address. Then, the request transmission unit 103 refers to the image forming apparatus management table, and generates the designation form 53 based on the print option associated with the identified image forming apparatus ID. Note that the input form 51, the button 52, and the like may be generated from data stored in the information storage unit 101 in advance.

[2-1-4. Document receiver]
The document receiving unit 104 receives a document file from the user terminal 20. The document receiving unit 104 receives a document file from the user terminal 20 that has received the electronic mail 40. In the present embodiment, the document receiving unit 104 receives a document file designated by the user on the web page 50.

  In the present embodiment, the document receiving unit 104 receives information indicating a print option designated on the user terminal 20. The document receiving unit 104 receives information indicating a print option designated by the user on the web page 50.

[2-1-5. Data transmitter]
The data transmission unit 105 transmits data for printing the document file to the image forming apparatus 30 with the print option specified by the model-specific information. This data may be the document file itself, or data obtained by processing the document file with a print option designated by the user. In the present embodiment, the data transmission unit 105 transmits data for printing a document file to the image forming apparatus 30 with a print option specified by the user terminal 20.

[2-2. Functions realized in user terminals]
The user terminal 20 implements an information storage unit 201, a display control unit 202, and a transmission / reception unit 203. The information storage unit 201 is realized mainly by the storage unit of the user terminal 20. The display control unit 202 is mainly realized by the control unit and the display unit of the user terminal 20. The transmission / reception unit 203 is mainly realized by the control unit and the communication unit of the user terminal 20.

  The information storage unit 201 stores a document file. The display control unit 202 displays the electronic mail 40 on the display unit or displays the web page 50 on the display unit. The transmission / reception unit 203 transmits / receives various data. The transmission / reception unit 203 receives the e-mail 40 or receives display data of the web page 50. The transmission / reception unit 203 transmits a document file stored in the information storage unit 201 or transmits information indicating a print option designated by the user.

[2-3. Functions realized in image forming apparatus]
The image forming apparatus 30 implements an information storage unit 301, an input reception unit 302, and a transmission / reception unit 303. The information storage unit 301 is realized mainly by the storage unit of the image forming apparatus 30. The input receiving unit 302 is realized mainly by the control unit and the operation unit of the image forming apparatus 30. The transmission / reception unit 303 is realized mainly by the control unit and the communication unit of the image forming apparatus 30.

  The information storage unit 301 stores various information regarding the image forming apparatus 30. For example, the information storage unit 301 stores device specific information and print data. The input receiving unit 302 receives input of user identification information. The transmission / reception unit 303 transmits / receives various data. For example, the transmission / reception unit 303 transmits user identification information input by the user or receives print data of a document file.

[3. Processing executed in this embodiment]
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing processing executed in the first embodiment. Here, the control part of each computer performs the process shown in FIG. 8 according to the program memorize | stored in the memory | storage part. The functions shown in FIG. 3 are implemented by executing the processing shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 8, first, the image forming apparatus 30 receives an input of a user's mail address (S1). The image forming apparatus 30 transmits the mail address and device specific information input by the user to the print control server 10 (S2). The device specific information is stored in the storage unit of the image forming apparatus 30 and includes information for identifying the image forming apparatus 30. Here, the device specific information includes information for identifying the image forming apparatus ID and the print option. It should be noted that the image forming apparatus 30 that has transmitted the print option in the past has already stored the print option in the image forming apparatus management table, and therefore may transmit only the image forming apparatus ID included in the device specific information. Good. In addition to the above, the device unique information may store the IP address of the image forming apparatus 30.

  The print control server 10 receives the mail address and the device specific information (S3). The print control server 10 issues a print data ID and stores the mail address and the image forming apparatus ID in the print data management table (S4). The print control server 10 may issue a print data ID so as not to overlap with those issued in the past. The print control server 10 generates an e-mail 40 including the URL 42 and transmits it to the e-mail address input by the user (S5). The URL 42 is recorded in the storage unit of the print control server 10 in association with the print data ID so that the user who selects the URL 42 can specify the print data ID of the document file to be uploaded. Yes.

  The user terminal 20 displays the received electronic mail 40 on the display unit (S6). When receiving the selection operation of the URL 42 from the operation unit, the user terminal 20 transmits information indicating that the URL 42 has been selected to the print control server 10 (S7).

  When receiving that the URL 42 is selected, the print control server 10 generates display data of the web page 50 and transmits it to the user terminal 20 (S8). The print control server 10 refers to the image forming apparatus management table, identifies print options that can be executed by the image forming apparatus 30, and creates display data for the web page 50.

  The user terminal 20 displays the web page 50 on the display unit based on the received display data (S9). The user terminal 20 accepts specification of a document file and print options (S10). The user terminal 20 transmits the document file designated by the user and the print option to the print control server 10 (S11).

  The print control server 10 generates print data based on the received document file and print option and stores it in the print data management table (S12). The print data generated in S12 is data for printing the document file specified by the user with the print option specified by the user. In S12, the print control server 10 refers to the print data management table, and stores the document file, the print option, and the print data in the record of the print data ID corresponding to the URL 42 selected by the user. The print control server 10 transmits the generated print data to the image forming apparatus 30 (S13). The image forming apparatus 30 prints the document file based on the received print data (S14), and this process ends.

  The print control system 1 described above prints a document file via a server with print options specific to the model of the image forming apparatus 30 to be printed. Since the e-mail 40 is delivered simply by the user entering the e-mail address, there is no need to find the URL of the web page for uploading the document file. In addition, the user does not need an access right to the server for registering the document file in the server. In addition, the user does not need to perform special user registration, and can simply upload a document file and specify a print option for printing by simply inputting an email address. In addition, since the mail address and the print data are stored in the print data management table in association with each other, it is not necessary for the user to input personal information other than the mail address in order to manage his / her own print data.

  In addition, the print control system 1 prints with the print option specified on the user terminal 20. Since the user can confirm the print option specific to the model of the image forming apparatus 30 from the web page 50, it becomes easy to specify a desired print option. Furthermore, even when the user terminal 20 and the image forming apparatus 30 cannot communicate directly, the print options of the image forming apparatus 30 can be designated via the print control server 10.

  The print control system 1 receives a document file from a user terminal that has received an e-mail addressed to a mail address input by the user. Since the user only has to upload a document file in response to an e-mail addressed to himself / herself, it is possible to save the trouble of searching for a web page by himself / herself. In addition, since the mail address input by the user is used as user identification information and the user identification information is input by the user himself / herself, the system administrator does not need to generate information for managing the user.

[4. Embodiment 2]
Next, another embodiment according to the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment, when the user uploads the document file, printing is performed without requiring a special operation from the user thereafter. In the second embodiment, after the user uploads the document file, the image forming apparatus 30 , Once waiting for the document file to print. In the meantime, the user can upload another document file and instruct to print them together. That is, the technology according to the present invention can be applied to on-demand printing.

  The hardware configuration diagram and functional block diagram of the print control system 1 of the second embodiment are the same as those in FIGS. The information receiving unit 102 according to the second embodiment receives the user identification information input again by the image forming apparatus 30 after receiving the user identification information. In the second embodiment, the data transmission unit 105 waits for transmission of print data until the user identification information is input again. In other words, the image forming apparatus 30 stands by for printing the document file indicated by the print data until the user identification information is input again. Since the document file is waiting to be printed, the information receiving unit 102 may receive an instruction to start printing together with the user identification information input again. In this case, the input receiving unit 302 receives a predetermined operation for instructing the start of printing. When this operation is accepted, the transmission / reception unit 303 transmits a print start instruction.

  The data transmission unit 105 transmits to the image forming apparatus 30 data for printing the document file associated with the re-input user identification information with the print option specified by the model-specific information. The data transmission unit 105 refers to the print data management table and transmits the print data associated with the input user identification information again to the image forming apparatus 30. Note that the data transmission unit 105 may generate screen display data indicating a list of print data associated with the user identification information input again and transmit the display data to the image forming apparatus 30. In this case, when the transmission / reception unit 303 receives display data, the image forming apparatus 30 displays the screen on the display unit and accepts selection of print data to be printed. When the transmission / reception unit 303 transmits information for identifying the print data received by the input reception unit 302 to the print control server 10, the data transmission unit 105 transmits the print data selected by the user to the image forming apparatus 30. In this case, the image forming apparatus 30 prints only the document file selected by the user from among the document files waiting for printing.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, the process flow from S1 to S12 described in the first embodiment is the same, and thus the processes after S12 will be described. When the process of S12 is executed, the image forming apparatus 30 receives an input of a user's mail address and a predetermined print start instruction from the operation unit (S20). The image forming apparatus 30 transmits the mail address and print start instruction input by the user to the print control server 10 (S21).

  The print control server 10 receives the mail address and the print start instruction (S22). The print control server 10 generates display data for a list of print data associated with the mail address, and transmits the display data to the image forming apparatus 30 (S23). In S23, the print control server 10 refers to the print data management table and specifies the print data associated with the mail address. Then, the print control server 10 generates a list of the specified print data. For example, the list includes a print data ID.

  When receiving the display data, the image forming apparatus 30 displays a list on the display unit (S24). In this list, one or a plurality of print data are displayed so as to be selectable. The image forming apparatus 30 accepts selection of what is to be printed from the print data in the list (S25). The image forming apparatus 30 transmits information (for example, print data ID) for identifying the item selected by the user to the print control server 10 (S26).

  The print control server 10 transmits the print data indicated by the received information to the image forming apparatus 30 (S27). In S27, the print control server 10 refers to the print data management table and transmits the print data selected by the user. The image forming apparatus 30 prints the document file based on the received print data (S28). When the user selects a plurality of print data, the image forming apparatus 30 performs printing collectively based on the plurality of print data.

  According to the second embodiment, the document file associated with the user identification information input again by the image forming apparatus 30 is printed. For example, since the user can select a print target from the list, a document file uploaded to the print control server 10 can be printed on demand using a print option of the image forming apparatus 30.

[5. Modified example]
In addition, this invention is not limited to said embodiment. Modifications can be made as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  For example, in the first and second embodiments, the case where the print option is specified on the web page 50 has been described, but the print option may be specified on the image forming apparatus 30. For example, all print options that can be executed by the image forming apparatus 30 are displayed on the display unit of the image forming apparatus 30, and designation of print options to be specified for the document file is accepted by a user operation from the operation unit. The image forming apparatus 30 transmits information indicating the print option designated by the user to the print control server 10.

The information receiving unit 102 according to this modification receives model-specific information indicating a print option designated by the image forming apparatus 30. In addition, the data transmission unit 105 according to the present modification transmits data for printing a document file with a print option designated by the image forming apparatus 30 to the image forming apparatus 30.

  According to the modified example, printing is performed with the print option specified by the image forming apparatus 30.

  Further, for example, the information on the print option stored in the image forming apparatus management table may be information created by the system administrator without storing the information transmitted by the image forming apparatus 30.

  Further, for example, the processing and data format described above are examples, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, other information may be stored in each database described above. Each functional block described above may be realized by a computer included in the print control system 1 and may not necessarily be realized by the print control server 10. Furthermore, the print control system 1 may implement the information receiving unit 102, the request transmitting unit 103, the document receiving unit 104, and the data transmitting unit 105, and other functions may be omitted. Further, for example, the print control system 1 may be realized by a single computer.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Print control system, 10 Print control server, 11 Control part, 12 Storage part, 13 Communication part, 14 Bus, 20 User terminal, 30 Image forming apparatus, 40 E-mail, 41 Message, 42 URL, 50 Web page, 51 input Form, 52 button, 53 Designated form, 53A, 53B, 53C, 53D, 53E, 53F, 53G, 53H Input form, 101 Information storage unit, 102 Information reception unit, 103 Request transmission unit, 104 Document reception unit, 105 Data transmission , 201 information storage unit, 202 display control unit, 203 transmission / reception unit, 301 information storage unit, 302 input reception unit, 303 transmission / reception unit.

Claims (7)

Information receiving means for receiving, from the image forming apparatus, user identification information input by the image forming apparatus and model specific information for specifying a print option specific to the model of the image forming apparatus;
Request transmission means for transmitting a request for a document file to a user terminal based on the user identification information;
Document receiving means for receiving the document file from the user terminal;
Data transmitting means for transmitting data for printing the document file to the image forming apparatus with a print option specified by the model-specific information;
Including printing control system. The request transmission means transmits a print option designation request to the user terminal based on the model-specific information,
The document receiving means receives information indicating a print option designated by the user terminal;
The data transmission means transmits data for printing the document file to the image forming apparatus with a print option designated by the user terminal;
The print control system according to claim 1. The information receiving means receives the model-specific information indicating a print option designated by the image forming apparatus;
The data transmission means transmits data for printing the document file to the image forming apparatus with a print option designated by the image forming apparatus.
The print control system according to claim 1. The information receiving means receives the user identification information indicating a user's mail address input by the image forming apparatus;
The request transmission means transmits an e-mail for requesting the document file to the e-mail address,
The document receiving means receives the document file from the user terminal that has received the e-mail;
The print control system according to claim 1. The information receiving means associates the received user identification information and the received document file with each other and registers them in a storage means, and receives the user identification information, and then receives the user identification input again by the image forming apparatus. Receive information,
The data transmission means transmits data for printing a document file associated with the user identification information input again with a print option specified by the model-specific information to the image forming apparatus;
The print control system according to claim 1. Information receiving means for receiving, from the image forming apparatus, user identification information input by the image forming apparatus and model specific information for specifying a print option specific to the model of the image forming apparatus;
Request transmission means for transmitting a request for a document file to a user terminal based on the user identification information;
Document receiving means for receiving the document file from the user terminal;
Data transmitting means for transmitting data for printing the document file to the image forming apparatus with a print option specified by the model-specific information;
Including a printing control device. Information receiving means for receiving from the image forming apparatus user identification information input by the image forming apparatus and model specific information for specifying a printing option specific to the model of the image forming apparatus;
Request transmission means for transmitting a request for a document file to the user terminal based on the user identification information;
Document receiving means for receiving the document file from the user terminal;
Data transmission means for transmitting data for printing the document file to the image forming apparatus with a print option specified by the model-specific information;
As a program to make the computer function as.

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