JP2006277004A - Network device management server - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To scan a job inputted from a client, and to prevent virus infection and secondary infection in a document print server capable of submitting a job. <P>SOLUTION: This device management server for managing a plurality of printers connected to a network, and for performing output processing to the printers in response to a request from a client is configured to scan a data file received from a client, and to eliminate the virus of the file and/or to erase the file when virus infection or its suspicion is detected. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, a print control apparatus, a control method, a computer program, and a network device management server related to a storage medium.

  In general, the processing procedure of the apparatus when a printing instruction is given from an application running on a computer is briefly described as follows.

The application supplies the instructed data to be printed to the printer driver (software) via the OS. The printer driver converts data (page description language) suitable for the connected printer, and outputs the result. At this time, if a parallel interface (interface specified by US Centronics) is set as a print output port in the OS, print data is output via the parallel interface. If the device name is on the network (generally, the name of the printer on the network (or IP), the name of the print server (or IP)), print data is output to the destination. In addition, it is also possible to connect to a remote device or network via a line, and then cause a printer on the other side to print.
JP 2003-345540 A

  In a conventional printing system, a client obtains a print output in a series of operations of generating a PDL file using a print driver and throwing it into a printer controller using a predetermined protocol.

  However, in recent years, using a web browser or utility software, a file on the client (or on the network) is directly thrown into the printer controller, and a printer setting file called a job ticket is added to print. In a technique called job submission (or job submission), a printing system has appeared.

  The document server that manages this system uses, for example, HTTP, a protocol such as lpr or ftp, and simply throws a PDF file or a file such as JPEG or TIFF from the client, and then uses the RIP in the document server. This is a method of outputting to one or a plurality of connected printers at once.

  On the other hand, many cases of virus infection in computers have been reported, and in particular, there is no end to the case where damage is spread by entering a computer with a virus-infected file from the outside.

  In other words, in document servers where jobs are directly thrown from multiple clients, not only the possibility of virus infection is quite high, but it also plays a role of routing jobs on the network. There is also the possibility of expanding the damage.

  In order to solve such a problem, the present invention performs a virus check on a submitted job, and removes a virus or deletes a file suspected of being infected as necessary. Objective.

  In addition, in order to prevent performance delays caused by virus checkers, a system that does not degrade performance more than necessary by dividing it into jobs by print drivers and jobs thrown in by other means and checking for viruses as necessary. It is necessary to provide

  In addition, if a file infected with a virus or a file suspected of being infected with a virus is thrown into the document server, it is notified to each client using a web browser or the like, and is recorded in the system log in the document server. It is necessary to prevent recurrence by leaving a history.

  And if the document server becomes sick and there is a risk of spreading viruses to nearby computers, it may sometimes be necessary to stop the server service.

  The present invention can solve the above problems by providing the following configuration.

  (1) A network device management server that manages a plurality of network devices connected to a network and performs output processing to the network device in response to a request from a client on the network, the data file from the client; When the setting information for output processing of the data file is sent, the management server receives each of the setting information, and the data file received by the receiving unit on the management server Virus detection means for detecting whether the data file is infected or suspected, and if the virus detection means detects that the data file is infected or suspected, the virus of the data file is removed. And / or the data file Network device management server characterized by performing the deletion of itself.

  According to the present invention, in an environment where malicious viruses continue to increase in recent years and in an environment where many job files are thrown like a document server, the document server itself becomes infected with a virus, or becomes a hotbed of viruses and is connected. Since there are no examples of adverse effects on surrounding clients and printers, it is effective to check for thrown jobs and prevent them by performing virus removal.

  Also, in order to prevent performance delays caused by virus checkers, a system that does not reduce performance more than necessary by dividing the print driver jobs into jobs thrown by other means and performing virus checks as necessary. Can be provided.

  Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[System overview]
1A and 1B are conceptual diagrams of the system configuration of the embodiment, and FIG. 1B shows a comparatively simple network configuration. FIG. 1A shows a configuration in which the network 101 in FIG. 1B is divided into two systems in order to prioritize network traffic and performance. The present embodiment can be applied to any configuration. In addition, the two systems of the network configuring FIG. 1A are hereinafter referred to as a public network 101a and a private network 101b.

  The document server 102 has two network interface cards (NICs) on the hardware, one connected to the NIC 111 connected to the public network 101a side, and the other connected to the private network 101b side connected to the printer side. There is a NIC 112.

  Computers 103 a, 103 b, and 103 c are clients that send jobs to the document server 102. Although not shown, many other clients are connected. Hereinafter, the client is represented as 103.

  Further, an MFP (Multi Function Peripheral) 105 and a printer 107 are connected to the private network 101b. Reference numeral 105 denotes an MFP that performs monochrome scanning and printing, or low-resolution or binary simple color scanning or color printing. Although not shown, other devices such as an MFP other than the above, a scanner, a printer, and a FAX are also connected to the private network 101b.

  The MFP 104 is a full-color MFP capable of scanning or printing in full color with high resolution and high gradation. The MFP 104 may be connected to the private network 101b to send and receive data. It is assumed that a plurality of bits can be simultaneously transmitted and received by an independent interface, and is connected to the document server 102 by a unique interface card 113.

  The scanner 106 is an apparatus for capturing an image from a paper document. In addition to a device connected to a network as shown in the figure, there is a device connected to a computer via a SCSI interface. In addition, the scanner itself may be supported as a part of the function of the MFP 105.

  Next, the hardware configuration of the document server 102 includes the above-mentioned NIC (Network Interface Card), a dedicated I / F card, or an interface called a PCI bus on a part called a motherboard on which a CPU, a memory, etc. are mounted. A SCSI card or the like is connected.

  Here, on the client computer 103, application software that executes so-called DTP (Desk Top Publishing) is operated to create / edit various documents / graphics. The client computer 103 performs printout by converting the created document / graphic into a page description language (Page Description Language) and sending it to the MFP 104 or 105 via the network 101a.

  Each of the MFPs 104 and 105 has a communication means capable of exchanging information with the document server 102 via the network 101b or the dedicated interface 109, and the information and status of the MFPs 104 and 105 are sent via the document server 102 or via the same. The client computer 103 is notified in sequence. Further, the document server 102 (or client 103) has utility software that operates in response to the information, and the MFPs 104 and 105 are managed by the computer 102 (or client 103).

[Configuration of MFPs 104 and 105]
Next, the configuration of the MFPs 104 and 105 will be described with reference to FIGS. However, since the difference between the MFP 104 and the MFP 105 is a difference between full color and monochrome, and in many parts other than color processing, the full color device often includes the configuration of the monochrome device. Therefore, a description of the monochrome device will be added as needed.

  The MFPs 104 and 105 include a scanner unit 201 that performs image reading, a scanner IP unit 202 that performs image processing on the image data, a FAX unit 203 that transmits and receives images using a telephone line such as a facsimile, and a network. Then, there is a NIC (Network Interface Card) unit 204 that exchanges image data and device information, and a dedicated I / F unit 205 that exchanges information with the full-color MFP 104. The core unit 206 temporarily stores an image signal and determines a route according to how the MFPs 104 and 105 are used.

  Next, the image data output from the core unit 206 is sent to a printer unit 209 that forms an image via a printer IP unit 207 and a PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) unit 208. The sheet printed out by the printer unit 209 is sent to the finisher unit 210, where sheet sorting processing and sheet finishing processing are performed.

[Configuration of Scanner Unit 201]
The configuration of the scanner unit 201 will be described with reference to FIG. Reference numeral 301 denotes an original platen glass on which an original 302 to be read is placed. The original 302 is irradiated with an illumination lamp 303, and the reflected light passes through mirrors 304, 305 and 306, and is imaged on a CCD 308 by a lens 307. The first mirror unit 310 including the mirror 304 and the illumination lamp 303 moves at a speed v, and the second mirror unit 311 including the mirrors 305 and 306 moves at a speed v / 2, thereby scanning the entire surface of the document 302. The first mirror unit 310 and the second mirror unit 311 are driven by a motor 309.

[Configuration of Scanner IP Unit 202]
The scanner IP unit 202 will be described with reference to FIG. 4A. The input optical signal is converted into an electrical signal by the CCD sensor 308. The CCD sensor 308 is an RGB 3-line color sensor, and is input to the A / D converter 401 as R, G, and B image signals. After the gain adjustment and the offset adjustment are performed here, each color signal is converted into 8-bit digital image signals R0, G0, and B0 by the A / D converter. Thereafter, a known shading correction using a read signal of the reference white plate is performed for each color in the shading correction 402. Further, since the color line sensors of the CCD sensor 308 are arranged at a predetermined distance from each other, the line delay adjustment circuit (line interpolation unit) 403 corrects the spatial deviation in the sub-scanning direction.

  Next, the input masking unit 404 converts the reading color space determined by the spectral characteristics of the R, G, and B filters of the CCD sensor 308 into the NTSC standard color space. 3 × 3 matrix operation using device-specific constants taking into account various characteristics such as spectral characteristics, and the input (R0, G0, B0) signal is converted into a standard (R, G, B) signal. Convert.

  Further, a luminance / density conversion unit (LOG conversion unit) 405 is configured by a look-up table (LUT) RAM, and converts RGB luminance signals into C1, M1, and Y1 density signals.

  On the other hand, in the MFP 105 for monochrome images, the A / D conversion 401 and the shading 402 are performed in a single color using the single-line CCD sensor 308 of a single color and sent to the core unit 206 in accordance with FIG. 4B.

[Configuration of FAX unit 203]
The FAX unit 203 will be described with reference to FIG. First, at the time of reception, data from the telephone line is received by the NCU unit 501, voltage conversion is performed, A / D conversion and demodulation operations are performed by the demodulation unit 504 in the modem unit 502, and then the decompression unit 506 Expand to raster data. In general, a run length method or the like is used for compression / expansion by FAX. The image converted into the raster data is temporarily stored in the memory unit 507, and is sent to the core unit 206 after confirming that there is no transfer error in the image data.

  Next, at the time of transmission, compression such as a run length method is performed on the image signal of the raster image coming from the core unit by the compression unit 505, and D / A conversion and modulation operation are performed by the modulation unit 503 in the modem unit 502. Is sent to the telephone line via the NCU unit 501.

[Configuration of NIC unit 204]
The NIC unit 204 will be described with reference to FIG. 6A. The NIC unit 204 has an interface function with respect to the network 101. For example, information can be obtained from the outside using an Ethernet (registered trademark) cable such as 10Base-T / 100Base-TX. It plays the role of flowing information to the outside.

  When obtaining information from the outside, first, the voltage is converted by the transformer 601 and sent to the LAN controller 602. The LAN controller unit 602 has a first buffer memory (not shown) therein, and after determining whether the information is necessary information, the LAN controller unit 602 sends it to the second buffer memory (not shown). A signal is passed through the core unit 206.

  Next, when providing information to the outside, the data sent from the core unit 206 is added with necessary information by the LAN controller unit 602 and connected to the network 101 via the transformer unit 601. .

[Configuration of dedicated I / F unit 205]
The dedicated I / F unit 205 is an interface through which multi-value bits are sent in parallel in the CMYK interface at the interface with the full-color MFP 104, and is composed of image data of 4 colors × 8 bits and a communication line. If an Ethernet (registered trademark) cable is used for transmission, the dedicated parallel interface is used because it cannot output at a speed suitable for the MFP 104 and the performance of other devices connected to the network is sacrificed. Used.

[Configuration of Core Unit 206]
The core unit 206 will be described with reference to FIG. 6B. The bus selector unit 611 of the core unit 206 plays a role of traffic control in using the MFPs 104 and 105. That is, the bus is switched according to various functions in the MFPs 104 and 105 such as a copying function, a network scanner, a network printer, facsimile transmission / reception, or display display.

The path switching pattern for executing each function is shown below.
Copy function: scanner 201 → core 206 → printer 209
Network scanner: scanner 201 → core 206 → NIC unit 204
Network printer: NIC unit 204 → core 206 → printer 209
Facsimile transmission function: scanner 201 → core 206 → FAX unit 203
Facsimile reception function: FAX unit 203 → core 206 → printer 209

  Next, the image data output from the bus selector unit 611 is sent to the printer unit 209 via the compression unit 612, the memory unit 613 including a large capacity memory such as a hard disk (HDD), and the decompression unit 614. The compression method used in the compression unit 612 may be a general method such as JPEG, JBIG, ZIP. The compressed image data is managed for each job and stored together with additional data such as a file name, a creator, a creation date and time, and a file size.

  Furthermore, if a job number and password are provided and stored together, the personal box function can be supported. This is a function for temporarily storing data and allowing only a specific person to print out (read from the HDD). When an instruction to print out a stored job is issued, authentication is performed using a password, and then a call is made from the memory unit 613, the image is decompressed, returned to a raster image, and sent to the printer unit 207.

[Configuration of Printer IP Unit 207] (FIGS. 7A and 7B)
Reference numeral 701 denotes an output masking / UCR circuit unit that converts the M1, C1, and Y1 signals into Y, M, C, and K signals, which are toner colors of the image forming apparatus, using a matrix operation. The C1, M1, Y1, K1 signals based on the read RGB signals are corrected to C, M, Y, K signals based on the spectral distribution characteristics of the toner and output.

  Next, the gamma correction unit 702 converts the data into C, M, Y, and K data for image output using a look-up table (LUT) RAM that takes into account the color characteristics of the toner, and the spatial filter 703. Then, after sharpness or smoothing is performed, the image signal is sent to the core unit 206.

[Configuration of PWM unit 208]
The PWM unit 208 will be described with reference to FIG. The image data separated into four colors of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) from the printer IP unit 207 (in the case of the MFP 105, a single color) is the respective PWM. Each image is formed through the portion 208 (in the case of color, four configurations in FIG. 8A are required). Reference numeral 801 denotes a triangular wave generator, and 802 denotes a D / A converter (D / A converter) that converts an input digital image signal into an analog signal. The signal from the triangular wave generator 801 (signal a in FIG. 8B) and the image signal from the D / A converter 802 (signal b in FIG. 8B) are compared in magnitude by the comparator 803 to obtain a density like the signal c in FIG. 8B. Is sent to the laser drive unit 804. Each of C, M, Y, and K is converted into a laser beam by each laser 805.

  The polygon scanner 913 scans the respective laser beams and irradiates the respective photosensitive drums 917, 921, 925, and 929.

[Configuration of Printer Unit 209 (for Color MFP 104)]
FIG. 9 shows a cross-sectional structure diagram of the color printer unit. A polygon mirror 913 receives four laser beams emitted from the four semiconductor lasers 805. One of them scans and exposes a photosensitive drum 917 through mirrors 914, 915, and 916, the next one scans and exposes a photosensitive drum 921 through mirrors 918, 919, and 920, and the next one is a mirror. The photosensitive drum 925 is scanned and exposed through 922, 923, and 924, and the last one is scanned and exposed through the mirrors 926, 927, and 928.

  On the other hand, 930 is a developing device that supplies yellow (Y) toner, forms a yellow toner image on the photosensitive drum 917 in accordance with the laser beam, and 931 is a developing device that supplies magenta (M) toner. , A magenta toner image is formed on the photosensitive drum 921 in accordance with the laser light, and a developing device 932 supplies cyan (C) toner. A cyan toner image is formed on the photosensitive drum 925 in accordance with the laser light. , 933 is a developing device for supplying black (K) toner, and forms a magenta toner image on the photosensitive drum 929 in accordance with the laser beam. The four color (Y, M, C, K) toner images are transferred onto the sheet, and a full-color output image can be obtained.

  A sheet fed from any one of the sheet cassettes 934 and 935 and the manual feed tray 936 passes through a registration roller 937 and is sucked onto a transfer belt 938 and conveyed. In synchronism with the sheet feeding timing, toner of each color is developed in advance on the photosensitive drums 917, 921, 925, and 929, and the toner is transferred to the sheet as the sheet is conveyed. The sheet on which the toner of each color is transferred is separated and conveyed by the conveyance belt 939, and the toner is fixed to the sheet by the fixing device 940. The sheet that has passed through the fixing device 940 is once guided downward by the flapper 950, and after the trailing edge of the sheet has passed through the flapper 950, the sheet is switched back and discharged. As a result, the sheets are discharged face down, and the correct page order is obtained when printing is performed in order from the first page.

  The four photosensitive drums 917, 921, 925, and 929 are arranged at equal intervals with a distance d, and the sheet is conveyed at a constant speed v by the conveyance belt 939, and this timing synchronization is made. Thus, the four semiconductor lasers 805 are driven.

[Configuration of Printer Unit 209 (for Monochrome MFP 105)]
FIG. 10 shows an overview of the monochrome printer unit. A polygon mirror 1013 receives laser beams emitted from the four semiconductor lasers 805. The laser beam passes through mirrors 1014, 1015, and 1016 to scan and expose the photosensitive drum 1017. On the other hand, reference numeral 1030 denotes a developing device for supplying black toner, which forms a toner image on the photosensitive drum 1017 in accordance with the laser beam and transfers the toner image onto a sheet, thereby obtaining an output image.

  A sheet fed from one of the sheet cassettes 1034 and 1035 and the manual feed tray 1036 is adsorbed onto the transfer belt 1038 via a registration roller 1037 and conveyed. The toner is developed on the photosensitive drum 1017 in advance in synchronization with the paper feeding timing, and the toner is transferred to the sheet as the sheet is conveyed. The sheet to which the toner has been transferred is separated, and the toner is fixed to the sheet by the fixing device 1040. The sheet that has passed through the fixing device 1040 is once guided downward by the flapper 1050, and after the trailing edge of the sheet has passed through the flapper 1050, the sheet is switched back and discharged. As a result, the sheets are discharged face down, and the correct page order is obtained when printing is performed in order from the first page.

[Configuration of Finisher 209]
FIG. 11 shows a cross-sectional structure diagram of the finisher portion. The sheet discharged from the fixing unit 940 (or 1040) of the printer unit 209 enters the finisher unit 209 (when the finisher is connected). The finisher unit 209 includes a sample tray 1101 and a stack tray 1102, which are switched and discharged according to the type of job and the number of discharged sheets.

  There are two sort methods: a bin sort method that has a plurality of bins and distributes the bins, and an electronic sort function and a bin (or tray), which will be described later, are shifted in the front direction to distribute output sheets for each job. Sorting by the shift sort method can be performed. The electronic sort function is called collate. If you have the large-capacity memory described in the core section above, the so-called collate function is used to change the buffered page order and discharge order using this buffer memory. It can also support electronic sorting functions. Next, the group function is a function for sorting by page, while sorting is sorted by job.

  Further, when the sheets are discharged to the stack tray 1102, it is possible to store the sheets before being discharged for each job and bind them by the stapler 1105 immediately before the discharge.

  In addition to the above two trays, there are a Z-folder 1104 for folding paper into a Z-shape and a puncher 1106 for punching two (or three) holes for files, depending on the type of job. Each process.

  Further, the saddle stitcher 1107 binds the central portion of the sheet at two places, and then folds the sheet in half by engaging the central portion of the sheet with a roller, and performs a process of creating a booklet such as a weekly magazine or a pamphlet. . The sheets bound by the saddle stitcher 1107 are discharged to the booklet tray 1108.

  In addition, although not shown in the drawing, it is also possible to add binding by glue (glue) for bookbinding or trim (cutting) for aligning the end surface opposite to the binding side after binding.

  An inserter 1103 is for sending a sheet set on the tray 1110 to one of the trays 1101, 1102, and 1108 without passing it through the printer. As a result, the sheet set on the inserter 1103 can be inserted (inserted) between the sheets sent to the finisher 209. It is assumed that the user sets the tray 1110 of the inserter 1103 face up, and the pickup roller 1111 sequentially feeds the sheets from the uppermost sheet. Therefore, the sheet from the inserter 1103 is discharged to the trays 1101 and 1102 as it is and discharged in a face-down state. When sending to the saddle stitcher 1107, the face is aligned by sending it back to the puncher 1106 and then switching back.

[Configuration of Document Server 102]
Next, the document server 102 in the embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 12A and 12B. FIG. 12A shows the hardware configuration of the document server 102, but the hardware configuration introduced here is only an example, and configurations having various connection methods and various interfaces are generally conceivable.

  First, a portion surrounded by a dotted line is a substrate called a mother board 1200 on which functions described below are mounted. Reference numerals 1201 and 1202 denote CPUs that control the software of the server, and are connected to the secondary cache memory 1203 via the CPU bus 1221 and further on the motherboard by LSIs called the north bridge 1204 and the south bridge 1205. It controls various buses. A memory (SDRAM 1206) is used for data exchange between the north bridge 1204 and the south bridge 1205.

  Next, the north bridge 1204 has a high-speed PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus (32 bits / 66 MHz) 1222, is connected to the SCSI controller and the SCSI interface 114, and is connected to the HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 1207 via the SCSI bus 1224. This makes it possible to access a large amount of data. In general, some HDDs are compatible with an IDE (Integrated Disk Electronics) bus, which will be described later. The high-speed PCI bus 1222 can also be used to connect a type of printer that directly sends video data to the printer. If necessary, video interface cards 113a and 113b are connected to the color printer. Effective for interfaces. Further, a graphic controller 1208 for displaying a display 1209 is also connected to the north bridge 1204 via an AGP bus 1226.

  Next, a general PCI bus (32 bits / 33 MHz) 1223 is connected to the south bridge 1205 side, and a NIC (Network Interface Card) such as Ethernet (registered trademark) is connected.

  In the figure, two NICs are connected when there are two systems of networks as shown in FIG. 1A. In the case of one system as shown in FIG. 1B, one NIC may be used. Further, a CD-ROM drive or a readable / writable CD-R / RW drive 1210 is connected to the south bridge 1205 via an IDE bus 1225, and when the document server 102 is installed, a large amount of data is archived (data storage), etc. To help. In addition, data can be input / output by connecting to a keyboard 1213, a mouse 1214, or a floppy (registered trademark) disk drive 1215 via a USB port 1211 or a super I / O unit 1212.

  Next, the data flow in the document server 102 will be described with reference to FIG. 12B. These flows are controlled by the above-described CPU, and the memory 1206 and the hard disk 1207 are used as necessary. In the figure, the document server 102 is turned on, and the server OS stored in the HDD 1207 and the program functioning as the document server of the embodiment are loaded into the RAM 1206.

  First, a job input from the NIC 111 or the SCSI 114 enters the server from the input device control unit 1251 and plays a role in connecting the server with various client applications. PDL data and JCL (Job Control Language) data are accepted as input. It corresponds to various clients with status information about printers and servers, and the output of this module is responsible for combining all the appropriate PDL and JCL components.

  Next, the input job controller 1252 manages the requested list of jobs and creates a job list to access individual jobs submitted to the server. Furthermore, this module has three functions: job routing for determining a job route, job split for determining whether to divide and RIP, and job scheduling for determining the job order.

  There are a plurality of rasterization processing (RIP) units 1253. 1253-a, 1253-b, 1253-c, or a further increase if necessary, are collectively referred to as 1253 here. The RIP module performs RIP processing of PDLs of various jobs, and creates bitmaps with appropriate sizes and resolutions. Regarding RIP processing, rasterization processing of various formats such as PostScript (registered trademark) (registered trademark of Adobe Corporation in the United States), PCL, TIFF, JPEG, PDF, and the like is possible.

  The data conversion unit 1254 plays a role of compressing a bitmap image created by the RIP and performing format conversion, and selects an optimal image type that matches each printer. For example, when a job is to be handled in units of pages, processing such as adding a PDF header to bitmap data after rasterizing TIFF or JPEG in the RIP portion and editing the data as PDF data is performed.

  The output job control unit 1255 takes job page images and manages how they are handled based on command settings. The page is printed on the printer or saved on the hard disk 1207. Whether or not to leave the job after printing on the hard disk 1207 can be selected, and can be recalled when saved. Further, this module is managed by the interaction between the hard disk 1207 and the memory 1206.

  The output device control unit 1256 controls which device is output and which device is clustered (multiple devices are connected and printed simultaneously), and is sent to the interface card 112 or 113 of the selected device. This module also plays a role of monitoring the status of the devices 104 and 105 and transmitting the device status to the document server 102.

[Page Description Language (hereinafter abbreviated as PDL)]
Next, PDL data will be described. PDLs typified by Adobe's PostScript (registered trademark) language are classified into the following three elements.

(A) Image description by character code (b) Image description by graphic code (c) Image description by raster image data In other words, PDL is a language for describing an image composed of a combination of the above elements, and is described in that language. This data is called PDL data.

  FIG. 13A is an example in which character information R1301 is described. L1311 is a description for designating the color of the character, and the parentheses indicate the density of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black in order. The minimum is 0.0 and the maximum is 1.0. L1311 shows an example of designating that the character is black. Next, L1312 assigns the character string “IC” to the variable String1. Next, in L1313, the first and second parameters indicate the x and y coordinates of the starting position coordinates on the paper on which the character string is laid out, the third parameter is the character size, and the fourth parameter is the character spacing. The fifth parameter indicates a character string to be laid out. In short, L1313 is an instruction to lay out the character string “IC” with a size of 0.3 and an interval of 0.1 from the coordinates (0.0, 0.0).

  Next, in the example in which the graphic information R1302 is described, L1321 designates a line color as in L1311, and here, Cyan is designated. Next, L1322 is used to specify that a line is to be drawn. The first and second parameters are the start and end coordinates of the line, and the third and fourth parameters are the x and y coordinates, respectively. The fifth parameter indicates the thickness of the line.

  Further, in the example in which the raster image information is described, L1331 substitutes the raster image for the variable image1. Here, the first parameter represents the image type and the number of color components of the raster image, the second parameter represents the number of bits per color component, and the third and fourth parameters are the x direction and y direction of the raster image. Represents the image size. The fifth and subsequent parameters are raster image data. The number of raster image data is the product of the number of color components constituting one pixel and the image size in the x and y directions. In L1331, since the CMYK image is composed of four color components (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black), the number of raster image data is 100 (4 × 5 × 5 =). Next, L1332 indicates that image1 is laid out in the size of 0.5 × 0.5 from the coordinates (0.0, 0.5).

  FIG. 13B shows a state in which the above three image descriptions are interpreted in one page and developed into raster image data. R1301, RR1302, and R1303 are developed PDL data. These raster image data are actually expanded in the memory 1206 (or hard disk 1207) for each of the C, M, Y, and K color components. For example, the R1301 portion is stored in each CMYK memory 1206 with C = 0, M = 0, Y = 0, and K = 255 are written, and C = 255, M = 0, Y = 0, and K = 0 are written in the portion of R1302, respectively.

  In the document server 102, the PDL data sent from the client 103 (or the document server itself) remains in the PDL data or is expanded into a raster image as described above, and the memory 1206 (or the hard disk 1207). ) And saved as needed.

[Network 101]
Next, the network 101 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 14A, the network 101 is connected by a device called a router that connects the networks shown in FIG. 1 to form a further network called a LAN (Local Area Network).

  The LAN 1406 is connected to a router 1405 inside another LAN 1407 through a dedicated line 1408 via an internal router 1401, and these network networks are spread several times to construct a vast connection form. Yes.

  Next, the data flowing through it will be described with reference to FIG. 14B.

  There is data 1421 existing in the transmission source device A (1420a), and the data may be image data, PDL data, or a program. When this is transferred to the receiving device B (1420b) via the network 101, the data 1421 is subdivided and divided like an image 1422. A destination address called a header 1425 (IP address of the destination when the TCP / IP protocol is used) or the like is added to the divided data 1423, 1424, 1426, etc., and the packet 1427 is sequentially transmitted on the network 101. Send packets to. When the address of the device B and the header 1431 of the packet 1430 match, the data 1432 is separated and reproduced in the data state suitable for the device A.

[Scanner Driver]
Next, the scanner driver will be described.

  FIG. 15 shows a GUI (Graphic User Interface) of a scanner driver for instructing a scan operation on the computer 102 (or 103). By instructing the user, the user can set a desired setting parameter. By instructing it, it becomes possible to convert a desired image into data.

  First, reference numeral 1501 denotes a scanner driver window, and 1502 is a source device selection column for selecting a target transmission source as a setting item therein. Generally, it is like the scanner 201 described above, but it is also possible to bring in an image from the memory 108 or from a digital camera. 1503 is used to make detailed settings for the selected source device. Click here to enter setting information specific to the device on a separate screen and perform special image processing (eg, character mode / photo mode). It is possible to select and input an image in a processing mode suitable for it.

  Next, reference numeral 1504 is a selection of a scanning method, and here, it is possible to select a capture from a flat bed or an ADF (Auto Document Feeder). Reference numeral 1505 denotes a portion for instructing a reading surface of the original, and can specify whether the original is a single-side original or a double-side original. An image size column 1506 for determining an image size is input. A resolution is input in 1507. A halftone mode can be selected in 1508. Simple binary, dither method, error diffusion, or multi-value (8 bits) can be selected. .

  Furthermore, 1509 and 1510 can be selected from the two, and it is possible to set whether to scan all pages or only specified pages when using ADF. Reference numerals 1511 to 1513 are portions for determining the size of the image area, and a unit and length and width are input respectively.

  When the prescan key 1516 is pressed after making these designations, the computer 102 (or 103) issues an instruction request to the device selected in the source device selection column 1502, and starts image input. Here, since pre-scanning, image reading is performed coarser than the actual resolution, and the obtained image is displayed on the display unit 1515 as a preview image 1514. In the display, the scale is displayed according to the unit 1511 of the image area.

  If it is determined that the preview image is OK, a scan operation is started by clicking a scan key 1517. At the start, a dialog for inputting a file name and a directory name for saving the scan file appears. After the input, pressing the OK key saves the scan image. If the preview image is NG, the pre-scan is performed again for confirmation, and if the preview image is canceled, the cancel key 1518 is clicked.

[Printer Driver]
Next, a process of transmitting image data from the computer 102 (or 103) to the printer using the printer driver will be described with reference to FIGS. 16A to 16C. The printer driver is a GUI for instructing a print operation (a GUI displayed when a property display instruction for “printer” is issued on a print setting GUI displayed when a print instruction is issued from an application or the like) With this instruction, the user can specify a desired setting parameter and send a desired image to a transmission destination such as a printer.

  Reference numeral 1601 denotes a printer driver window, and 1602 is a transmission destination selection column for selecting a target output destination. In the embodiment, the above-described MFPs 104 and 105 or the printer 107 is a selection target. Reference numeral 1603 denotes a page setting column for selecting an output page from the job, and determines which page of the image image created by the application software operating on the computer 102 (or 103) is to be output. Reference numeral 1604 denotes a number setting column for designating the number of copies. By moving the cursor 1604 to this position and clicking the arrow (the arrow of the scroll bar), the number of copies can be increased or decreased. Reference numeral 1607 denotes a property key for performing detailed settings related to the destination device selected in the destination selection column 1602. When the desired setting is completed, printing is started with an OK key 1605. When canceling, the cancel key 1606 is used to cancel printing.

  16B and 16C are display screens (GUI) when the property key 1607 in FIG. 16A is clicked. Here, for example, there are tabs such as Paper, Graphics, Device Options, and PDL, and the setting contents differ each time they are clicked. FIG. 16B shows a Paper tab 1611 as an example. Here, settings such as size 1615, imposition layout 1616, paper orientation 1617, or paper feed stage 1618 can be made. When the Device Options tab 1613 is selected, setting information unique to the device, for example, finishing settings such as stapling, and image processing related to changing parameters of the gamma conversion unit 702 and the spatial filter unit 703 in the printer IP unit 207 are displayed. It is possible to make finer adjustments. For selection, the function 1631 and its set value 1632 are set to desired values, respectively. Reference numeral 1633 denotes a default key for returning the set value to the initial value.

  Although not shown, the Graphics tab 1612 can select the resolution and halftone settings, or the PDL tab 1614 can select the PDL output format.

[Operation by web browser]
As for the document server 102, a web server program represented by IIS (Internet Information Server) of MicroSoft is also operating at the same time. In response to a call from the client 103 (or 102 itself) using the http protocol, the current state of the document server 102 or information on peripheral devices can be notified.

  FIG. 17A is a main screen of the web service provided in the server 102. The IP address of the server (in this case, for example, 192.168.100.11. If the environment supports DNS, the server name may also be used. The service screen is set in advance to be read when the URL address field is entered in the URL address field.

  This service tool includes a job status (1701), a device status (1702), a job submission (1703), a scanning (1704), a configuration (1705), and a help (1706) including a manual of the service. Each tab is configured, and will be described in order from the job status.

[Job Status]
The job status tab in FIG. 17A is composed of a device display portion 1707, job status display portions 1708 and 1709 for active jobs, and job history display portions 1710 and 1711. Since all the displays 1709 and 1711 cannot be displayed. If necessary, press the 1708 key to display all active jobs, and press 1710 to refer to the entire job history. Details of these jobs will be described with reference to FIGS. 17-2, 3 and 4. To do.

  First, as shown in FIG. 17B, the device display unit 1707 has names 1721 to 1724 of devices such as MFPs on the network, device icons 1725 to 1728 (the icons change like 1727 and 1728 depending on the status), and These statuses 1729 to 1732 can also be viewed as characters.

  Next, the job status 1709 can monitor the status of each job in the server, and can be used for spooling (receiving data before RIP), Ripping (during RIP), Wait to Print (while waiting for Print), or Printing ( (In Print). In addition, jobs that are instructed to stand by inside the server at the time of job submission are held as “Hold” before being RIPed. If an error or jam has occurred, it is displayed to that effect and printed to inform the user, and then passed to the next job history (finished job). The status of each network device is dealt with by inquiring the server every predetermined period and / or notifying the server when the status of each network device changes.

  In the job history 1711, the job history can be viewed, and “Printed” is displayed when the job ends normally, and “Canceled” is displayed when canceling.

[Active Job Status]
In the job 1709 being executed, the job name 1742, target printer 1743, job status 1744, job priority 1745, job ID 1746, client name 1747, job page number 1748, number of copies 1749, paper size 1750, or from the client A comment field 1751 or the like for describing a request item to the operator is displayed.

  Further, for each of these jobs, there is a control key 1741 that can be controlled only by a person (for example, an administrator) who has been given a certain privilege (FIG. 17C). Specifically, it means job cancellation 1752, job suspension (job pause or hold) 1753, job restart (pause job or hold job release) 1754, and the like.

[Job History (Finished Job)]
Similarly, the job history 1711 includes a job name 1762, a target printer 1766, a job status 1764, a job ID 1766, a client name 1767, a job page number 1768, a copy number 1769, a paper size 1770, or an operator from the client. A comment field 1771 or the like in which desired items are described is displayed.

  Furthermore, there is a control key 1761 that can be controlled only by a person who is given a certain privilege (for example, an administrator) for each of these jobs. Specifically, there are a job archive (a function for storing a job in another location on the network) 1772, a job deletion (job delete) 1773, a job reprint (reprint job) 1774, etc. 17D). Based on these instructions, the operator can handle the server.

[Device status]
A standardized database called MIB (Management Information Base) is built in the network interface portion of the MFPs 104 and 105 or the printer 107, and the network computer via the network management protocol called SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) Necessary information can be exchanged with the computer 102 (or 103) for the status of devices connected to the network such as the MFPs 104 and 105 through communication.

  For example, it is detected what kind of function the finisher 210 is connected to as the equipment information of the MFPs 104 and 105, status information such as whether an error or jam is currently occurring, whether printing or idling is being performed, , 105 equipment information, device status, network settings, job history, usage status management, control, and other static information can be obtained. Using the MIB, the document server captures the status of the MFP or the like as needed and updates it as an HTML file, so that the client can always view the status.

  FIG. 18 is a tab showing the device status, confirming the paper size installed in the device managed by the server and the replenishment status thereof (remaining paper amount of each paper stacker or cassette as shown in 1801 to 1806), It is possible to confirm in advance the accessory status (1807) such as the finisher installed in each device. However, the remaining amount of paper is detected by a sensor for that purpose, and it is difficult to detect it with the accuracy of one sheet of recording paper. For example, the minimum unit is about 10 sheets (however, the absence of paper can be reliably detected). ).

[Job Submit]
Next, the job submission tab will be described with reference to FIG. 19A. The usage method is the same as that of the above-mentioned print driver, but this is thrown directly into the document server 102 without opening the file on the client 103 (without instructing printing on the application) (the following addition to the document file to be printed) To transfer or copy the information).

  In other words, the print driver usually has two roles, one of which is to start up data by an application on the client 103 and convert the data into PDL data such as PostScript (or PCL). The other is the role of throwing the converted data into the document server 102 (or printer). This is because the conventional RIP processing can only handle one type of RIP processing.

  On the other hand, job submission is only a process of throwing a job together with a job ticket using GUI, but in recent years, not only PS but various formats (for example, pdf, tif, jpg, etc.) That can be RIP processed by the same software RIP module, or the document server 102 has a plurality of types of software RIP modules (for example, PS and PCL). Depending on the data, the RIP module Even if various formats (for example, pdf, tif, jpg, etc.) and various PDL data are sent directly to the document server 102 as well as one type of PDL, the conventional single PDL can be used. RIP processing is performed in the same way as data, and it is expanded into bitmap data It is give me the.

  Also, if the printer has a RIP processing function that handles only PS data instead of bitmap data due to the interface of the MFP 104 or MFP 105, the document server 102 converts the bitmap data into bitmap data by the RIP processing. After development, the data is compressed with JBIG or G4 (CCITT), and a header such as PS (header indicating PS data) is added to the data and output to the MFP. In contrast, printing of these various format data can be realized.

  As a setting item to be added by job submission, 1901 is a transmission destination selection column for selecting a target output destination. Generally, the MFPs 104 and 105 or the printer 107 are used, but a cluster printer described later can also be set. 1906 can specify the file name directly with the directory in the file selection column, but generally select the job file on your computer (or in the network) with the browse button on the right. become.

  When such settings are made and the print key 1905 is clicked, the set contents and the designated file are transferred to the document server 102 and added (queued) as a print job.

[Job Ticket]
Next, reference numeral 1907 in FIG. 19A denotes a column called a job ticket, which means a file in which setting items other than job image data are collected together with the job. Specifically, as shown in 1911, not only general job settings such as paper size, image orientation, and number of copies, but also finishing processing such as presence / absence of both sides, stapling, and color image Various settings relating to the job such as color adjustment by processing and instructing the priority of the job for the operator can be set by this job ticket.

  This job ticket has not only the setting items unique to each device but also the advantage that the operation can be carried out smoothly if prepared in advance. There is a save key 1915 for saving the job ticket set in (for re-use), a save as key 1916 that can be saved with a new name, and a job ticket reset key 1917 is prepared so that it can be returned to the default state. Has been.

  When the finisher 1903 is clicked, a GUI shown in FIG. 19B is displayed. Here, for example, ON and OFF are prepared in the Duplex setting column, and printing is performed by double-sided printing when turned ON, and printing by single-sided printing when turned OFF. However, when a printer that does not have the duplex function is selected, this item itself is not displayed. In addition, since the default setting items are frequently set in advance, and Duplex is frequently used for single-sided printing, OFF is selected as the default.

  In addition to the finishing function, the items set here can select and change basic functions of the printer such as image processing parameters, the number of copies, and paper size.

  When the desired setting is completed and the print key 1905 in FIG. 19A is clicked, the file to be printed set by the job submit 1906 and the set contents are output to the document server 102 if the job ticket is set. The

  When the test print 1910 is clicked, the output image can be checked by copying the PS data for test print previously placed in a predetermined folder to a hot folder described later.

[UI Constraints]
In addition, each setting item in these job tickets can be provided with restrictions corresponding to UI Constraints in the PPD file. UI Constraints means, for example, to prevent a user from erroneously setting double-sided copying to an OHP sheet, or in the case of a printer with a staple sorter, a group sort (such as 111, 222, 333... For each sort bin). In this case, stapling is prevented in advance on the GUI. Alternatively, there are cases where combinations that cause damage to the printer are prevented. For example, in general, when double-sided setting is performed on small paper of A5 / Statement size or less, paper jam is likely to occur when the paper path is not designed to withstand small paper. If this process is repeated, it may damage the printer, so if the user tries to do it, it is a function that prohibits and prevents it.

  However, UI Constraints in PPD can generally be prohibited for two dimensions (combination of two functions), but it is prohibited for three dimensions or more (complex combinations of three or more). Although it was not possible, since the job submit page is described in HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language), it is easy to give restrictions even if it is a combination of three or more dimensions. In addition, in the case of a general driver provided by PPD (for example, Windows (registered trademark) 95, 98 manufactured by MicroSoft, a driver for Me or a driver manufactured by Adobe), the size capacity of the PPD is limited in advance. In many cases, if PPDs are created beyond these limits, some functions of UI Constraints were not restricted, but if they are described in HTML, there is no particular size restriction. .

[Scanning]
FIG. 20 is a display example of the browser of the scanning tab that controls the scanning operation, and 2001 shows the status of available scanners. Reference numeral 2002 denotes a scanning key. When this key is pressed, the above-described scanner driver is called. Reference numeral 2003 denotes a quick copy key, which prints in a continuous operation on a printer designated in advance after a scanning operation. In other words, a virtual copying machine is realized by arbitrarily combining scanners and printers that exist separately on the network.

[configuration]
The configuration tab in FIG. 21 includes a printer configuration key 2101, a cluster configuration key 2102, a queue configuration key 2103, an archive key 2104, and a job configuration key 2105. Hereinafter, each tab will be described.

[Printer Configuration]
When the printer configuration key is clicked, the flowchart of FIG. 22 is entered. There are three modes for adding, modifying, and deleting printers. The additional mode can be set if the desired printer type (for example, color or black and white) is selected and the number is less than the limit allowed by the server. And the like, and a printer name is registered in the server 102.

  The printer correction mode is a mode in which the printer information such as the IP address or accessory is corrected and then re-saved, and the printer erasing mode is for removing unnecessary printers from the server management. Mode (the printer itself may exist on the network).

[Cluster Configuration]
When a plurality of printers are registered in the server 102, it is possible to register these printers as a cluster printer by combining them. The procedure will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  First, two or more printers are selected from the registered printer group. For example, if there are three printers A, B, and C, four combinations of A & B, A & C, B & C, and A & B & C are possible. In addition, even in the case of the same printer combination, it is possible to register as a different cluster printer if the mode described below is different.

  Next, when the selected combination is a different type of printer such as a color printer and a monochrome printer, it is possible to select from two modes: a color / monochrome page separation mode and a color / monochrome automatic routing mode.

  In the color / monochrome page separation mode, for a single job that contains both color pages and monochrome pages, the job is separated in advance into color pages and monochrome pages, and pages containing color information are sent to the color printer. (Monochrome) page that does not contain is a mode for outputting to a monochrome printer.

  Similarly, in the color / monochrome automatic routing mode, after distinguishing between color pages and monochrome pages in advance, if even one color page is mixed, all jobs are output to the color printer, and all jobs are made up of monochrome pages. If so, it is automatically routed to the monochrome printer. These functions are intended to reduce costs and simplify operability because there is a gap in the per-print costs of color pages and monochrome pages.

  Furthermore, if the selected combination is a color printer and a color printer, or a printer of the same type, such as a black and white printer and a black and white printer, three modes are prepared: job cluster mode, number of copies cluster mode, and page cluster mode. Has been.

  The job cluster mode is a mode in which the load balance is optimized so that jobs are sequentially distributed to the printers that have jobs set up that are available or that are expected to be in the idle state first.

  For example, 100 copies of a job are allocated to 33 printers with the same capacity, such as 33 copies, 33 copies, and 34 copies (because a remainder is generated when divided by 3). What I did.

  The page cluster is such that a job of 1000 pages is allocated to two printers by 500 pages.

  Each cluster printer can be registered with a name assigned in advance in different types of modes even in the same printer combination, and can be handled as a virtual high-speed printer in the same way as a normal one printer.

  Also, depending on the mode, the minimum pages per unit and the minimum number of copies can be set in advance for each mode, or if one unit goes down due to a jam or error, the job is automatically A waiting time for job rerouting to be allocated to the printer can be set.

[Queue Configuration]
When the queue configuration key 2103 in FIG. 21 is clicked, the flowchart in FIG. 24 is entered. The procedure will be described below.

  The queue configuration has three modes of adding, modifying, and deleting a spool queue, and one can be selected. When adding a spool queue, you must first create a hot folder. The hot folder is, for example, a setting (Sharing) of a folder (or directory) on the server computer 102 with a computer in the network, and the client computer 103 freely releases this folder. This is a folder that constantly monitors (polls) a job in the folder and guides the job to printing when the job is thrown.

  Then, the added spool queue is associated with the created hot folder, and then either one of the printer created by the printer configuration or the cluster printer created by the cluster configuration is associated, and finally associated. The job ticket of the selected printer or cluster. The job ticket in this case is a default value to be referred to by the client side only, and the job ticket can be changed when the job is issued on the client side according to preference.

  Here, the associated spool queue is stored as a spool queue table in the server as shown in FIG.

[Print flow by job submission]
FIG. 26 to FIG. 28 explain the above-described series of flows.

  FIG. 26 is a flowchart at the time of job submission. When the client 103 throws a file from the above-mentioned job submission, the client 103 first accesses the web server unit 2631 on the server side with a web browser (S2608). The server side displays a predetermined Web page on the client side, and the client side opens a job submission screen (S2609). Next, the operator selects a desired print file on his / her computer or on a network accessible by the operator (S2610). The file selected at this time is not necessarily a PS file as long as the server can be rasterized (RIP), and may be PCL, TIFF, JPEG, PDF, or the like. Further, the operator selects a printer or cluster to be output (S2611). The selected printer name or cluster name is immediately notified to the server 102, and a default (or desired) job ticket prepared in advance on the server side is displayed (S2612). The operator changes the displayed job ticket to the desired setting value to be printed on the browser (S 2613), and clicks the OK button. The selected job and the desired job ticket are stored in the server-side hot folder 2632. Sent. At this time, the received job file (here, both the case of a PDL file and the case of an application file are collectively referred to) and job setting information (job ticket) are, for example, different extensions, etc. It is managed separately.

  On the other hand, the server monitors a plurality of hot folders sequentially by polling (S2634), and if there is a job in the hot folder 2632 (S2635), it is passed to the input job control unit 1252 and RIP ( S2636) is performed, the spool queue table 2633 of the desired printer (or cluster) selected by the operator is referred to (S2638 and S2439), and printing is performed on the output device registered there (S2640).

  However, the virus check 2650 will be described later.

[Print flow with normal driver]
Next, FIG. 27 is a flow in the case where a print instruction is issued from an application (such as word processing software) running on the client, and as a result, a job is thrown from the printer driver.

  The driver has two main roles: the role of creating PDL data (represented by PS) from the data on the application and the PDL data created there from the client (or the server itself) in the server It is a role to send to a predetermined hot folder.

  For this purpose, the client 103 starts up application software (S2701), opens or creates a file to be printed, and issues a print instruction. At this time, a GUI represented by FIGS. 16A to 16C is displayed (S2702). The operator selects a printer in 1602 (S2703), and sets a desired function using the property 1607 or the like (S2705). When the operator clicks the OK button 1605 (S2706), creation of PDL data is started in the client computer 103 (S2707).

  As soon as the PDL data is completed, it is sent to a predetermined hot folder 2732 in the server, and then printed in the same manner as the print flow by job submission described above.

  Here, in order to select a printer or a cluster, it is necessary to prepare a PPD (PostScript Printer Description) file in the client computer 103 in advance and set a printer driver. The PPD file describes setting items for controlling the printer and its initial value, whether or not combinations of settings are possible, and is provided as a unique file for each printer or cluster. The operator must prepare the printer and the cluster by linking the PPD and the driver in his / her own computer.

  Furthermore, some drivers have a so-called auto configuration function that communicates with the printer side sequentially using SNMP / MIB or the like.

  That is, functions supported in advance on the printer side and their initial values are registered in the MIB, and an inquiry is made as to what functions the printer supports when the driver is opened from the client side via the network. For example, when a sorter with a stapling function is attached, the stapling function is disclosed, and a list of support setting items is shown to the driver on the user side so as to change to a desired setting item.

[Print flow from driver in this embodiment]
FIG. 28A is a print flow from the driver in this embodiment. That is, S2801 to S2807 operate in the same manner as S2701 to S2707 in FIG.

  While a normal printer driver sets the address or name of a printer on the network as a port setting, or sets a parallel port, the printer driver according to the present embodiment is a Web server in the document server 102. It is characterized in that the job submit page of the server is allocated.

  FIG. 28B shows a property screen 2851 of the printer 105a, which represents a GUI for setting a port on the client computer 103 immediately after setting the printer driver. The property screen has a tab (2852 to 2858) structure for each function. For example, a case in which a port setting is set in the details (Details) tab 2853 is shown. However, since the tabs and functions in this property are different for each driver, they are not necessarily unique.

  Reference numeral 2859 denotes a column for selecting a print destination port (combo box). However, when the printer driver is installed in the client computer 103 for the first time, no port is prepared. Therefore, an add port (Add Port) key 2862 is clicked to display the window of FIG. 28C. An item for inputting a port name (Document Server 102 in this case) and Server URL appears. Describe the URL of the Job Submit page in FIG. 19A and click the OK button 2885 to return to the screen in FIG. 28B.

  Then, it is confirmed that the printer 2105 is selected by the driver 2860 used for printing, a timeout 2861 and the like are set as necessary, and the property screen 2851 is closed by an OK button 2869.

  Returning to FIG. 28A, if these settings are clicked and the OK button 1605 is clicked in step S <b> 2806, the operation of rewriting the data on the application with PDL data (for example, PS data) is started. As a predetermined port, the URL of the Job Submit page in the document server 102 is activated. In other words, the printer driver operating on the client side performs PDL processing on the print target data passed from the application, and then the HTML page (URL and subsequent Job Submit) relating to the job submission prepared by the document server 102. Is given as an argument to the browser of the client. As a result, the browser starts up on the client and requests the specified HTML file from the document server 102 (which has already been described as being a Web server).

  Although it is the timing for requesting the transfer of the HTML file for job submission, the normal print driver is proceeding sequentially as described above. However, in this embodiment, the browser screen for job submission is always called again. Since the print is activated again, the client 103 activates the Web server 2831 of the document server 102 immediately after clicking the OK button of the driver as shown in FIG. Then, when the browser is started on the client 103, the time during which the user sets the job ticket is used effectively, and the processing is completed by the time the print button on the job submission screen is clicked. Job ticket Method of the feed to the document server 102 together is also possible.

  Alternatively, in FIG. 28A, the PDL data is registered in the hot folder in advance, and after confirming that the print data is registered in the server (the registration completion is notified from the server), the HTML file is requested. You may do it. In this case, in S2814, since the PDL data has already been registered in the server, only the job ticket is transmitted.

  In response to this, the Web server unit 2831 in the server 103 transmits a job submission screen (html file) to the client to display the job submission screen on the client (S2808), and the operator adds the desired job ticket. It can be changed again. When the PDL file in S2807 is created, the PDL file and the changed job ticket are transmitted to the hot folder (S2814), and the rest are printed in the same flow as in FIGS.

[Cluster print flow from driver in this embodiment]
Generally, each printer has unique capabilities and functions. When a client performs printer setting, each printer driver is set, or a PPD (PostScript Printer Description) file that matches each printer is set. It is necessary to prepare them, but these are only one target printer, if you want to print to two or more printers and different types of printers at the same time, or divide one job The reality is that it is not possible to support operations such as cluster printing or job splitting, such as when printing to a different type of printer.

  If you try to create PPD files with AND or OR for the unique capabilities and functions of two different types of printers, the combination will be enormous, and if you have more than two different types of printers, you will no longer be able to support them. .

  Therefore, first, different types of printers are registered as cluster printers in the flow of FIG. Next, cluster printing is performed according to the flow of FIG. 28A. That is, it opens with an application and issues a print instruction by the driver. At this time, a normal driver cannot set a job ticket for two different types of printers. However, if a driver is previously set as the document server 102 by the method of FIGS. 28B and 28C, cluster printing can be handled in the same manner as the print flow of the present embodiment.

  FIG. 35 is a GUI for cluster printing. When cluster printing (in the figure, cluster printing by MFP 104 & MFP 105) is set in 1901 in FIG. 35, job tickets for both MFP 104 and MFP 105 registered in advance in the web server are displayed. Cluster prints can be realized by selecting the job tickets for the MFP 104 and the MFP 105 in 1911 of FIG.

  In the embodiment, in order to simplify the explanation, the cluster prints to two different types of MFPs are described as an example in the flow and GUI. Needless to say, in the case of handling three or more units or the same type It is possible to cope with a plurality of MFPs by a similar method. However, in the case of the same type, a common job ticket is often selected, so by specifying only one job ticket, it is assumed that the same job ticket is specified for other printers. May be.

  The print processing in the embodiment may be performed by giving a print instruction from a normal application, or may be performed by the above job submission. In either case, the data is stored as a file in the hot folder in the document server 102 and managed as a print queue. In each print data file, information indicating which printer is to be used for printing is requested from the client, and the printer that actually outputs the print data is determined using the information.

  Therefore, the processing of the document server 102 when the printing is actually performed will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  First, in step S3701, the data file to be printed and the submitted setting information are read to determine the job. Whether a single printer name is set in the setting information or the registered printer group name (group name by a plurality of printers registered as job cluster mode, copy cluster mode as shown in FIG. It is determined whether the information is described by a group name by a plurality of registered printers or a group name by a plurality of printers registered as a page cluster mode. Specifically, when sending a job, two files, a data file and a job ticket file, are sent from the client 103 to the document server 102. As described above, the former includes various data including PS data. The latter is a file in a text format as shown in FIG. 38B or FIG. 38C, and is issued in a form in which various information regarding output is described.

  38B in FIG. 38B represents a job name and is linked to the data file, and 3852 is linked to the output destination. Based on this, the job determination is performed in S3801 shown in FIG. 38A. Reference numeral 3853 describes RIP and printer information. RIP is performed based on the information, and 3854 is setting information set in FIG. 19, which is necessary for RIP and printing.

  Returning to FIG. 38A again, if the printer name is a single printer name, the process advances to step S3802, and the data file (for example, PS data output from the client printer driver, or an image data file transferred as a job submission). ) Is RIP processed and output to the designated printer.

  If it is a printer group name (for example, “MFP 104 & 105_CopyCluster” in FIG. 19A), the process proceeds to one of steps S3803 to 3804.

  Steps S3803 to 3804 can be easily inferred from the meaning of each cluster described above, but the processing when the printer group name registered as the copy number cluster mode is designated (S3804) will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. To do.

  First, in step S3901, the number of copies to be allocated to one printer is calculated by dividing the number of copies in the setting information by the number of printers registered as a copy number cluster mode group. It may be distributed more to other printers. In addition, if the minimum number of copies (or the number of pages) is set in advance and the number of copies is less than that, it is possible to output only to the printer having a priority order in advance when the number of copies is equal to or less than the minimum number of copies.

  In step S3902, a variable i (i is used as a variable representing a page number) is initialized with “1”, and the process proceeds to step S3903.

  In step S3903, the number of copies to be printed by each printer determined in advance is notified to each printer by data in PDL format. In step S3904, i-page data (RIP-processed data) is output to each printer. Thereafter, it is determined whether or not printing has been completed for all the pages requested to be printed. If NO in step S3906, the variable i is incremented by “1”, and the process returns to step S3903.

  In the case of the above processing, as a result, each printer prints 1, 1, 1,..., 2, 2,. Of course, it does not matter.

  When printing is activated from the print driver, the printer is generally output without worrying about security or the like, but printing is performed using the flow in the above embodiment (first embodiment). In this case, the security level can be defined for each user and operator because the server once passes through the Web server unit of the server.

[User / Group security level]
When performing an operator-mediated print service, it is important to determine the security level of a user such as a general user and an operator, or an administrator who can arbitrarily add or change a system configuration among operators.

  FIG. 29 shows a screen when a user privilege or security level that appears when the user / group configuration key 2105 (FIG. 21) is pressed is determined in advance.

  Here, when the user / group setting unit 2901 inputs his / her user or group level, the user privileges 2902 permitted to him / her are displayed.

  The user privileges 2902 include, for example, a web browser access right 2903, a right 2904 that can monitor the status of jobs and devices, a right 2906 for submitting jobs to a server, a scanner device access right 2907, and the like for general users. Rights 2908 that can be given or rights to control jobs such as 1741 and 1761 shown in FIGS. 17C and 17D, rights 2909 that can change the priority and release order of jobs, and print a previously printed job again Rights given to all operators, such as reprint rights 2910, and rights 2908 related to system configuration such as adding, modifying and deleting printers / clusters / queues as described above, and user privileges can be changed. And the like, only allowed the authority to interest 2909, such as the said administrator (system administrator).

[User / Group Configuration]
Next, a flow in which a user who is given the right 2909 that can change the user privilege registers a new user, changes the user privilege, and deletes the user / group will be described with reference to FIG.

  When entering the web browser of this system, all users input the user name and the password in advance (S3001, 3002). The user name and password input at that time are once transmitted to the server computer 102. The server computer 102 checks whether or not the sent user name and password match those registered in advance (S3003). At this time, if the user is a user who can change the user privilege in advance, such as an administrator (system administrator), the process proceeds to mode selection S3005. Otherwise, the user privilege cannot be changed.

  When the server recognizes that the accessed client is an administrator, a desired process of registering a new user (after S3005), changing a privilege (after S3011), or deleting a user (after S3015) is selected ( S3005) can be performed.

[Job Configuration]
FIG. 31 is a screen for determining the job control method and display order. The job submitted from the client 103 (or the server 102 itself) is temporarily held in the server, and the operator holds the held job. A control method for releasing (releasing) with priority is determined, and FIG. 32 shows a workflow at that time.

  That is, if Use Hold Jobs 3101 is checked (S3201), the method of holding the job is determined in 3102. Here, mode 1: all jobs are held (S3203). Mode 2: The operator's job flows through (does not hold), and other user's jobs are held (S3208). Mode 3: Jobs of a specific user (for example, only a user for whom “Without Hold Job 2913” in FIG. 29 is checked) flow through, and jobs of other users are all held (S3210). If 3101 is not checked, mode 4: all jobs are set to through (not held).

  The held job is put on hold in the hot folder unless the operator or a user who can control the job (a person permitted in 2908 in FIG. 29) releases the job. The through job or the job released by the operator is sequentially transferred from the hot folder to the input job control unit 1252 and the RIP unit 1253.

Sort job
Next, from the standpoint of the operator, it becomes important which job is to be given priority from among the held jobs. Actually, the operator also releases the job status sequentially while observing the job status screen of the web browser, so if they are displayed on the screen in a predetermined order, the operator will check the job status in order from the top. You can save time by just releasing while watching. For this purpose, the jobs need to be sorted and displayed in a predetermined order.

  FIG. 33 shows a flow of sorting active jobs. When the Sort Jobs 3103 in FIG. 31 is checked, first, a list of active jobs is read and selected. Sorting is performed using the sort key 3104 and the sort order (ascending or descending order) 3105.

  The sort key 3104 that can be specified here includes the job name 1742, target printer 1743, job status 1744, job priority 1745, job ID 1746, client name 1747, job page number 1748, number of copies 1749, paper size 1750, described in FIG. Alternatively, there is a comment field 1751 in which a request item from the client to the operator is described.

  Here, a check box 3106 for selecting whether or not to display only keyword jobs in FIG. 31 is set in advance. If this is selected, 3107 and 3108 in FIG. 31 are enabled and must be set. In this case, a list of all active jobs is displayed. The display key 3107 can be selected from the same setting items as the sort key 3104, and the keyword 3108 can be arbitrarily input by the user.

[Simultaneous control of sorted hold jobs]
The sorted jobs are displayed as a group in the active job list. Here, for example, the operator selects only the hold jobs from among the jobs arranged in the order of status as a group of jobs, and when one of the control keys 1741 in FIG. Can be controlled.

  The job control includes the above-described cancel key 1752, job pause (job pause or hold) 1753, job restart (pause job or hold job release) 1754, and the like.

  In the case of the job history (finished job: FIG. 17D), the job can be sorted and searched in the same way, and the selected job can be archived at the same time (the job is stored in another location on the network). Function) 1772, simultaneous job deletion (delete job) 1773, simultaneous job reprint (reprint job) 1774, and the like.

[Virus damage on document server]
In recent years, the number of document servers (or RIP servers) operating on DOS and UNIX (or LINUX) versions of OS has increased. It is done.

  That is, in the conventional RIP server, only data of the same format (for example, PS or PCL) is always input into the server by the driver, but data of various formats is input as described above. In that sense, there is a need for concern about the virus.

  Of course, when operating on an OS such as the DOS version, there may be cases where viruses enter via the normal route, but in the sense that it is specific to the document server, the possibility of this type of virus entering is that the client submits it. May throw the virus itself or infected files.

  That is, as described above, it is fully conceivable that the document server 102 is also infected with a virus by the file thrown from the client 103 side.

  However, in recent years, with the spread of the Internet, not only clients with limited intranet environments but also files, data disks, and transfer programs attached to e-mails can be easily thrown into the document server 102. Now, while using a printer driver, PDL data was thrown into the print server. By freely throwing in various formats and file formats, the document server is worried about virus infection. The need is coming out.

  In general, when a document server is infected with a virus, the execution of the virus alters or deletes files in the server, reformats the hard disk, rewrites BOOT (or BIOS) data, etc. It is also known as a case that the document server must be reinstalled.

  Not only that, it is also conceivable that the document server becomes a hotbed of viruses and spreads damage to each client and sometimes to the printer side.

[Virus classification and infection method]
Next, consider the classification of viruses and their infection methods.

  However, these names and types are classifications at the present stage, and the number of classification items continues to increase due to the appearance of new species one after another in recent years.

(A) Program virus Generally. COM,. EXE,. SYS,. DLL,. OVL,. Viruses that infect program files with extensions such as SCR. COM and. This is the EXE standard DOS program.

  Like normal programs, program viruses are often created for specific operating systems, but the majority of these viruses are created as DOS versions (sometimes UNIX (registered trademark) or LINUX versions). . Program files are widely used because they are relatively easy to attach viruses.

(B) Boot virus A program that is used to start a computer by infecting areas other than files on a hard disk or floppy disk (a special area called boot record or master boot record, generally called the system area) There are also things that can break down and cause other negative effects.

  Infection into the system area means that it is easy to spread not only to the computer itself but also to other computers. Boot viruses are more reliably infected than program viruses.

(C) Macro virus Infects data files with macro functions. The latest threats to computer users include, for example, Microsoft Word document software, Microsoft Word document files, spreadsheet application Microsoft Excel worksheets, and their template files that are subject to macro viruses. It is generally known that the file is prone to become. In addition, when an infected document file is shared over a network or downloaded from an Internet site, the macro virus spreads rapidly.

(D) Stealth viruses Stealth viruses have the property of actively hiding in order to escape detection and removal, and this type of virus uses a read-hiding technique or a size-hiding technique. is there).

  The read-hiding method intercepts the data read from the disk and submits an uninfected copy of the original data instead of the infected copy. The size-hiding method is an infected program file that is a directory or folder on the disk. It is a technique to change the data in.

  For example, in the case of a size hidden virus such as the Whale virus,. When an EXE program file is infected and another program tries to read the program file, the line related to its own folder is changed. The Whale virus increases the infected file by 9216 bytes and indicates that a virus may exist if the file size changes. Therefore, the Whale virus uses the same number of bytes from the file size indicated in the line for the directory or folder ( 9216) to trick the user into thinking that the file size has not changed.

(E) Polymorphic viruses Most simple viruses attach with the same copy as themselves and infect files. Since the virus code (or signature) is always the same, the virus detection program can detect this code and find the virus immediately. However, in the case of a polymorphic virus, the operation is slightly different so that it is not easily detected. That is, unlike a simple virus, a polymorphic virus can be easily obtained by scrambling the virus code in the program itself so that no infected program looks the same. It is no longer detected.

(F) Complex Infectious Virus A complex infectious virus is a virus characterized by both a program virus and a boot virus. For example, when a word processor infected with a Tequila virus is executed, the Tequila virus activates and infects a hard disk boot record. The next time the computer is booted, the Tequila virus will be active again and will begin to infect any program used, regardless of whether the program is on the hard disk or floppy disk.

(G) Accommodation virus The accommodation virus is an exception to the virus rule that it always attaches to a file, and it is a feature that a new file is created instead of attachment.

  This new file is executed by the DOS operation instead of the program file that is normally executed, and the same virus is propagated by using various methods.

  For example, existing. The same name as the EXE file. A COM file may be created. That is, the virus is CHKDSK. Create a file named COM and call it CHKDSK. May be placed in the same directory as EXE. Two files have the same name and one extension. Another extension is .EXE. In the case of COM, DOS must be. This utilizes the property of executing a COM file.

(H) Malicious programs As malicious programs other than viruses, there are programs that infect agent programs (JAVA (registered trademark) applets and ActiveX codes downloaded from the Internet).

[Countermeasures against viruses]
In general, a document server does not execute a file in a hot folder, but first checks the contents of what the file is to check whether it can be RIPed, and performs RIP processing if RIP is possible. If it is not possible, the processing is interrupted there. Therefore, in the case of execution type viruses such as the above (A) and (B), there is little fear of infection when a file is entered.

  However, if the file remains in the server without being deleted, the file is automatically executed when the server is restarted, or the operator mistakenly executes it later, There is also a risk of triggering at a certain date / time bomb.

  For this reason, it is necessary to delete all files other than those intended for printing or execute virus checking to quickly delete (or process) suspicious files.

  In general, as utility software for virus detection and removal, SYMANTEC's Norton AntiVirus and Hiroyuki Yamada's F-Secure Anti-Virus are well known and run on the same OS as the document server. It may be possible to make it operate, or you may make full use of pattern matching etc. to find and remove your own virus.

  Actually, the part that performs virus detection and removal is performed in S2650 of FIG. Similarly, the same operation is performed in S2750 in FIG. 27, S2850 in FIGS. 28A and 28D, or S3450 in FIG. 34A.

  A specific operation of the S2650 virus check unit in FIG. 26 will be described with reference to FIG.

  Since the document server 102 always polls the job input to each hot folder part, when the job is input, there is a suspicion of virus infection using the virus detection software as described above. Whether or not (S4002).

  If the virus is not infected, a normal RIP process (S4037) is performed. However, since data that cannot be RIP may be thrown, in the case of a job that cannot be RIP, a job cancel display and, if necessary, deletion of the job are also performed. The purpose of job deletion is not to unnecessarily use the storage area of the server and to avoid untrusted files that were not caught by the virus checker.

  Next, when there is a suspicion of virus infection, virus removal is immediately tried (S4006), and at this time, a job is deleted as necessary. At this time, if a virus has not yet occurred, a notification display (or warning display) of virus infection and removal completion is displayed, the necessary items (occurrence job, client name, time, etc.) are written in the system log, and the job is Terminate. At this time, if the operator sets in advance, the server service can be temporarily stopped.

    Furthermore, unfortunately, if the disease has already occurred, if the server is operated further, damage to the server or client connected to the document server will not spread due to malfunction. The service needs to be stopped. In this case, a warning display of virus infection and removal failure is issued as necessary, and the server service is stopped with the same history remaining in the system log.

<Second Embodiment>
[Separate jobs from driver and submit]
In general, a job thrown from a print driver is created in PDL format data such as PS or PCL by the driver itself, so it is very unlikely that the files are infected with a virus.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 41, the hot folder is divided into two, a hot folder A (S4152) that receives a job from the driver and a hot folder B (S4153) that receives a submit job from the web browser.

  Here, as shown in the follow chart, only the job from the hot folder B is checked for viruses, and the job from the hot folder A can go to the RIP processing unit without the virus check.

  Alternatively, these switches can be set freely by the operator, and all jobs can be checked for viruses, can be switched according to hot folders, or not at all. Also good.

  Here, switching is a matter of whether performance (output speed) is prioritized or security (safety) is prioritized. Only in a well-closed safe environment or jobs that have been confirmed safe This is because it is not always necessary to check for viruses in the workflow of only reprinting.

  Further, here, the job is divided into a hot folder for a job from the print driver and a submit job from the web browser, but the job may be sent from the client side by various protocols such as lpr and ftp. By providing a separate hot folder for the print driver and others, it is possible to balance virus checking and performance.

<Third Embodiment>
[Cluster Print Flow]
Even when different types of cluster prints are set as in the first embodiment, common items for each printer and printer-specific unique parts are set as job tickets. If the pages are divided on the browser, the same settings must be made in each web page, and if you do not set them, you may not be able to output as expected.

  Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 36A to 36F, a link mark 3601 is prepared so that it is possible to determine whether each printer is a common item or a setting dependent on each printer.

  For example, when the job distribution mode (S2307 in FIG. 23) or the copy number cluster (S2308 in FIG. 23) is selected, the copy number setting 1911 in FIG. 36A is set separately for each printer (MFP 104 and MFP 105). On the contrary, if it is a page cluster (S2309 in FIG. 23) or a page separation mode (S2305 in FIG. 23), the number of copies is one for each other, so it may not be possible to set.

  Similarly, it is better to be able to set the staple in the job distribution mode or the copy number cluster, but it is better not to be possible in the page cluster or page separation mode. At this time, for example, as shown in FIGS. 36C and 36D, the job ticket displays “Not Available” or the like and cannot be set.

  Note that the network configurations themselves of FIGS. 1 and 2 are not different from ordinary networks. Rather, the present invention is characterized in that it is realized by executing a program that operates on each device. For example, in the case of a client, the program is a printer driver or a browser. Also, if it is a server, a program that functions as a Web server, a program that manages network resources (scanners, printers, or shared folders), a scheduler for performing print processing, a program for RIP processing, and network resource control It is composed of a program related to (distribution of print data in the case of a printer). Therefore, it can be easily understood that the present invention also includes these computer programs.

  Usually, in order to operate a computer on a general-purpose information processing device such as a personal computer, a storage medium such as a floppy (registered trademark) or a CD ROM storing these programs is set, an installer is started, These storage media are also included in the category of the present invention.

  As described above, according to the embodiment, when printing using a print driver from a client, port setting is performed on the Web server unit prepared in the server, and printing is always started from the job ticket screen. The client can always select and print the desired output destination with a unified GUI without setting a number of printer drivers or collecting setting files.

  In addition, there is no restriction on UI Constraints, which is a problem when creating a driver PPD, and a user-friendly GUI can be provided.

  In addition, security levels can be set in advance for each client that could not be done in the past, and only authorized users' jobs can be printed. You can also go.

  In addition, according to the embodiment, cluster printing from a print driver can be easily realized for cluster printing and job splitting to a plurality of devices that have been difficult to realize in the past, particularly to different types of devices.

  In addition, it is very effective for cluster printing and job splitting to a plurality of devices, particularly different types of devices, which has been a weak point of conventional printer drivers.

It is a figure which shows the network structure of embodiment. It is a figure which shows the other network structure of embodiment. 1 is a block configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus. 2 is a diagram illustrating a structure of a scanner unit of the image forming apparatus. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a color scanner IP unit of the image forming apparatus. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a monochrome scanner IP unit of the image forming apparatus. FIG. 2 is a block configuration diagram of a FAX unit of the image forming apparatus. FIG. 2 is a block configuration diagram of a NIC unit of the image forming apparatus. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a core unit of the image forming apparatus. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a printer IP unit of the color image forming apparatus. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a printer IP unit of the monochrome image forming apparatus. FIG. 2 is a block configuration diagram of a PWM unit of the image forming apparatus. FIG. 3 is a timing chart illustrating operation timing of a PWM unit of the image forming apparatus. 1 is a cross-sectional structure diagram of a color image forming apparatus. 1 is a cross-sectional structure diagram of a monochrome image forming apparatus. 2 is a cross-sectional structure diagram of a finisher unit of the image forming apparatus. FIG. It is a hardware block diagram of the document server in embodiment. It is a figure which shows the job flow inside the document server in embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a description of PDL data. It is a figure which shows image data after raster expansion | deployment of PDL data. It is a figure which shows a network environment. It is a figure which shows network data transfer. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a GUI screen of a scanner driver. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a GUI screen of a printer driver. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a GUI screen of a printer driver. FIG. FIG. 6 illustrates an example screen of a printer driver. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen of a job status tab. It is a figure which shows a part of GUI of FIG. 17A. It is a figure which shows a part of GUI of FIG. 17A. It is a figure which shows a part of GUI of FIG. 17A. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen of a device status tab. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen of a job submission tab. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a part of a GUI when Finishing on the job submit tab is selected. It is a figure which shows a part of GUI at the time of selecting Image Quality of a job submit tab. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen of a scanning tab. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen of a configuration tab. 6 is a flowchart of printer configuration. It is a flowchart of a cluster configuration. It is a flowchart of a queue configuration. It is a figure which shows the example of a spool queue table. It is a flowchart at the time of printing from a job submission. It is a flowchart at the time of printing at the time of using the conventional driver. It is a flowchart at the time of printing from the driver of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the property screen of the driver setting of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the property screen of the driver setting of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the property screen of the driver setting of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen of a user / group configuration. It is a flowchart of a user / group configuration. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen of job configuration. It is a flowchart showing control of a hold job. It is a flowchart of an active job list display. It is a flowchart which shows the job distribution process in a server. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a GUI screen of a printer driver. FIG. It is a figure which shows the job submission tab screen in the case of a cluster. It is a figure which shows the job submission tab screen in the case of the cluster in 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the job submission tab screen in the case of the cluster in 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows a part of job submission tab screen in the case of the cluster in 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows a part of job submission tab screen in the case of the cluster in 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows a part of job submission tab screen in the case of the cluster in 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows a part of job submission tab screen in the case of the cluster in 2nd implementation respect. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement process sequence at the time of printing from a driver. 6 is a flowchart illustrating job determination at the time of cluster printing. It is an example of a job ticket for processing for a single printer. It is an example of a job ticket for the copy cluster processing. It is a flowchart which divides a job in the case of a copy number cluster. It is a flowchart of the virus check part in a present Example. It is a flowchart which switches the presence or absence of the virus check in 2nd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

101a Public network 101b Private network 102 Document server 103a, 103b, 103c Computer 104, 105 MFP
106 Scanner 107 Printer 201 Scanner Unit 202 Scanner IP Unit 203 FAX Unit 204 NIC Unit 205 Dedicated I / F Unit 206 Core Unit 207 Printer IP Unit 208 PWM Unit 209 Printer Unit 210 Finisher Unit

Claims (9)

A network device management server that manages a plurality of network devices connected to a network and performs output processing to the network device in response to a request from a client on the network,
A receiving unit that receives each of the data file and the setting information for outputting the data file from the client when the management server receives the data file;
Virus detection means for detecting whether the data file is infected or suspected on the management server with respect to the data file received by the receiving means;
Network device management characterized in that, when a virus infection of the data file or a suspicion thereof is detected by the virus detection means, the virus of the data file is removed and / or the data file itself is deleted. server.   2. The information according to claim 1, wherein, when the virus detection unit detects a virus infection or suspicion of the data file, the information is notified or warned to the client side using the network. Network device management server.   The web browser is used as means for notifying or warning the client side using the network when a virus infection or suspicion of the data file is detected. Network device management server.   2. The network device management server according to claim 1, wherein when the virus detection unit detects a virus infection or suspicion of the data file, the information is left as a history in the management server.   2. The network device management server according to claim 1, wherein when the virus detection unit detects a virus infection or a suspicion of the data file, the service of the management server is stopped.   6. The network according to claim 5, wherein the management server service includes various information services such as a print service, a device status display service, a job status display service, and an information notification service to a client through a web browser. Device management server.   The virus detection means may be thrown from a client, such as thrown using a print driver, thrown using a web browser, or thrown by lpr or ftp, The network device management server according to claim 1, wherein the presence / absence of virus detection is switched.   The network device management server according to claim 1, wherein the virus detection unit switches whether virus detection is performed according to a file format of the data file.   Even if there is no virus infection or suspicion of virus infection in the virus detection means, if the management server determines that RIP processing is not possible, a job cancel is displayed according to the situation. The network device management server according to claim 1, wherein the data file that cannot be processed by the RIP is deleted from the management server.

Images