JP2000330734A - Network printing method and network printing system using the method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To eliminate the problem on being restricted by a firewall between a client and a server and to permit dynamic remote printing all the time in the case of exchanging a print job in remote printing through a network. SOLUTION: This system is provided with a workstation 100 which sets a printer 103 to be charged with printing, a means 101 which converts data related to print into a language corresponding to the set printer 103, also formats the relevant data and a print job request including information related to the set printer 103 into a format that can be recognized by a server 102 corresponding to an HTTP and supplies it and the server 102 that decides whether or not the supplied request is a print job request and transmits a print job including the data to the set printer 103 in the case it is a print job request.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a network printing system for transmitting various documents from a certain workstation to a printer via a network by using a server corresponding to a communication protocol such as HTTP and performing printing. Methods and systems are provided.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the advance of computer technology, it has been expected that a paperless environment will be improved. However, with the progress of networking and the improvement of network processing capacity, the need for remote users to receive documents has increased, and in recent years printers can be obtained at relatively low prices. At present, the number of opportunities to print documents is rather increasing. Currently, there is no international standard for technology for printing on such a remote printer (remote printer), but a method for quickly and efficiently printing a document on a remote printer (remote printing) has been realized. Is essential.

Here, if remote printing is performed using a special dedicated line, an increase in price is unavoidable due to the usage fee of the dedicated line, and accessing a remote printer by dial-up involves the cost of the telephone line itself. Things.

On the other hand, various services can be provided through a network, but in a network environment, users share available resources such as a file server and peripheral devices (for example, a printer).

In the existing remote printing method via a network, when a print job is sent and received,
There may be some restrictions due to the presence of a firewall between the client and server (a system that prevents unauthorized access to or from the private network).

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a system including a server and a client that support protocols such as HTTP, and to enable dynamic remote printing at any time.
The focus is on maximizing the benefits of HTTP, the protocol used in (WWW).

The present invention has been made in view of the fact that there are very few printing standards, especially for remote printing. Also, HTT
The purpose of the present invention is to provide a wide printing method by extending the function of the P server.

[0008]

For this purpose, the present invention provides:
What is claimed is: 1. A network printing method for performing printing using a printer connected to a network, comprising the steps of: setting a printer to be printed by using a workstation; and transmitting data relating to printing to the set printer. The print job request including the data and the information about the set printer is converted into a language, and the print job request corresponding to a predetermined communication protocol is recognized by a server which provides a service for the request supplied through the network. Formatting the data to the server, and determining whether the supplied request is the print job request in the server.If the request is the print job request, the print job including the data is transmitted to the server. Configuration A step of sending to the printer that is characterized in that comprises a.

The method further includes a step of communicating with the server in the set printer and executing printing of the transmitted print job.

A spooling step for spooling data relating to printing at the workstation;
The supplying step can take out the spooled data and perform the conversion.

Further, the present invention relates to a network printing system for performing printing using a printer connected to a network, wherein the workstation for setting a printer to be printed is provided, and the data relating to printing is stored in the workstation. The server converts the print job request including the data and the information on the set printer into a format recognizable by a server corresponding to a predetermined communication protocol, while converting the print job request into a language corresponding to the set printer. Means for supplying to the predetermined communication protocol, a server for providing a service for a request supplied via a network, and when the supplied request is the print job request, the server transmits the data. Including print jobs The is characterized in that comprises a a server to be sent to the set printer.

In the above-described network printing method or system, a step or means for presenting a list of available printers via the workstation and permitting selection when setting the printer can be provided.

[0013] The method may further include a step or means for notifying the status of the print job via the workstation after sending the print job,
Further, the notification may include information related to the print job, including the number of print pages.

Further, the present invention resides in a storage medium in which a control program for executing any one of the above network printing methods by a computer is recorded.

[0015] In addition, the present invention is used in any of the above network print systems and includes means for communicating with the server via the network, and means for executing printing of the transmitted print job. In a printer equipped with.

In addition, the present invention is a computer used in any one of the above-described network printing systems, the computer functioning as a network server for providing a service for a request supplied via a network. And a means for sending a print job including the data to the set printer if the request is the print job request.

The predetermined communication protocol used in the above network printing method or system is preferably HTTP, and is used to determine how messages are formatted and transmitted, and to allow various web servers and browsers to communicate. It defines what works to respond to commands. If the HTTP server is used at the time of transmitting the print job request, the problem relating to the firewall can be eliminated.

Further, the processing speed is higher than that of an existing protocol. With this in mind, the method of the present invention can be effectively applied to processes related to other devices (eg, scanners).

[0019]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention,
1 shows a configuration example of a remote printing system using a server corresponding to P, in which a workstation 100, a printer agent 101, an HTTP server 102, and a remote printer 103 are connected via a network.

Here, as the workstation 100, any form of computer connected to or connectable to a network can be used. For example, a computer body having a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, a hard disk, a network interface, and the like, an input device having a pointing device such as a mouse in addition to a keyboard, and a personal computer having a display device such as a CRT or an LCD can be used. And The workstation 100 preferably includes a client process that accepts a job from a user and provides information to a printer agent 101 for a print job request.

Then, the printer agent 101
Preferably, the print job spooled by the client process is accessed. Specifically, the printer agent 101 is a process that operates in the background to perform a predetermined operation, in particular, a response to a predetermined event on a print job request.

The HTTP server 102 is a computer on a network that performs management and service for an HTTP request from a client process. When an HTTP request is received, the HTTP server 102 does not execute any task other than the task corresponding to the HTTP request. Is preferred. Also, the remote printer 103
Preferably includes a printing function and a network interface card.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of a remote printing process performed by the system shown in FIG.

When this procedure is started, step S20
At 0, the user first looks for a valid remote printer 103 with the desired location and capabilities. In doing so, the print provider can provide a list of available remote printers 103. And
The lookup can be performed by scanning the print provider's offer list for the remote printer 103 using a standard lookup process (eg, LDAP). Also, through that lookup,
The user can also obtain information about the location of the remote printer 103 and the setting environment. In this way, the user finds an appropriate remote printer 103 while referring to the list provided by the print provider,
You can set this.

Next, in step S201, the user submits a print job to the workstation 100 via the client process. In response, in step S202, the client process creates data and control files in the spool directory on the hard disk. Here, the data file includes a document to be printed by the remote printer 103. Further, the control file can include information (for example, a job name) related to the print job.

Next, the client process proceeds to step S
At 203, the workstation 100 notifies the printer agent 101 that there is a job to be printed.

In response to the notification that the print job has been submitted, the printer agent 101 extracts the data and control file from the spool directory in step S204. Then, in step S205, based on the extracted information, print data is created using a page description language (PDL) that can be translated by the remote printer 103.

Here, the page description language (PDL) is
This is a language for describing the layout and contents of pages to be printed. Printer control languages supported by the remote printer 103 include, for example, WPL (Tokyo Denshi Design Co., Ltd.), LIPS (Canon Inc.), Po
stScript (Adobe Systems), PCL (Hewlett-Packard)
Print data can be created using a page description language such as these.

Next, in step S206, the printer agent 101 formats the print job request according to, for example, TCP / IP, and gives the request to the HTTP server 102. The print job request includes the print data and the remote printer 1 to be used.
03 and the required information about HTTP
It can be recognized by the server 102.

Upon receiving the request, step S20
At 7, the HTTP server 102 determines whether the request is a normal HTTP request or a print job request. If the request is an HTTP request, in step S208, the HTTP server 1
02 functions as a web server and executes a service corresponding to the request. On the other hand, if the request is a print job request received from the printer agent 101, the request is validated in step S209, and the request is transmitted to the remote printer 103 using an application protocol such as telnet or FTP.

The remote printer 103 determines in step S2
At 10, a print job request is received via a printer interface (I / F). Printer I /
F is a print job processing and HTTP server 102
Is responsible for communication with the HTTP server 102
When the communication between the printer and the printer I / F is completed, step S2
At 11, a print operation for the current print job is performed.

On the other hand, the HTTP server 102 determines in step S
At 212, the status of the print job (transmission state, ie, job completion, occurrence of an error, etc.) is notified to the user via e-mail notification of the print provider, for example, by SMTP. Then, in step S213, based on the e-mail notification from the print provider,
A log file is created on the P server 102. The log file can include information (for example, the number of printed pages, billing information, and the like) related to the previously printed job.

A series of remote printing processes is completed as described above. In this embodiment, the HTTP server 102 having a function of receiving a print job and switching a request to a remote printer is used. That is, the HTTP server 10 of the present embodiment
2 accepts connections from remote workstations via TCP / IP. By extending the function of the HTTP server in this way, it is possible to expand the range of remote printing.

In this embodiment, the client process can accept a print job from the workstation 100. That is, when a print job is submitted to the user, the client process creates data and control files in the spool directory and provides the printer agent 101 with information relating to the print request. The printer agent 101 translates the information reproduced from the control and data files and formats it so that the HTTP server 102 can recognize it. The printer agent 101 sends a print job request to the HTTP server 1
02, the HTTP server 102 validates the request and sends it to the remote printer 103 for printing. As described above, the transmission of the print job from the client to the remote printer becomes clear, and the print job can be transmitted through the firewall as it is.

That is, the remote printing process of the present embodiment can eliminate the problem caused by the existence of the firewall. This is because messages conforming to HTTP can pass through most firewalls, and there is no need to specifically configure the firewall environment. Therefore, through the remote printing process according to the present embodiment, the remote printer can be easily accessed as if it were a local printer. Thus, other operations related to printing (eg, canceling a print job, etc.) can also be provided to the remote printer.

The remote printing process described above is useful for any situation or organization where it is necessary to transmit data from one location to another for printing. This is because the transmission cost is low and an administrator for setting the environment of the remote printer is not required.

This embodiment further differs from any existing remote printing method in that a print provider that provides a list of available remote printers and an e-mail notification including the status of the print job or necessary information about the print job is provided. The configuration for use makes it more useful. That is,
This is because the user can easily select a remote printer, and can easily grasp the progress of remote printing, the number of print pages, and billing information.

FIG. 3 shows a display example of a printer list that can be displayed on the workstation 100. This is Figure 2
And can be used particularly when selecting a remote printer related to step S200 or presenting the status and information of a print job related to steps S212 and S213. In the illustrated example, an area 701 for inputting or displaying a document name to specify a document to be printed and a type of the document (text only, image only,
Or an area 702 for inputting or displaying a size and a size, a field 703 for specifying or displaying the number of pages to be printed, a table 704 for a printer list, and a print list. And an area 705 for displaying information about the job.

The table 704 includes a printer list area 711 and an area 7 indicating its position (location).
12, an area 713 indicating the performance of each printer (a printing method such as a laser beam or an ink jet, as well as a resolution, etc. may be displayed in addition to a full color printer or a monochrome printer, etc.), and a connection state of each printer to a network (E.g. no connection due to power off)
714 for indicating selection, area 71 for inputting selection information
5, and an area 716 for displaying the status of the print job (print completed, outputting, waiting for retransmission of sending notification, waiting for output, etc.).

For input corresponding to the above display, check boxes can be appropriately used as shown in FIG. In a column indicating a status or the like, the display color may be changed according to the display content.

The processes executed by the workstation 100, the printer agent 101, the HTTP server 102, and the remote printer 103 (steps S200 to S203, steps S204 to S206, steps S207 to S209 and S212, S213,
Steps S210 and S211), and a process used by the print provider when providing the printer list and the print job status, etc., uses a medium recording software program codes for realizing the functions of the present embodiment as a system or network controller. The functions of the present embodiment are also realized by supplying to a computer or individual workstations and network printers, and having a main control unit thereof read out a program code stored in a storage medium and executing the program. .

However, in some cases, the functions of the present embodiment are realized by a part of or all of the actual processing performed by a workstation or an operating system running on a network based on the instructions of the program code. included. Also, after the program code is written in the memory provided on the function expansion board or function expansion unit added to the workstation, the CPU or the like provided on the function expansion board or function expansion unit is actually operated based on the instruction of the program code. The functions of the present embodiment may be realized by performing a part or all of the above processing.

In these cases, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the function according to the technical idea of the present invention, and the present invention also resides in the storage medium storing the program code. As a storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, various forms of magnetic disk, optical disk, IC card, ROM, and the like can be used.

Further, each process may be realized as software on workstations on the sender side and the receiver side, or may be partially realized by hardware.

In addition, the above embodiments are merely examples,
Needless to say, appropriate modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention described in the claims.

[0047]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Using a server compatible with HTTP or the like to which a function of receiving a print job and switching a request to a remote printer is added, and extending the function to accept a connection for remote printing from a remote workstation, the function of remote printing can be realized. It is possible to increase the width. In addition, the transmission of the print job from the client to the remote printer becomes clear and transparent, and the problem caused by the existence of the firewall can be eliminated, so that the remote printer can be easily accessed as if it were a local printer. Further, a system with higher operability can be realized by providing a list of available remote printers, the status of the print job, or necessary information on the print job.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a remote printing system using a server that supports HTTP according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a remote printing process performed by the system of FIG. 1;

3 is an explanatory diagram showing a display example of a printer list that can be displayed on a workstation 100 through the remote printing process of FIG. 2;

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 100 workstation 101 printer agent 102 HTTP server 103 remote (remote) printer

Claims (15)

[Claims] 1. A network printing method for performing printing using a printer connected to a network, comprising the steps of: setting a printer to be used for printing by using a work station; Server that converts the print job request including the data and the information about the set printer into a language corresponding to the specified printer and provides a service for the request supplied via the network in accordance with a predetermined communication protocol. Formatting the data into a recognizable format and supplying the data to the server; and determining whether the supplied request is the print job request by the server. Including print jobs Sending the print job to the set printer. 2. The network printing method according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined communication protocol is HTTP. 3. The network printing method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of presenting a list of available printers via the workstation and allowing selection when setting the printer. . 4. The network printing method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of notifying a status of the print job via the workstation after sending the print job. 5. The network printing method according to claim 1, wherein the notification includes information related to a print job including a print page number. 6. The network according to claim 5, further comprising a step of spooling data relating to printing at the workstation, wherein the supplying step extracts the spooled data and performs the conversion. Printing method. 7. The network according to claim 1, further comprising a step of communicating with the server in the set printer and executing printing of the transmitted print job. Printing method. 8. A computer according to claim 1, wherein said computer is a computer.
A storage medium storing a control program for executing the network printing method according to any one of the above. 9. A network printing system for performing printing using a printer connected to a network, comprising: a workstation for setting a printer to be printed; and a printer for setting data relating to printing. Means for converting the print job request including the data and the information on the set printer into a format recognizable by a server corresponding to a predetermined communication protocol, and supplying the print job request to the server in a language compatible with the server. A server that provides a service for a request supplied via a network in accordance with the predetermined communication protocol, and when the supplied request is the print job request, transmits a print job including the data. Said set A network print system, comprising: a server for sending to a printer. 10. The predetermined communication protocol is HTTP.
10. The network print system according to claim 9, wherein: 11. The network according to claim 9, further comprising a means for presenting a list of available printers via the workstation and allowing selection when setting up the printer. Printing system. 12. The network according to claim 9, further comprising means for notifying a status of the print job via the workstation after sending the print job from the server. Printing system. 13. The network print system according to claim 12, wherein the notification includes information related to a print job including a print page number. 14. A means for use in the network print system according to claim 9, wherein said means for communicating with said server via said network, and means for executing printing of said sent print job. A printer characterized by comprising: 15. A computer which is used in the network print system according to claim 9 and which functions as a network server for providing a service for a request supplied via a network, wherein the computer receives the print job request. And a means for sending a print job including the data to the set printer when the request is the print job request.