JP2002073292A - Device and method for receiving print request and computer readable recording medium with program recorded therein to execute the request receiving method via computer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a customer to confirm whether a document to be printed is printed and bound into a book with small burden required in terms of time and economy in a print system where a document that is entrusted and designate by a customer in an online state, printed in a designated number of copies and then delivered to the customer. SOLUTION: This device includes a request receiving part 401 which receives a print request, a print image production part 404a which produces a print image of the document to be printed, a staple image adding part 404b and a punch image adding part 404c which add the images of a staple and a punched hole to the print image respectively in accordance with the bookbinding method that is designated by the print request and an electronic mail transmitting part 406 which attaches the print image having the added staple and punched hole images to an electronic mail and transmits this mail to a requester. It is also possible to set the print image on the WWW server of a dealer and to notify a customer of only a URL of the print image by an electronic mail.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a print request receiving apparatus for receiving a print request from an information processing apparatus connected via a network, a print request receiving method, and a computer readable program storing a program for causing a computer to execute the method. It relates to a recording medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a copy service, a printing service, and the like, in which a designated document is printed in a designated number of copies and bound and delivered in a designated method under a commission from a customer (mainly a company). , Etc., have existed in the past.

[0003] A print request is sent from a customer to a company that provides the above-mentioned service by a paper medium or an electronic medium (FD,
MO, CD-ROM, etc.) and a print instruction describing the number of copies of the original, the bookbinding method, the delivery date, etc., by mail (new submission). Alternatively, when requesting reprinting of a document that has been requested to print before, the user may designate the document stored at the trader side by telephone and indicate the number of copies to be printed (repeat) Draft).

[0004] For each request received from an unspecified number of customers, the trader considers the number of prints, the delivery date, and the restrictions on the human and material resources of the trader, etc. The processing order and timing are determined based on experience. According to this schedule, the designated manuscript is copied by a copier (for paper submission) or printed by a printer connected to a personal computer (for electronic submission). Check and collate and deliver to customer.

[0005] In response to the above, the present applicant receives a print request (print request) from a customer online via the Internet or an intranet, and uses a print server and a plurality of printers connected to the print server. A printing system for CRD / PFP (copy center / copier) capable of automatically performing scheduling and printout has already been proposed (Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-132938).

In this system, a customer accesses a homepage provided by a trader from his / her personal computer and fills out a print request form (job ticket) with necessary information such as the number of copies to be printed, a bookbinding method, and a delivery date. By transmitting the document together with the data of the document requested to be printed, it is possible to order printing of the document.

[0007] The print server on the contractor side calculates the required printing time of the received print request (print job) and, based on the print schedule, a continuous free time equal to or longer than the printing time or a discrete free time. A job whose total is equal to or longer than the printing time is searched, and the job is registered in the idle time. Then, when the scheduled start date and time comes, the job is processed by one of the printers connected to the print server.

In the above system, a print image of a document to be printed is created at the same time as receiving an order, and the print image is sent back to the customer as an e-mail. For this reason, the customer should check whether the customer's order has been accepted by the merchant, whether there has been an error in ordering, such as a wrong document, or whether there has been any loss or alteration of document data due to an accident during transmission. It is possible to check whether or not the layout is distorted (eg, page displacement) due to the occurrence. The trader waits for the customer's confirmation to perform the actual printing, so that the above-described problem is found after the printing is completed, and the waste of reprinting can be avoided beforehand.

[0009]

Here, in the above-mentioned system, a print image of a document is sent back. However, only the print image is used for a method of binding a document (in which position stapling is performed, in which position). It is not possible to confirm whether or not a punch hole has been correctly ordered / received.

[0010] In addition, instead of returning a complete print image, a print image with a predetermined simplification (for example, an image in a document is drawn only with an outline and the inside is omitted) is returned. Nevertheless, there is a problem that the burden on the customer side increases, for example, the data sometimes becomes huge, the communication time for receiving the data becomes longer, the communication cost increases, and the free space on the mail server is reduced. Was.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and determines whether the document to be printed is printed as intended and whether it is bound as intended at the request source of the print request. Provided is a print request receiving apparatus, a print request receiving method, and a computer-readable recording medium on which a program for causing a computer to execute the method is recorded, which can be checked at the same time, and which does not impose a burden of time and cost upon the check. The purpose is to do.

[0012]

Means for Solving the Problems The above-mentioned problems are solved,
In order to achieve the above object, a print request receiving apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention is a print request receiving apparatus for receiving a print request from an information processing apparatus connected via a network, wherein the request receiving means receives the print request. Print image creation means for creating a print image of a document specified by the print request received by the request reception means, and a stapling method designated by the print request to the print image created by the print image creation means Staple image adding means for adding a staple image according to the following, and transmission means for transmitting the print image, to which the staple image has been added by the staple image adding means, to the information processing apparatus. .

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the staple image of the specified position, angle, and number is added to the print image of the document specified by the print request, and is returned to the request source.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a print request receiving apparatus for receiving a print request from an information processing apparatus connected via a network, wherein the request receiving unit receives the print request. A print image creation unit that creates a print image of a document specified by the print request received by the request reception unit;
A punch image adding unit for adding a punch hole image to the print image created by the print image creating unit in accordance with a punching method specified by the print request; and a punch hole image added by the punch image adding unit. Transmitting means for transmitting the print image to the information processing apparatus.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the image of the punch hole at the specified position and number is added to the print image of the document specified by the print request, and the image is returned to the request source.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the print request receiving apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention.
Further, the image processing apparatus further includes an image file storage unit that stores the print image to which the staple image has been added by the staple image addition unit as a file, and the transmission unit stores the address of the file stored in the image file storage unit as the file. The information is transmitted to the information processing device.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the print image to which the staple image of the designated position, angle, and number is added is stored on the receiving side, and
Only that address is returned to the requester.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the print request receiving apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention.
The image processing apparatus further includes an image file storage unit that stores the print image, to which the image of the punched holes has been added by the punch image addition unit, as a file, wherein the transmission unit stores an address of the file stored in the image file storage unit. The information is transmitted to the information processing apparatus.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the print image to which the image of the punched holes at the designated positions and numbers are added is stored on the receiving side, and only the address of the print image is transmitted to the request source. Will be replied.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the print request receiving apparatus according to the third or fourth aspect, further comprising a request for the document specified by the print request received by the request receiving means. Document attribute extraction means for extracting attributes, HTML file creation means for creating an HTML file from the attributes extracted by the document attribute extraction means and the addresses of the files stored by the image file storage means, and HTML file creation H to save the HTML file created by the means
TML file storage means, and the transmission means,
The HTML file stored in the HTML file storage unit;
The address of the L file is transmitted to the information processing apparatus.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the HTML file describing the attribute of the document specified by the print request and the link to the print image (after adding staples and punch holes) is stored on the receiving side. At the same time, only the address is returned to the request source.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the print request receiving method for receiving a print request from an information processing apparatus connected via a network, the request receiving step includes receiving the print request. A print image creating step of creating a print image of a document specified by the print request received in the request receiving step; and a stapling method designated by the print request to the print image created in the print image creating step. Therefore, the method includes a staple image adding step of adding a staple image, and a transmitting step of transmitting the print image, to which the staple image has been added in the staple image adding step, to the information processing apparatus.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the staple image of the specified position, angle, and number is added to the print image of the document specified by the print request, and is returned to the request source.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the print request receiving method for receiving a print request from an information processing apparatus connected via a network, the request receiving step includes receiving the print request. A print image creating step of creating a print image of a document specified by the print request received in the request receiving step, and a punching method designated by the print request to the print image created in the print image creating step. Accordingly, a punch image adding step of adding a punch hole image, and a transmitting step of transmitting the print image to which the punch hole image has been added in the punch image adding step to the information processing apparatus are included. I do.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the image of the specified number of punch holes is added to the print image of the document specified by the print request, and the image is returned to the request source.

The print request receiving method according to the invention according to claim 8 is the method according to claim 6, wherein
Further, the method further includes an image file saving step of saving the print image to which the staple image has been added in the staple image adding step as a file, and in the transmitting step, the address of the file saved in the image file saving step is stored as the file. The information is transmitted to the information processing device.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the print image to which the staple image of the designated position, angle, and number is added is stored on the receiving side, and
Only that address is returned to the requester.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the print request receiving method according to the seventh aspect of the present invention.
Further, the method further includes an image file storing step of storing the print image to which the image of the punched hole has been added in the punch image adding step as a file, and in the transmitting step, the address of the file stored in the image file storing step is stored. The information is transmitted to the information processing apparatus.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the print image to which the image of the punch hole of the designated position and number is added is stored on the receiving side, and only the address is transmitted to the request source. Will be replied.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the print request receiving method according to the eighth or ninth aspect of the present invention, further comprising the step of receiving a print request specified in the print request received in the request receiving step. A document attribute extracting step of extracting attributes, an HTML file creating step of creating an HTML file from the attributes extracted in the document attribute extracting step and the addresses of the files saved in the image file saving step, and the HTML file creating Storing an HTML file created in the step, wherein the transmitting step includes the step of storing the HTML file.
The address of the HTML file saved in the file saving step is transmitted to the information processing device.

According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, the HTML file describing the attribute of the document specified by the print request and the link to the print image (after adding staples and punch holes) is stored on the receiving side. At the same time, only the address is returned to the request source.

A recording medium according to an eleventh aspect of the present invention stores a program for causing a computer to execute the method according to any one of the sixth to tenth aspects. , Whereby the method described in any one of claims 6 to 10 can be performed by a computer.

[0033]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS With reference to the accompanying drawings, preferred embodiments of a print request receiving apparatus, a print request receiving method according to the present invention, and a computer-readable recording medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute the method are described below. Embodiments will be described in detail.

(Embodiment 1) First, the configuration of an entire printing system including a print request receiving apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a system configuration of a printing system including a print request receiving device according to the first embodiment.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 101 denotes a user client, which is a computer used by a customer to outsource a printing job to a trader. By starting a Web browser from this computer and accessing a print request homepage on the WWW server 104 described later, a document to be printed and its printing conditions (job ticket) can be transmitted.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a print request home page displayed on the screen of the user client 101. In this form (job ticket), distribution destination information (company name and location of delivery destination, etc.), output information (number of copies, bookbinding method, delivery date, etc.), and document storage information (LIFISA document management, (Whether to save in the server 106) or the like.

When the OK button 201 is clicked on with a mouse, a dialog for designating a document to be printed is displayed, and the user inputs the full path of the target document.
Then, when OK is performed again, the completed job ticket and the data of the print target document are transmitted to the WWW server 104.

Note that the user client 101
A LIISA document management server 106, which will be described later, via a LIISA home page on the WW server 104.
Thus, the user can search for a document that has been requested to print before and a job ticket at that time. When a print request for the same original as before is made again under the same conditions, a print order can be easily made simply by specifying the number of the job ticket searched in this way.

In FIG. 1, "FSX-DX" is a product name of the entire printing system. FSX-DX includes a reception client 102 and a management client 1 described below.
03, WWW server 104, print server 10
5. It is composed of a LIISA document management server 106 and a plurality of printers 107. These computers and printers are connected by an intranet.

In an actual system, since the user client 101 is connected via the Internet, it is necessary to incorporate a firewall into the FSX-DX for the purpose of ensuring security. Also, LIFISA
Regarding the document management server 106, it is necessary to provide two servers, one for public use and one for non-public use. However, since these are not the main contents of the present invention, they are not shown for convenience of explanation.

Reference numeral 102 denotes a reception client, which, in place of a customer who does not have a facility such as a computer and a network, accepts a telephone or mail request from the customer and operates a person in charge of the business to print a document or job to be printed. A computer used to enter tickets. Functionally, it is the same as the user client 101.

Reference numeral 103 denotes a management client, which is a computer used by a contractor-side person to manage the printing job requested by the customer. From Web browser to W
By accessing the print management homepage on the WW server 104, it is possible to register / search / delete / manage documents and job tickets to be printed.

Reference numeral 104 denotes a WWW server, which includes a print request homepage, a print management homepage, and a LIFS
A computer for providing three types of homepages for the homepage for A and respective web applications. Upon receiving a print request from the user client 101, the WWW server 104 transfers the request to a print server 105 described later. At the same time, as described later, an image of the document to be printed is attached to an e-mail describing the attributes (document name, creation date, etc.) of the document to be printed, and the document is returned to the requesting customer.

Reference numeral 105 denotes a print server which schedules a print job input from the user client 101 or the reception client 102, and controls a printer 107 described later to perform actual printing. Further, the print server 105 can graphically display the details of the print schedule and the operation status of the printer on a screen.

Reference numeral 106 denotes a LIISA document management server, which is a computer for storing and managing documents to be printed and job tickets. As described above, a desired document or job ticket can be searched from the LIFISA document management server 106 via the LIFISA homepage of the WWW server 104. Note that "L
"IFISA" is a product name.

The reception client 102, the management client 103, the WWW server 104, the print server 105, and the LIISA document management server 10
Reference numeral 6 does not necessarily have to be a separate computer. For example, one computer may have all the functions described above.

Reference numeral 107 denotes a printer which prints an image of a document transmitted from the print server 105 on a predetermined sheet in accordance with designated conditions, staples a printed matter by a designated method,
Alternatively, processing such as punching is performed.
In the following, for convenience of explanation, each printer 10
Reference numeral 7 has the same printing function and printing performance.

Next, the hardware configuration of the print request receiving apparatus (specifically, WWW server 104) according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the WWW server 104 according to the first embodiment.

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 301 denotes a CPU for controlling the entire system, 302 denotes a ROM storing a basic input / output program, and 303 denotes a RAM used as a work area of the CPU 301.
Also, the HD 304 operates under the control of the CPU 301.
An HDD (hard disk drive) that controls reading / writing of data from / to (hard disk) 305
Reference numeral 305 denotes an HD that stores data written under the control of the HDD 304.

Further, 306 is an FD (floppy (registered trademark) disk) 30 under the control of the CPU 301.
For controlling read / write of data to / from FDD7
(Floppy disk drive). Also,
Reference numeral 307 denotes a removable FD that stores data written under the control of the FDD 306.

Reference numeral 308 denotes a display for displaying various data such as a cursor, a menu, a window, and characters and images. Reference numeral 309 denotes a network board connected to the network NET via the communication line 310 and functioning as an interface between the network NET and the CPU 301.

Reference numeral 311 denotes a keyboard having a plurality of keys for inputting characters, numerical values, various instructions, and the like.
Reference numeral 12 denotes a mouse for selecting and executing various instructions, selecting a processing target, moving a cursor, and the like. Reference numeral 313 denotes a CD-ROM which is a removable recording medium.
A ROM 314, a CD-ROM drive for controlling data reading from the CD-ROM 313;
Is a bus or cable to connect the above parts,
Each is shown.

Next, a functional configuration of the print request receiving apparatus (WWW server 104) according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram functionally showing the configuration of the WWW server 104 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1 shows only the minimum functional units necessary for explaining the present invention, and other parts are omitted.

In FIG. 4, reference numeral 401 denotes a request receiving unit, which is transmitted from the user client 101;
Various requests including a document print request are received.
If the received request is a print request (print request), the document transmitted with the request or the target document of the request stored in the LIISA document management server 106 (the request was printed in the past). Is output to a document attribute extraction unit 402 and a file format conversion unit 403, which will be described later. The request receiving unit 401 corresponds to a “request receiving unit” in the claims, and one of the processes performed includes a “request receiving step” in the claims.

Reference numeral 402 denotes a document attribute extraction unit, which extracts document attributes such as the name of the document, creation / update date and time, and size from the input print target document. Then, the extracted attributes are output to an e-mail creating unit 405 described later. Note that the document attribute extracting unit 402 corresponds to “document attribute extracting means” described in the claims, and the processing performed corresponds to “document attribute extracting step” described in the claims.

Reference numeral 403 denotes a file format conversion unit which converts the format of the input document to be printed (doc format, jtd format,
gif format, etc.)
Standardize in stScript format. Then, the converted document is output to a document image creation unit 404 described later.
If the input document is already in the PostScript format, the document is directly converted to the document image creation unit 40.
4 is output.

Reference numeral 404 denotes a document image creation unit, which includes a print image creation unit 404a and a staple image addition unit 4
04b and a punch image adding unit 404c.

The print image creation unit 404a creates a print image (paper image) of the entire document by converting the PostScript format file input from the file format conversion unit 403 into a PDF format file. However, at this time, some data is omitted or simplified, such as uniformly replacing characters in the document with the symbol "*", and expressing images arranged in the page only with borders and outlines. Perform The print image creation unit 404a corresponds to a “print image creation unit” in the claims, and the processing performed by the print image creation unit 404a corresponds to a “print image creation step” in the claims.

The staple image addition unit 404b and the punch image addition unit 404c hold the print image in advance according to the bookbinding method (stapling method or punching method) specified in the “finisher” item of the job ticket shown in FIG. Add (combine) images of staples and punch holes that are being made.

For example, regarding staples, “(no staple)”, “upper left”, “upper right”, “upper left horizontal”
"Top right horizontal""Top left vertical""Top right vertical""Top 2 places"
Since one of “2 places on the left”, “2 places on the right”, “upper left”, and “upper right” is designated, the staple image adding section 40
4b adds a specified number of staple images at a specified angle at a specified position in the print image (if "None" is specified, nothing is added).

Similarly, for the punch, any one of “(no punch)”, “top two places”, “left two places”, and “right two places” is designated, so the punch image adding section 404c
Adds the specified number of punched hole images to the specified position in the print image (if "None" is specified, nothing is added). Then, the document image creation unit 404 outputs the print image to which staples and punch holes are added to an email creation unit 405 described later.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a document to be printed (only the first page is shown for convenience of explanation). FIG. 6 shows a document image when "top left horizontal" is designated as the stapling method of the document. Document images finally output from the creation unit 404 are shown. In FIG. 6, the data of the original document shown in FIG. 5 is partially omitted and simplified, and a staple image 601 is added to the upper left corner.

FIG. 7 shows a document image finally output from the document image creation unit 404 when "upper two places" is designated as the document punching method shown in FIG. In FIG. 7, the data of the original document shown in FIG. 5 is partially omitted and simplified, and punch hole images 701 and 702 are added to two places in the upper margin.

The staple image adding unit 40
4b is the "staple image adding means" described in the claim.
And the processing performed corresponds to the “staple image adding step” described in the claims. Further, the punch image adding unit 404c corresponds to “punch image adding means” in the claims, and the processing performed corresponds to “punch image adding step” in the claims.

Reference numeral 405 denotes an e-mail creation unit that creates a confirmation e-mail to be sent to the customer using the document attributes input from the document attribute extraction unit 402 and the document image input from the document image generation unit 404. I do. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of the body of an e-mail created by the e-mail creation unit 405. As described above, the mail body includes a fixed form sentence (addressing, greeting, signature, etc.) held in advance in the electronic mail creation unit 405, the document name extracted by the document attribute extraction unit 402, the creation / update date and time, This is a combination of document attributes such as size.

Then, the destination of the text, the CC (carbon copy) destination, and the attached file are set and output to an e-mail transmission unit 406 described later. At this time,
A document image input from the document image creation unit 404 is set as a file attached to the text.

Reference numeral 406 denotes an e-mail transmission unit which transmits the e-mail input from the e-mail creation unit 405 to the requesting user client 101 according to a predetermined protocol. The history of the transmitted e-mail may be left in the WWW server 104 or in the LIISA document management server 106.

A directory is provided for each customer, and a document requested to be printed by the customer, a job ticket at the time of the request,
The e-mail and the like sent to the customer may be stored together. This e-mail transmission unit 4
06 corresponds to the “transmission means” in the claims, and the processing performed corresponds to the “transmission step” in the claims.

Each functional unit except the request receiving unit 401 may be provided in a computer different from the WWW server 104 that receives the print request. Further, it is not necessary to provide these functional units in the same computer, and in particular, the file format conversion unit 403 includes, for example, the print server 105 and the LIISA document management server 1.
06 or the printer 107.

The request receiving unit 401, the document attribute extracting unit 402, the file format converting unit 403, and the document image creating unit 4
04, the e-mail creation unit 405, and the e-mail transmission unit 406, the CPU 301 and the like execute instruction processing in accordance with instructions written in a program recorded on a recording medium such as the ROM 302, the RAM 303 or the hard disk 305, and the floppy disk 307, respectively. This realizes the function of each unit.

Next, a description will be given of a procedure of an e-mail creation / transmission process of the print request receiving apparatus (WWW server 104) according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a procedure of an electronic mail creation / transmission process of WWW server 104 according to the first embodiment. WWW
When the request receiving unit 401 of the server 104 receives the print request from the user client 101, the processing according to the flowchart starts.

In step S901, the file format conversion unit 403 temporarily changes the format of the input print target document to Po.
unify to stScript format (input document is already P
Nothing is done when the format is ostScript). Further, in step S902, the print image creation unit 404
a converts the PostScript format document into the PDF format while performing a predetermined simplification (it may be said that a print image of the document is created). And
In step S903, the staple image adding unit 404
The b and / or punch image adding unit 404c adds an image of a staple or a punched hole to a designated location in the print image.

At step S904, the document attribute extracting unit 40
Reference numeral 2 extracts attributes such as the name, creation / update date and time from the document to be printed. Then, in step S905, the e-mail creating unit 405 creates the body of the e-mail to be sent to the customer by combining the above attribute and the fixed form sentence held in advance.

Then, in step S906, the e-mail creating unit 405 sets the destination of the text and the CC destination, and sets the destination as a file to be attached to the text in steps S901 to S901.
The document image created in step 903 is set. Then, in step S907, the e-mail transmission unit 406 transmits the e-mail, and the processing according to this flowchart ends.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, an e-mail describing the name of the document to be printed is returned to the customer at the same time as receiving the order. It is possible to check in advance whether there is an order error such as a mistake in the document.

Also, from the document image attached to the mail, it is possible to confirm whether the designated document is printed as intended, and also to confirm whether the book is bound as intended. . Therefore, the merchant must wait for customer confirmation before starting printing,
It is possible to avoid re-processing due to a printing result defect or an error in the bookbinding method.

(Embodiment 2) In Embodiment 1 described above, a document image that can be checked up to the bookbinding method such as staples and punches is sent to the customer by e-mail, but when the image data is large, There is a case where the burden on the customer side is large, such as a long time and a high cost for the reception. Therefore, the second embodiment described below
As described above, the image data may be stored on the trader side, and the customer side may only be notified of the address.

[0078] WWW server 104 according to the second embodiment
Is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the description is omitted. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram functionally showing the configuration of the WWW server 104 according to the second embodiment. This figure shows that each functional unit in FIG.
Is added. In FIG.
1. Document attribute extraction unit 1002, file format conversion unit 10
03 and the e-mail transmission unit 1006 are respectively shown in FIG.
The description is omitted because it is the same as each corresponding functional unit.

The document image creation unit 1004 outputs the created document image to the file storage unit 1007. The file storage unit 1007 stores the input document image as a file, and notifies the e-mail creation unit 1005 of the address (URL). The e-mail creating unit 1005 stores the fixed text stored in advance, various attributes such as the document name and creation / update date and time notified from the document attribute extracting unit 1002, and the address of the image file notified from the file saving unit 1007. Combined,
A mail body as shown in FIG. 11 is created. Then, only the text (ie, without attaching the image file) is transmitted to the customer by the e-mail transmission unit 1006.

The file storage unit 1007 corresponds to an “image file storage unit” in the claims, and the storage of a document image in the file storage unit 1007
This corresponds to the “image file saving step” described in the claims.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a procedure of an electronic mail creation / transmission process of WWW server 104 according to the second embodiment. In the figure, step S120
1 to S1203 are performed in steps S901 to S9 in FIG.
03, and the description is omitted.

In step S1204, the file storage unit 1
In step 007, the document image created in steps S1201 to S1203 is stored, and the address is notified to the e-mail creating unit 1005. Step S12
At 05, the document attribute extraction unit 1002 extracts the attribute from the document to be printed, and notifies the e-mail creation unit 1005.

In step S1206, e-mail creating section 1005 creates the body of the e-mail from the notified attribute and address, and sets the destination and CC destination in step S1207 (the attached file is not set at this time). Then, in step S1208, the e-mail transmission unit 1006
Sends the e-mail to the customer according to a predetermined protocol.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, a document image is not attached and only the address is described in the mail body and transmitted, so that the mail size can be reduced and the reception of the mail can be reduced. The burden on the customer can be reduced. Further, the customer transfers the mail to a computer other than the user client 101 that has received the mail (and a computer that has a suitable environment for browsing the WWW server 104 of the trader) and transfers the mail. Flexible operation, such as checking the print image from the destination computer, becomes possible.

(Embodiment 3) In the above-described Embodiment 2, the customer checks the attribute of the document to be printed by using the received mail at hand, and the print / bookbinding image by using the trader's side. Servers must be referred to, and information cannot be centrally managed. Therefore, as in the third embodiment described below, all information may be centrally managed by a server on the trader side so that the customer can browse at any time.

[0086] WWW server 104 according to the third embodiment
Is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the description is omitted. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram functionally showing the configuration of the WWW server 104 according to the third embodiment. This figure shows a configuration in which an HTML file creation unit 1308 is added to each functional unit in FIG. 10, a request receiving unit 1301, a file format converting unit 1303, a document image creating unit 1304, and an electronic mail transmitting unit 1306 are the same as the corresponding functional units in FIG.

The document attribute extracting unit 1302 extracts attributes such as the name from the document to be printed, and notifies the HTML file creating unit 1308 of the extracted attribute. File storage unit 1307
Saves the document image input from the document image creation unit 1304 in a file, and notifies the HTML file creation unit 1308 of the address (URL).

The HTML file creation unit 1308 converts the input document attributes and the address of the image file into the HTML file shown in FIG.
Create an HTML file as shown in FIG. This HTM
A link 1401 to an image file is embedded in the L file. By clicking this link with a mouse, a print / binding image of a document to be printed can be displayed on a screen.

Then, the HTML file creation unit 1308
Stores the created HTML file in the file storage unit 130
7 (therefore, the file storage unit 1307)
Holds two types of files, an image file and an HTML file). Further, the file saving unit 1307 outputs the address (URL) of the saved HTML file to the e-mail creating unit 1305.

The e-mail creating section 1305 creates a mail body as shown in FIG. 15 by combining the fixed form sentence held in advance with the address notified.
Then, the e-mail transmission unit 1306 sends this e-mail text to the customer.

Note that the file storage unit 1307 includes “image file storage unit” and “HT
The storage of an image file or an HTML file in the file storage unit 1307 also corresponds to an “image file storage step” and an “HTML file storage step” in the claims. Also,
The HTML file creation unit 1308 executes “H
The process corresponds to “HTML file creation step” in the claims.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a procedure of an electronic mail creation / transmission process of the WWW server 104 according to the third embodiment. In the figure, step S160
The processing in steps S1 to S1603 is performed in steps S901 to S9 in FIG.
03, and the description is omitted.

In step S1604, the file storage unit 1
Reference numeral 307 saves the document image created in steps S1601 to S1603 in a file and notifies the HTML file creation unit 1308 of the address. In step S1605, the document attribute extraction unit 1302 extracts the attribute from the document to be printed, and notifies the HTML file creation unit 1308.

In step S1606, the HTML file creation unit 1308 determines in steps S1604 and S160
An HTML file is created from the document attributes and the address of the image file notified in step 5. And step S
In 1607, the file storage unit 1307 stores the HMTL file and notifies the e-mail creation unit 1305 of the address.

In step S1608, the e-mail creating unit 1305 creates an e-mail body by incorporating the notified address into the fixed form held in advance, and sets its destination and CC destination in step S1609 (at this time, Do not set attachments). Then, step S1
At 610, the e-mail transmission unit 1306 transmits the e-mail to the customer according to a predetermined protocol.

As described above, according to the third embodiment, the HTM stored in the WWW server 104 on the trader side
With the L file, the attributes of the document to be printed can be viewed,
In addition, by following the link embedded in the document, the user can browse the print / bookbinding image of the document.
By simply managing the addresses of the ML files, it is possible to collectively obtain information on a certain print request at any time.

The print request accepting method described in the first to third embodiments is realized by executing a prepared program on a computer such as a personal computer or a workstation. This program is for hard disk, floppy disk, CD
-Recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a ROM, an MO, and a DVD, and read out from the recording medium by a computer and executed. Further, this program can be distributed via the above-mentioned recording medium via a network such as the Internet.

[0098]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, in a print request receiving apparatus for receiving a print request from an information processing apparatus connected via a network, a request receiving unit receives the print request. The print image creating unit creates a print image of the document specified by the print request received by the request receiving unit, and the staple image adding unit adds the print image to the print image created by the print image creating unit with the print request. A staple image is added according to the specified staple method, and the transmission unit transmits the print image to which the staple image has been added by the staple image addition unit to the information processing apparatus. Stapling of the specified position, angle, and number of staples An additional page is sent back to the requester, confirming at the requester of the print request whether the document to be printed is printed as intended and whether it is bound as intended. The present invention has an effect that a print request receiving apparatus capable of performing the job request can be obtained.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in a print request receiving apparatus for receiving a print request from an information processing apparatus connected via a network, a request receiving unit receives the print request and generates a print image. Means for creating a print image of the document specified by the print request received by the request receiving means, and a punch image adding means for applying the punching method to the print image created by the print image creating means, the punch image being specified by the print request. And the transmitting unit transmits the print image to which the punch hole image has been added by the punch image adding unit to the information processing apparatus. Therefore, the print image of the document specified by the print request is transmitted. The image of the specified number of punch holes is added to the By, at the request source of the print request,
This has the effect of providing a print request receiving device capable of confirming whether the document to be printed is printed as intended and whether the document is bound as intended.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the print image to which the staple image is added by the staple image adding means is stored as a file. A file storage unit, wherein the transmission unit transmits the address of the file stored in the image file storage unit to the information processing apparatus, so that a specified position, angle, and number of staple images are added. The print image is stored at the reception side, and only the address is returned to the request source, whereby the print request request source prints the print target document as intended.
This has the effect of providing a print request receiving apparatus with less burden on time and cost when checking whether or not bookbinding is performed.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the print image to which the punch hole image has been added by the punch image adding means is further stored as a file. An image file storage unit, wherein the transmission unit transmits the address of the file stored in the image file storage unit to the information processing apparatus. The print image is stored on the reception side, and only the address is returned to the request source, thereby confirming whether the print request request source prints or binds the document to be printed as intended. In this case, there is an effect that a print request receiving apparatus with a small burden such as time and cost can be obtained.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the third or fourth aspect of the present invention, the attribute of the document specified by the print request received by the request receiving means is further extracted. Document attribute extracting means, HTML file creating means for creating an HTML file from the attributes extracted by the document attribute extracting means and the address of the file saved by the image file saving means, and HTML file creating means created by the HTML file creating means. HTML file storage means for storing the generated HTML file, and the transmission means transmits the address of the HTML file stored in the HTML file storage means to the information processing apparatus. Document attributes and their print images (after adding staples and punch holes) An HTML file describing the link to the URL is stored on the receiving side, and only the address is returned to the requesting source. As a result, the document to be printed is printed / bound as intended by the requesting source of the print request. This makes it possible to obtain a print request receiving method with less burden such as time and cost when checking whether or not the print request is received.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in a print request receiving method for receiving a print request from an information processing apparatus connected via a network, the print request is received in a request receiving step, and a print image is created. Creating a print image of the document specified in the print request received in the request receiving step in the request receiving step, and stapling the print image created in the print image creating step in the staple image adding step in the stapling method specified in the print request The staple image is added in accordance with, and the print image to which the staple image has been added in the staple image addition step is transmitted to the information processing apparatus in the transmission step, so that the print image of the document specified in the print request is The specified position, angle, and number of staple images are added to the requester. This makes it possible for the requester of the print request to check whether the document to be printed is printed as intended and also whether or not it is bound as intended. The effect is obtained.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in a print request receiving method for receiving a print request from an information processing apparatus connected via a network, the print request is received in a request receiving step, and a print image is created. Forming a print image of the document specified by the print request received in the request receiving step in the request receiving step; and punching the print image created in the print image creating step in the punch image adding step in the punch image adding step. And transmitting the print image to which the punch hole image has been added in the punch image adding step in the transmitting step to the information processing apparatus. Therefore, the print image of the document specified in the print request is transmitted. , The image of the specified number of punch holes is added and returned to the requester, This has the effect of providing a print request receiving method that allows the requester of the print request to check whether the document to be printed is printed as intended and whether it is bound as intended. .

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the image processing apparatus according to the sixth aspect, wherein the print image to which the staple image is added in the staple image adding step is stored as a file. In the transmitting step, the address of the file stored in the image file storing step is transmitted to the information processing apparatus, so that a specified position, angle, and number of staple images are added. The print image is stored on the reception side, and only the address is returned to the request source, thereby confirming whether the print request request source prints or binds the document to be printed as intended. In this case, there is an effect that a print request receiving method with less burden such as time and cost can be obtained.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, in the seventh aspect of the present invention, the print image to which the punch hole image has been added in the punch image adding step is further stored as a file. An image file storing step is included. In the transmitting step, the address of the file stored in the image file storing step is transmitted to the information processing apparatus.
The print image to which the number of punch holes has been added is saved at the receiving side and only the address is returned to the request source, so that the print request request source can print the document to be printed as intended. This is advantageous in that it is possible to obtain a print request receiving method with less burden on time and cost when confirming whether printing / binding is performed.

According to the tenth aspect of the present invention,
In the invention according to claim 8 or 9, further,
A document attribute extracting step of extracting an attribute of a document specified in the print request received in the request receiving step, an attribute extracted in the document attribute extracting step, and an address of the file stored in the image file storing step From HT
An HTML file creation process for creating an ML file;
An HTML file saving step of saving the HTML file created in the HTML file creating step, wherein the transmitting step sends the address of the HTML file saved in the HTML file saving step to the information processing apparatus. Therefore, an HTML file describing the attributes of the document specified in the print request and the link to the print image (after adding staples and punch holes) is stored on the receiving side, and only the address is returned to the request source. This has the effect of providing a print request receiving method with less burden such as time and expense when the print request source checks whether the document to be printed is printed / bound as intended. Play.

According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention,
By recording a program for causing a computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 6 to 10, the program can be read by a computer. An advantage is obtained in that a recording medium capable of executing the method described in one item by a computer is obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a system configuration of a printing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a print request home page displayed on a user client 101 in the print system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a print request receiving device according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram functionally showing the configuration of the print request receiving device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a target document of a print request received by the print request receiving device according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a document image created by the print request receiving device according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating another example of a document image created by the print request receiving device according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a text of an electronic mail created by the print request receiving device according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of an e-mail creation / transmission process of the print request receiving apparatus according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram functionally showing a configuration of a print request receiving device according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a text of an e-mail created by a print request receiving device according to a second embodiment;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of an e-mail creation / transmission process of the print request receiving apparatus according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram functionally showing a configuration of a print request receiving device according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an HTML file created by the print request receiving device according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a text of an electronic mail created by the print request receiving device according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of an e-mail creation / transmission process of the print request receiving apparatus according to the third embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

101 User Client 102 Reception Client 103 Management Client 104 WWW Server 105 Print Server 106 LIISA Document Management Server 107 Printer 300 Bus 301 CPU 302 ROM 303 RAM 304 HDD 305 HD 306 FDD 307 FD 308 Display 309 I / F 310 Communication Line 311 Keyboard 312 mouse 313 CD-ROM 314 CD-ROM drive 401, 1001, 1301 request receiving unit 402, 1002, 1302 document attribute extracting unit 403, 1003, 1303 file format converting unit 404, 1004, 1304 document image creating unit 404a, 1004a, 1304a Print image creation unit 404b, 1004b, 1304b Add staple image Addition unit 404c, 1004c, 1304c Punch image addition unit 405, 1005, 1305 E-mail creation unit 406, 1006, 1306 E-mail transmission unit 1007, 1307 File storage unit 1308 HTML file creation unit

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A print request receiving apparatus for receiving a print request from an information processing apparatus connected via a network, comprising: a request receiving unit for receiving the print request; and a print request specified by the print request received by the request receiving unit. Print image creation means for creating a print image of a document; staple image addition means for adding a staple image to a print image created by the print image creation means in accordance with a stapling method specified by the print request; A transmission unit for transmitting, to the information processing apparatus, the print image to which the staple image has been added by the image addition unit; 2. A print request receiving apparatus for receiving a print request from an information processing apparatus connected via a network, comprising: a request receiving unit receiving the print request; and a print request specified by the print request received by the request receiving unit. Print image creating means for creating a print image of a document; punch image adding means for adding an image of a punched hole to the print image created by the print image creating means according to the punch method specified in the print request; A transmission unit for transmitting the print image, to which the image of the punched hole has been added by the punch image addition unit, to the information processing apparatus; 3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an image file storing unit configured to store the print image to which the staple image is added by the staple image adding unit as a file, wherein the transmitting unit includes the image file storing unit. The print request receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an address of a file is transmitted to the information processing apparatus. 4. An image file storage unit for storing the print image, to which the image of the punched hole is added by the punch image addition unit, as a file, wherein the transmission unit is stored in the image file storage unit. 3. The print request receiving apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the address of the file is transmitted to the information processing apparatus. 5. A document attribute extracting unit for extracting an attribute of a document specified by a print request received by the request receiving unit, and an attribute extracted by the document attribute extracting unit and the image file storing unit. HTML for creating an HTML file from the stored address of the file
File creation means, and the HTM created by the HTML file creation means
4. An HTML file storage unit for storing an L file, wherein the transmission unit transmits an address of the HTML file stored in the HTML file storage unit to the information processing apparatus. Or 4
The print request receiving device according to 1. 6. A print request receiving method for receiving a print request from an information processing apparatus connected via a network, comprising: a request receiving step of receiving the print request; and a print request specified in the print request received in the request receiving step. A print image creation step of creating a print image of a document; a staple image addition step of adding a staple image to the print image created in the print image creation step in accordance with a stapling method specified by the print request; Transmitting a print image to which the staple image has been added in the image addition step to the information processing apparatus. 7. A print request receiving method for receiving a print request from an information processing apparatus connected via a network, comprising: a request receiving step of receiving the print request; and a print request specified in the print request received in the request receiving step. A print image creation step of creating a print image of the document; a punch image addition step of adding a punch hole image to the print image created in the print image creation step according to a punch method specified in the print request; Transmitting a print image to which the image of the punched hole has been added in the punch image adding step to the information processing apparatus. 8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising an image file storing step of storing the print image to which the staple image has been added in the staple image adding step as a file, wherein the transmitting step includes storing the print image stored in the image file storing step. 7. The method according to claim 6, wherein an address of a file is transmitted to the information processing apparatus. 9. The method according to claim 9, further comprising an image file storing step of storing the print image, to which the image of the punched hole has been added in the punch image adding step, as a file, wherein the transmitting step stores the print image stored in the image file storing step. The method according to claim 7, wherein the address of the file is transmitted to the information processing apparatus. 10. A document attribute extracting step of extracting an attribute of a document specified in the print request received in the request receiving step, and an attribute extracted in the document attribute extracting step and the image file storing step. An HTML file creating step of creating an HTML file from an address of the saved file; and an HTML file saving step of saving the HTML file created in the HTML file creating step. 10. The print request receiving method according to claim 8, wherein the address of the HTML file stored in the storing step is transmitted to the information processing apparatus. 11. A computer-readable recording medium on which a program for causing a computer to execute the method according to claim 6 is recorded.