JP2018142127A - Information processing system, information processing method, information processing apparatus, client terminal, information processing program and program for terminal device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow for more flexibly notifying a client terminal of information about printing from a server device when the client terminal performs printing via the server device.SOLUTION: An information processing system includes: a terminal having a CPU where a first program for generating printing data is executed; and a server which causes a printer to perform printing according to the printing data. The terminal transmits identification information and address information to the server by execution of a second program on the CPU. The terminal transmits the identification information including the printing data to the server by execution of the first program on the CPU. The server registers the identification information and the address information of the terminal in association with each other. In response to the occurrence of information to be transmitted to the terminal, the server transmits notification to the terminal in accordance with the address information associated with the identification information extracted from the printing data transmitted from the terminal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 18

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing system, an information processing method, an information processing apparatus, a client terminal, an information processing program, and a terminal device program.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been an information processing system in which a client terminal, a server device, and a shared printer are connected via a network, and the shared printer executes printing using print data output from the client terminal via the server device. Are known. In such an information processing system, a technique for notifying a client terminal of information at the time of printing when a server device causes a shared printer to execute printing is already known.

  For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a technology that realizes notification from a server device to a client terminal by the client terminal monitoring the server device and the client terminal acquiring a change in the state of the server device.

  However, in the method of realizing the notification from the server device to the client terminal according to the prior art by monitoring the server device by the client terminal, when the server device acquires the information that the server device wants to notify the client device. Therefore, there is a problem that it is difficult to notify the client terminal.

  The print data transmitted from the client terminal to the server apparatus generally does not include information indicating the address of the client terminal on the network. Therefore, the server apparatus cannot transmit the information to be notified to the client terminal after the communication between the client terminal and the server apparatus related to transmission of print data from the client terminal to the server apparatus is completed.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and it is possible to more flexibly execute notification of information regarding printing from the server device to the client terminal when the client terminal performs printing via the server device. Objective.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the present invention provides a client terminal having a processor that executes a first program for generating print data that can be printed by an image forming apparatus, a client terminal, An information processing system including an information processing apparatus connected via a network and causing an image forming apparatus to execute printing according to print data, wherein the client terminal executes a second program on the processor The acquisition unit that acquires the address information indicating the address of the client terminal on the network that is formed by identifying the client terminal that is formed by executing the second program on the processor An information transmission unit that transmits identification information and address information to the information processing apparatus, and a second program that is a processor A notification transmitted from the information processing device is received based on the identification information that is included in the print data and transmitted to the information processing device by executing the first program on the processor. A registration unit that registers the identification information transmitted from the information transmission unit in association with the address information, and an extraction unit that extracts the identification information from the print data transmitted from the client terminal. And a notification processing unit that transmits information as a notification in accordance with address information registered in the registration unit in association with the identification information extracted by the extraction unit when information to be transmitted to the client terminal is generated. .

  Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the present invention, when a client terminal performs printing via a server device, there is an effect that notification of information regarding printing from the server device to the client terminal can be executed more flexibly.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of an information processing system applicable to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a client terminal applicable to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a server device applicable to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of functions of the client terminal according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of functions of the server device according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram of an example for explaining the function of the print spooler on the client terminal side applicable to the embodiment. FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of the function of the acquisition unit according to the embodiment. FIG. 8 is an exemplary functional block diagram for explaining functions of the information transmission unit according to the embodiment. FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of the function of the notification receiving unit according to the embodiment. FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of the function of the flag adding unit according to the embodiment. FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram of an example for explaining the functions of the print spooler on the server device side applicable to the embodiment. FIG. 12 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of functions of the analysis unit according to the embodiment. FIG. 13 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of functions of the registration unit according to the embodiment. FIG. 14 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of functions of the notification processing unit according to the embodiment. FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating an example of notification processing in the server device according to the embodiment. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of a dialog box displayed on the client terminal, which can be applied to the embodiment. FIG. 17 is a sequence diagram of an example showing more specifically registration processing of client terminal identification information and address information in the server device according to the embodiment. FIG. 18 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of processing for transmitting notification information from the server device to the client terminal according to the embodiment.

  Exemplary embodiments of an information processing system, an information processing method, an information processing device, a client terminal, an information processing program, and a terminal device program will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(Embodiment)
FIG. 1 schematically shows a configuration of an information processing system applicable to the embodiment. In the example of FIG. 1, the information processing system is an information processing apparatus connected to one or more client terminals 20a, 20b,... Connected to the network 30a, and a network 30b connected to the network 30a via a router 31. And a shared printer 40 as an image forming apparatus connected to the server apparatus 10. The printing operation of the shared printer 40 is controlled by the server device 10. For each of the networks 30a and 30b, for example, a local area network (LAN) to which TCP / IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol) can be applied as a communication protocol can be applied.

  For example, the user creates document data using the document creation application program in the client terminal 20a, selects the shared printer 40 as the print destination of the document data, and instructs printing.

  Here, the client terminal 20a is equipped with a printer driver for printing by the shared printer 40 via the server device 10 (referred to as a client-side printer driver as appropriate). In addition, the server device 10 is equipped with a printer driver (referred to as a server-side printer driver as appropriate) for causing the shared printer 40 to execute printing in response to an instruction from the printer driver of the client terminal 20a.

  In response to this print instruction, the client terminal 20a uses the client-side printer driver to convert the created document data into data that can be printed by the shared printer 40, thereby generating print data. The client terminal 20a transmits the generated print data to the server device 10 via the network 30a, the router 31, and the network 30b, and issues a print instruction to the server device 10. In response to this print instruction, the server device 10 causes the shared printer 40 to execute printing based on the print data transmitted from the client terminal 20a by the server-side printer driver.

  The server apparatus 10 is not limited to this, and the user can log in to the shared printer 40 in response to the print instruction from the client terminal 20a, and directly perform the print instruction operation on the shared printer 40. It is also possible to cause the printer 40 to execute printing based on the print data transmitted by the user.

  1 shows that the client terminals 20a, 20b,... And the server device 10 are connected to the networks 30a and 30b connected via the router 31, respectively, this is limited to this example. Not. For example, the client terminals 20a, 20b,... And the server device 10 may be connected to the same network. The networks 30a and 30b may be connected via other networks such as the Internet.

  Further, in FIG. 1, the shared printer 40 is directly connected to the server apparatus 10, but this is not limited to this example. For example, the shared printer 40 may be connected to the server device 10 via the network 30b. Furthermore, the information processing system applicable to the embodiment may include a plurality of shared printers 40 that are respectively controlled by the server device 10 for printing operations. In this case, for example, when sending print data from the client terminal 20a to the server apparatus 10 and issuing a print instruction, the user selects a shared printer 40 to be printed from a plurality of shared printers 40.

  The shared printer 40 is not limited to a printer device that executes only the printing function, but is an MFP (Multi Function Printer) that realizes a plurality of functions such as a printing function, a scanner function, a copying function, and a FAX function in a single casing. There may be.

  In the embodiment, in such an information processing system, the server device 10 associates identification information for identifying each client terminal 20a, 20b,... With address information indicating an address on each network 30a. Register in advance. As the identification information, a computer name assigned to each client terminal 20a, 20b,... Can be used. For example, in the client terminal 20a, when the driver program instructs the server apparatus 10 to print, the driver program includes identification information for identifying the client terminal 20a in the print data and transmits the print data to the server apparatus 10.

  The server device 10 analyzes the print data to extract identification information, and acquires address information associated with the extracted identification information from a set of previously registered identification information and address information. Thereby, the server apparatus 10 can transmit the notification using the acquired address information when information to be notified to the client terminal 20a is generated, for example, when printing with the print data.

(Configuration applicable to the embodiment)
Next, a configuration applicable to the embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the client terminal 20a as a personal computer, for example, applicable to the embodiment. Since the same configuration can be applied to each of the client terminals 20a, 20b,..., The following description will be given with the client terminals 20a, 20b,. .

  In FIG. 2, a client terminal 20a includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 2000, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 2001, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 2002, a graphics I / F (interface) 2003, a storage 2004, A data I / F 2005 and a communication I / F 2006 are provided, and these units are communicably connected to each other via a bus 2010.

  The storage 2004 is a storage medium that stores data in a nonvolatile manner, and a hard disk drive or a flash memory can be applied. The storage 2004 stores programs and data for the CPU 2000 to operate.

  The CPU 2000 controls the overall operation of the client terminal 20a using the RAM 2002 as a work memory, for example, in accordance with a program stored in advance in the ROM 2001 or the storage 2004. The graphics I / F 2003 generates a display signal that can be supported by the display 2007 based on the display control signal generated by the CPU 2000 according to the program. The display 2007 displays a screen corresponding to the display signal supplied from the graphics I / F 2003.

  A data I / F 2005 transmits / receives data to / from an external device. As the data I / F 2005, for example, USB (Universal Serial Bus) can be applied. In this example, a keyboard 2008a and a pointing device 2008b are connected to the data I / F 2005 as input devices that receive user input. A communication I / F 2006 controls communication with the network 30a in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 2000.

  FIG. 3 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the server device 10 applicable to the embodiment. In FIG. 3, the server apparatus 10 includes a CPU 1000, a ROM 1001, a RAM 1002, a storage 1003, a data I / F 1004, and a communication I / F 1005.

  3, CPU 1000, ROM 1001, RAM 1002, storage 1003, and data I / F 1004 are substantially the same as CPU 2000, ROM 2001, RAM 2002, storage 2004, data I / F 2005, and communication I / F 2006 in the client terminal 20a shown in FIG. Since there is, explanation here is omitted. In FIG. 3, the communication I / F 1005 controls communication with the network 30b in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 1000. Further, when the shared printer 40 is directly connected to the server device 10, for example, the shared printer 40 is connected to the data I / F 1004.

  The server device 10 is not limited to this, and may further include a graphics I / F to which a display can be connected, like the client terminal 20a illustrated in FIG. In the server device 10, the data I / F 1004 can be connected to an input device such as a keyboard and a mouse, like the client terminal 20a.

  FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of functions of the client terminal 20a according to the embodiment. The client terminal 20a according to the embodiment includes an overall control unit 200, an input unit 201, a display unit 202, a communication unit 203, a print spooler 204, a document information generation unit 205, an acquisition unit 211, and an information transmission unit. 212, a notification receiving unit 213, a flag adding unit 214, and a print processing unit 221.

  These overall control unit 200, input unit 201, display unit 202, communication unit 203, print spooler 204, document information generation unit 205, acquisition unit 211, information transmission unit 212, notification reception unit 213, flag addition unit 214, and print processing unit The reference numeral 221 includes one or more programs that operate on the CPU 2000.

  The above-described units (overall control unit 200, input unit 201, display unit 202, communication unit 203, print spooler 204, document information generation unit 205, acquisition unit 211, information transmission unit 212, notification reception unit 213, flag addition unit 214 and The program for configuring the print processing unit 221) configures each unit, for example, as a module. As actual hardware, the CPU 2000 reads out one or more programs from a storage medium such as the storage 2004 and executes them, whereby the above-described units are loaded on a main storage device such as the RAM 2002, and the respective units are stored in the main storage device. It is supposed to be generated above.

  Not limited to this, hardware that operates part or all of the overall control unit 200, the input unit 201, the display unit 202, the communication unit 203, the print spooler 204, and the document information generation unit 205 in cooperation with each other. You may comprise by a circuit.

  In FIG. 4, an overall control unit 200 is an OS (Operating System), for example, and controls the overall operation of the client terminal 20a. The input unit 201 receives data input from the data I / F 2005. For example, data input to the data I / F 2005 by operating a keyboard 2008a or a mouse 2008b connected to the data I / F 2005 is received by the input unit 201. The display unit 202 generates a display control signal to be displayed on the display 2007. The communication unit 203 controls the communication I / F 2006 to perform communication with the network 30a.

  The print spooler 204 temporarily stores print data (print request) for printing, and sequentially transmits the stored print data to the print spooler 102 on the server apparatus 10 side, which will be described later with reference to FIG. It is assumed that the print spooler 204 stores in advance destination information indicating the destination of the print spooler 102 on the server apparatus 10 side that transmits the print data.

  The document information generation unit 205 is an application program for creating a document, for example, and includes a word processor program, a spreadsheet program, an image editing program, and the like. Hereinafter, document data, table data, image data, and the like created by application programs such as the word processor program, spreadsheet program, and image editing program will be collectively described as document data. The document information creation unit 205 is installed in the client terminal 20a separately from the overall control unit 200, the input unit 201, the display unit 202, the communication unit 203, and the print spooler 204 described above.

  The acquisition unit 211, the information transmission unit 212, the notification reception unit 213, and the flag addition unit 214 illustrated in FIG. 4 are configured such that the print control program 210 (second program) installed in the client terminal 20 a operates on the CPU 2000. It is configured on the client terminal 20a. In addition, the print processing unit 221 is configured on the client terminal 20a when a driver program 220 (first program) installed separately from the print control program 210 on the client terminal 20a operates on the CPU 2000.

  The print control program 210 is an installable or executable file that is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD (Compact Disk), a flexible disk (FD), or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk). Is done. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the print control program 210 may be provided by storing it on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and downloading it via the network. The print control program 210 may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet. Similarly, the driver program 220 is provided via a computer-readable storage medium or a network.

  The print control program 210 will be described. The CPU 2000 executes, on the CPU 2000, the print control program 210 so that each function unit for realizing each function for controlling print processing by the print processing unit 221 to be described later is stored on the main storage device such as the RAM 2002. Form. Among the functions formed on the main storage device by the print control program 210, the functions according to the embodiment include an acquisition unit 211, an information transmission unit 212, a notification reception unit 213, as shown in FIG. The flag adding unit 214 is included. Not limited to this, the print control program 210 may be executed on the CPU 2000 to further form a processing unit for processing print data on the main storage device.

  The acquisition unit 211 acquires address information indicating an address on the network 30a of the client terminal 20a in which the acquisition unit 211 is formed. The address information acquired by the acquisition unit 211 is, for example, an IP (Internet Protocol) address indicating an address on the network 30a of the client terminal 20a. The acquisition unit 211 further monitors the IP address, and when the IP address is changed, acquires the changed IP address and updates the address information using the acquired IP address.

  The information transmission unit 212 acquires an IP address from the acquisition unit 211. The information transmission unit 212 also acquires information indicating a communication protocol supported by the notification reception unit 213 and a port number from a notification reception unit 213 described later. The information transmitting unit 212 combines the information indicating the acquired protocol, the IP address, and the port number to construct a URL (Uniform Resource Locator), and acquires this URL as address information. In other words, the information transmission unit 212 and the acquisition unit 211 cooperate to function as an acquisition unit that acquires address information of the client terminal 20a.

  Furthermore, the information transmission unit 212 acquires identification information for identifying the client terminal 20a from the overall control unit 200, for example. As the identification information, for example, name information indicating a name (computer name) given to the client terminal 20a can be used. The computer name is uniquely set for each of the client terminals 20a, 20b,... On the networks 30a and 30b included in the information processing system by, for example, an administrator of the information processing system, and each client terminal 20a, 20b,. Is stored in the overall control unit 200.

  The information transmission unit 212 transmits a set of the constructed address information (URL) and the identification information acquired from the overall control unit 200 to the server device 10 through the communication unit 203.

  The notification receiving unit 213 has a communication protocol set in advance and the port number described above as an identifier for communication. For example, HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol) is set as the communication protocol in the notification receiving unit 213. The notification receiving unit 213 receives the notification information transmitted according to the address information including the information indicating the communication protocol and the port number, and executes processing according to the received notification information.

  For example, the notification receiving unit 213 generates display information for displaying a screen based on the received notification information. The notification receiving unit 213 passes this display information to the display unit 202. The display unit 202 generates display control information for displaying, for example, a dialog box on the display 2007 based on the received display information. The notification receiving unit 213 also has a function of transmitting information input in response to the display of the dialog box to the server device 10 that is the transmission source of the notification information.

  The flag adding unit 214 monitors the print spooler 204 and acquires print data from the print spooler 204 when print data is newly stored in the print spooler 204. The flag adding unit 214 adds an acquired flag to the print data acquired from the print spooler 204 and returns the print data to the print spooler 204. This acquired flag indicates, for example, print data output from the client terminal 20a that is executing the print control program 210.

  The driver program 220 will be described. The CPU 2000 executes the driver program 220 on the CPU 2000, thereby forming the print processing unit 221 on the main storage device such as the RAM 2002.

  The print processing unit 221 executes processing related to printing when printing is performed by the printer device. For example, the print processing unit 221 converts document data for printing into data interpretable by the printer device, and converts the converted document data. Print data including At this time, the print processing unit 221 includes, for example, print setting information indicating print settings input from the input unit 201 in response to a user operation on the input device in the print data.

  The print settings include, for example, a document name (document data file name) indicating document data to be printed, a total number of prints, color information indicating whether to print in color or monochrome, and one of simplex printing and duplex printing. Each item includes printing surface information which is information indicating whether to perform printing. The print settings are not limited to these, and may include more items, or may include only some of these items.

  In addition, the print processing unit 221 acquires identification information for identifying the client terminal 20 a on which the driver program 220 is installed, from the overall control unit 200. The print processing unit 221 adds identification information to the converted print data, and passes the print data to which the identification information is added to the print spooler 204. For example, the client terminal 20a can install a plurality of driver programs 220 respectively corresponding to a plurality of printer apparatuses of different manufacturers and models.

  FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of functions of the server device 10 according to the embodiment. 5, the server device 10 includes an overall control unit 100, a communication unit 101, a print spooler 102, a registration unit 110, an analysis unit 111, a notification processing unit 112, and a print processing unit 113.

  The overall control unit 100, the communication unit 101, the print spooler 102, the registration unit 110, the analysis unit 111, the notification processing unit 112, and the print processing unit 113 are configured by programs that operate on the CPU 1000. Not limited to this, some or all of the overall control unit 100, the communication unit 101, the print spooler 102, the registration unit 110, the analysis unit 111, the notification processing unit 112, and the print processing unit 113 cooperate with each other. A hardware circuit that operates in the same manner may be used.

  The overall control unit 100 is an OS, for example, and controls the entire server device 10. The communication unit 101 controls the communication I / F 1005 to perform communication with the network 30b. The print spooler 102 stores the print data transmitted from the print spooler 204 of the client terminal 20a, and sequentially sends the stored print data to the shared printer 40.

  The print processing unit 113 performs predetermined processing on the print data stored in the print spooler 102. The print processing unit 113 extracts print setting information from the print data. For example, the print processing unit 113 processes the print data based on the print conditions set by the administrator of the information processing system. The print processing unit 113 associates processing information, which is information indicating the processed content, with the print data to be output, and returns it to the print spooler 102. For example, the processing information is information indicating an item whose value is processed among the items included in the print setting information.

  For example, when printing is limited to monochrome printing among color printing and monochrome printing due to printing conditions, the print processing unit 113 forcibly rewrites the color information included in the print setting information to a value indicating monochrome printing. Further, for example, when printing is limited to single-sided printing or single-sided printing out of single-sided printing and double-sided printing due to printing conditions, the print processing unit 113 forcibly sets the printing surface information included in the print setting information to a value indicating single-sided printing. rewrite. In this way, the print processing unit 113 processes the print data by rewriting the print setting information. Not limited to this, the print processing unit 113 may process the document data itself included in the print data.

  The registration unit 110 receives a set of address information and identification information transmitted from the information transmission unit 212 of each client terminal 20a, 20b,..., And associates the received address information and identification information with each other in the storage 1003, for example. Remember. As a result, the registration unit 110 registers a set of address information and identification information for each of the client terminals 20a, 20b,.

  Table 1 shows an example of a registration table in which the registration unit 110 registers a set of address information and identification information of each client terminal 20a, 20b,. Here, a computer name is used as identification information, and each record of the registration table includes one computer name and address information (URL) associated with the computer name. In this example, for each address information, HTTP is designated as a protocol (“http: //”), and the port number is “58008”. For example, the registration table is stored in the storage 1003 of the server device 10.

  For example, it is assumed that the computer name of the client terminal 20a is “A050793600”. In this case, when the server device 10 transmits a notification on the network 30a according to the address information “http://10.60.95.55:58008” associated with the computer name “A050793600”, the transmitted notification is transmitted to the client terminal 20a. And is passed to the notification receiver 213 according to the port number.

  The analysis unit 111 extracts print data to which the acquired flag is added from the print spooler 102. The analysis unit 111 analyzes the extracted print data, and acquires notification information for notifying the client terminal 20a that is the transmission source of the print data from the print data based on the analysis result. Further, the analysis unit 111 extracts identification information from the print data based on the analysis result. That is, the analysis unit 111 functions as an extraction unit that extracts identification information from print data.

  Of the print data stored in the print spooler 102, the print data to which the acquired flag is not added is regarded as print data transmitted from a client terminal in which the print control program 210 is not installed. Can do. Therefore, the analysis unit 111 ignores the print data to which the acquired flag is not added among the print data stored in the print spooler 102.

  The analysis unit 111 passes the notification information and identification information acquired and extracted from the print data to the notification processing unit 112. Table 2 shows an example of the data structure of data including notification information and identification information passed from the analysis unit 111 to the notification processing unit 112. As shown in Table 2, the analysis unit 111 uses a data structure in which identification information (computer name) is associated with each item of print setting information (document name, total number of printed sheets, color information, and print surface). Each information is passed to the notification processing unit 112.

  Note that the notification information that the analysis unit 111 passes to the notification processing unit 112 is not limited to print setting information. That is, the analysis unit 111 may pass other information as notification information to the notification processing unit 112 as long as the information can be acquired at the time of printing according to the print data. For example, the server device 10 is provided with a function for monitoring the status of the shared printer 40 (remaining toner amount, paper supply, paper jam, etc.), and the status of the shared printer 40 acquired by this function is used as notification information. Can do.

  Further, the analysis unit 111 can add the above-described processing information to the print setting information to obtain notification information. For example, the analysis unit 111 can add the processing information to the print setting information by adding a flag indicating that the value included in the processing information has been processed among the items of the print setting information. it can.

  The notification processing unit 112 notifies the client terminals 20a, 20b,... Using the notification information and identification information passed from the analysis unit 111. Based on the identification information passed from the analysis unit 111, the notification processing unit 112 refers to the registration table stored in the storage 1003 by the registration unit 110, and acquires address information associated with the identification information. The notification processing unit 112 transmits the notification information passed from the analysis unit 111 with the address indicated in the acquired address information as a destination.

  The print spooler 204, the acquisition unit 211, the information transmission unit 212, the notification reception unit 213, and the flag addition unit 214 of the client terminal 20a will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of functions of the print spooler 204 applicable to the embodiment. In FIG. 6, the print spooler 204 includes a print data management unit 2040, an information transmission unit 2041, and a destination storage unit 2042. The destination storage unit 2042 stores destination information destined for the print spooler 102 included in the server device 10.

  The print data management unit 2040 stores the print data including identification information passed from the print processing unit 221 in a storage medium. As a storage medium at this time, for example, the management area of the print spooler 204 in the storage 2004 can be used. Also, the print data management unit 2040 reads the print data stored from the storage medium and passes it to the information transmission unit 2041. The information transmission unit 2041 transmits the print data transferred from the print data management unit 2040 to the server device 10 according to the destination information stored in the destination storage unit 2042.

  FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of the function of the acquisition unit 211 according to the embodiment. In FIG. 7, the acquisition unit 211 includes an address acquisition unit 2110, a comparison unit 2111, a change notification unit 2112, and an address storage unit 2113.

  The address acquisition unit 2110 acquires the IP address of the client terminal 20a from the overall control unit 200. The comparison unit 2111 compares the IP address acquired by the address acquisition unit 2110 with the IP address stored in the address storage unit 2113. The change notification unit 2112 detects the change of the IP address based on the comparison result by the comparison unit 2111. When the change notification unit 2112 detects a change in the IP address, the IP address acquired by the address acquisition unit 2110 is stored in the address storage unit 2113 by overwriting, and the IP address stored in the address storage unit 2113 is updated. .

  FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of the function of the information transmission unit 212 according to the embodiment. In FIG. 8, the information transmission unit 212 includes an identification information acquisition unit 2120, an address / identification information transmission unit 2121, a destination setting unit 2122, and a destination storage unit 2123. The destination storage unit 2123 stores destination information destined for the registration unit 110 of the server device 10.

  The identification information acquisition unit 2120 acquires the identification information (computer name) of the client terminal 20a including the identification information acquisition unit 2120 from the overall control unit 200. The destination setting unit 2122 sets the destination information stored in the destination storage unit 2123 in the address / identification information transmission unit 2121.

  The address / identification information transmission unit 2121 acquires the IP address stored in the address storage unit 2113 from the acquisition unit 211. In addition, the address / identification information transmission unit 2121 acquires information indicating a communication protocol supported by the notification reception unit 213 and a port number from the notification reception unit 213. The address / identification information transmission unit 2121 combines the IP address, information indicating the communication protocol, and the port number to construct a URL as address information.

  The address / identification information transmission unit 2121 transmits the constructed URL (address information) and the identification information acquired by the identification information acquisition unit 2120 to a destination according to the destination information set in the destination setting unit 2122.

  FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of the function of the notification receiving unit 213 according to the embodiment. In FIG. 9, the notification reception unit 213 includes a display information generation unit 2130, a notification reception unit 2131, a communication information acquisition unit 2132, and a communication information storage unit 2133.

  The notification accepting unit 2131 accepts notification information that is transmitted from the server device 10 and received by the client terminal 20a, in which a port number is set in advance, a communication protocol, an IP address, and a port number are designated. The display information generation unit 2130 generates display information for displaying a dialog box on the display 2007 based on the notification information received by the notification reception unit 2131.

  The communication information storage unit 2133 stores information indicating a communication protocol set in the notification receiving unit 2131 and a port number. In response to the request, the communication information acquisition unit 2132 returns information indicating the communication protocol stored in the communication information storage unit 2133 and a port number set in the notification reception unit 213. For example, when the change notification unit 2112 of the acquisition unit 211 determines that the IP address of the client terminal 20a has been changed, the address / identification information transmission unit 2121 receives the changed IP address passed from the acquisition unit 211. The included address information is transmitted to the server device 10. In this case, the acquisition unit 211 generates address information with reference to the information indicating the communication protocol stored in the communication information storage unit 2133 and the port number.

  FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of the function of the flag adding unit 214 according to the embodiment. In FIG. 10, the flag adding unit 214 includes a print data acquisition unit 2140 and a flag processing unit 2141. The print data acquisition unit 2140 monitors the print spooler 204, and when new print data (print data to which no acquired flag is added) is stored in the print spooler 204, the print spooler 204 receives the new print data. get. The flag processing unit 2141 adds an acquired flag to the print data acquired by the print data acquisition unit 2140. The flag processing unit 2141 returns the print data with the acquired flag added to the print spooler 204.

  The print spooler 102, the analysis unit 111, the registration unit 110, and the notification processing unit 112 of the server device 10 will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of the functions of the print spooler 102 applicable to the embodiment. In FIG. 11, the print spooler 102 includes a print data management unit 1020, a print data transmission unit 1021, and a destination storage unit 1022. The destination storage unit 1022 stores destination information indicating a destination of the shared printer 40 that is a transmission destination to which the server device 10 transmits print data.

  The print data management unit 1020 receives print data including identification information transmitted from the print spooler 204 of the client terminal 20a, and stores the received print data in a storage medium. As the storage medium, for example, the management area of the print spooler 102 in the storage 1003 can be used.

  Also, the print data management unit 1020 reads the print data stored in the storage medium and passes it to the print data transmission unit 1021. At this time, the print data management unit 1020 passes the print data to the analysis unit 111 and requests analysis of the passed print data. The print data transmission unit 1021 transmits the print data transferred from the print data management unit 1020 to the shared printer 40 according to the destination information stored in the destination storage unit 1022.

  FIG. 12 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of functions of the analysis unit 111 according to the embodiment. In FIG. 12, the analysis unit 111 includes a print data analysis unit 1110 and an analysis result notification unit 1111.

  The print data analysis unit 1110 receives the print data passed from the print spooler 102. The print data analysis unit 1110 analyzes the received print data in accordance with a request from the print spooler 102, and extracts identification information from the print data based on the analysis result. Also, the print data analysis unit 1110 acquires notification information for notifying the client terminal 20a that is the transmission source of the print data based on the analysis result of the print data. The analysis result notification unit 1111 passes the identification information and notification information extracted and acquired by the print data analysis unit 1110 to the registration unit 110 and the notification processing unit 112, respectively.

  FIG. 13 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of functions of the registration unit 110 according to the embodiment. In FIG. 13, the registration unit 110 includes a registration processing unit 1101, a communication identifier storage unit 1102, and an address information acquisition unit 1103.

  The registration processing unit 1101 receives address information (URL in this example) and identification information transmitted from the information transmission unit 212 of the client terminal 20 a and received by the server device 10, and passes them to the communication identifier storage unit 1102. The communication identifier storage unit 1102 associates the address information and identification information passed from the registration processing unit 1101 and registers them in the registration table shown in Table 1. The address information acquisition unit 1103 refers to the registration table based on the identification information passed from the analysis unit 111 and acquires address information associated with the identification information. The address information acquisition unit 1103 passes the acquired address information to the notification processing unit 112.

  FIG. 14 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of the function of the notification processing unit 112 according to the embodiment. In FIG. 14, the notification processing unit 112 includes a notification transmission unit 1120 and a destination acquisition unit 1121. The destination acquisition unit 1121 acquires the address information passed from the registration unit 110. The notification transmission unit 1120 transmits the notification information passed from the analysis unit 111 to the address indicated by the address information acquired by the destination acquisition unit 1121.

(Details of notification processing according to the embodiment)
Next, the notification process according to the embodiment will be described in more detail. FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating an example of notification processing in the server device 10 according to the embodiment. Prior to the processing of FIG. 15, in the server device 10, it is assumed that the registration unit 110 registers the identification information and the address information in the registration table in association with each client terminal 20 a, 20 b,. .

  The processing according to the flowchart of FIG. 15 is started when the server apparatus 10 acquires print data transmitted from the client terminal 20a, for example, by the print spooler 102, calls the analysis unit 111, and requests analysis of the acquired print data. .

  In FIG. 15, in step S <b> 10, in the server device 10, the analysis unit 111 analyzes the print data acquired by the print spooler 102 as an analysis target in accordance with a request from the print spooler 102. In the next step S11, the server apparatus 10 determines whether or not notification to the client apparatus 20a that is the transmission source of the print data to be analyzed is necessary based on the analysis result in step S10. When the server device 10 determines that the notification is necessary (step S11, “Yes”), the server device 10 shifts the processing to step S12. On the other hand, when the server apparatus 10 determines that the notification is not necessary (step S11, “No”), the server apparatus 10 shifts the process to step S18.

  For example, in step S11, the server apparatus 10 determines whether or not the acquired flag is added to the print data acquired in step S10 by the analysis unit 111. Determine that it is necessary. Not limited to this, the server device 10 refers to the registration table based on the identification information acquired by analyzing the print data by the analysis unit 111, and notification is necessary when the acquired identification information is registered in the registration table. It may be determined that In this case, it is not necessary to add the acquired flag in the client terminal 20a, and the flag adding unit 214 can be omitted. Furthermore, the server device 10 can also determine that notification is not required when the identification information cannot be acquired when the analysis unit 111 analyzes the print data.

  In step S12, the server device 10 acquires identification information and notification information from the print data to be analyzed based on the analysis result in step S10 by the analysis unit 111. In the next step S13, the server device 10 refers to the registration table based on the identification information acquired in step S11 by the registration unit 110, for example, and acquires address information associated with the identification information. In the next step S14, the server apparatus 10 causes the notification processing unit 112 to transmit the notification information acquired by the analysis unit 111 in step S12 with the address indicated in the address information acquired in step S13 as a destination.

  In the next step S15, the server apparatus 10 determines whether or not the notification indicated by the notification information transmitted in step S14 by the notification processing unit 112 is a notification that requires a reply from, for example, the client terminal 20a. Determine. When the server device 10 determines that the notification is a notification that requires a reply from the transmission destination (step S15, “Yes”), the server device 10 proceeds to step S16. On the other hand, if the server device 10 determines that the notification does not require a reply (step S15, “No”), the server device 10 shifts the processing to step S18.

  For example, the notification processing unit 112 determines that the print setting information acquired by the analysis unit 111 analyzing the print data by the notification transmission unit 1120 in step S15 is the print setting information changed in the server device 10. It can be determined that the notification is a notification that requires a reply from the transmission destination. As a more specific example, when a processed flag is added to a predetermined item of the print setting information, the notification transmission unit 1120 determines that the notification is a notification that requires a reply from the transmission destination.

  An example of a dialog box applicable to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The dialog boxes 300a and 300b shown in FIGS. 16A and 16B are displayed on the display of the transmission destination (for example, the client terminal 20a) based on the notification information transmitted by the notification transmission unit 1120, respectively.

  FIG. 16A shows an example of a dialog box 300a that does not require a reply from the transmission destination. When it is determined in step S15 that a reply is not required for the notification (step S15, “No”), based on the notification information transmitted by the notification transmission unit 1120, the notification reception unit 213 in the destination client terminal 20a. Thus, display information for displaying the dialog box 300a is generated. In FIG. 16A, a dialog box 300a includes a notification information display unit 301, an “OK” button 302, and a button 303 for closing the dialog box 300a (referred to as a “close button 303”).

  The notification information display unit 301 displays the content of notification based on the notification information. In the example of FIG. 16A, the notification information display unit 301 displays the item name and value of each item of the print setting information based on the notification information. The “OK” button 302 is a button for closing the dialog box 300a, like the “close” button 303. When the dialog box 300a is closed in response to a user operation on one of the “OK” button 302 and the “Close” button 303, the client terminal 20a does not perform anything particularly on the server device 10.

  FIG. 16B shows an example of a dialog box 300b that requires a reply from the transmission destination. In FIG. 16B, the same reference numerals are given to the portions common to FIG. 16A described above, and detailed description thereof is omitted. When it is determined in step S15 that a reply is necessary for the notification (step S15, “Yes”), based on the notification information transmitted by the notification transmission unit 1120, the notification reception unit 213 in the destination client terminal 20a. Thus, display information for displaying the dialog box 300b is generated.

  In FIG. 16B, a message display 304 is added to the dialog box 300 b shown in FIG. 16A in the dialog box 300 b, and a “Continue” button 305 a and “ It includes a “Cancel” button 305b. The message display 304 displays a message prompting an operation for instructing whether or not to execute printing according to the print information displayed on the notification information display unit 301. The “continue” button 305 a is a button for instructing execution of printing according to the print information displayed on the notification information display unit 301. On the other hand, the “cancel” button 305 b is a button for instructing to cancel printing according to the print information displayed on the notification information display unit 301.

  For example, when the input unit 201 receives an input operation for any one of the “continue” button 305 a and the “stop” button 305 b, the client terminal 20 a displays information indicating the button for which the operation has been received, for example, the notification receiving unit 213 To pass. The notification receiving unit 213 transmits information indicating the button that has accepted the input operation to the server device 10 as a reply to the notification by the dialog box 300b. In FIG. 16B, a “close” button 303 can be provided with a function equivalent to, for example, the “stop” button 305b.

  In step S16, the server apparatus 10 determines whether a reply to the notification information transmitted to the client terminal 20a in step S14 has been received by the communication unit 101. If the server apparatus 10 determines that it has not been received (step S16, “No”), the process returns to step S16. On the other hand, if the server apparatus 10 determines that a reply has been received (step S16, “Yes”), the process proceeds to step S17.

  In step S17, the server apparatus 10 determines whether the reply received in step S16 indicates whether printing is continued or stopped. For example, if the server device 10 determines that a reply indicating that printing is to be continued has been received by the communication unit 101 (step S17, “continue”), the process proceeds to step S18, and the print data to be analyzed in step S10 The print spooler 204 is requested to cause the shared printer 40 to execute printing according to the above.

  On the other hand, if the server device 10 determines that the communication unit 101 has received a reply indicating that printing has been canceled (step S17, “cancel”), the server device 10 does not perform printing using the print data, but performs a series of operations according to the flowchart of FIG. End the process.

  FIG. 17 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of the process of registering the identification information and address information of the client terminal 20a in the server device 10 according to the embodiment. In FIG. 17, the same reference numerals are given to the same parts as those in FIGS. 4 and 5 described above, and detailed description thereof is omitted. In the processing of FIG. 17, for example, the client terminal 20a is activated, the print control program 210 is executed, and the acquisition unit 211, the information transmission unit 212, the notification reception unit 213, and the flag addition unit 214 are formed on the main storage device. Starts from.

  In step S100, in the client terminal 20a, the information transmission unit 212 acquires the identification information of the client terminal 20a by the identification information acquisition unit 2120. In addition, the information transmission unit 212 acquires destination information destined for the registration unit 110 of the server device 10 from the destination storage unit 2123 by the destination setting unit 2122 and sets the acquired destination information in the address / identification information transmission unit 2121. To do.

  In step S101, the information transmission unit 212 requests the IP address of the client terminal 20a from the acquisition unit 211 by using, for example, the address / identification information transmission unit 2121. In response to this request, the acquisition unit 211 returns the IP address stored in the address storage unit 2113 to the information transmission unit 212 (step S102). The information transmission unit 212 further requests the notification reception unit 213 for information indicating the communication protocol supported by the notification reception unit 2131 and the port number (step S103). In response to this request, the notification receiving unit 213 acquires information indicating the communication protocol and port number stored in the communication information storage unit 2133 by the communication information acquiring unit 2132, and information and port number indicating the acquired communication protocol. Is returned to the information transmission unit 212 (step S104).

  The information transmission unit 212 constructs a URL by the address / identification information transmission unit 2121 from the IP address returned from the acquisition unit 211 in step S102, the information indicating the communication protocol acquired in step S104, and the port number ( Step S105).

  The information transmission unit 212 uses the address / identification information transmission unit 2121 to acquire the identification information acquired in step S100 and the URL constructed in step S105 according to the destination information set in step S100, and the registration unit 110 of the server device 10. (Step S106). In the server device 10, the registration unit 110 receives the identification information and URL transmitted from the client terminal 20a, and the registration processing unit 1101 and the communication identifier storage unit 1102 receive the received identification information and URL (that is, address information). Register in the registration table in association. The registration unit 110 returns information indicating that the registration of the identification information and the URL has been completed to the information transmission unit 212 (step S107). Note that the process of step S107 can be omitted.

  Incidentally, the IP address of the client terminal 20a may be changed due to a change in the connection environment of the network 30a. Therefore, the client terminal 20a executes the IP address change process shown in step S120. The IP address change process includes the processes of steps S1200 to S1207. For example, while the print control program 210 is being executed, the client terminal 20a repeatedly executes the IP address changing process in step S120.

  When the change notification unit 2112 detects a change in the IP address (step S1200), the acquisition unit 211 notifies the information transmission unit 212 of the changed IP address (step S1201). The subsequent processing from step S1202 to step S1206 is the same as the processing from step S103 to step S107 described above.

  In other words, when receiving the changed IP address, the information transmission unit 212 requests the notification reception unit 213 for information indicating the communication protocol supported by the notification reception unit 2131 and the port number (step S1202). . In response to this request, the notification receiving unit 213 returns information indicating the communication protocol and the port number to the information transmitting unit 212 (step S1203). The information transmission unit 212 constructs a URL from the IP address notified from the acquisition unit 211 in step S1201, the information indicating the communication protocol acquired in step S1203, and the port number (step S1204).

  The information transmission unit 212 transmits the identification information acquired in step S100 and the URL constructed in step S1204 to the registration unit 110 of the server device 10 according to the destination information set in step S100 (step S1205). . In the server device 10, the registration unit 110 receives the identification information and the URL transmitted from the client terminal 20a, and registers the received identification information and the URL in the registration table in association with each other. The registration unit 110 returns information indicating that the registration of the identification information and URL has been completed to the information transmission unit 212 (step S1206).

  The information transmission unit 212 returns a notification indicating that registration of the identification information and the URL has been completed to the acquisition unit 211 (step S1207). In response to the completion notification, for example, the acquisition unit 211 updates the IP address stored in the address storage unit 2113 by the change notification unit 2112.

  FIG. 18 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of processing for transmitting notification information from the server device 10 to the client terminal 20a according to the embodiment. In FIG. 18, the same reference numerals are given to the portions common to FIGS. 4 and 5 described above, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  For example, in the client terminal 20a, document data is generated by the document information generation unit 205, and for example, printing of the generated document data is instructed by a user operation. In the client terminal 20a, the print processing unit 221 converts the document data into print data in accordance with this instruction, adds identification information for identifying the client terminal 20a to the converted print data, and passes it to the print spooler 204.

  The client terminal 20a instructs the print spooler 204 to print using the print data obtained by converting the document data (step S200). In the print spooler 204, the print data management unit 2040 transmits print data to the print spooler 102 of the server apparatus 10 by the information transmission unit 2041 according to the destination information stored in the destination storage unit 2042 in response to this instruction. (Step S201).

  In the server device 10, when the print spooler 102 receives the print data from the print spooler 204 of the client terminal 20a, the print spooler 102 starts preparation for transmitting the received print data to the shared printer 40 (step S202). The print spooler 102 transmits the print data received from the print spooler 204 to the analysis unit 111 by the print data management unit 1020, and requests the analysis unit 111 to analyze the print data (step S203).

  In response to this request, the analysis unit 111 analyzes the print data received from the print spooler 102 by the print data analysis unit 1110, acquires notification information based on the analysis result, and extracts identification information from the print data. (Step S204). The analysis unit 111 passes the identification information and the notification information acquired based on the print data to the notification processing unit 112 by the analysis result notification unit 1111 and requests the notification processing unit 112 to transmit the notification information to the client terminal 20a. (Step S205).

  In response to this request, the notification processing unit 112 passes the identification information passed from the analysis unit 111 to the registration unit 110 (step S206). For example, the address information acquisition unit 1103 refers to the registration table based on the identification information passed from the analysis unit 111, and the registration unit 110 acquires address information (URL) associated with the identification information. The registration unit 110 passes the acquired address information to the notification processing unit 112 using the address information acquisition unit 1103 (step S207).

  The notification processing unit 112 transmits the notification information passed from the analysis unit 111 in step S205 to the client terminal 20a by the notification transmission unit 1120 (step S210). The client terminal 20 a receives the notification information transmitted from the server device 10 by the notification receiving unit 213. The received notification information is received by the notification receiving unit 2131. The notification receiving unit 213 passes the received notification information to the display information generating unit 2130.

  The display information generation unit 2130 generates display information for displaying any of the dialog boxes 300a and 300b described above based on the passed notification information. The display information generation unit 2130 causes the display unit 202 to display one of the dialog boxes 300a and 300b based on the generated display information on the display 2007 (step S211).

  Here, when the dialog box displayed in step S211 is the dialog box 300b that needs to be returned from the client terminal 20a shown in FIG. 16B, the client terminal 20a uses the notification receiving unit 213 to execute the response. A response to the operation for either the “continue” button 305a or the “stop” button 305b of the dialog box 300b is returned to the server device 10 (step S212). The server device 10 passes this reply to the notification processing unit 112. The notification processing unit 112 returns a response corresponding to this reply to the print spooler 102 (step S213).

  The print spooler 102 displays when the dialog box 300b is displayed by the notification receiving unit 213 and the “continue” button 305a is operated in the dialog box 300b, or when the dialog box 300a is displayed by the notification receiving unit 213. Then, printing using the print data prepared in step S202 is executed (step S214).

  That is, the print spooler 102 transmits the print data prepared for transmission in step S202 and the print instruction for the print data to the shared printer 40 by the print data transmission unit 1021 (step S2140). When printing using the transmitted print data is completed, the shared printer 40 transmits a notification indicating the completion of printing to the print spooler 102 (step S2141). The print spooler 102 executes the operation in step S214 for all the print data prepared for transmission in step S202. When the print processing of all the print data prepared for transmission in step S202 is completed, the print spooler 102 ends the print data transmission processing to the shared printer 40 (step S220).

  As described above, in the embodiment, the client terminal 20a transmits the identification information for identifying itself and the address information indicating the address on the network 30a to the server device 10 in advance, and registers the information in the server device 10. deep. The server device 10 extracts identification information from the print data transmitted from the client terminal 20a, and acquires address information associated with the extracted identification information from a set of registered identification information and address information. As a result, the server device 10 can transmit the notification using the acquired address information when information to be notified to the client terminal 20a is generated, for example, when printing with the print data. From the client to the client terminal 20a can be executed more flexibly.

(Other embodiments)
In the above description, in the client terminal 20a, the information transmission unit 212 transmits the URL related to the client terminal 20a as address information to the server apparatus 10, and the server apparatus 10 associates this URL with the identification information of the client terminal 20a. I was registered. This is not limited to this example, and other information can be used as address information for transmitting notification information.

  As an example, the information transmission unit 212 can use, for example, an email address of a user who uses the client terminal 20a as address information for transmitting notification information. In this case, in the registration unit 110, the server device 10 associates the e-mail address as the address information with the identification information of the client terminal 20a and registers it in the registration table.

  In step S14 of FIG. 15, the server apparatus 10 displays display information for displaying any of the dialog boxes 300a and 300b shown in FIGS. 16A and 16B based on the notification information, for example, HTML. Describe using (HyperText Markup Language). The server apparatus 10 transmits an electronic mail in which display information described using HTML is embedded according to an electronic mail address as address information. The user of the client terminal 20a can confirm the notification from the server apparatus 10 by receiving the e-mail using the client terminal 20a or another terminal apparatus that the client terminal 20a has.

  Not limited to this, the server device 10 may publish an HTML file whose display information is described using HTML to the network 30a, and embed the URL of the HTML file in the electronic mail. The user receives this electronic mail at the client terminal 20a or another terminal device, and designates a URL described in the received electronic mail. Thereby, the dialog box 300a and the dialog box 300b can be displayed in the terminal device from which the user has received the e-mail, and the notification from the server device 10 can be confirmed.

  In this way, by using the e-mail address as the address information, the user can confirm the notification from the server device 10 in a terminal device different from the client terminal 20a that has created and transmitted the print data.

  Each of the above-described embodiments is a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but is not limited thereto, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

10 Server devices 20a and 20b Client terminals 30a and 30b Networks 102 and 204 Print spooler 110 Registration unit 111 Analysis unit 112 Notification processing unit 113 Print processing unit 210 Print control program 211 Acquisition unit 212 Information transmission unit 213 Notification reception unit 214 Flag addition unit 220 Driver program 221 Print processing unit 300a, 300b Dialog box 1000, 2000 CPU
1003,2004 storage

JP 2004-220192 A

Claims (17)

A client terminal having a processor that executes a first program for generating print data that can be printed by the image forming apparatus, and the client terminal connected to the image forming apparatus via the network. An information processing system including an information processing device that executes printing according to
The client terminal is
An acquisition unit configured to acquire address information indicating an address of the client terminal on the network, which is formed by executing a second program on the processor;
An information transmission unit configured to transmit the identification information for identifying the client terminal and the address information, which is formed by executing the second program on the processor;
The identification formed when the second program is executed on the processor, and transmitted to the information processing apparatus in the print data when the first program is executed on the processor A receiving unit for receiving a notification transmitted from the information processing device based on the information;
With
The information processing apparatus includes:
A registration unit that associates and registers the identification information and the address information transmitted from the information transmission unit;
An extraction unit that extracts the identification information from the print data transmitted from the client terminal;
Notification processing for transmitting the information as the notification according to the address information registered in the registration unit in association with the identification information extracted by the extraction unit when information to be transmitted to the client terminal is generated And
An information processing system comprising: The notification processing unit
The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein processing according to the content of a response returned from the client terminal is executed in response to the notification. The notification processing unit
The information processing system according to claim 2, wherein the processing for stopping printing according to the print data by the image forming apparatus is executed according to the content of the response. The information transmitting unit
The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a name uniquely given to the client terminal is used as the identification information. The acquisition unit
The address information obtained by combining information indicating a position of the client terminal on the network and information for identifying the receiving unit on the network is obtained. The information processing system described. The acquisition unit
The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein an e-mail address is acquired as the address information. A client terminal that generates print data that can be printed by the image forming apparatus; and an information processing apparatus that is connected to the client terminal via a network and that causes the image forming apparatus to execute printing according to the print data. An information processing method in an information processing system including:
An obtaining step of obtaining address information indicating an address of the client terminal on the network;
An information transmission step of transmitting identification information for identifying the client terminal and the address information to the information processing apparatus;
A receiving step of receiving a notification transmitted from the information processing device based on the identification information included in the print data and transmitted to the information processing device;
A registration step of associating and registering the identification information and the address information transmitted by the information transmission step;
An extraction step of extracting the identification information from the print data;
Notification processing for transmitting information as the notification according to the address information registered in the registration step in association with the identification information extracted in the extraction step when information to be transmitted to the client terminal is generated Steps,
An information processing method comprising: An information processing apparatus connected to a client terminal capable of generating printable print data by an image forming apparatus via a network, and causing the image forming apparatus to execute printing according to the print data,
A registration unit that associates and registers identification information for identifying the client terminal and address information indicating the address of the client terminal on the network, transmitted from the client terminal;
An extraction unit that extracts the identification information from the print data transmitted from the client terminal;
A notification processing unit that transmits information as a notification in accordance with the address information registered in the registration unit in association with the identification information extracted by the extraction unit when information to be transmitted to the client terminal is generated When,
An information processing apparatus comprising: The notification processing unit
The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a process corresponding to the content of a response returned from the client terminal is executed in response to the notification. The notification processing unit
The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the process of stopping printing according to the print data by the image forming apparatus is executed according to the content of the response. The address information is an email address,
The notification processing unit
The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the notification is transmitted using the electronic mail. Information processing for causing an information processing apparatus connected via a network to a client terminal capable of generating print data that can be printed by the image forming apparatus to cause the image forming apparatus to execute printing according to the print data A program,
A registration step of associating and registering identification information for identifying the client terminal and address information indicating the address of the client terminal on the network, transmitted from the client terminal;
An extraction step of extracting the identification information from the print data transmitted from the client terminal;
A notification processing step of transmitting information as a notification according to the address information registered in the registration step in association with the identification information extracted in the extraction step when information to be transmitted to the client terminal is generated When,
An information processing program for causing the information processing apparatus to execute. A client terminal having a processor connected to an information processing apparatus via a network and executing a first program for generating print data that can be printed by the image forming apparatus,
An acquisition unit configured to acquire address information indicating an address of the client terminal on the network, which is formed by executing a second program on the processor;
An information transmission unit configured to transmit the identification information for identifying the client terminal and the address information, which is formed by executing the second program on the processor;
The identification formed when the second program is executed on the processor, and transmitted to the information processing apparatus in the print data when the first program is executed on the processor A receiving unit for receiving a notification transmitted from the information processing device based on the information;
A client terminal comprising: The information transmitting unit
The client terminal according to claim 13, wherein a name uniquely assigned to the client terminal is used as the identification information. The acquisition unit
The client terminal according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the address information obtained by combining information indicating a position of the client terminal on the network and information for identifying the reception unit on the network is acquired. The acquisition unit
The client terminal according to claim 13 or 14, wherein an e-mail address is acquired as the address information. A program for a terminal device for causing a processor included in a client terminal connected to an information processing device via a network,
An obtaining step of obtaining address information indicating an address of the client terminal on the network;
An information transmission step of transmitting identification information for identifying the client terminal and the address information to the information processing apparatus;
A program for generating print data that can be printed by the image forming apparatus is executed on the processor, and transmitted from the information processing apparatus based on the identification information that is included in the print data and transmitted to the information processing apparatus. Receiving a received notification; and
A program for a terminal device for causing the processor to execute.

Images