JP2003076518A - Printing system and print service server - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform printing by attributes in compliance with a user without receiving specification of attributes of the printing from the user. SOLUTION: A mobile terminal 2 browses a Web page which is provided by a Web server 1 and requests the printing of the browsed Web page to the Web server 1. The Web server 1 that receives the request prints the Web page the printing of which is requested by outputting it to a print server 3 or transmitting it to a facsimile machine 4. In this case, the Web server 1 obtains personal information of the user of the mobile terminal 2 and controls printing attributes such as magnification/reduction rates, contrast, brightness and presence/absence of chamfer printing in the print server 3 or the facsimile machine 4 according to the attributes which is determined from personal information.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention provides a printing system for printing various electronic documents on an electronic computer system,
The present invention relates to a technique for personalizing print attributes for each user.

[0003]

[Prior art]

[0004] The most common personal printing system for printing graphics, documents, and other electronic documents is a combination of a computer and a printer that processes the electronic documents. In addition to this, a system in which an electronic computer that processes an electronic document sends the electronic document to a facsimile device via a public line using a fax modem or the like and prints the personalized document is also used. It can be regarded as one of the systems.

[0005] By the way, control of printing attributes in such a printing system, such as enlargement / reduction, brightness, contrast, and imposition printing for printing a plurality of pages on one printing paper, is conventionally performed for each print job. This is performed by accepting attributes such as enlargement / reduction, brightness, contrast, and imposition printing from the user and controlling printing according to the attributes. For example, in printing using a printer, a printer driver that controls printing on an electronic computer allows a user to enlarge / reduce such individual print jobs.
It accepted attributes such as brightness, contrast, and imposition printing, and controlled printing.

[0006]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

[0007] According to the conventional printing attribute control technique,
This is complicated because the user has to specify various attributes one by one, and it is not always easy for an inexperienced user or the like to set the print attribute that is suitable for him / herself.

[0008] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to perform printing with an attribute according to the user without receiving the designation of the individual printing attribute from the user.

[0009] By the way, when browsing an Internet resource such as a Web page with a mobile terminal such as a PDA or a mobile phone terminal, it is inconvenient to browse because the display device included in the mobile terminal is small. Sometimes
In such cases, you may want to print and use the Web page you are browsing. However, in the past, even if there were printing devices such as printers and facsimiles on the go, they were used for printing from mobile terminals without the complicated work of directly connecting them to mobile terminals. You cannot do it.

[0010] Therefore, an object of the present invention is also to enable printing of Internet resources from a device such as a mobile terminal without directly connecting to a printing device such as a printer or a facsimile.

[0011]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

[0012] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has, for example, a correspondence table in which correspondences between values of personal information and values of print attributes are described, means for acquiring personal information of a user who requests printing, and acquired. Provided is a printing system having means for determining a value of a printing attribute according to a value of personal information and the correspondence table, and means for controlling printing according to a value of the determined printing attribute of a requested printing target. .

[0013] Here, as the personal information, for example, a user's age, occupation, sex, etc. can be used, and as the print attribute, any of enlargement / reduction, contrast, brightness, and imposition printing can be used. The attributes in printing can be used.

[0014] According to such a printing system, enlargement / reduction that is considered to be suitable for the user based on the characteristics of the user, such as age, occupation, and sex, without receiving the designation of individual printing attributes from the user. It becomes possible to determine printing attributes such as contrast, brightness, and imposition printing, and perform printing with the determined printing attributes.

[0015] Further, in order to achieve the above object, the present invention receives a request for printing an Internet resource including a designation of a printing device as a printing destination from a terminal device via the Internet, and a request for printing. There is provided a print service server comprising: a print processing unit that transmits print data of an Internet resource to a specified printing device via the Internet or a public line and prints the print data.

[0016] By providing such a print service server, Internet resources such as Web pages browsed by mobile terminals such as PDAs and mobile phone terminals, and printing devices such as the nearest printers and facsimiles at the destination, etc. It can be printed and used.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described.

First, the first embodiment will be described.

FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of a printing system according to this embodiment.

As shown in the figure, the printing system includes a Web server 1, a mobile terminal 2, a print server 3, and a facsimile device 4. The mobile terminal 2 and the print server 3 are connected to the Internet (The internet) 5, and a facsimile is provided. Device 4
Is connected to the public communication network 6, and the Web server 1 is connected to both the Internet 5 and the public communication network 6.

[0022] In such a configuration, the mobile terminal 2 browses a web page provided by the web server 1 and requests the web server 1 to print the browsed web page. Upon receiving the request, the Web server 1 outputs the Web page requested to be printed to the print server 3 for printing, or transmits the Web page to the facsimile apparatus 4 for printing. At this time, the Web server 1 obtains the personal information of the user of the mobile terminal 2, and according to the user's attributes determined from the personal information, the enlargement / reduction ratio, contrast, brightness,
Control print attributes such as imposition printing.

The details of such a printing system will be described below.

First, FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the Web server 1.

As shown in the figure, the Web server 1 according to the present embodiment includes a Web server unit 11 and a print service server unit 12, and the Web server 1 stores Web pages and various contents provided via the Internet 5. The print service server unit 12 includes a print job reception unit 121 and a print processing unit 122.
It has a print client unit 123, a facsimile transmission unit 124, a print job table 125, and a print attribute determination table 126. However, the Web server 1 is an electronic computer system, and the above units are realized by reading a computer program supplied via a storage medium or a communication path into the electronic computer system and executing the computer program.

The Web server 1 is, for example, ASP (Active
Server Page), JSP (Java Server Page) / Servlet, and other server-side scripts are embedded in the Web server. The print service server unit 12 is, for example, COM +,
It is a Web application server that executes application processes constructed by EJB (Java Enterprise Beens). In addition, ASP (Active Server Page), JSP (J
ava Server Page) / Servlet, COM +, EJB (Java Enterpris
e Beens) are trademarks.

[0027] Next, the mobile terminal 2 is a normal PDA or mobile phone in which a general Web browser is incorporated.

The operation of the printing system will be described below with reference to the sequence diagram shown in FIG.

[0029] First, the user uses the web browser of the mobile terminal 2 to access the web server 1 via the Internet 5 (301), and the web server unit 11 provides (30).
2) Browse web pages.

Here, as shown in FIG. 4, a “remote output” button 40 is displayed on each web page provided by the web server unit 11.
1 and an “add to output” button 402 are provided.

When the user selects the “add to output” button 402 on the web page being browsed, the web browser of the mobile terminal 2 follows the script described in the web page and identifies the web page being browsed. Additional request including W
It is issued to the eb server 1 (303).

The web server unit 11 that has received the addition request prints the print target addition request together with the identifier of the received web page, the data of the web page indicated by the identifier, and the session number of the session being performed for this user. It is issued to the service server unit 12 (304).

The management of the session for each user is performed as follows, for example.

First, the Web server unit 11 generates a new session number when a new access is made by the user, and manages it as session information. And the session
Set the cookie that describes the ID on the mobile terminal 2 and
This cookie is read every time the access is made, and the session to which the access belongs is recognized. Web server unit 11
For a session that has not been accessed for a certain period or more, releases session information and notifies the print service server unit 12 of the session number of the opened session.

Here, in FIG. 5A, the print job table 125 is shown.
The contents of the print job information 501 stored in FIG. As illustrated, the print job information 501 includes a processing flag, a session number, output destination information, personal information, and output data, and the output data includes one or a plurality of web page identifiers and data.

The print job receiving unit 121 of the print service server unit 12 that has received the print target addition request has print job information 501 of the session number of which the processing flag is notified during processing in the print job table 125. If it does not exist, new print job information 501 for the notified session number is generated in the print job table 125, and the in-process flag of the generated print job information 501 is being processed. Set and store the received web page identifier and web page data in the output data. If the print job information 501 of the session number of which the processing in progress flag has been notified is present in the print job table 125, does the print job information 501 already store the identifier of the received Web page? If it is not stored, the identifier of the received web page and the data of the web page are stored in the output data. If the received web page identifier is already stored in the output data, the process ends.

Similarly, when the user selects the “Add to output” button 402 on the web page being browsed while moving the web page, the data of the web page is printed as the session number of this user. Job information 50
1 is added (305 to 308).

[0038] Next, the user moves the Web page (309,
310), when the "remote output" button 401 is selected on the web page being browsed, the web browser of the mobile terminal 2 includes the identifier of the web page being browsed according to the script described in the web page. A designation completion request is issued to the Web server 1 (311).

[0039] The Web server unit 11 that receives the designation completion request prints the print target addition request together with the received Web page identifier, the Web page data indicated by the identifier, and the session number of the session being performed for this user. It is issued to the service server unit 12 (312). The print job receiving unit 121 of the print service server unit 12 that has received the print job start request operates as described above.

On the other hand, the Web server unit 11 that has received the designation completion request
Sends the personal information input page shown in FIG. 6 to the mobile terminal 2 (313) and displays it on the Web browser.

As shown in the figure, in this personal information input page,
Inputs such as the type of output destination device, output destination address, user name, gender, age, occupation, etc. are accepted. Here, a facsimile or print server 3 is accepted as the type of the output destination device. Also, as the output destination address, when the output destination device is the facsimile apparatus 4, its telephone number is designated, and when it is the print server 3, its URL or the like is designated. When the user wants to print and use the Web page on the go, the user specifies the facsimile device 4 or the print server 3 installed at the go on the personal information input page, and uses the personal information as the personal information. Enter the information. On the other hand, when the user wants to send the printed matter of the Web page to a friend or the like, the user designates the friend's facsimile device 4 or the print server 3 and inputs the friend's information as personal information.

[0042] Now, when the user completes the input to the personal information input page and selects the output button, the web browser of the mobile terminal 2 follows the script described in the web page and outputs the output request including the input information. Is issued to the Web server 1 (314).

Upon receiving the output request, the Web server unit 11 outputs the received information and the job start request accompanied by the session number of this user to the print service server unit 12 (315).

The print job receiving unit 121 of the print service server unit 12 that receives the job start request uses the type of the output destination device and the output destination address received in the print job information 501 of the received session number as the output destination information. The name, sex, age, and occupation of the user that has been stored and received are stored as personal information, the processing flag is set to processed, and the print processing unit 122 internally stores a job queue,
A link to this print job information 501 is queued in.

The print processing unit 122 sequentially takes out the links queued in the internal job queue and processes the print information indicated by the links.

That is, first, personal information is extracted from the print information, and the print attribute determination table 126 is referenced to enlarge / enlarge.
The print attributes such as reduction ratio, contrast, brightness, and whether imposition printing is performed are determined.

In the print attribute table, as shown in FIG.
Expansion / contraction rate for each combination of age, occupation, and gender,
It is previously described how to set the contrast, the brightness, and the presence / absence of imposition printing. That is, in the print attribute table, for example, a web page is enlarged and printed for an elderly person or a child with high contrast, or an engineer prints two pages by imposition printing on one sheet of printing paper. It defines the attributes.

[0048] After the print attribute is determined, the print processing unit 122 then refers to the output destination information of the print information, and outputs the print data for printing each Web page in the print job information according to the determined print attribute. Create in the language / data format according to the output device.

[0049] Here, when there is no designation of the width direction in the Web page, the print width of A4 is set as the width of the standard Web page, and the enlargement / reduction / imposition according to the print attribute defined in this is performed. Make the created print data. In addition, the printing paper is always A4 and print data is created.

When the print processing unit 122 creates the print data and the output destination information of the print information indicates that the output destination device is the print server 3, the print processing unit 122 prints the print data on the print client unit 123. When the information output destination information indicates that the output destination device is the facsimile apparatus 4, the print data and the output destination address in the output destination information of the print information are passed to the facsimile transmission unit 124, and output is performed. Give instructions.

The print client that has received the instruction connects to the print server 3 of the URL indicated by the received output destination address via the Internet 5, transmits print data and requests printing, and the print server 3 responds to the request. Printing is performed (316). On the other hand, the facsimile transmission unit 124 that has received the instruction calls the telephone number indicated by the output destination address received via the public line, connects to the facsimile apparatus 4, transmits print data, and the facsimile apparatus 4 receives the received print. The data is printed (317).

[0052] As a result, as shown in Fig. 7a, according to the personal information of the user of the mobile terminal 2, the A4 width is W for two pages.
The eb page 701 is printed on a single A4 printing sheet 702, or as shown in FIG.
The page 703 is increased in contrast and enlarged, and printed on two A4 printing sheets 704.

[0053] The first embodiment of the present invention has been described above.

In the above embodiment, the printing of the Web page is shown as an example, but this is an image or any other document that can be used by the user via the Internet 5,
It can be similarly applied to the printing of Internet 5 resources. In the above description, the input of personal information from the user is accepted for each printing.
b If the personal information of the user is registered in advance on the server 1 and the printing information is instructed by the user, the personal information registered for the user is used to determine the printing attribute. good. Further, in the above, the user has instructed the print target on the Web page to be printed or a menu for instructing the print is provided, but this is different from the frame in which the Web page to be printed is displayed. It may be provided in a frame or another control window provided from the Web server 1, or the mobile terminal 2
The menu may be provided on the Web browser side of.

[0055] Further, although the case where a plurality of Web pages are printed has been described above, in the present printing system, a single
Only the Web page may be printed, and in this case, the “add to output” button 402 and the processing related thereto are unnecessary.

[0056] Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0057] In the second embodiment, the Web is used in the first embodiment.
The web server 1 that provides the pages controls the printing to the facsimile device 4 and the print server 3, but the print service server 7 that is provided separately from the web server 1 that provides the web pages provides the facsimile device 4 and the print. The printing of the server 3 is controlled.

FIG. 8 shows the configuration of the printing system according to the second embodiment.

As shown in the figure, the printing system includes a Web server 1, a mobile terminal 2, a print service server 7, a print server 3, and a facsimile device 4, and the mobile terminal 2, the print server 3, and the Web server 1 are the Internet. 5, the facsimile device 4 is connected to the public communication network 6, and the print service server 7 is connected to both the Internet 5 and the public communication network 6.

Further, the print service server 7 includes a print job receiving unit 121, a print processing unit 122, a print client unit 123, a facsimile transmission unit 124, a print job table 125, and a print attribute determination table 126. , The mobile terminal 2, OS 201, Web browser 202,
It has a print service client unit 203 and a print target table 204.

Hereinafter, the operation of such a printing system will be described with reference to the sequence diagram shown in FIG.

While the user is browsing the web page using the web browser 202 (901, 902), as shown in FIG.
When the “add to output” command 1001 added to the menu of the web browser 202 is selected, the print service client unit acquires the URL of the web page being browsed and adds it to the print target table 204. Since then, the user has
"Add to output" command 1001 while moving page
When is selected, the URL of the web page is added to the print target table 204.

[0063] While the user is browsing the web page using the web browser 202 (903, 904), the "output" command 10 added to the menu of the web browser 202 is displayed.
If 02 is selected, if the URL of the web page being browsed is not registered in the print target table 204, this is added, and then an output request request accompanied by the URL of the web page registered in the print target table 204 is added. To the print service server 7 (905).

[0064] The print job receiving unit 121 of the print service server 7 that receives the output request request receives the URL of the received Web page.
Is stored as output data, print job information in which a processing flag is set during processing is generated and stored in the print job table 125, and a personal information input page similar to that shown in FIG. To (906),
It is displayed on the print service client unit 203. Here, this print information is the same as that shown in FIG. 5a in the first embodiment.

Then, when the user completes the input to the personal information input page and selects the output button, the print service client unit 203 issues an output request including the input information to the print service server 7 (907).

The print job receiving unit 121 of the print service server 7 that has received the output request stores the output destination information and the personal information in the print job information generated earlier, and stores the output information in the print information job information as output data. URL of each web page
Is rewritten to the data of the Web page read from the URL via the Internet 5 (908 to 911), the processing flag is set to processed, and the print queue is stored in the job queue provided in the print processing unit 122. Queue in the link.

Hereinafter, operations of the print processing unit 122, the print client unit 123, and the facsimile transmission unit 124 are performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment (912, 913).

The second embodiment of the present invention has been described above.

[0069] In the above description, printing is performed from the mobile terminal 2.
The URL of the web page was sent to the print service server 7, the data of the web page of the URL was read by the print service server 7 and used for printing. This is because the data of the web page to be printed from the mobile terminal is directly printed by the print service server. You may send it to. Further, in the above, the print service server 7 sends the personal information input page to the mobile terminal 2 and accepts the input of the information of the output destination and the personal information.
The personal information input page may be independently displayed when 02 is selected, various information may be input, and a print request may be issued to the print service server 7 together with the input information. Alternatively, the mobile terminal 2 may receive and hold input of personal information or the like in advance, and the personal information or the like may be transmitted to the print service server 7 using the input.

[0070] Also, in the second embodiment mobile phone, as in the first embodiment, in the second embodiment mobile phone, an image other than a web page, an arbitrary document that can be used by the user via the Internet 5, The same applies to printing of Internet resources. In addition, more than one We
Although the case of printing page b has been described, only a single web page may be printed in this printing system. In this case, the "add to output" command 1
001 and the processing related thereto are unnecessary.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above.

[0072] Note that the above-described technique of determining the printing attribute based on the personal information can be similarly applied to the printing not involving the Web server 1 or the print service server 7 as described above.

[0073] For example, simply, by accepting the input of the personal information in the printer driver of the electronic computer, or by reading the personal information file of the user which is set in the printer driver and held on the electronic computer,
Various print attributes may be determined according to the personal information to control printing on the printer. The same applies to the case of facsimile transmission, in which the personal information is input by the facsimile software, or the personal information file of the user, which is preset by the facsimile software and stored on the computer, is read, According to the above, various print attributes may be determined to generate an output image, and the output image may be transmitted to the facsimile.

[0074]

【The invention's effect】

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to perform printing with the attribute according to the user without receiving the designation of the individual printing attribute from the user. Further, according to the present invention, it becomes possible to print Internet resources from a device such as a mobile terminal without directly connecting to a printing device such as a printer or a facsimile.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a printing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a Web server according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram illustrating an operation example of the printing system according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a Web page to be printed according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the contents of print job information used in the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a personal information input page used in the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an operation example of print attributes of the printing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a printing system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram illustrating an operation example of the printing system according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a web browser menu according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1; Web server, 2; Mobile terminal, 3 print server,
4; Facsimile device, 5; Internet, 6; Public communication network, 7; Print service server, 11; Web server unit, 12; Print service server unit, 111; Internet resource storage unit, 121; Print job receiving unit, 12
2; print processing unit, 123; print client unit, 1
24: facsimile transmission unit, 125; print job table, 126; print attribute determination table, 201; OS, 2
02; Web browser, 203; Print service client section, 204; Print target table

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A correspondence table describing correspondence between values of personal information and values of print attributes, means for acquiring personal information of a user who requests printing, and printing according to the acquired values of personal information and the correspondence table. A printing system comprising: a means for determining an attribute value; and a means for controlling printing according to the determined print attribute value of a requested printing target. 2. The printing system according to claim 1, wherein the personal information includes one of a user's age, occupation, and gender, and the print attribute is enlargement / reduction, contrast, brightness, imposition printing. A printing system including an attribute in any one of printing. 3. From a terminal device via the Internet,
A means for receiving a request to print an Internet resource that includes the designation of the printing device of the printing destination, and the print data of the Internet resource that has received the print request is transmitted to the designated printing device via the Internet or a public line and printed. A print service server comprising a print processing unit. 4. The print service server according to claim 3, wherein the correspondence table describing the correspondence between the value of the personal information and the value of the print attribute and the personal information of the user of the terminal device requesting printing are acquired. A print processing means for determining print attribute values according to the acquired personal information values and the correspondence table, and generating the print data according to the determined print attribute values. Service server. 5. The print service server according to claim 4, wherein the personal information includes one of a user's age, occupation, and gender, and the print attributes are enlargement / reduction, contrast, brightness, and imposition. A printing system characterized by including an attribute in any one of printing. 6. The print service server according to claim 3, 4 or 5, wherein the printing device is a facsimile machine. 7. The print service server according to claim 3, 4, 5, or 6, wherein the Internet resource is a Web page accessed by the terminal device via the Internet or content included in the Web page. A print service server characterized by: 8. A computer program which is read and executed by an electronic computer, wherein the computer program prints a correspondence table in which correspondences between values of personal information and values of printing attributes are described on the computer. A means for acquiring the personal information of the requesting user, a means for determining the value of the acquired personal information and the value of the print attribute according to the correspondence table, and a control of printing by the value of the determined print attribute of the requested print target. Computer program forming means. 9. A computer-readable storage medium storing the computer program according to claim 8.