JP2012133533A - Print server and control method therefor, and print system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a print server which can suppress a cost increase and also prevent performance of the print server from degrading due to concentration of rendering processing, in a print system using a server spooling method.SOLUTION: A print server spooling print jobs received from a client PC receives print requests via a network, and then determines whether the print server can execute rendering processing of target print jobs of the received print requests. When it is determined that rendering processing of the print jobs is executable, the print server executes rendering processing of the print jobs. On the other hand, when it is determined that rendering processing of the print jobs is not executable, the print server selects an outsourcing destination capable of executing rendering processing of the print jobs and transmits a rendering processing request of the print jobs to a client PC of the selected outsourcing destination.

Description

  The present invention relates to a print server, a control method therefor, and a print system, and more particularly to a print server that performs print job rendering processing distributed between a print server and a client PC, a control method therefor, and a print system.

  In Patent Document 1, printer-independent print data (corresponding to a print job of the present invention) sent from a client PC to a print server is converted into printer-dependent print data such as PDL (Page Description Language) by the print server. Peripheral device utilization systems that transmit to a printer have been proposed.

JP 2009-193091 A

  However, in Patent Document 1, there is a risk of performance degradation due to the concentration of rendering processing on the print server. In response to such a problem, although it is possible to avoid performance degradation by replacing the print server with a high-performance model or by installing a plurality of print servers to distribute the processing load, there is a problem that the cost increases.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and in a server spool type print system, a print server capable of avoiding a decrease in performance of the print server due to concentration of rendering processing while suppressing an increase in cost, and the same An object is to provide a control method and a printing system.

  In order to achieve the above object, the print server according to claim 1 is a print server for spooling a print job received from a client PC via a network, and a print request receiving means for receiving a print request via the network. The print job subject to the received print request can be rendered by a rendering process determining unit that determines whether or not the print server itself can perform the rendering process, and the rendering process determining unit can render the print job. If it is determined that there is a rendering processing unit that performs the rendering process of the print job, and if the rendering process determination unit determines that the rendering process of the print job is not possible, the rendering unit is connected to the network. Client PC A consignee selecting means for selecting a client PC capable of rendering the print job as a consignee, and sending the print job rendering process request to the consignee client PC selected by the consignee selecting means. And transmitting means for performing the processing.

  In order to achieve the above object, a print system according to a seventh aspect includes a print server according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, a client PC that transmits a print job to the print server, and an authentication device. In the print system connected via the network, the authentication device performs user authentication based on the input user information, and when the user authentication is successful, transmits a print request to the print server, and When executing rendering processing of the print job based on a print request from the authentication device, the server transmits the rendered print data to the authentication device or a printer connected to the network, and the client PC Receives a rendering process request from the print server and prints In the case of executing the rendering process job it is characterized by transmitting a rendering print data to the authentication device or printer connected to the network.

  To achieve the above object, the print server control method according to claim 8 is a print server control method for spooling a print job received from a client PC via a network, wherein the print request is received via the network. A print request receiving step, a rendering process determining step for determining whether or not the print server itself is capable of rendering the print job that is the target of the received print request, and the printing in the rendering process determining step When it is determined that the rendering process of the job is possible, a rendering process step that performs the rendering process of the print job, and a case where it is determined that the rendering process of the print job is not possible in the rendering process determination step Connected to the network. A consignee selection process for selecting a client PC capable of rendering the print job from the ant PCs as a consignee, and the print job is sent to the client PC of the consignee selected in the consignee selection process. And a transmission step of transmitting a rendering process request.

  According to the present invention, it is determined whether or not the print server itself is capable of rendering the received print job. If it is determined that the rendering process is not possible, the client PC that can perform the rendering process of the print job is entrusted. Since it is selected as the destination, it is possible to improve the performance of the print server or to construct a print system without installing a plurality of printers, and to avoid a decrease in performance of the print server due to concentration of rendering processing.

1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a printing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a flowchart showing a flow of operation processing when a print request is received by the print server 200 in FIG. 1. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the selection process of the rendering consignment destination in 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the rendering commission destination list memorize | stored in the print server 200 in 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the selection process of the rendering consignment destination in 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the selection process of the rendering consignment destination in 3rd Embodiment.

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

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a print system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  This print system spools a print job of a client PC to a print server, and when an arbitrary printer is specified as an output destination from a plurality of printers connected to the network, the spooled print job is This is a server spool type printing system that renders a format corresponding to the printer and transmits it to the printer.

  In the print system of FIG. 1, a plurality of client PCs 100 and 110, a print server 200, and a plurality of authentication boxes 300 and 310 are connected to each other via a wired or wireless network 600.

  The client PCs 100 and 110 are information processing apparatuses such as personal computers and have a function of communicating with the print server 200 and the authentication BOX 300 and 310 via the network 600. For example, the client PCs 100 and 110 transmit a print job to an authentication BOX connected to a printer designated as an output destination from a plurality of printers on the network 600. The print jobs generated by the client PCs 100 and 110 are print jobs (intermediate data) in a format independent of the printer manufacturer and model.

  The client PCs 100 and 110 are not limited to personal computers, and may be mobile phones or mobile terminals. Further, the number of client PCs on the network 600 is not limited to the illustrated example.

  The print server 200 is an information processing apparatus having a print server function, and has a function of communicating with the client PCs 100 and 110 and the authentication BOX 300 and 310 via the network 600. For example, the print server 200 spools the print job received from the client PC 100, performs rendering using a printer driver corresponding to the printer 400 specified as the output destination, converts the print job to print data, and transmits the print data to the authentication BOX 300. To do. When the print server 200 does not have the corresponding printer driver, the print server 200 transmits a print job to an arbitrary client PC.

  Authentication BOX 300, 310 (authentication device) includes a card reader that can read data from a recording medium such as an IC card, and performs user authentication based on the read user information (for example, card ID). A function of transmitting a print request to the print server 200. The authentication boxes 300 and 310 have a function of transmitting print data to the printer via the cable 500 when print data is received from the print server 200 or the client PC 100. The cable 500 is an interface cable compliant with USB (Universal Serial Bus), IEEE1394, or the like.

  The printers 400 and 410 are printing apparatuses that output print data, and include a single function peripheral (SFP) having a print function, or a scan function, a copy function, a storage function, etc. in addition to the print function. This is a multifunction peripheral device (MFP). Note that the printers 400 and 410 are not limited to these, and may be other devices having a printing function. Further, the number of printers on the network 600 is not limited to the illustrated example.

  In this embodiment, the authentication BOX and the printer are configured as separate devices. However, the authentication BOX and the printer may be integrated so as to fit in the casing of the printer. The printers 400 and 410 are connected to the network 600 via the authentication boxes 300 and 310, but may be configured to be directly connected to the network 600. In this case, the print data may be transmitted directly from the client PC or print server to the printer.

  Next, the client PCs 100 and 110 will be described. In this embodiment, since the client PCs 100 and 110 have the same configuration, the client PC 100 will be described.

  The client PC 100 includes a CPU, an input unit, a display unit, a memory, a communication unit, a storage unit, and the like (not shown) as hardware configurations included in a general personal computer, which are connected via an internal bus. The CPU is a central processing unit that controls each unit in the client PC 100. The input unit is an operation device such as a keyboard or a mouse. The display unit is a display device such as a liquid crystal monitor. The memory is a storage device such as a RAM or a ROM. The communication unit is an interface for connecting to the network 600 (wired or wireless network), and can transmit and receive print jobs and print data from the client PC 100 by performing data communication with the print server 200 and the authentication boxes 300 and 310. It becomes possible. The storage unit is a storage device such as a hard disk. The storage unit stores a communication control unit 101 and a print data creation function unit 102 as software. The storage unit also stores software related to other functions, but only those related to the present invention will be described.

  The communication control unit 101 controls transmission / reception of print jobs, print data, and the like performed between the print server 200 and the authentication boxes 300 and 310.

  The print data creation function unit 102 includes at least one printer driver 103 and performs a print job rendering process using the printer driver 103.

  The printer driver 103 is software having a function of generating a print job (intermediate data) in a format independent of the printer manufacturer and model, and a function of performing a rendering process and generating print data in a format suitable for an output destination printer. is there. These software are read out on the memory and executed under the control of the CPU. In the present embodiment, the print job is spooled data, and the print data is obtained by rendering the print job and means final data transmitted to the printer (or authentication BOX).

  Next, the print server 200 will be described.

  Like the client PC, the print server 200 includes a CPU, an input unit, a display unit, a memory, a communication unit, a storage unit, and the like, which are connected via an internal bus. These descriptions are omitted.

  The storage unit stores a communication control unit 201, a print job management unit 202, a load distribution function unit 203, a print data creation function unit 204, and a print job storage unit 206 as software. The storage unit also stores software related to other functions, but only those related to the present invention will be described.

  The communication control unit 201 controls transmission / reception of print jobs and print data to / from the client PCs 100 and 110 and the authentication BOX 300 and 310 via the communication unit. The print job management unit 202 stores the print job received by the communication control unit 201 from the client PCs 100 and 110 in the print job storage unit 206, receives an instruction from the load distribution function unit 203, and receives the print job from the authentication boxes 300 and 310. A print job corresponding to the user information included in the print request is read from the print job storage unit 206 and transferred to the print data creation function unit 204.

  The load distribution function unit 203 acquires the current processing load state in the print server 200, and the print job that is the target of the print request received from the authentication BOX 300 or 310 via the communication control unit 201 is rendered by the print server 200. Whether or not can be executed is determined. Furthermore, the load distribution function unit 203 determines whether the print server 200 has a printer driver 205 that can perform a rendering process on a print job that is a target of a print request received from the authentication boxes 300 and 310 by the communication control unit 201. Whether or not rendering processing can be executed is determined. The print server 200 has a printer driver 205 corresponding to a print job to be rendered, and the processing load of the print server 200 itself is a value determined in advance by a system administrator or the like (hereinafter referred to as “specified value”). If it is determined as follows, it is determined that the rendering process can be performed, the print job management unit 202 is instructed to read out the corresponding print job, and the print data creation function unit 204 is notified of the corresponding print job. Instructs the rendering process.

  On the other hand, when the print server 200 does not have 1) a printer driver corresponding to a print job to be rendered, 2) when the processing load of the print server 200 itself is high (exceeds a specified value), 3) the print server In 200, rendering processing is possible, but when it corresponds to any one of the cases where the rendering process consignee candidate is specified from the past history, etc., it is determined that the rendering processing cannot be executed (or is not executed) Then, a client PC capable of rendering the print job that is the target of the print request is selected as a consignment destination. The print server 200 transmits a rendering process execution request including a print job (hereinafter, referred to as a “rendering process request”) to the selected outsourced client PC by the communication control unit 201.

  The print job storage unit 206 is a storage area set in a storage unit that is hardware in order to store a print job received from the client PC 100 by the communication control unit 201. The print job storage unit 206 also includes a storage area for storing a print job list managed by the print job management unit 202. In this print job list, print jobs are stored in association with user information.

  The print data creation function unit 204 includes at least one printer driver 205 and performs a print job rendering process using the printer driver 205. The printer driver 205 is software that performs rendering processing and generates print data in a format suitable for an output destination printer. Further, the print data creation function unit 204 determines whether or not it has a printer driver 205 capable of rendering processing a print job that is a target of a print request received by the communication control unit 201 from the authentication BOX 300 or 310.

  Next, operation processing when the print server 200 receives a print request from the authentication boxes 300 and 310 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a flow of operation processing when the print server 200 in FIG. 1 receives a print request.

  The print server 200 stores (spools) the print job received from the client PC 100 and monitors the reception of print requests from the authentication boxes 300 and 310. On the other hand, in the authentication boxes 300 and 310, user information is read by a card reader or the like, and when user authentication is successful based on the user information, a print request including the user information is transmitted to the print server 200.

  When the communication control unit 201 receives a print request from, for example, the authentication BOX 300 (YES in step S201), the print server 200 confirms the printer information included in the print request (step S202), and print data creation function It is determined whether or not the printer driver specified by the printer information is held in the unit 204 (step S203). The printer information includes information such as the model name of the printer set as the output destination and the type of printer driver.

  As a result of the determination in step S203, if the print server 200 does not have the printer driver specified by the printer information (NO in step S203), the process proceeds to step 206. On the other hand, if the printer driver specified by the printer information is held (YES in step S203), the load distribution function unit 203 checks the processing load state of the print server itself (step S204), and the rendering process is performed. It is determined whether or not it is possible (step S205).

  When determining that rendering processing is impossible (NO in step S205), the load distribution function unit 203 starts selection processing of a client PC capable of rendering processing in order to entrust the rendering processing (step S206). Detailed processing in step S206 will be described later.

  When the rendering consignee client PC is determined by the selection process in step S206 (YES in step S207), the print job management unit 202 refers to the print job list based on the user information included in the print request received from the authentication BOX 300. Then, the corresponding print job is identified from the print job storage unit 206, and a rendering processing request including the identified print job is transmitted to the rendering consignee client PC (step S208). The rendering process request includes user information for specifying a print job, printer information for specifying a printer driver to be used, and the like.

  On the other hand, if there is no client PC that can perform the rendering process as a result of the selection process in step S206 and the rendering consignment destination cannot be determined (NO in step S207), the load distribution function unit 203 determines that the authentication BOX 300 and / or the print job An error notification is sent to the client PC of the transmission source (step S209).

  On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step S205 described above, if the load distribution function unit 203 determines that rendering processing is possible (YES in step S205), the print job management unit 202 displays the user included in the print request received from the authentication BOX 300. The print job list is referenced based on the information, the print job that is the target of the print request is specified from the print job storage unit 206, and the specified print job is transferred to the print data creation function unit 204. The print data creation function unit 204 renders the print job to create print data (step S210), and sends the created print data to the authentication BOX (step S211). When the authentication BOX 300 receives the print data, the print data is transmitted to the locally connected printer 400 via the cable 500, and the printer 400 executes print processing based on the print data. If the printer is directly connected to the network, the print data may be sent directly to the printer.

  In the above processing, the rendering consignee selection processing in step S206 is performed according to the determination results in steps S203 and S205, but only the processing in step S203 may be performed. Further, although rendering processing is possible in the print server 200, when a consignment candidate for rendering processing is specified from a past history or the like, the rendering processing is determined to be non-executed and the consignment destination is selected. Also good.

  Next, details of the rendering consignee selection process in step S206 of FIG. 2 will be described.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing details of processing in which the print server 200 selects a print job transmission source client PC (hereinafter referred to as “print job transmission source PC”) as a rendering consignment destination.

  The print server 200 specifies a print job transmission source PC based on the user information identified by the print request received from the authentication BOX 300, and performs rendering determination for inquiring whether or not rendering processing is possible to the print job transmission source PC. A request is transmitted (step S301). The rendering determination request includes the printer information described above.

  Next, when receiving response information to the rendering determination request from the print job transmission source PC, the print server 200 confirms the content of the response information (step S302) and determines whether or not rendering processing on the client PC is possible. (Step S303). Whether or not the rendering process of the client PC can be performed is determined based on the presence or absence of a printer driver in the client PC and the processing load of the print job transmission source PC itself, as in the print server 200, and the determination result becomes the response information.

  If it is determined from the result of the determination in step S303 that the rendering process can be performed by the print job transmission source PC (YES in step S303), the print server 200 determines the print job transmission source PC as a rendering consignment destination (step S304). Then, this process is terminated, and the processes after step S207 in FIG. 2 are performed. On the other hand, when the print job transmission source PC determines that the rendering process is impossible (NO in step S303), the print server 200 ends this process and performs the processes in and after step S207 in FIG.

  According to the first embodiment, the print job transmission source PC can be selected as a rendering processing consignee even in a situation where the print server spooling the print job cannot execute the rendering process. As described above, by distributing the rendering process of the print job not only to the print server but also to other apparatuses, it is possible to prevent the performance of the print server from being deteriorated due to the concentration of the rendering process. In addition, since the rendering process is distributed, it is not necessary to install printer drivers for the printer models on the print server, and the burden on the printer driver installation work performed by the system administrator when the system is installed can be reduced.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The print system according to the second embodiment of the present invention has the same configuration as that of the print system of FIG. 1 described in the first embodiment, and the above-described components are denoted by the same reference numerals. Therefore, the description is omitted.

  In the second embodiment, the print server 200 holds a rendering consignment destination list, and selects a rendering consignment destination with reference to this list. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the rendering consignment destination list is stored in advance in the load distribution function unit 203 of the print server 200. However, the load distribution function unit 203 is not limited as long as it is within the storage unit (not shown) of the print server 200.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a rendering consignment destination list stored in the print server 200.

  The rendering consignment destination list is a list of devices that can be consigned for rendering processing of a print job, and includes, for example, a printer driver possessed PC list 401 and a PC information list 402.

  The printer driver possessed PC list 401 includes printer model names (for example, printer a, printer b, etc.), rendering contractor selection priorities (for example, priorities 1, 2). The PC information list 402 includes a PC name (for example, PCa, PCb, etc.), destination information of the rendering consignment destination PC (for example, a device name, IP address, MAC address, etc. of the client PC), specification information of the rendering consignment destination PC ( For example, a CPU, a memory, and the like). In the present embodiment, the rendering consignee list has been described as being composed of the printer driver possessed PC list 401 and the PC information list 402, but may be a single list combining these.

  Next, a flow of processing in which the print server 200 selects a rendering consignment destination with reference to a rendering consignment destination list will be described with reference to FIG. This process is a process executed in step S206 in FIG. 2 in the print server 200, and other processes other than step S206 in FIG. 2 are as described in the first embodiment. Those explanations are omitted.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of rendering entrustee selection processing according to the second embodiment.

  First, the print server 200 determines the model name of the corresponding printer from the printer information included in the print request received from the authentication BOX 300, and holds the printer driver of the printer by referring to the rendering consignment destination list. The client PC is confirmed (step S501).

  Next, the print server 200 determines whether or not there is a client PC that is a candidate for rendering consignment in the rendering consignee list (step S502), and a client PC that is a candidate for rendering consignment is in the rendering consignee list. If there is (YES in step S502), a rendering consignment PC is selected from the rendering consignee list (step S503).

  As a result of the determination in step S502, if there is no client PC that is a rendering consignment destination candidate in the rendering consignment destination list (NO in step S502), the print server 200 ends this processing and performs the processing in step S207 and subsequent steps in FIG. Do.

  In step S504, the print server 200 transmits a rendering determination request to the client PC selected as the rendering consignment destination to inquire whether rendering is possible.

  Next, when receiving response information for the rendering determination request from the client PC that has inquired whether or not rendering is possible, the print server 200 confirms the content of the response information (step S505). Then, it is determined from the received response information whether or not the rendering process is possible in the client PC that has inquired whether or not rendering is possible (step S506). Whether or not the rendering process of the client PC can be performed is determined by the presence or absence of a printer driver in the client PC and the processing load of the client PC itself, as in the print server 200, and the determination result becomes the response information.

  As a result of the determination in step S506, when it is determined from the received response information that rendering on the client PC that has made an inquiry about whether or not rendering is possible (YES in step S506), the print server 200 designates the client PC as a rendering consignment destination. (Step S507), the process is terminated, and the processes after step S207 in FIG. 2 are performed. On the other hand, if it is determined from the received response information that rendering on the client PC that has made an inquiry about whether or not rendering is possible (NO in step S506), the process returns to step S502.

  In the above processing, when there are a plurality of rendering consignment destination candidates in the rendering consignment destination list, the processing in steps S502 to S506 is repeated until a client PC as the consignment destination is selected.

  According to the second embodiment, even when the print server spooling the print job cannot execute the rendering process, the rendering process consignee can be efficiently selected by referring to the rendering consignee list. Can do.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The configuration of the printing system according to the third embodiment of the present invention is the same as that of the printing system of FIG. 1 described in the first embodiment, and the same reference numerals are given to the components described above. Therefore, the description is omitted.

  In the third embodiment, when a rendering consignment destination is selected, the print server 200 inquires of client PCs (print job transmission source PC and other client PCs) on the network about whether or not to consign rendering. Select a rendering contractor.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a rendering commission destination selection process according to the third embodiment. This process is a process executed in step S206 in FIG. 2 in the print server 200, and other processes other than step S206 in FIG. 2 are as described in the first embodiment. Those explanations are omitted.

  First, the print server 200 determines the model name of the corresponding printer from the printer information included in the print request received from the authentication BOX 300, and searches for a client PC that is a rendering consignment destination candidate on the network. An inquiry is made to the client PC as to whether or not the printer driver of the printer is possessed (step S601). In this embodiment, it is assumed that an inquiry is made by broadcast communication, multicast communication, or the like.

  Next, the print server 200 includes client PCs that can be candidates for rendering entrustment based on the response information from among the client PCs that have received the response information regarding the inquiry as to whether or not the printer driver is possessed. It is determined whether or not (step S602). If there is a client PC that has responded “hold” the corresponding printer driver (YES in step S602), the print server 200 selects the client PC as a rendering consignment candidate (step S603).

  If the result of the determination in step S602 is that there is no client PC that is a rendering consignment destination candidate (NO in step S602), the print server 200 ends this process and performs the processes in and after step S207 in FIG.

  Next, the print server 200 transmits a rendering determination request to the client PC selected as a rendering consignee candidate in order to inquire whether or not rendering is possible (step S604). In the present embodiment, it is assumed that a rendering determination request is transmitted by unicast communication. If there is a response from a plurality of client PCs that the printer driver is “held”, the rendering determination request is transmitted in the order received.

  Next, when receiving response information for the rendering determination request from the client PC that has inquired whether or not rendering is possible, the print server 200 confirms the content of the response information (step S605). Then, it is determined from the received response information whether or not rendering processing is possible in the client PC that has made an inquiry about whether or not rendering is possible (step S606). Whether or not the rendering process of the client PC can be performed is determined by the presence or absence of a printer driver in the client PC and the processing load of the client PC itself, as in the print server 200, and the determination result becomes the response information.

  As a result of the determination in step S606, when it is determined from the received response information that rendering is possible at the client PC that has made an inquiry about whether or not rendering is possible (YES in step S606), the print server 200 determines the client PC as a rendering consignment destination. (Step S607), the process is terminated, and the processes after Step S207 in FIG. 2 are performed. On the other hand, if it is determined from the received response information that the client PC that has made an inquiry about whether or not rendering is possible (NO in step S606), the process returns to step S602.

  In the above processing, when there are a plurality of client PCs that are candidates for rendering consignment, the processes in steps S602 to S606 are repeated until a client PC that is a consignment destination is selected.

  According to the third embodiment, even when the print server that spools the print job cannot execute the rendering process, the client PC connected to the network is searched for a consignment destination that can perform the rendering process. Can be selected efficiently.

[Fourth Embodiment]
It is also possible to combine a plurality of rendering consignee selection methods described in the first embodiment, the second embodiment, and the third embodiment described above.

  In the case of the rendering commission list “Yes”, the above-described three embodiments can be combined in the following order. For example, the configuration may be such that first the inquiry is made to the print job transmission source PC, then the rendering consignment list is referenced, and finally the rendering consignment destination is searched by broadcast communication or the like. Note that it is also possible to register / update client PC information (address information, specification information, etc.) in the rendering consignment destination list based on information collected from the client PC by broadcasting.

  On the other hand, in the case of the rendering commission list “none”, two of the three embodiments can be combined in the following order. For example, the configuration may be such that an inquiry is first made to the print job transmission source PC, and then the rendering consignment destination is searched by broadcast communication or the like. As described above, when the print server entrusts the rendering process, the rendering entrustee can be efficiently selected by combining the rendering entrustee selection methods.

  If the rendering processing consignee has not been determined in step S207 in FIG. 2, the rendering processing may be executed by a general-purpose (not depending on the printer model) printer driver owned by the print server 200. As a result, it is possible to avoid a state in which printing cannot be performed although detailed print settings are not reflected.

  The present invention can also be realized by executing the following processing. That is, software (program) that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or apparatus via a network or various storage media, and a computer (or CPU, MPU, or the like) of the system or apparatus reads the program. It is a process to be executed.

100, 110 Client PC
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 Communication control part 102 Print data creation function part 200 Print server 201 Communication control part 202 Print job management part 203 Load distribution function part 204 Print data creation function part 206 Print job storage part 300,310 Authentication BOX
400, 410 Printer 600 Network

Claims (8)

In a print server that spools a print job received from a client PC via a network,
Print request receiving means for receiving a print request via the network;
Rendering processing determining means for determining whether or not the print server itself is capable of rendering the print job that is the target of the received print request;
A rendering processing unit that performs rendering processing of the print job when the rendering processing determination unit determines that the rendering processing of the print job is possible;
When the rendering process determining unit determines that the print job cannot be rendered, a client PC that can perform the print job rendering process is selected from the client PCs connected to the network. Outsourcing contractor selection means,
A print server comprising: a transmission unit configured to transmit a rendering processing request for the print job to a client PC of a consignee selected by the consignee selection unit. The rendering process determination means includes
Printer driver determination means for determining whether or not the printer driver specified by the printer information included in the print request received by the print request reception means is held;
Comprising at least one load state determining means for determining the state of the processing load of the print server itself;
When the printer driver determination unit determines that the printer driver specified by the printer information is not held, and the load state determination unit determines that the processing load of the print server itself is higher than a specified value. The print server according to claim 1, wherein the print server determines that rendering processing of the print job is impossible. The outsourcer selecting means is:
When the client PC of the print job transmission source is specified based on the user information identified by the print request received by the print request receiving unit, and when it is determined that the client PC can perform the rendering process, the client PC is The print server according to claim 1, wherein the print server is selected as the subcontractor. A storage means for storing a rendering consignment destination list in which devices capable of consigning the rendering process are listed;
The outsourcer selecting means is:
3. The print server according to claim 1, wherein a client PC to be the entrustee is selected with reference to the rendering entrustee list. The outsourcer selecting means is:
Inquiry means for determining the model of the corresponding printer from printer information included in the print request received by the print request receiving means, and inquiring about the possession of the printer driver to the client PC on the network,
3. The print server according to claim 1, wherein a client PC as the entrustee is selected from a result of the inquiry unit.   The rendering processing means performs rendering processing using a printer driver that does not depend on the printer model possessed by the print server when the client PC as the consignee cannot be selected by the consignee selecting means. The print server according to claim 1, wherein the print server is a print server. A print system in which the print server according to any one of claims 1 to 6, a client PC that transmits a print job to the print server, and an authentication device are connected via a network.
The authentication device performs user authentication based on the input user information, and when the user authentication is successful, transmits a print request to the print server,
When the print server executes rendering processing of the print job based on a print request from the authentication device, the print server transmits the rendered print data to the authentication device or a printer connected to the network,
When the client PC receives the rendering process request from the print server and executes the rendering process of the print job, the client PC transmits the rendered print data to the authentication device or the printer connected to the network. A printing system characterized by that. In a control method of a print server that spools a print job received from a client PC via a network,
A print request receiving step of receiving a print request via the network;
A rendering process determination step for determining whether or not the print server itself is capable of rendering the print job that is the target of the received print request;
If it is determined in the rendering process determination step that the print job can be rendered, a rendering process step that performs the print job rendering process;
When it is determined in the rendering process determination step that the print job cannot be rendered, a client PC capable of rendering the print job is selected from the client PCs connected to the network. Contractor selection process to select,
And a transmission step of transmitting the print job rendering processing request to the client PC of the consignee selected in the consignee selection step.

Images