JP2002055914A5

JP2002055914A5 -

Info

Publication number: JP2002055914A5
Application number: JP2000242509A
Authority: JP
Filing date: 2000-08-10
Publication date: 2005-04-28
Anticipated expiration: 2020-08-10

Description

【０００８】
【課題を解決するための手段およびその作用・効果】
本発明では、ネットワークに接続された複数のクライアントと複数の印刷装置の間を仲介して両者間の印刷を実現する印刷仲介方法において、
（ａ）前記クライアントから、印刷データを保持する装置が生成した該印刷データのアドレスと出力先となる前記印刷装置を指定する出力先指定情報とを含む印刷要求を前記ネットワークを介して受けるステップと、
（ｇ）前記印刷データのアドレスに基づいて、前記ネットワークを介して印刷データを取得するステップと、
（ｈ）前記印刷データの印刷に先立って、該取得した印刷データを処理して印刷ページ数を含む印刷予測情報を生成し、該印刷予測情報を、前記クライアントに表示させると共に、該クライアント側で前記印刷データの印刷の実行の指示を受付可能に表示するステップと、
（ｂ）前記クライアント側で前記印刷の実行を指示したとき、前記取得した印刷データを前記印刷装置の機種に依存しない汎用フォーマットに変換するステップと、
（ｃ）該変換された印刷データを前記指定された印刷装置に仲介するステップと
を備えるものとした。これらのステップは、ネットワークに接続された印刷仲介サーバで実行される。複数のサーバで分散処理してもよい。各印刷装置は、汎用フォーマットに基づき印刷装置固有のロウデータを生成して印刷を行うことができる。従って、多種多様な印刷装置を選択可能な出力先に含めることができる。ロウデータへの変換機能をクライアントが備えなくてもよいため、利便性を向上することができる。
[0008]
[Means for solving the problems and their functions and effects]
In the present invention, in a print mediation method for mediating between a plurality of clients and a plurality of printing devices connected to a network and realizing printing between the two,
(A) receiving , via the network, a print request including an address of the print data generated by a device that holds print data and output destination designation information that designates the print device that is an output destination from the client; ,
(G) obtaining the print data via the network based on the address of the print data;
(H) Prior to printing the print data, the acquired print data is processed to generate print prediction information including the number of print pages, and the print prediction information is displayed on the client. Displaying an instruction to execute printing of the print data so as to be accepted; and
(B) when the execution of the printing is instructed on the client side, the acquired print data is converted into a general-purpose format independent of the model of the printing apparatus;
(C) mediating the converted print data to the designated printing apparatus. These steps are executed by a print mediation server connected to the network. Distributed processing may be performed by a plurality of servers. Each printing apparatus can generate and print raw data unique to the printing apparatus based on the general-purpose format. Therefore, a wide variety of printing apparatuses can be included in selectable output destinations. Convenience can be improved because the client does not have to have the function of converting to raw data.

Claims

A print mediation method that mediates between a plurality of clients and a plurality of printing apparatuses connected to a network and realizes printing between the two,
(A) receiving , via the network, a print request including an address of the print data generated by a device that holds print data and output destination designation information that designates the print device that is an output destination from the client; ,
(G) obtaining the print data via the network based on the address of the print data;
(H) Prior to printing the print data, the acquired print data is processed to generate print prediction information including the number of print pages, and the print prediction information is displayed on the client. Displaying an instruction to execute printing of the print data so as to be accepted; and
(B) when the execution of the printing is instructed on the client side, the acquired print data is converted into a general-purpose format independent of the model of the printing apparatus;
(C) mediating the converted print data to the designated printing apparatus.

The print mediation method according to claim 1, wherein the general-purpose format is a PDF format.

The printing mediation method according to claim 1,
(D) comprising a step of confirming the operating status of the designated printing apparatus via the network;
A printing mediation method in which the step (c) mediates the print data to the printing device when it is determined that printing is possible from the confirmed operation status.

A print mediation server computer that mediates between a plurality of clients and a plurality of printing apparatuses connected to a network and realizes printing between the two,
An input unit for inputting , via the network, a print request including an address of the print data generated by the apparatus that holds the print data and output destination designation information for designating the printing apparatus as an output destination from the client;
Obtaining means for obtaining print data via the network based on an address of the print data;
Prior to printing the print data, the acquired print data is processed to generate print prediction information including the number of print pages. The print prediction information is displayed on the client, and the print data is displayed on the client side. A means for displaying an instruction to execute printing in a receivable manner;
A data conversion unit that converts the acquired print data into a general-purpose format that does not depend on the model of the printing apparatus when receiving a notification from the client that the execution of the printing has been instructed ;
A print mediation server computer comprising: a job management unit that mediates the print data to the designated printing device.

5. The print mediation server computer according to claim 4, wherein the general-purpose format is a PDF format.

The print mediation server computer according to claim 4,
A status monitoring unit for confirming the operating status of the designated printing apparatus via the network;
A print mediation server that mediates the print data to the printing device when the job management unit determines that printing is possible from the confirmed operation status.

A recording medium in which a program for causing a server computer to realize a function of mediating between a plurality of clients and a plurality of printing apparatuses connected to a network is recorded in a computer-readable manner,
A function of receiving , via the network, a print request including an address of the print data generated by the apparatus that holds the print data and output destination designation information that designates the printing apparatus that is an output destination from the client;
A function of acquiring print data via the network based on the address of the print data;
Prior to printing the mark data, the print data obtained is processed to generate print prediction information including the number of print pages. The print prediction information is displayed on the client, and the print data is displayed on the client side. A function to display an instruction to execute printing in a receivable manner,
A function of converting the acquired print data into a general-purpose format independent of the model of the printing apparatus when receiving a notification from the client that the execution of the printing has been instructed ;
A recording medium recording a program for realizing the function of mediating the converted print data to the designated printing apparatus.

The recording medium according to claim 7, wherein the general-purpose format is a PDF format.

Furthermore, a program for realizing a function of confirming the operation status of the designated printing apparatus via the network is recorded,
The recording medium according to claim 7, wherein the function of mediating to the printing apparatus has a function of mediating the print data to the printing apparatus when it is determined that printing is possible from the confirmed operation status.