JP5003365B2 - Printing system, printing program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing system and a printing program.

  On-demand printing, in which, when a printer requests printing from a personal computer, the printer does not print immediately upon receiving the request, for example, after the printer reads an IC card indicating the user, the printer performs the requested printing process. There is a function to be called.

  In such on-demand printing, a configuration is used in which a print server is provided between a personal computer and a plurality of printers, and print processing requested from the personal computer is temporarily held in the print server.

  In on-demand printing, if multiple print processes requested by the same user are stored in the print server, if the printer has a large user interface and a large display screen, the user can print It is possible to select which print processing of the processing is to be executed by the printer.

  However, a printer that does not have a display screen or a printer with a narrow display area often cannot be selected by the user as described above, and in this case, all requested printing processes are executed.

In relation to this, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for selecting a print process that a user wants to execute by outputting an index print.
JP 2003-326773 A

  In the case of the technique disclosed in the above-mentioned patent document 1, there is a problem that it takes time since the user selects the necessary print processing after viewing the index print and instructs the printer to output. Another problem is that the index print itself is a waste of paper.

  As described above, in the on-demand printing, there is a problem in that it takes time and effort to cause the printer to execute a printing process desired by the user.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a printing system and a printing program that reduce the effort for causing a printer to execute a printing process desired by a user in on-demand printing.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 1 includes a recording unit for recording information, a setting unit for allowing a user to set an execution condition when executing a printing process requested by the user, and the setting unit. Temporarily associating execution condition information indicating the set execution condition, request time specifying information that is specification information for specifying the user, and print processing information indicating the content of the print processing requested by the user The information holding unit includes an information holding unit held in the recording unit, a plurality of printing units that print an image on a recording medium by executing the printing process, and one printing unit among the plurality of printing units. When executing the printing process requested by the user temporarily held by the means, the runtime specific information that is specific information for specifying the user is acquired. Acquisition means, execution time specific information acquired by the acquisition means, print execution determination information which is information to be compared with the execution condition information, request specific information held by the information holding means, and the information Judgment means for judging whether or not the printing means can execute the printing process indicated by the print processing information held in association with the execution condition information by the information holding means based on the execution condition information held by the holding means. And an execution means for causing the printing means to execute a printing process determined to be executable by the determination means.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the execution condition information includes print capability information indicating a print capability of the printing unit , and specific information for specifying the printing unit , and the printing unit includes position information indicating the provided position, is intended to include any one or more of the information of the date and time information indicating the date and time.

  The invention of claim 3 is the invention of claim 2, wherein the position information is information indicating a plurality of positions, and the position indicates a position including other positions indicated in the position information, This indicates a position included in another position indicated by the position information.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a setting step for allowing a user to set an execution condition for executing a printing process requested by the user, execution condition information indicating the execution condition set by the setting step, the user An information holding step for holding in the recording means for temporarily recording information in association with the request specific information that is specific information for specifying the print processing information indicating the content of the print processing requested by the user; The printing process requested by the user temporarily held by the information holding step is executed by one of a plurality of printing means for printing an image on a recording medium by executing the printing process. The acquisition step of acquiring the runtime specific information that is the specific information for specifying the user, and the acquisition step The obtained execution time specific information, the print execution determination information that is information compared with the execution condition information, the request time specific information held by the information holding step, and the execution condition recorded by the information holding step Based on the information, a determination step for determining whether the printing process indicated by the print processing information held in association with the execution condition information in the information holding step can be executed by the printing unit, and the execution can be executed by the determination step. And a printing program for causing a computer to execute a process having an execution step of causing the printing unit to execute the determined printing process.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a printing system that reduces the effort for causing the printer to execute a printing process desired by the user in on-demand printing.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the execution condition information includes the specifying information for specifying the printing unit, the position information indicating the position where the printing unit is provided, the date / time information indicating the date and time, and the printing capability of the printing unit. Any one or more of the print capability information shown may be included.

  According to the invention of claim 3, when the position is designated to include another position, it is possible to print at all the other positions included in the position, and to include the other positions. When a position to be printed is designated, printing can be performed only at that position, so that a printable position can be set flexibly.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a printing program that reduces the effort for causing the printer to execute a printing process desired by the user in on-demand printing.

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

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a printing system according to the present embodiment. The figure shows a PC (Personal Computer) 20, a print server 22, a plurality (three in the figure) of printers 10A, 10B, 10C, a plurality (three in the figure) of IC card readers 11A, 11B, 11C, and the like. The network connecting is shown. In the following description, when distinguishing each printer and IC card reader, a character (A, B, etc.) corresponding to a code is added, and when not particularly distinguished, characters corresponding to each printer and IC card reader are added. The description is omitted.

  In the configuration described above, the PC 20 allows the user to set an execution condition when executing a printing process requested by the user. In addition, the PC 20 performs execution condition information indicating the set execution condition, request time specifying information that is specific information (user ID) for specifying the user, and print processing information indicating the content of the print processing requested by the user. As a print request to the print server 22.

  The printer 10 prints an image on a recording medium (hereinafter simply referred to as paper) by executing a printing process. The print server 22 acquires the execution condition information, request specific information, and print processing information from the PC 20 and temporarily holds them.

  The IC card reader 11 is connected to the printer 10 as shown in the figure, and when executing the printing process requested by the user, it is specific information for specifying the user at the time of execution. Specific information (user ID) is acquired.

  As described above, the printing system according to the present embodiment executes printing indicated by the printing processing information temporarily held by causing the IC card reader 11 to read the IC card. Unlike normal on-demand printing, this is an on-demand printing system in which the printing destination is not automatically specified.

  Next, the hardware configuration of the printer 10 will be described with reference to FIG. The printer 10 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 40, a flash memory 42, a random access memory (RAM) 44, a non-volatile memory (NVM) 46, a user interface (UI) 48, and a hard disk drive (HDD). ) 50, a printer engine 52, a communication I / F (interface) 54, and a bus 56.

  The CPU 40 governs the overall operation of the printer 10, and the processing shown in the flowchart described later is executed by the CPU 40. The flash memory 42 stores a program developed in the RAM 44, a boot program that operates at startup, and the like.

  The RAM 44 is a storage device in which an OS (Operating System), programs, image information, and the like are expanded. The NVM 46 stores setting values and the like related to the printer 10.

  The communication I / F 54 includes a NIC (Network Interface Card) for connecting to a network, its driver, or a USB device.

  The printer engine 52 is an engine that prints an image on paper. The HDD 50 is a storage device that stores image information and the like. The UI 48 is used when the user inputs operations of the printer 10 and information. The bus 56 is used when information is exchanged.

  For example, a scanner engine or an interface for connecting to a telephone line may be added to the configuration described above.

  Next, the configuration of the PC 20 and the print server 22 will be described with reference to FIG. Since the configuration of these devices is often the same except for the specifications and the like, it will be described here as the PC 20.

  The PC 20 includes a CPU 12, an HDD 13, a RAM 14, a communication I / F 15, a ROM 16, a display unit 17, an operation input unit 18, and a bus 19 for connecting them.

  The CPU 12 governs the overall operation of the PC 20, and a flowchart showing the processing flow of the PC 20 described later is executed by the CPU 12. The HDD 13 is a storage device that stores various programs, an OS, and the like. The RAM 14 is a storage device in which an OS, a program, and the like are expanded. The HDD 13 of the print server 22 corresponds to a recording unit that records information.

  The communication I / F 15 is for connecting to a network, and includes a NIC, its driver, or a USB device. The ROM 16 is a storage device that stores a boot program that operates when the PC 20 is started up. The display unit 17 displays various information to the user. The operation input unit 18 is used when a user inputs an operation instruction or various information of the PC 20. The bus 19 is used when information is exchanged.

  The HDD 13 described above records a history recording program (to be described later) executed by the CPU 12, data used by the program, and the like. This program is not necessarily a program recorded in the HDD 13. Specific examples of the recording medium other than the HDD 13 include a program recorded on a portable recording medium. In this case, the PC 20 is provided with a reading device for reading a portable recording medium, and the portable recording medium causes a change state of energy such as magnetism, light, electricity, etc. to the reading device, and a signal corresponding thereto. In this format, the program description can be transmitted to the reading device.

  Examples of portable recording media include magneto-optical disks, optical disks (including CDs and DVDs), magnetic disks, memories (including IC cards and memory cards), and the like.

  Next, information held in the HDD 13 by the print server 22 will be described with reference to FIG.

  As described above, the print server 22 receives the print request from the PC 20 to acquire the execution condition information, the request specific information, and the print processing information from the PC 20 and temporarily hold them. .

  Therefore, the user ID, print processing information, and execution condition information acquired from the PC 20 are shown in FIG. The execution condition information further includes a printer name, position, date and time, and printing capability.

  Among these, the user ID is information for specifying the user who requested printing. The print processing information includes information that the user wants to print, such as document information and image information created by a word processor, information indicating the name of the print processing, and the like. ing. The printer name is information for specifying the printer, and is DCCF450 in FIG. The position is information indicating the position where the printer 20 is provided. In the figure, the position is Roppongi or Ebina. The date and time indicates the date and time that may be printed, and can be set in a time zone or a date or the like as shown in the second line of FIG. The printing capability indicates the printing capability of the printer 20, and as shown in the figure, for example, whether color printing, stapling, punching, or the like is possible corresponds to the printing capability.

  As described above, the print server 22 temporarily holds the information shown in FIG. 4 in association with each other. Further, the horizontal line of information (user ID, print processing information, and execution condition information) shown in FIG. 4 is referred to as print-related information.

  Next, position information recorded in advance in the print server 22 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in the figure, the location information is information including location 1, location 2, location 3, and an IP address. Each one line is provided for each printer 20, and the IP address indicates the IP address of the printer 20.

  The position information is information indicating a plurality of positions, and the position indicates a position including another position indicated by the position information or a position included in another position indicated by the position information. Is shown.

  Specifically, taking the first line in the figure as an example, the first line shows a plurality of positions (place 1 is Roppongi, place 2 is 5F, place 3 is the meeting room A). For example, 5F is a position including the A meeting room, and is included in Roppongi. Similarly, Roppongi is a position including 5F and A meeting room, and A meeting room is a position included in Roppongi and 5F.

  In this way, by providing an inclusive relationship to the positions, if the user simply sets the position to Roppongi, for example, it is possible to print with all the printers 10 located in Roppongi, If set, printing can be performed only by the printer 10 in the conference room A, so that the printable printer 10 can be set flexibly.

  Hereinafter, processing executed in the above-described configuration will be described using a flowchart. First, the printing process will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, in step 101, the PC 20 executes a setting process. This setting process sets execution conditions and is set by the user. In the next step 102, the print server 22 acquires the execution condition information indicating the execution condition set in the setting process, the request specific information, and the print processing information from the PC 20, and temporarily stores them in the HDD 13 in step 103. .

  The above-mentioned request specific information is the user ID as described above, and is held in advance in the PC 20, so the PC 20 transmits the user ID to the print server 22. The print processing information includes information that the user wants to print as described above, and includes, for example, document information and image information created by a word processor.

  Thereafter, when the user executes a printing process requested by the user temporarily held by the print server 22 by one of the plurality of printers, the user owns the IC card reader 11 with the IC he / she owns. Load the card.

  When the user causes the IC card reader 11 to read the IC card, the process proceeds from step 104 to step 105. In step 105, the print server 22 acquires the runtime specific information (user ID) read by the IC card reader 11 via the printer 10. At this time, the print server 22 also acquires print execution determination information, which is information compared with the execution condition information, from the printer 10. This print execution determination information includes information shown in the execution condition information (see FIG. 4), and specifically includes a print capability, a printer name, and the like. In addition, you may make it utilize such information as MIB (Management Information Base) currently hold | maintained at the printer 10. FIG.

  In the next step 106, the print server 22 reads the IC card from the print processing indicated by the print processing information based on the acquired execution specific information, print execution determination information, request specific information, and execution condition information. It is determined whether or not it can be executed by the printer 20 connected to the selected IC card reader 11.

  The process of step 106 is a process in which the execution flag is turned on when it is determined that execution is possible, and the execution flag is turned off otherwise.

  In the next step 107, the print server 22 determines whether or not the execution flag is on. If a negative determination is made, the process ends. If an affirmative determination is made, the printer 10 executes the print process determined to be executable by the printer 10 in step 108 and ends the process. Of course, there may be a plurality of print processes determined to be executable.

  Next, the setting process (FIG. 6: step 101) will be described with reference to FIG. This process is executed by the PC 20.

  First, in step 201, the printer name set by the user is set. This printer name setting is to set the name of the printer that the user wants to print. In the next step 202, the position of the printer set by the user is set. In the next step 203, the date and time set by the user is set. Further, in the next step 204, the printing capability set by the user is set, and the process is terminated.

  Note that the above settings may not be set. If not set, “None” is set as shown in FIG. The set execution condition may be transmitted to the print server 22 in advance, and the print server 22 may hold it.

  Thus, by setting the execution conditions by the user, it is possible to reduce time and effort for causing the printer to execute a print process desired by the user in on-demand printing.

  Next, the feasibility determination process (FIG. 6: step 106) will be described with reference to FIG. This process is executed by the print server 22.

  First, in step 301, print related information having the same request specific information as the execution specific information is extracted. This process is a process for extracting the same user ID of the user who is going to print with the printer 10 from the temporarily held user ID shown in FIG.

  In the next step 302, it is determined whether or not it has been extracted. If it has not been extracted, in step 310, the execution flag is turned off and the process is terminated.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the information has been extracted in step 302, in step 303, information corresponding to the printer identification information is extracted from the print related information extracted in step 301. The printer specifying information is information indicating the printer name and position.

  In the next step 304, it is determined whether or not it has been extracted. If it has not been extracted, in step 310, the execution flag is turned off and the process is terminated.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that it has been extracted in step 304, in step 305, information that matches the date and time information is extracted from the print related information extracted in step 303. The coincidence of the date and time information means that the current date and time match or are included in the date and time information set by the user. Here, the fact that the current date / time is included means that, for example, when the date / time set for the user is from 2 o'clock to 3 o'clock, the current date / time is included in this time zone.

  In the next step 306, it is determined whether or not it has been extracted. If it has not been extracted, in step 310, the execution flag is turned off and the process is terminated.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step 306 that it has been extracted, in step 307, the printing capability information that matches the printing-related information extracted in step 305 is extracted.

  In the next step 308, it is determined whether or not it has been extracted. If it has not been extracted, in step 310, the execution flag is turned off and the process is terminated.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step 308 that it has been extracted, in step 309 the execution flag is turned on and the process is terminated.

  In the extraction process described above, when the corresponding information is “none” (see FIG. 4), it may be extracted or may not be extracted. If it is extracted, a user who may print with an arbitrary printer 10 may set “None” when setting, so that the labor of setting processing can be reduced. On the other hand, if not extracted, even if the IC card is read by the card reader 11 of the printer 10 that the user does not want to print by mistake, the image is not printed.

  The result determined in the feasibility determination process will be specifically described with reference to FIG. The determination result shown in FIG. 9 indicates the determination result when the position of the printer 10 where the user whose user ID is fx2703 has read the IC card is Roppongi, 5F, and B meeting room.

  First, when extracting by the user ID, printing related information on the first, second, and fourth lines displayed in shaded areas is extracted as shown in the figure, but the current time when the IC card is read is extracted. The fourth line is not extracted because the time is not within the range of 10: 00-12: 00. Therefore, in this case, the printing related information in the first and second lines is extracted and printed.

  Of course, if the time when the IC card is read is 11:00, the fourth line is also extracted. Also, when a user with a user ID of fx2082 reads an IC card with a monochrome printer in the KSP 7F, 757 room, printing related information on lines 3 and 6 is extracted. In addition, if the printer 10 is located in a place other than the KSP 7F, 757 room, only the sixth line is extracted.

  The setting process (see FIG. 7) in the embodiment described above is realized by operating software installed in the PC 20. Specifically, this software is generally a printer driver, but as shown in FIG. 10, a configuration using a Web browser may be used.

  Specifically, the position information held in the print server 22 is dynamically acquired and displayed by the Web browser. An execution condition at the time of printing is set using the acquired position information, and a print file (document information or image information) is uploaded to the print server 22 to replace the printer driver. As a result, printing can be performed even on the PC 20 that is not equipped with a printer driver.

  The printer 10 to which this embodiment is applied is assumed to be a printer having a narrow display area, but may be applied to an image forming apparatus having a sufficient display area. In the case of an image forming apparatus having a sufficient display area, conventionally, the contents of a printing process to be printed are displayed using the display area, and the user selects from among them. By applying, it is possible to reduce the time and effort for the printer to execute the printing process desired by the user because the user does not have to select.

  Further, in the present embodiment, printing is possible only with the printer 10 that satisfies the execution condition, but printing may be performed even when the printer 10 does not satisfy the execution condition. In this case, a print process that satisfies the execution condition may be printed preferentially. In such a case, a print process that does not satisfy the execution condition is printed later.

  In addition, a condition indicating the priority order of the printing order may be added to the execution condition. Furthermore, when the user reads an IC card and prints it, it may be possible to select whether or not to print a print result report sheet in which a list of information related to printing that has not been printed is recorded. In this case, it is possible to grasp under what execution conditions the current print process is executed and the print related information for which printing has not been executed among a plurality of own print related information.

  Further, only one print server 22 according to the present embodiment is shown in FIG. 1, but a plurality of servers can be used by synchronizing the information shown in FIG. is there.

  In addition, the processing flow of each flowchart described above is an example, and the processing order may be changed, new steps may be added, or unnecessary steps may be deleted without departing from the gist of the present invention. Needless to say, you can.

1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a printing system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a printer. It is a figure which shows the hardware constitutions of PC and a print server. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating execution condition information, request specific information, and print processing information held by a print server. It is a figure which shows position information. It is a flowchart which shows a printing process. It is a flowchart which shows a setting process. It is a flowchart which shows an executable determination process. It is a figure which shows the result judged by the feasibility judgment process. It is a figure which shows the structural example using a web browser.

Explanation of symbols

10, 10A, 10B, 10C Printer 12, 40 CPU
13, 50 HDD
14, 44 RAM
15, 54 Communication I / F
16 ROM
17 Display unit 18 Operation input unit 20 PC
22 Print server 46 NVM
48 UI
52 Printer Engine

Claims (4)

A recording means for recording information;
Setting means for allowing the user to set execution conditions for executing the printing process requested by the user;
Associates execution condition information indicating the execution condition set by the setting means, request-time specifying information that is specific information for specifying the user, and print processing information indicating the content of the print processing requested by the user Information holding means for temporarily holding in the recording means,
A plurality of printing means each for printing an image on a recording medium by executing the printing process;
Specific information for specifying the user when the printing process requested by the user temporarily held by the information holding unit is executed by one of the plurality of printing units. Acquisition means for acquiring runtime specific information;
Execution time specific information acquired by the acquisition means, print execution determination information which is information to be compared with the execution condition information, the request time specific information held by the information holding means, and held by the information holding means Determination means for determining whether the printing process can be executed by the printing means based on the execution condition information and indicated by the print processing information held in association with the execution condition information by the information holding means;
Execution means for causing the printing means to execute a printing process determined to be executable by the determination means;
Having a printing system. The execution condition information includes printing capability information indicating the printing capability of the printing means, and identification information for identifying the printing unit, location information indicating a location at which the printing means is provided, the date and time information indicating the date and time The printing system according to claim 1, comprising at least one piece of information. The position information is information indicating a plurality of positions, and the position indicates a position including another position indicated by the position information or a position included in another position indicated by the position information. The printing system according to claim 2. A setting step for allowing the user to set execution conditions for executing the printing process requested by the user;
Associating execution condition information indicating the execution condition set in the setting step, request-time specifying information that is specific information for specifying the user, and print processing information indicating the content of the print processing requested by the user An information holding step for holding in a recording means for temporarily recording information,
The printing process requested by the user temporarily held by the information holding step is executed by one of a plurality of printing means for printing an image on a recording medium by executing the printing process. An acquisition step of acquiring runtime specific information which is specific information for specifying the user,
The execution time specific information acquired by the acquisition step, the print execution determination information which is information to be compared with the execution condition information, the request time specific information held by the information holding step, and the information holding step are recorded. A determination step for determining whether or not a printing process indicated by the printing process information held in association with the execution condition information by the information holding step can be executed by the printing unit based on the execution condition information;
An execution step of causing the printing means to execute a printing process determined to be executable by the determination step;
A printing program for causing a computer to execute a process including:

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