JP3088305B2 - Remote location report printing system - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a remote form printing system for printing a form by connecting a plurality of host computers of the same or different operating systems via a network.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a remote location form printing system in which a plurality of computers are connected by a network,
The form information is held on the computer that executes the printing process, and the print data is also created on the computer that requests the print while synchronizing the form information.
In this case, the print data is transmitted from the computer that issues the print request to the computer that executes the print process using the communication line, and printing is performed with the held form information.

That is, in order to obtain the synchronization of the form information between the print computer and the print request computer, the form information used at the time of creating the print data is specified, and the form information is transmitted to the print computer via a communication line. Notifying. Thereby, the contents of the form information adapted to the notified information are transmitted from the print computer to the print request computer using the communication line. The print request computer creates print data based on the received form information, and transmits the print data to the print computer, thereby realizing printing with the form information synchronized.

When the printing computer completes printing, the printing computer notifies the printing request computer of a printing completion notification. Upon receiving the print completion notification, the print request computer
The form information used when creating the print data is deleted.

[0005]

However, the conventional remote land form printing system has the following problems to be solved. In order to acquire the synchronization of the form information, the print request computer deletes the form information acquired using the communication line from the print computer when printing is completed, at the time of print data creation. Therefore, each time print data is created, the form information is transferred using the communication line every time, and there is a problem that the load on the communication line increases.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to reduce the load on a communication line due to the transmission and reception of form information between a computer requesting printing and a computer executing printing processing.
An object of the present invention is to provide a remote location form printing system which can ensure the synchronization of form information at the time of printing.

[0007]

According to the present invention, there is provided a remote location report printing system in which an operating system connects a plurality of computers of the same type or different types via a network to perform printing. Do
Information on the form information , which is information for ensuring the synchronization of the form information used when creating print data for printing
A print request computer that stores identification information of a name and a form information version and a form information processing method and requests print processing, and identification information that ensures synchronization of form information in a print request sent from the print request computer And a print information processing method, and if so, a print computer that executes print processing and a print request computer.
And report form information to the form information management means.
Receiving data analysis means provided in the printing computer
Is, notifies the identification information and the form processing method to the form information management means, according to the form information management unit, print requests Computing
Form information notified from the data and present in the printing computer
Synchronization of the document information check, and the synchronization check to
Form from print request computer when there is no more synchronization
And a receiving data analyzing means for performing a synchronization securing process for transmitting information .

Therefore, with the above configuration, when creating print data transmitted from the print request computer at the time of printing, the identification information of the used form information and the form information processing method are recognized, and the form information is checked. Then, the synchronization of the form information between the print request computer and the print computer is ensured. This allows accurate form printing.

[0009] In the present invention, the printing computer side, by searching the form information retrieval means, so that use or send print form information that matches the information for identifying the document information in the form information management means Therefore, the load on the communication line for transmitting the form information can be reduced.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A remote location form printing system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a remote location form printing system according to an embodiment. the system,
It has a print request computer 1 that makes a print request, and has a print computer 2 that executes printing in accordance with a print request from the print request computer 1. Each of the computers 1 and 2 includes transmitting means 10 and 11, receiving means 12 and 13, receiving data analyzing means 14 and 15, and form information managing means 16 and 17, respectively. The form information master 18 is provided on the print request computer 1 side.

In the printing computer 2, in addition to the above-described units, a form information search unit 19, a form information update unit 20, a form information creation unit 21, and a form information deletion unit 2
2. Form information storage area 23, printing means 24, printer 25
And a communication line 26.

FIG. 2 shows an example of data transmitted when a print request is made from the print request computer 1 in the present embodiment. In this case, the data example includes print request information 30, form information name 31, form information version 32, and form information processing method 33.

Next, the operation of the embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

First, as shown in FIG. 3, the operation of the print request computer 1 is performed as follows. After creating print data using the form information, step S1 (hereinafter, referred to as S1)
In step S1), the transmission unit 10 transmits a print request to the print computer 2 via the communication line 26.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 2, the print request information 30, the form information name 31 of the used form information, the form information version 32, and the form information processing method 33 are stored at predetermined addresses. . Form information processing method 33
There are four types of “update”, “update and delete”, “create”, and “create and delete”. The operator selects one operation desired to be executed with respect to the form information by the printing computer 2. After transmitting the print request, in S2, a response from the print computer 2 is received by the receiving unit 12.

Next, in S3, the received data analysis means 14 compares whether the received response is a response to the form information request. When the response is a form information request (Yes), form information is transmitted (S4). At this time, the reception data analysis means 14 notifies the form information management means 16 that the form information has been acquired. The form information manager 16 receiving the notification acquires the corresponding form information from the form information master 18 and notifies the transmission means 10 of transmission. The transmitting unit 10 that has received the notification transmits the form information to the receiving unit 13 of the printing computer 2.

After transmitting the form information, a response is received by the receiving means 12 in S5. After receiving the response, the transmission unit 10 transmits the print data in S6.

On the other hand, if the response to be compared is not a form information request in step S3 (No), print data is transmitted by the transmission means 10 (S6). After transmitting the print data, a response is received by the receiving unit 12 (S
7) The operation of the print request computer 1 is completed.

Next, the operation of the printing computer 2 will be described with reference to FIG.

First, in step S10, the print request transmitted from the print request computer 1 is received by the receiving means 13. The receiving unit 13 notifies the received data request to the received data analyzing unit 15. The received data analyzing means 15 recognizes that the request is a print request, and refers to the stored form information name 31, form information version 32 and form information processing method 33 as shown in FIG. Notify the means 17.

Next, a form information search is performed in S11. The form information management unit 17 notifies the form information search unit 19 of the form information name 31 and the form information version 32. The form information search means 19 searches the form information storage area 23 for form information in which the notified form information name 31 and form information version 32 both match, and notifies the form information management means 17 of the search result. I do. In S12, as a result of the form information search means 19 having searched whether form information exists,
When the corresponding form information exists (Yes), the transmission means 11 transmits a reply to the effect that the print request has been affirmed in S19.

When the corresponding form information does not exist in S12 (No), in S13, the transmission means 11 performs transmission requesting the form information. At this time, the form information management unit 17, which has been notified by the form information search unit 19 that there is no matching form information, notifies the transmission unit 11 to transmit a form information request transmission.

Next, in S14, the form information is received. The receiving unit 13 receives the form information transmitted from the transmitting unit 10 of the print request computer 1, the received data analysis unit 15 recognizes that the form information is the form information, and passes the form information to the form information management unit 17. Here, if necessary, operations such as code conversion can be performed on the form information.

In step S15, the form information management means 17 compares the form information processing methods. When the processing method is “update”, the form information management unit 17 notifies the form information update unit 20. Form information updating means 20 that has been notified
Indicates that the form information names in the form information storage area 23 match, and that the latest form information after form information version 32 notified by the print request
Update to the form information sent from (at this time,
When there is no matching form information and when there is form information of a version newer than the form information version 32 notified by the print request, "creation" and "creation and deletion" processes are performed, respectively.

When the form information processing method 33 is "update and delete", the same operation as in the above-mentioned "update" is performed, and the form information deleting means 22 deletes all the old version form information with the same form information name. delete.

When the form information processing method 33 is “create” or “create and delete”, the form information creating means 21 creates new form information in the form information storage area 23. When the form information management unit 17 receives a notification to that effect at the time when the update or creation of the form information is completed, the form information management unit 17 requests the transmission unit 11 to transmit a print request affirmative reply.
Sends a positive response to the print request. S20: receiving means 13
In step S21, the printing unit 24 sends the print data together with the form information to the printer 25 to perform printing.

At the time when printing is completed, the form information management means 17 notified of this from the printing means 24 compares in S22 whether the form information processing method 33 is "creation and deletion". When "Create and delete" (Yes),
In S23, the form information created in S18 is deleted. At this time, the form information deleting means 22 notified from the form information management means 17 stores
The form information created in step 18 is deleted. When the form information processing method is not “creation and deletion” in S22 (No), and when the processing in S23 ends, in S24, the transmission unit 11 transmits a print completion reply transmission.

It is assumed that the reception data analysis means 15 and the form information management means 17 have the functions of the reception data analysis means 14 and the form information management means 16, respectively.
The present invention can be realized also in communication of a printing computer. Further, the present invention can be realized also in communication between a plurality of print request computers 1 and a plurality of print computers 2.

[0030]

As described in the foregoing, the present invention checks whether the form information was used to create printed on indicia brush computer data before transmission of the document information exists, the corresponding form information if present And the form information is transmitted using the communication line only when it does not exist, so that the load on the communication line when transmitting the form information from the print requesting computer to the printing computer during printing can be reduced. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a remote location form printing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of data of a print request transmitted by a print request computer.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the print request computer according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the printing computer according to the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS 1 print request computer 2 print computer 10, 11 sender throwing 12, 13 receiver throwing 14, 15 received data analysis means 16, 17 form information management means 18 form information master 19 form information search means 20 form information updating means 21 form information Creating means 22 Form information deleting means 23 Form information storage area 24 Printing means 25 Printer 26 Communication line 30 Print request information 31 Form information name 32 Form information version 33 Form information processing method

Continuation of front page (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G06F 19/00 B41J 21/00 G06F 3/12 G06F 17/21-17/27

Claims (7)

(57) [Claims] In a remote form printing system in which an operating system connects a plurality of computers of the same type or different types over a network to perform printing, a print request for generating a form for printing a form is included in a print request.
Form information name and form information version related to the form information , which is information for ensuring the synchronization of the form information to be used.
Store down the identification information and document processing method, and a print request computers requesting the printing process, the print request sent from the print request computer, book
It is determined whether or not identification information and form information processing method for ensuring the synchronization of the form information exist, and if so, a print computer for executing print processing and a print request computer, and the form information is provided to the form information.
Receiving data analysis means for notifying the management means ; and identification information and form information processing means provided in the printing computer.
Notifies the management method to form information management means, according to the form information managing means, the form information notified from the print request computer
Printed if there is no synchronism with the synchronization check of the form information present in the print computer, and the synchronization check
A remote location form printing system, comprising: reception data analysis means for performing a synchronization securing process for sending form information from a requesting computer . 2. The form information management means, based on identification information on form information notified from the received data analysis means, a form information processing method, and form information data, identifies form information to the form information search means. Notify the information, and notify the form information updating means of the form information when the form information processing method is updated, or update and delete, and notify the form information creation means of the form information processing method When the form information processing method is updated and deleted, or when the form information processing method is created and deleted, the form information identification means is notified of the form information data when the form information is deleted. Means, form information data and response to the transmitting means in accordance with notifications from the form information updating means, the form information creating means and the form information deleting means. Remote form printing system according to claim 1, characterized in that a thing transmission request. 3. The form information search means provided in the printing computer, searches a form information storage area based on form information identification information notified from the form information management means, and returns a search result to the form information. 3. The remote location form printing system according to claim 2, wherein the notification is sent to a management unit. 4. The form information updating means is provided in the printing computer, and based on form information data notified from the form information management means, stores the form information name in the form information storage area of the same version as the previous version. 3. The remote form printing system according to claim 2, wherein the stored form information is updated, and the update result is notified to the form information management unit. 5. The form information creation means provided in the printing computer, creates new form information in a form information storage area based on form information data notified from the form information management means, and creates a creation result. 3. The remote location form printing system according to claim 2, wherein the form information management unit is notified. 6. The form information deleting means provided in the printing computer, deletes form information specified based on identification information of the form information notified from the form information management means, and deletes the form result as the form form. 3. The remote location form printing system according to claim 2, wherein the information is notified to an information management unit. 7. The print request computer determines whether or not the content notified from the receiving means is a form information transmission request, and if the content is a form information transmission request, notifies the form information management means to that effect. In addition, the form information management means requests the transmission means to transmit the form information used when creating the print data to be printed with reference to the form information master by the notification. The remote location form printing system according to claim 1.