JP2013089160A - Network printing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a system capable of easily printing data in a printer from a portable terminal with no interface for connecting to a printer driver and the printer, and using not a specific dedicated printer but a conventional existing printer.SOLUTION: A portable terminal transmits print data before conversion to a server on a network. The server converts the received print data before the conversion into print data accommodated to a specific printer using a printer driver provided therewith in advance, and retains the print data in a predetermined area. Then, a printer management device connected to the printer acquires the print data and transmits the print data to the printer. Thus, printing is performed.

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing system in a computer network, and more particularly to so-called cloud computing in which most of processing is performed on the server side instead of the client.

  Due to the development of computer networks, in recent years, what is called cloud computing has begun to spread (Non-Patent Document 1). In the cloud computing, conventionally, a server on a network (mostly the Internet) is responsible for data locally managed by a PC or the like and a process performed on behalf of a local client. Therefore, what the user prepares is only used by a company because it only requires a means for connecting to the network, and can reduce the trouble of data management and the like.

Nikkei BP website <http://itpro.nikkeibp.co.jp/article/Keyword/20080708/310352/>

  By the way, in recent years, mobile terminals represented by smartphones are rapidly spreading. Using a mobile terminal, users can do many things such as making calls, sending and receiving e-mails, and taking pictures.

  Although it is a portable terminal that can do various things like this, it could not be done easily only for printing. Normally, in order to print with a printer, it is necessary to install a driver suitable for the printer model on a host such as a PC and generate (convert) print data suitable for each printer using this driver. . However, in reality, there are few printer drivers that operate for portable terminals, more specifically, operating systems of portable terminals. In addition, mobile terminals often do not have an interface for connecting to a printer. Under such circumstances, it was difficult to print from a mobile terminal.

  As a means for solving such a problem, a system according to Non-Patent Document 2 is disclosed. In this method, a file to be printed is transmitted from a mobile terminal to a server on the Internet cloud, and the server converts the print data into print data suitable for the printer, and then prints the data with a predetermined printer.

Google homepage <http://code.google.com/intl/en/apis/cloudprint/docs/overview.html>

  However, the system disclosed in Non-Patent Document 2 requires a printer dedicated to the system. That is, the print data to be converted by the server is fixed in a specific format, and cannot be adapted to a variety of existing printers.

  The invention of the present application is to solve this problem. That is, a system that can easily print on a printer from a portable terminal that does not have a printer driver and an interface for connecting to the printer, and that the printer is not a specific dedicated printer, but can use a conventional printer The purpose is to provide.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a network printing system in which a printer management apparatus and a server, and a print client and the server are connected via a network. Information), means for transmitting the acquired printer identification information and its own identification information (printer management apparatus identification information) to the server, and its own identification information (printer) from a predetermined area designated by the server Means for reading the print data associated with the management device identification information) and means for sending the read print data to a predetermined printer. The server includes the printer identification information and the printer management device transmitted from the printer management device. Means for receiving identification information, received printer identification information and printer management apparatus identification information Printer information storage means for associating and storing information, means for receiving printer management apparatus identification information and pre-conversion print data before conversion to print data suitable for a predetermined printer from the print client, and print client A printer information retrieval unit that retrieves printer management device identification information that matches the printer management device identification information received from the printer information storage unit, and the pre-conversion received from the print client when matching printer management device identification information is detected. Means for converting the print data into print data suitable for the printer (specific printer) specified by the predetermined printer identification information associated with the printer management apparatus identification information, and holding the converted print data in a predetermined area And a network printing system comprising: It is.

  Preferably, the print client does not include means for converting to print data suitable for a specific printer.

  In the present invention, the portable terminal sends print data before conversion to a server on the network, and the server converts the received print data before conversion into print data suitable for a specific printer using a printer driver provided in advance. This is held in a predetermined area. Next, the printer management apparatus connected to the printer acquires the print data and transmits it to the printer to perform printing.

  According to this system, since conversion to print data suitable for a predetermined printer is performed on the server, the desired data can be printed from the portable terminal simply by sending the print data to be printed before conversion to the server. It can be performed. Of course, since the existing printer driver is used, the printer itself is not a specific dedicated printer, and a conventional printer can be used.

  Further, since the printer management apparatus connected to the printer reads the converted print data by polling the server, it is not necessary for the server to specify the address of the printer management apparatus and transmit it directly. That is, it is not necessary for the server to manage the addresses of a large number of printer management apparatuses, and the system according to the present invention can be easily operated.

Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[System overview]

  FIG. 1 is an overall view of a system according to the present invention. The printer 101 is connected to the server 104 on the cloud via the printer management apparatus 102 and the router 103, and similarly, the mobile terminal 106 is also connected to the server 104. As a means for connecting the portable terminal 106 to the server 104, as shown in the figure, in addition to those via the access point 105 and the router 103, those via a public line for portable terminals can be used.

The server 104 is preliminarily provided with various printer drivers including the driver of the printer 101 in this figure. Elements characteristic in this figure are the printer management apparatus 102 and the server 104, which will be described in detail later. Since other elements are the same as those of a normal network, description thereof is omitted. In this embodiment, it is assumed that a print instruction is issued from the portable terminal 106 and output by the printer 101.
[Get information from printer]

FIG. 2 shows a part of the functions of the printer management apparatus 102. The printer management apparatus 102 and the printer 101 are connected to each other via an interface for peripheral devices such as USB. When the printer management apparatus 102 detects the connection of the printer 101, identification information for identifying the printer 101 is displayed. get. Specifically, the identification information includes the Vendor ID, Product ID, Manufacturing Name, Product Name, and Printer Device ID of the printer 101. These pieces of identification information are provided in advance in the printer 101, and the printer management apparatus 102 acquires them from the printer 101.
[Information from printer management device to server]

FIG. 3 shows information transmitted from the printer management apparatus 102 to the server 104. In addition to the identification information acquired from the printer 101, the MAC address of the printer management apparatus 102 itself is transmitted.
[Management table]

FIG. 4 shows information managed by the server 104 that has received the information transmitted from the printer management apparatus 102. As shown in the figure, the server 104 registers the received information in a table format. In this figure, a case where information from three printer management apparatuses is registered is illustrated.
[Information from mobile terminal to server]

  FIG. 5 shows information transmitted from the portable terminal 106 to the server 104. As shown in the figure, the transmitted information is the MAC address and print data of the printer management apparatus 102. The portable terminal 106 may use any means for acquiring the MAC address of the printer management apparatus. For example, the portable terminal 106 may manually input the information described in the main body of the printer management apparatus 102 on the portable terminal, It is possible to use a method such as reading and inputting.

  The transmitted print data is intermediate data before being converted by the printer driver, and is expressed in, for example, a GDI (Graphics Device Interface) format. As a matter of course, since the printer driver is not necessary for generating print data by GDI, the portable terminal 106 can be used alone. The operation image in this case can be performed by executing printing on a virtual printer driver or the like registered in advance on the portable terminal 106. Of course, the address of the server 104 needs to be registered in this virtual printer driver.

Note that the print data transmitted to the server 104 is not limited to the GDI format described above, and the file that is the original data may be transmitted to the server 104 as it is. In this case, all conversion operations for print output are performed on the server 104.
[Operation flow of printer management device]

  FIG. 6 is an operation flow of the printer management apparatus 102. As shown in the figure, it consists of two tasks, a printer information acquisition task and a print task. The printer information acquisition task is the operation described in FIG.

  In step 601, it is determined whether the printer 101 is connected. If it is determined that the connection is established, the process proceeds to the next step. Otherwise, the determination is repeated.

  In step 602, identification information of the printer 101 is acquired.

  In step 603, the acquired identification information and the MAC address of the printer management apparatus 102, which is itself, are transmitted to the server 104.

  The print task is a task for determining whether or not the print data held in the predetermined area by the server 104 is received and receiving the print data and transmitting it to the printer 101 if it exists.

  In step 611, it is determined whether there is print data in a predetermined area. As a result of the determination, if there is print data, the process proceeds to the next step, and if not, the determination is repeated. At the time of determination, the print data on a predetermined area is searched using its own MAC address as a key. By doing so, it is possible to determine whether or not there is print data addressed to the printer 101 connected to itself.

  In step 612, print data in a predetermined area is read and transmitted to the printer 101.

[Server operation flow]
FIG. 7 is an operation flow of the server 104. As shown in the figure, it consists of two tasks, a printer information registration task and a print data reception task.

  The printer information registration task is a task for registering the information described in FIG. 3 in the table, and the specific format of the table is as shown in FIG.

  In step 701, it is determined whether information (identification information + MAC address) has been received from the printer management apparatus 102. As a result of the judgment, if it is received, the process proceeds to the next step, and if not, the judgment is repeated.

  In step 702, the received information is registered in a table.

  The print data reception task is a task for performing processing related to the print data received from the mobile terminal 106 as described with reference to FIG.

  In step 711, it is determined whether print data has been received from the portable terminal 106. As a result of the judgment, if it is received, the process proceeds to the next step, and if not, the judgment is repeated.

  In step 712, the management table is collated using the MAC address of the printer management apparatus 102 attached to the received print data as a key, and the printer to be printed out is specified from this. This identified printer is the printer 101 connected to the printer management apparatus 102.

  In step 713, the received print data is converted into a format suitable for the printer 101 using a printer driver corresponding to the specified printer 101.

  In step 714, the converted print data is held in a predetermined area.

[Sequence Diagram]
FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram of the system according to the present invention. Note that this sequence diagram illustrates an operation pattern.

  In step 801, the printer management apparatus 102 acquires identification information from the printer 101.

  In step 802, the printer management apparatus 102 transmits the identification information and its own MAC address to the server 104.

  In step 803, the server 104 registers the received information in the management table.

  In step 804, the mobile terminal 106 transmits the MAC address and print data of the printer management apparatus 102 to the server 104.

  In step 805, the server 104 collates the management table using the received MAC address as a key, and specifies the printer 101.

  In step 806, the server 104 converts the print data received in step 804 using the printer driver of the identified printer 101.

  In step 807, the server 104 holds the converted print data in a predetermined area.

  In step 808, the printer management apparatus 102 detects the held print data. As described with reference to FIG. 6, since the print data is detected by the print task, the detection operation is always repeated (polling) at timings other than step 808 as shown.

In step 809, the printer management apparatus 102 acquires the held print data and transmits it to the printer 101.
[Summary]

  In the present invention, the portable terminal sends print data before conversion to a server on the network, and the server converts the received print data before conversion into print data suitable for a specific printer using a printer driver provided in advance. This is held in a predetermined area. Next, the printer management apparatus connected to the printer acquires the print data and transmits it to the printer to perform printing.

  According to this system, since conversion to print data suitable for a predetermined printer is performed on the server, the desired data can be printed from the portable terminal simply by sending the print data to be printed before conversion to the server. It can be performed.

Further, since the printer management apparatus connected to the printer reads the converted print data by polling the server, it is not necessary for the server to specify the address of the printer management apparatus and transmit it directly. That is, it is not necessary for the server to manage the addresses of a large number of printer management apparatuses, and the system according to the present invention can be easily operated.

Overall system diagram Obtaining information from the printer Information from the printer management device to the server Management table Information from the mobile device to the server Operation flow of printer management device Server operation flow Sequence Diagram

101 Printer 102 Printer Management Device 104 Server 106 Print Client 801 Identification Information Acquisition 802 Identification Information, MAC Address Transmission 803 Table Registration 804 MAC Address, Print Data Reception 805 Table Verification 806 Print Data Conversion 807 Print Data Holding 808 Print Data Detection 809 Print Data Read, send

Claims (2)

A network printing system in which a printer management device and a server, and a print client and the server are connected to a network,
(1) The printer management device
Means for acquiring identification information (printer identification information) of a predetermined printer;
Means for transmitting the acquired printer identification information and its own identification information (printer management apparatus identification information) to the server;
Means for reading out print data associated with its own identification information (printer management apparatus identification information) from a predetermined area designated by the server;
Means for transmitting the read print data to a predetermined printer,
(2) The server
Means for receiving printer identification information and printer management apparatus identification information transmitted from the printer management apparatus;
Printer information storage means for storing the received printer identification information and printer management device identification information in association with each other;
Means for receiving printer management device identification information and pre-conversion print data before being converted to print data suitable for a predetermined printer from the print client;
Printer information retrieval means for retrieving printer management apparatus identification information matching the printer management apparatus identification information received from the print client from the printer information storage means;
When matching printer management device identification information is detected, the pre-conversion print data received from the print client is transferred to a printer (specific printer) specified by predetermined printer identification information associated with the printer management device identification information. Means for converting to suitable print data;
Means for holding the converted print data in a predetermined area;
A network printing system comprising: The network printing system according to claim 1, wherein the print client does not include a unit that converts the print data into print data suitable for the specific printer.