JP2002108593A - Job history managing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the loss of job management data even when any trouble is generated in a print job. SOLUTION: A client PC 1 for a general client user, a print job history management server 2, and a printer 4 are connected on a network 3. A notification processing part 4a of the printer 4 notifies the print job history management server 2 of print job history information. The function of the print job history management server 2 receives the print job history information notified from the notification processing part 4a of the printer 4, and responds to the printer 4 with the result. Also, the print job history management server 2 is able to store the print job history information notified from the printer 4 as a data base, and to analyze and sum up the stored data base.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a job history management system for a printer (multifunction peripheral), and more particularly to a job history management system for managing a job of a printer connected on the Internet.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, printers and PCs have been
It is generalized to form a network by connecting a large number of devices. In particular, printers are often shared and used jointly, and printer paper and toner are consumables.Therefore, there is no particular problem if they are used in the same department. It is important to manage when, and when. JP-A-10-161823
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 10-125556 discloses a security management method for a printer device shared on a network. It is described therein that it is possible to limit the number of prints for each user or to limit the print functions that can be used, and to enable the administrator to manage the usage status of the shared printer.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-95937 discloses a printer system, a print control method, and a computer-readable memory for performing printing in accordance with a print command from a computer connected to a network. According to this, it is stated that a printer system, a print control method, and a computer-readable memory capable of performing more user-friendly print output can be provided by performing appropriate processing even if an output limit is reached during printing of a series of documents. ing.

[0004]

Recently, the word "TCO reduction" is often heard in offices, and as one of these, there is a need for users who want to collectively collect information such as "who printed how many". As noted above, such systems are indeed appearing on the market. Unfortunately, in the case of the conventional system, it is unfortunate that the reliability of the aggregated data is low. Because
In the tallying method of the conventional system, there are many methods in which the print job history is notified from the printer to the server for the first time when all the print jobs are completed, so when a trouble occurs, for example, a jam occurs during printing of a large number of pages. When the power is generated and the power is turned off / on, the number of intermediate jobs cannot be counted, and there is a problem that an error occurs with the actual number of printed sheets.

In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 10-161823, printing is permitted, and information is updated after printing is completed. Therefore, the above problem cannot be avoided. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 1
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-95937 manages the upper limit of the number of prints permitted, but does not manage the job history.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a job history management system for accurately storing a print job history by storing job management data in a finely detailed manner. It is to provide.

[0007]

According to the present invention, there is provided a system having a print job history management function comprising a printer for notifying print job history information and a server for collecting the same. The present invention provides a job history management system having a function of setting the timing of notifying the server of information on one print job to "each time the printer prints one sheet".

According to the present invention, there is provided a system having a print job history management function comprising a printer for notifying print job history information and a server for collecting the same. A job history management system having a function of setting the timing of notifying the server of information about a print job to “each time a notification of receipt of a notification from the server is returned to the printer” is provided.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system having a print job history management function comprising a printer for notifying print job history information and a server for collecting the same. There is provided a job history management system having a function capable of setting (changing) the timing of notifying a server of information about a print job.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. FIG.
1 is a system configuration diagram of the present invention. Client PC for general client user on network 3
1, a print job history management server 2 and a printer 4 are connected. The function of the notification processing unit 4a of the printer 4 is to notify the print job management server 2 of print job history information. The function of the print job history management server 2 receives the print job history information notified from the notification processing unit 4a of the printer 4, and responds to the printer 4 to that effect. Further, the print job history information notified from the printer 4 can be stored as a database, and the stored database can be analyzed and totalized.

FIG. 2 is an operation flowchart of the present invention. The printer 4 waits for a print job (S20) to come,
When the print job (S20) comes, the print job waits (S2).
1) A print job processing (S22) routine is executed from the routine, and then a determination routine is executed to determine whether all the print jobs being processed have been printed (S23). If not completed, the print job processing (S23) S22) Executes the routine, and when completed, jumps to the print job waiting (S21) routine and repeats a series of operations.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. First, an embodiment of a function that sets the timing of notifying the server of the information of one print job to “each time a printer prints one sheet” will be described. 1) Upon receiving the print job (S20), the printer 4 starts print job processing (S22). 2) In the print job processing (S22), the printer 4
When the printing of one sheet of the print job is completed (paper ejection completed), notification of print job history information (× sheet printing completed) (S24)
To the print job history management server 2. 3) The print job history management server 2 sends a print job history information reception notification (S25) to the printer 4. 4) Until all the print jobs being processed are printed,
2) to 3) are repeatedly executed.

Next, a description will be given of an embodiment of a function for setting the timing of notifying the server of the information of one print job to "each time a notification of receipt from the server is returned to the printer". 1) Upon receiving the print job (S20), the printer 4 starts print job processing (S22). 2) In the print job process (S22), the printer 4
When the printing of the first sheet of the print job is completed, a notification (S24) of the print job history information (× the print completion of the sheet) is transmitted to the print job history management server 2. 3) In the print job processing (S22), the printer 4
When the print job history information reception notification (S25) is received from the print job history management server 2, a notification (S24) of the print job history information (× th printing completed) is transmitted to the print job history management server 2. 4) Until all the print jobs being processed are printed,
Repeat step 3).

Next, a description will be given of an embodiment of a function capable of setting (changing) the timing of notifying the information of one print job to the server. The timing of notifying the server of the print job history is set in the printer in advance by any means. For example, when the printer prints one sheet on an operation unit (not shown) mounted on the printer 4, or when a notification of receipt from the server is returned to the printer, or when the printer prints one sheet, it is fixed. Not
For example, the number of sheets can be specified. that's all,
Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and appropriate changes can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, in FIG. 1, a client PC and a printer are described as the system configuration, but there is no problem even if the printer has a function of a front-end PC.

[0015]

As described above, in the job history management system according to the present invention, the printer notifies the server of print job history information every time one sheet is printed.
Even if the printer is turned off for any reason before the print job is completed, the server can count the number of pages printed halfway,
The accuracy of the information of "who printed how many sheets" can be made extremely higher than that of the conventional type that notifies only when printing is completed. Further, in the job history management system according to the present invention, the timing at which the printer notifies the server of the print job history information is the server notification at the timing of "every time a notification of receipt for the notification from the server is returned from the printer" It can be adapted to printers with high printing speed. Further, the job history management system according to the present invention can set (change) the notification timing in units of the number of sheets, so that it is possible to provide the user with an optimal environment.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an operation flowchart of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 client PC 2 print job history management server 3 network 4 printer 4a notification processing unit

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A system having a print job history management function comprising a printer for notifying print job history information and a server for collecting print job history information, wherein the print job history information for one print job is sent to the server. A job history management system, which has a function of notifying a timing of printing one sheet by a printer. 2. A system having a print job history management function comprising a printer for notifying print job history information and a server for collecting print job history information, wherein the print job history information for one print job is sent to the server. A job history management system, which has a function of notifying a notification every time a receipt notification for a notification from a server is returned to a printer. 3. A system having a print job history management function comprising a printer for notifying print job history information and a server for collecting print job history information, wherein the print job history information for one print job is sent to the server. A job history management system characterized by having a function to change the timing of notification.