JP2002342052A - Information providing method, information providing system and information server - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent illegal copying of images or the like present on the Internet. SOLUTION: An information server 4 retrieves and reads data corresponding to a printing request from a content data base 5 according to the printing request from a user side printer 1 connected via the Internet, printing raw data including the raster data of the printing image of the data read from the content data base 5 and a printer control command are prepared by a printing raw data preparation device 6 and the prepared printing raw data are transmitted via the Internet to the user side printer 1.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to an information providing method, an information providing system, and an information server device for providing information from an information server on the Internet to a user terminal.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The Internet based on TCP / IP is rapidly spreading. 2. Description of the Related Art Various information providing systems for providing information from an information server on the Internet using a worldwide information communication system called WWW (World Wide Web) have been constructed.

Conventionally, when printing an image existing on the Internet, an image file is imported as digital data into a personal computer or the like.
The procedure of converting digital data of the captured image file into raster data, creating print raw data including a printer control code of a predetermined format corresponding to the printer from the raster data, and transmitting the created print raw data to the printer. To obtain a desired print image.

[0004]

Conventionally, when printing an image existing on the Internet, the image file is captured and temporarily stored in a personal computer or the like. Copying was easy.

An object of the present invention is to provide an information providing method, an information providing system, and an information server device which can prevent unauthorized copying of images and the like existing on the Internet in view of the above-mentioned conventional situation. is there.

[0006]

According to the information providing method of the present invention, when printing data existing on the Internet, the data transmission side on the Internet prints raster data of a print image and a printer control command. It is characterized in that raw data is created and the created print raw data is transmitted.

The present invention is also an information providing system comprising an information server device connected via the Internet and a user-side printer device, wherein the information server device responds to a print request from the user-side printer device. Searching and reading data corresponding to the print request from a database, creating raster data of a print image of the data read from the database and print raw data including a printer control command, and creating the print raw data. The transmission is performed via the Internet.

Further, the information server device according to the present invention retrieves and reads data corresponding to the print request from a database in response to a print request from a user-side printer device connected via the Internet, Print raw data including raster data of a print image of data read from the printer and a printer control command, and transmitting the generated print raw data via the Internet.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

The present invention is implemented by an information providing system having a configuration as shown in FIG. 1, for example.

An information providing system 10 shown in FIG. 1 has a printer device 1 as a user terminal device, an information server device 4 to which the printer device 1 is connected via the Internet, and an information server device 4 connected to the information server device 4. The content database 5 and the raw print data creation device 6 are provided.

The printer 1 has a printer controller 2 and a print engine 3 connected to the printer controller 2.

The printer control device 2 can transmit and receive data by connecting to the Internet, and can transmit and receive data to and from the print engine 3. Further, the printer control device 2 has a function of receiving a print request from a user.

The print engine 3 has a function of printing and outputting data received from the printer control device 2.

The information server device 4 comprises a computer capable of transmitting and receiving data by connecting to the Internet. The information server device 4 is connected to the content database 5 and can search and read data. The information server device 4 is connected to the raw print data creating device 6 so that data can be transmitted to and received from the raw print data creating device 6.

The content database 5 includes:
Data can be transmitted and received with the information server device 4. And this content database 5
Can store, search, and read data in response to a request from the information server device 4.

Further, the raw print data creating device 6 includes:
It is composed of a computer different from the information server device 4 and can transmit and receive data to and from the information server device 4 connected thereto. The print raw data creation device 6 converts the data acquired by the information server device 4 from the content database 5 into a format that can be interpreted by the print engine 3 of the printer device 1 as a user-side terminal device, that is, the format of the print raw data. It has a function to convert to a format.

The raw print data creating device 6 may be a software module that operates on the information server device 4. In the information providing system 10 having such a configuration, information provided from the information server device 4 on the Internet is printed by the printer device 1 which is a user terminal device according to the procedure shown in FIG.

That is, first, in step S1, the printer control device 2 receives a print request from a user. At this time, the print request includes a data identifier for identifying data to be printed.

In the next step S2, the printer control device 2 sends a data identifier designated by a print request from the user to the information server device 4 via the Internet to request data.

In the next step S 3, the information server device 4 requests the data by transmitting the data identifier included in the data request from the printer control device 2 to the content database 5.

In the next step S4, the content database 5 searches for data corresponding to the specified data identifier and transfers it to the information server device 4.

In the next step S5, the information server device 4 transmits the data received from the content database 5 to the raw print data creating device 6, and requests conversion to raw print data.

In the next step S6, the raw print data generating device 6 generates raw print data including the raster data of the print image and the printer control command for the data received from the content database 5.

In the next step S 7, the raw print data creating device 6 sends the raw print data created to the information server device 4.

In the next step S 8, the information server device 4 sends the raw print data received from the raw print data creating device 6 to the printer control device 2. At this time, the transmission data is compressed and transmitted. The data compression may be performed after the print raw data is created in step S6. It is even better if the transmission data is encrypted.

In the next step S9, the printer control device 2 sends the raw print data received from the information server device 4 to the print engine 3 for printing. At this time, all data may be sent to the print engine 3 at one time, or may be sent in plural times. It is more convenient to divide the print job into a plurality of prints because printing can be performed while checking the operation state of the print engine 3. When the raw print data received from the information server device 4 is encrypted, the raw print data decrypted by the printer control device 2 is sent to the print engine 3.

In the information providing system 10, since digital data is not stored in the user terminal device, it is extremely difficult to illegally copy digital data.

Further, since the raw print data is created on the information server device 4 side, there is no need to provide the raw print data creation function on the printer device 1 side, and the printer device 1 can be provided at low cost.

Note that, as shown in FIG.
Is provided with the print raw data creation device 6, if the format of the data transmitted from the information server device 4 to the printer control device 2 is a format that can be converted into the print raw data by the print raw data creation device 6, HTML, JPEG, GI
F, PNG, DPOF, EXIF, TIFF, PDF,
Any format such as PostScript may be used.

That is, in the information providing method according to the present invention implemented by the information providing system 10, when printing data existing on the Internet, raster data of a print image and a printer control command are transmitted on the data transmitting side on the Internet. Is created, and the created print raw data is transmitted. The process of creating and transmitting the raw print data can be dynamically performed for each print request.
Also, the created print raw data can be directly transmitted to a printer device via the Internet for printing. Further, the created raw print data can be compressed and transmitted.

In the information providing system 10, the information server device 4 includes the user-side printer device 1.
In response to the print request from the server, data corresponding to the print request is searched and read from the content database 5,
The print raw data including the raster data of the print image of the data read from the content database 5 and the printer control command is created, and the created print raw data is transmitted via the Internet. Further, the information server device 4 dynamically performs the process of creating and transmitting the raw print data for each print request. Further, the information server device 4 can directly transmit the created print raw data to the user-side printer device 1 via the Internet. Further, the information server device 4 can compress and transmit the created print raw data.

[0033]

As described above, according to the present invention, in an information providing system including an information server device connected via the Internet and a user printer device, the information server device performs printing from the user printer device. In response to the request, the data corresponding to the print request is searched and read from the database, and the print raw data including the raster data of the print image of the data read from the database and the printer control command is created and created. Since the print raw data is transmitted via the Internet, when printing data existing on the Internet, the digital data of the print image does not accumulate in the user side terminal device, and the user side printer device which is the user side terminal device More printed images can be output.

As described above, when printing data existing on the Internet, since digital data is not stored in the user terminal device, it is extremely difficult to illegally copy digital data.

Also, since the print raw data is created on the information server device side, there is no need to provide a print raw data creation function on the printer device side, and the printer device can be provided at low cost.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an information providing system to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a procedure for printing data existing on the Internet in the information providing system.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an information providing system in which a printer device includes a print raw data creation device.

[Explanation of symbols]

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 printer device, 2 printer control device, 3 print engine, 4 information server device, 5 content database, 6 raw print data creation device, 10 information providing system

Claims (12)

[Claims] When printing data existing on the Internet, a data transmission side on the Internet creates print raw data including raster data of a print image and a printer control command, and transmits the created print raw data. An information providing method. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the process of creating and transmitting the raw print data is performed dynamically for each print request.
Information provision method described. 3. The information providing method according to claim 1, wherein the created raw print data is directly transmitted to a printer device via the Internet for printing. 4. The information providing method according to claim 2, wherein the created raw print data is compressed and transmitted. 5. An information providing system comprising an information server device connected via the Internet and a user-side printer device, wherein the information server device receives the print request from the user-side printer device Searching and reading data corresponding to the above from the database, creating raster data of a print image of the data read from the database and print raw data including a printer control command, and creating the print raw data via the Internet An information providing system for transmitting. 6. The information providing system according to claim 5, wherein the information server device dynamically performs a process of generating and transmitting the raw print data for each print request. 7. The information providing system according to claim 5, wherein the created print raw data is directly transmitted to a user-side printer device via the Internet for printing. 8. The information providing system according to claim 7, wherein said information server device compresses and sends the created raw print data. 9. In response to a print request from a user-side printer device connected via the Internet, data corresponding to the print request is searched and read from a database, and a print image of the data read from the database is read. An information server device for creating raw print data including the raster data and the printer control command, and transmitting the generated raw print data via the Internet. 10. The information server device according to claim 9, wherein the process of creating and transmitting the raw print data is dynamically performed for each print request. 11. The information server device according to claim 9, wherein the created raw print data is directly transmitted to a user-side printer device via the Internet. 12. The information server device according to claim 11, wherein the created raw print data is compressed and transmitted.