Printing system and method

Abstract

Aspects of non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a technique in which even a printing apparatus that does not support a specific cloud print service can flexibly realize printing by cooperating with another cloud print service by a special printing method for the specific cloud print service.SOLUTION: The print system includes a storage that manages print data for each user, receives a second request related to printing from a client terminal according to acquisition of configuration information of a second printing apparatus that is a printing target in the client terminal, and transmits print data corresponding to a user who instructs the second request to the other print system that manages the second printing apparatus in order to cause the second printing apparatus that can be specified by the configuration information to perform a printing process.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a print service provided using cloud computing technology. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, cloud print services that allow print jobs to be submitted via the cloud and sent to a printing device have become popular (Patent Document 1). In such printing systems, an administrator first registers information about the printing device with the cloud print service to which the administrator belongs. Next, the administrator sets which users are permitted to use the printing device. Users permitted to use the printing device submit print jobs to the cloud print service from their client terminals. The cloud print service stores the received print jobs in storage. The printing device retrieves and prints the print jobs stored in the cloud print service. Examples of cloud print services include Google Cloud Print (registered trademark), Microsoft Hybrid Cloud Print (registered trademark), and Uniflow Online (registered trademark).

[0003] In an enterprise environment, client terminals from multiple OS vendors (e.g., Windows® OS, macOS® OS, Chrome® OS, etc.) are used. Furthermore, the use of cloud platforms has become widespread in recent years, with an increasing number of cases in which a single company uses multiple different cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, Google Cloud Platform, etc.). Furthermore, there are also increasing cases in which each cloud platform provides a cloud print service to users so that users can easily print. In this case, multiple cloud print services (e.g., cloud print services A to C) coexist. When multiple cloud print services coexist, administrators have to spend a lot of time and effort registering printing device information to the multiple cloud print services and performing maintenance. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-133489 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In such an environment, for a printing device to support multiple cloud print services, it must incorporate communication and control functions to properly receive print jobs from each cloud print service. However, depending on the release date of the printing device or the manufacturer of the printing device, printing from a specific cloud print service may not be supported. A printing device may also not be supported by a specific cloud print service due to some of the hardware or capabilities required for the print service or the functionality provided by the software. This has led to the problem of printing devices being unable to be used with a specific cloud print service.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a method for enabling flexible printing even with such a printing device by linking with another cloud print service using a special printing method for a specific cloud print service. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention is a printing system that can cooperate with another printing system, characterized in that it comprises: a storage that manages printing data for each user; a first receiving means that receives a first request for printing from a first printing device; a first sending means that sends printing data corresponding to the user who instructed the first request to the first printing device so that the first printing device can process the printing; a second receiving means that receives a second request for printing from a client terminal in accordance with acquisition by the client terminal of configuration information of a second printing device to be printed on; and a second sending means that sends printing data corresponding to the user who instructed the second request to the other printing system that manages the second printing device so that the second printing device can process the printing, the second printing device being identified by the configuration information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, even if a printing device does not support a specific cloud print service, flexible printing can be achieved by linking with another cloud print service using a special printing method for the specific cloud print service. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a printing system. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an apparatus according to the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a software configuration of a CPS. [Figure 4] 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of printer registration processing and printing processing for the CPS 104. FIG. [Figure 5] 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a printer registration process and a cooperation process in an external CPS. FIG. [Figure 6] 10 is an example of a screen displayed on an operation unit of a client terminal. [Figure 7] 10 is an example of a screen displayed on an operation unit of a client terminal. [Figure 8]This is to explain an example of user information stored in the server that provides the CPS 104. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a printing process when printing is performed by the MFP 107. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a printing process when printing is performed by the MFP 108. [Figure 11] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of attribute information included in a print job. [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a process related to print control in the CPS 104. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a printing system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 14] 10 is an example of a screen displayed on an operation unit of a client terminal according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The following describes embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention as claimed, and not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the invention.

[0011] First Embodiment First, the configuration of a printing system according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

[0012] The printing system according to this embodiment includes MFPs (Multi Function Peripherals) 107 to 108, client terminals 101 to 103, and cloud print services (hereinafter also referred to as CPS) 104 to 106. The client terminals 101 to 103 are shown as PCs or mobile terminals, but are not limited to these.

[0013] The MFPs 107 and 108 have a scanning function that transmits data based on an image obtained by scanning using a scanner to an external device, a printing function that prints an image on a sheet such as paper based on a print job received from an external device, and a copying function. The MFPs 107 and 108 can also receive and print a print job via a supported cloud print service. While the present embodiment illustrates an MFP with multiple functions as an example of a printing device, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a single-function SFP (Single Function Peripheral) with only a printing function may also be used. Furthermore, the present embodiment illustrates printing on a sheet such as paper as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention can also be applied to print control in 3D printing, which produces a three-dimensional object based on three-dimensional shape data.

[0014] The printing system of this embodiment is assumed to be operated in a manner that allows printing devices (CPSs) to output printed materials using the MFP 107.

[0015] To achieve this type of operation, conventionally, printing devices must support multiple cloud print services. In the past, when printing devices supported each print service, older printing devices could not be used by newer cloud print services. Other issues included the time-consuming registration and maintenance work required by administrators and the inability to centrally manage data. For example, when cost information and statistical data are managed across multiple cloud services, administrators find it difficult to check them. Furthermore, errors in access control settings could result in printing unintended by the administrator.

[0016] In consideration of at least one of the above problems, the printing system of this embodiment provides control that improves the convenience of the printing system when multiple CPSs are used. A specific mechanism will be described.

[0017] Returning to the explanation of Figure 1, CPS 104 is a cloud print service configured to be able to receive print jobs from client terminal 101 and acquire print jobs stored in external CPSs 105 and 106, each of which is realized by a different print system.

[0018] CPSs 105 and 106 are services on a network that receive and store print jobs from client terminals 102 and 103, respectively. Here, CPS 104 is assumed to be a first cloud print service provided to users belonging to the tenant "companyA.example0.jp." External CPS 105 is assumed to be a second cloud print service provided to users belonging to the tenant "companyA.example1.jp." External CPS 106 is assumed to be a third type of cloud print service provided to users belonging to the tenant "companyA.example2.jp." In this embodiment, it is assumed that CPSs 104 to 106 are different types of cloud print services provided by different service providers.

[0019] CPS 104 to CPS 106 communicate for printing using different communication protocols A to C, respectively. MFP 107 acquires a print job stored in CPS 104 and executes printing processing. MFP 108 can receive a print job sent from CPS 105 and executes printing processing.

[0020] The devices are communicatively connected via a network 100. The network 100 may be configured by combining, for example, a communication network such as a LAN or a WAN, a public wireless communication network (e.g., LTE or 5G), a wireless network conforming to IEEE802.11, etc. In other words, the network 100 may be configured to be capable of transmitting and receiving data, and any communication method for the physical layer may be adopted.

[0021] <Hardware configuration> FIG. 2A is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a server 200, which is an actual resource that configures a print system that provides the CPSs 104 to 106 shown in FIG.

[0022] The CPU (Central Processing Unit) 201 cooperates with each component to control the operation of the server. The CPU 201 reads and executes an operating system (OS) and control programs stored in a read-only memory (ROM) 202 or storage 204. The ROM 202 stores control programs executable by the CPU 201. The random access memory (RAM) 203 is the CPU 201's main memory and is used as a work area or a temporary storage area for expanding various control programs. The storage 204 stores print data, image data, various programs, and various setting information. In this embodiment, the storage 204 is assumed to be an auxiliary storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD), but non-volatile memory such as a solid state drive (SSD) may be used instead of the HDD. In this manner, the hardware, including the CPU 201, ROM 202, and RAM 203, constitutes a so-called computer. The server 200 may further include an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) that renders print data.

[0023] For the sake of explanation, this embodiment illustrates a case in which one CPU 201 uses one memory (RAM 203) to execute each process shown in the flowcharts described below, but other modes are also possible. For example, each process shown in the flowcharts described below can be executed by multiple processors, RAMs, ROMs, and storages working together. Each process can also be executed using multiple server computers. The server 200 can provide a first cloud print service to multiple different tenants by using containerization or virtualization technology. In other words, the CPSs 104 to 106 are services realized using the hardware resources of one or more servers.

[0024] The network I / F (interface) 205 is an interface for communicating with the outside world via a network. The server 200 is connected to the network 100 via the network I / F. The input / output I / F 206 is an interface for connecting input / output devices such as a keyboard, mouse, and display. Each input / output device connected to the I / F is used when performing maintenance on the real server that provides the cloud service.

[0025] FIG. 2B is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the MFPs 107 and 108 shown in FIG.

[0026] A control unit 211 including a CPU 212 controls the overall operation of the MFP 107. The CPU 212 reads out control programs stored in a ROM 214 and performs various types of control such as communication control. The RAM 213 is used as a temporary storage area such as the main memory and work area of ​​the CPU 212. The HDD 215 stores data, various programs, and various information tables. Programs stored in the MFP 107, read into memory, and executed by the CPU 212 include programs for realizing the processes shown in the sequences described below.

[0027] The printer I / F 216 serves as an interface for outputting an image signal to a printer 217 (printer engine). The scanner I / F 218 serves as an interface for inputting a read image signal from a scanner 219 (scanner engine). The CPU 212 processes the image signal input from the scanner I / F 218 and outputs it to the printer I / F 216 as a recording image signal. The operation panel I / F 220 connects an operation panel 221 to the control unit 211. The operation panel 221 is equipped with a liquid crystal display unit with touch panel functionality, a keyboard, and the like. The network I / F 222 transmits information to external devices such as the CPS 104, or receives various types of information and print jobs from external devices. The various blocks in the control unit 211 are connected via a system bus 230.

[0028] <Software configuration> FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of software modules operating on CPS104. Each software module is stored in the storage 204 shown in FIG. 2, loaded into the RAM 203 by the CPU 201, and executed.

[0029] The transmission / reception unit 301 communicates with the Web browser or print client of the client terminal 101 or MFP 107 via the network I / F 205. The control unit 302 executes processing according to the request received by the transmission / reception unit 301. The page generation unit 303 generates a Web page for returning a response to the Web browser. The setting management unit 304 stores and controls various setting information related to CPS104, information on external CPS to be coordinated, and information on MFPs registered in CPS104 in the setting DB 307. The authentication unit 305 performs authentication processing for a user who has requested to log in to CPS104 and a user authentication request to an external CPS using the authentication DB 308 in which information on users belonging to a tenant is stored. The print management unit 306 controls to store a print job received from the client terminal 101 or a print job acquired from an external CPS in the print job DB 309 as a storage, and performs image processing such as rendering on the print job. The rendering may be performed in cooperation with other hardware. Further, the print management unit 306 totals the usage status related to printing, such as the usage record of the user and the number of printed sheets per month, and stores it in the print history DB 310.

[0030] Note that this embodiment assumes the implementation of a CPS corresponding to a multi-tenant architecture in which modules in the application layer are executed by common modules and databases for managing user-specific data are separately managed for each tenant. However, it is not limited to this. Any method of implementing the multi-tenant architecture may be adopted. CPS105 and 106 also have a similar software configuration for providing a print service.

[0031] <Printer registration process for CPS104> Next, printer registration processing for CPS 104 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 shows an example of a sequence for registering a printer in CPS 104. Fig. 4(A) describes a case where MFP 107 is registered as available for use from CPS 104. Fig. 4(B) describes a case where MFP 108 is registered as available for use from CPS 104 using client terminal 103.

[0032] In S401, the MFP 107 transmits a registration request to the CPS 104. Upon receiving the registration request, the CPS 104 registers the MFP 107 as a printer that can be used in the first cloud print service (S402). Once the registration of the MFP 107 is complete, printing becomes possible via the CPS 104 from the client terminal 101 in which a print client compatible with the CPS 104 is installed.

[0033] Next, print control after the printer registration process is completed will be described from S403 onwards. In S403, the client terminal 101 generates a print job in response to receiving a user operation to print using a cloud printer registered in the CPS 104, and sends the generated print job to the CPS 104. The print job sent to the CPS 104 includes print data, print settings (print attributes), and identification information for identifying the user. It may also include information for identifying the tenant.

[0034] Upon receiving the print job, the CPS 104 saves the print job in the print job DB 309 (S404). The MFP 107 sends a request to the CPS 104 to acquire the print job (S405). Upon receiving the request, the CPS 104 sends the print job to the MFP 107 (S406). Upon receiving the print job, the MFP 107 executes printing processing and outputs a printout (S407). Upon completing execution of the print job, the MFP 107 sends a notification to the CPS 104 indicating that acquisition of the print job has been completed (S408). Upon receiving this notification, the CPS 104 deletes the print job (S409).

[0035] In S410, the CPS 104 accesses the print history DB 310 and updates the user's usage history. Specifically, the user's usage history is updated in association with the user who sent the print job. It is also assumed here that the usage history of the entire tenant is also updated at this time. It is also assumed that print history information is updated. Through the series of processes described above, the MFP 107 becomes available for use via the CPS 104.

[0036] Next, a case will be described in which a dedicated application prepared for the CPS 104 uses the client terminal 103 (mobile) to register the MFP 108 to the CPS 104. It is assumed that a dedicated application for the CPS 104 is installed in the client terminal 103 (mobile).

[0037] First, the CPS 104 dedicated application is started on the client terminal 103 (mobile) (S411). In S412, the CPS 104 is logged in using the account of a user who has the setting management authority for the tenant of "companyA".

[0038] If this is the first time that the CPS 104-specific application is launched, a QR code (registered trademark) prepared for the MFP 108 is scanned to start printer setup (S413). The QR code may be printed on a sheet or the like attached to the outside of the MFP 108 body, or may be displayed on a screen provided by the MFP 108.

[0039] In S414, configuration information (e.g., MAC address, device serial number, Polling-FALSE) that identifies the MFP 108 is read from the QR code, and a registration request including this configuration information is sent to the CPS 104 (S415). The "Polling-FALSE" attribute means that the polling mechanism for the CPS 104 is not supported, and is sent only when the QR code is read.

[0040] At S416, the CPS104 that has received the registration request registers the MFP108 as a printer available in the first cloud print service. At S417, the mobile device is activated in the cloud print service to enable reception of a print execution instruction from the mobile device. When the registration of the MFP108 is completed, the CPS104 manages the account name or user name recognized at S412 and the configuration information included in the registration request at S415 as a set.

[0041] Note that the user shall store the configuration information for identifying the device and the login information in the CPS104 dedicated application. For security enhancement, the login information may be input each time, or multi-factor authentication may be adopted.

[0042] Also, in this embodiment, an example of a QR code is shown. However, if there is a mechanism that can similarly acquire the configuration information for identifying the device from the MFP108 by using wireless communication such as NFC or BLE in the CPS104 dedicated application, it is not limited to the QR code. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which a registration request is sent to the CPS104 by using the configuration information acquired from the MFP108 or the dedicated memory for the MFP108 by using NFC or BLE.

[0043] After the registration of the MFP107 is completed, if the operations described later are performed, it is possible to start the print process by scanning the QR code on the printing device as shown in S418 and S419 by using the dedicated application of the client terminal 103.

[0044] <Cooperation between CPS104 and External CPS> The control for making the CPS104 and the external CPS cooperate will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8. FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a printer registration process to the external CPS, FIGS. 6 and 7 are examples of operation screens of the client terminal related to the control, and FIG. 8 shows an example of user information stored in the authentication DB308.

[0045] The process of registering a printer in the CPS 105 as an external CPS by the CPS 104 will be described using the sequence in FIG.

[0046] A web browser running on a client terminal accesses a web page provided by CPS104 in accordance with user operations and sends a login request to CPS104 using the account of a user who has configuration management authority for the tenant of "companyA" in CPS104 (S501).

[0047] The screen transitions related to the operation for registration to the CPS 104 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0048] A user uses a web browser to access a web page for logging in to CPS 104. As a result, a login screen 601 is displayed on the web browser. More specifically, upon receiving the access request, transmitting / receiving unit 301 of CPS 104 transfers the received data to control unit 302. Control unit 302 interprets the access request, generates response data in page generation unit 303, and transmits login screen 601 to the client terminal via transmitting / receiving unit 301.

[0049] The user attempts to log in to the CPS 104 via the login screen 601 by entering an administrator user name and password that have been registered in advance in the CPS 104. If the web login is successful, a main menu screen (not shown) is displayed. The user corresponding to the account "Tom@companyA.example0.jp" has administrator privileges for the tenant, as shown in the user authentication DB in FIG. 8. Therefore, if the entered password is valid, the login is successful. The user can select a link from the main menu screen to transition to a lower layer screen and perform various settings. Here, the screens related to registering for the cloud print service will be described.

[0050] Upon receiving an HTTP request for transitioning to a printer registration screen generated based on a user operation via a web browser, the CPS 104 generates a list screen 603 and sends it to the client terminal. The administrator can change the settings of the CPS 104 and operate the registration process to an external CPS via the screen 603 displayed on the client terminal. Note that screen 603 illustrates an example in which registration of MFP 107 and MFP 108 has been completed as printers that can be used by the CPS 104 through the registration control described in Figure 4. If no printing devices have been registered, screen 602 is displayed.

[0051] "Name" on screen 603 is the device name of the MFP registered in CPS 104, and is the name used to identify the printer. The "External CPS Registration" field is an area that indicates whether the MFP is registered in an external CPS. Here, an example is shown in which the MFP is not registered in an external CPS. "Edit" is a key used to edit the settings of a registered cloud printer, and "Delete" is a key used to delete a registered cloud printer. "External CPS Link" is a key used to set up linkage between a registered cloud printer and an external cloud print service. "Logout" is a key used to log out of CPS 104.

[0052] When the “Edit” key is selected, the display screen transitions to screen 604. The user can edit registered device information via screen 604. For example, the user can edit the device name, installation location, and access permission user list. The “access permission list” is a display item for setting user accounts, groups, and roles that can access this device. For example, in this example, users of group A and group B can access this device. As shown in FIG. 8, the user authentication DB 308 corresponding to the tenant of company A stores user names, groups to which they belong, roles, and external CPS account names. Screen 604 illustrates an example in which access is permitted for group A and group B. In this example, Tom, Alice, and Bob are permitted to use this device, while Smith is not permitted to use the device. The settings made via this screen are saved in the setting DB 307. Note that FIG. 8 stores not only user information for the CPS 104, but also correspondence information indicating the correspondence between user accounts for the CPS 104 and user accounts for the external CPS. This correspondence information is assumed to be set in advance by a user such as an administrator.

[0053] Returning to the explanation of screen 603, when the “External CPS Linkage” key is selected with a specific device selected, CPS 104 transitions the display screen displayed on the web browser to screen 605.

[0054] When "Register" is selected on screen 605, CPS 104 transitions the display of the web browser to screen 606. Screen 606 is an example of a screen for selecting which external CPS to register CPS 104 to. Here, an example is shown in which CPS 105 is selected as the external CPS to register to, and "Color MFP 108" is set as the device name to register. The external CPS and device name to register to can be changed based on a user operation via screen 606. When "Execute registration" is selected, CPS 104 executes registration processing.

[0055] Returning to the description of the sequence in Fig. 5, in S502, in response to receiving a user operation to select "Register" on the screen 606, the client terminal transmits data indicating that the registration has been selected to the CPS 104.

[0056] When the CPS 104 receives the data indicating execution of registration, it transmits a registration request to the CPS 105 (S503). Specifically, the setting management unit 304 of the CPS 104 refers to the external CPS destination URL list stored in the setting DB 307, and transmits a device registration request to this destination URL.

[0057] Upon receiving the device registration request, the CPS 104 responds with a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) for inputting authentication information and a temporary password for authentication (a PIN code in this embodiment) to the CPS 104 (S504). The URL is, for example, "https: / / check.example1.jp".

[0058] Upon receiving the response from the CPS 105, the CPS 104 generates a screen 607 based on the information and transmits the generated screen 607 to the web browser of the client terminal (S505).

[0059] A user such as an administrator checks screen 607 and accesses the displayed URL using a web browser. CPS 105 provides screen 608 in response to the access request to the URL from the web browser. The user inputs account information for CPS 105 and the PIN code issued in S504 via screen 608. In response to the selection of the "OK" key, the web browser transmits data indicating the user information and PIN code input via screen 608 to CPS 105 (S506). CPS 105 receives the data indicating the user information and PIN code and performs authentication processing based on that data (S507). If it determines that the authentication is successful, it performs registration processing of the printer (MFP 108) based on the request accepted in S503 (S508). Then, CPS 105 transmits to CPS 104 a notification of successful registration of information about MFP 108, along with access token information to be used in subsequent communication (S509).

[0060] When the CPS 104 receives a notification of successful registration from the CPS 105, it transmits completion screen data to the client terminal (S510). The web browser of the client terminal that receives the completion screen displays the completion screen based on the received screen data. Screen 609 is an example of the completion screen.

[0061] When "OK" is selected, CPS 104 transitions the display screen displayed on the web browser to list screen 610, in which the registration information in the external CPS has been updated. Screen 610 displays information indicating that MFP 108 has been registered with CPS 105. When "Logout" is selected, the screen transitions to screen 601.

[0062] Next, the CPS 104 additionally transmits more detailed device information about the MFP 108 to the external CPS (S511). Here, the CPS 105 uses the Internet Printing Protocol (IPP) as the protocol. The setting management unit 304 of the CPS 104 generates capability information in an IPP format based on the capability information of the cloud printer corresponding to the MFP 108. The control unit 302 transmits the generated capability information. Upon receiving the capability information, the CPS 105 updates the capability information of the cloud printer that designates the CPS 104 as the output destination in accordance with the received capability information.

[0063] After this, by specifying the MFP 107 on the screen 610 and selecting "External CPS Cooperation," it is possible to register information about the MFP 107 in the CPS 105, just like the MFP 108. The explanation of this process is largely the same as that described above, and therefore will not be repeated.

[0064] Next, an example of screen transitions on the operation unit of the client terminal (mobile) related to the registration process shown in FIG. 4(B) will be described with reference to FIG.

[0065] The user launches a CPS 104-specific application on the client terminal 103 (mobile) to display a mobile app screen 701. When "Device Registration" is selected, a login screen 702 is displayed (S501). The user enters an administrator user name and password that have been registered in advance in the CPS 104 via the login screen 702 to attempt a web login to the CPS 104. If the web login is successful, a setup screen 703 is displayed. The user corresponding to the account "Tom@companyA.example0.jp" has administrator privileges for the tenant as shown in the user authentication DB in FIG. 8. Therefore, if the entered password is valid, the login is successful.

[0066] If this is the first time the dedicated application is launched on the client terminal 103, the dedicated application displays a setup screen 703 and prompts the user to scan a QR code. When it detects that the QR code has been scanned, it reads configuration information that identifies the device (e.g., MAC address, device serial number, Polling-FALSE). Then, as shown in S415 above, the dedicated application sends a registration request including that configuration information to the CPS 104. Upon receiving the HTTP request for the registration request, the CPS 104 generates screen information for the list screen 704 and sends it to the client terminal.

[0067] In the dedicated application of the client terminal, a user such as an administrator can edit or delete information about a printer registered in the CPS 104, and can also operate the registration process to an external CPS via the displayed screen 704. Note that the screen 704 illustrates an example in which registration of the MFP 108 has been completed as a printer that can be used by the CPS 104. The processing after "Register external CPS" is selected on the screen 704 is the same as the sequence from S502 onwards and the explanation using FIG. 6, and therefore will not be repeated here.

[0068] If the dedicated application is not running for the first time on the client terminal 103, the dedicated application displays screen 705. If "Print cloud data" is selected on screen 705, the dedicated application displays screen 707. The display of screen 707 prompts the user to scan the QR code of the printing device (here, MFP 108) on which the user wants to print data (print job) received from the cloud. When the QR code is scanned and configuration information of MFP 108 is read, that information is sent to CPS 104, and printing processing begins. At that time, the dedicated application displays screen 708. Details of the printing processing that begins here will be described later with reference to FIG. 10.

[0069] When "Check device registration status" is selected on screen 705, the dedicated application obtains screen information from CPS 104 and provides screen 704. A "Register additional device" button (not shown) can also be placed on screen 705. In this case, the dedicated application displays setup screen 703 and performs the same registration process as described above for another printing device.

[0070] Through the series of processes described above, a cloud printer that has been registered in the CPS 104 can be registered as an output destination device (printing apparatus) that can be used by a print client that supports the external CPS 105.

[0071] <Printing process> The printing process will be specifically described with reference to FIGS.

[0072] The sequence shown in Fig. 9 shows an example of print processing when printing is performed by the MFP 107. The MFP 107 has a function (a polling mechanism for the CPS 104) that can transmit a print job acquisition request to the CPS 104 and acquire and print the print job. The sequence shown in Fig. 10 shows an example of print processing when printing is performed by the MFP 108. Fig. 12 is a flowchart for explaining the processing when the CPS 104 receives a print execution instruction.

[0073] 9, the sequence when user Alice prints will be described as an example. Here, for example, the client terminal 102 is a PC with an OS such as Windows installed, and the CPS 105 is a cloud print service provided by a platform such as Azure. Also, for example, the communication protocol B used by the CPS 105 is IPP (Internet Printing Protocol).

[0074] First, Alice logs in to the CPS 105 from the client terminal 102 using the account "aaaAlice@companyA.example1.jp" linked to the cloud platform that provides the CPS 105 (S901). Next, the client terminal 102 searches for printers registered on the CPS 105 (S902).

[0075] The CPS 105 stores information about the cloud printers (information about the MFPs 107 and 108) that are linked to the CPS 104 registered in FIG. 5. Therefore, the search in S902 finds the MFP "color MFP 107." Next, Alice selects any content, sets "color MFP 107" as the printer to be used for printing, and issues an instruction to start printing. The client terminal 102, which has received the instruction to start printing, sends the print job to the CPS 105 (S903).

[0076] The CPS 105 receives the print job from the client terminal 102 and stores the print job in storage (S904).

[0077] The CPS 104 checks whether a print job addressed to a cloud printer corresponding to the color MFP 107 exists in the storage of the CPS 105 (S905). In this embodiment, it is assumed that a request for checking the print job indicated in S905 is sent from the CPS 104 to the CPS 105 at regular time intervals. Note that this request interval may be an interval specified by the CPS 105 or an interval set in the CPS 104. Also, the CPS 104 may notify the CPS 105 of the existence of the print job by issuing an event notification.

[0078] Based on the result of the check in S905, the CPS 104 requests the MFP 107 to acquire a print job (S906). At this time, the CPS 104 sends the request using the access token acquired in S509. The CPS 105 then sends the print job to be processed by the MFP 107 to the CPS 104 (S907). As described above, this embodiment assumes that the communication protocol adopted by the CPS 105 is IPP. Therefore, the print job sent from the CPS 105 is in a format conforming to IPP, as exemplified by 1101 in FIG. 11. S910, which will be described later, is also executed using an IPP operation.

[0079] The CPS 104 determines whether the print job received from the CPS 105 is a job of a user who has access rights to the cloud printer resource (S908). First, the control unit 302 determines which user the print job belongs to. The control unit 302 acquires the field name of “Requesting-user-name” included in the IPP-compliant print job. In this embodiment, it is assumed that Alice’s account name for the CPS 105 is stored in the attribute value of “Requesting-user-name.” Next, in cooperation with the authentication unit 305, the control unit 302 uses the acquired external CPS account name to refer to authentication information 800 stored in the authentication DB 308 and identify Alice’s account for the CPS 104. Next, the control unit 302 acquires group information to which the identified “Alice” belongs. Next, in cooperation with the setting management unit 304, the control unit 302 refers to an access permission list stored in the setting DB 307 to determine whether Alice is a user who belongs to a group that is permitted to print using the MFP 107. If the print job is not permitted, the acquired print job is discarded and a response indicating an access error is sent to the CPS 105. On the other hand, if the print job is permitted, the print job acquired in S907 is stored in the print job DB 309 (S909).

[0080] When the CPS 104 has completed storing the print job, it notifies the CPS 105 that the acquisition of the print job has been completed (S910). Upon receiving this notification, the CPS 105 deletes the sent print job from the queue corresponding to the output destination device (S911).

[0081] Next, the CPS 104 converts the data attributes of the print job from the communication protocol format of the CPS 105 (e.g., IPP) to a communication protocol format (e.g., HTTP) adopted by the CPS 104 (S912). It is assumed that the CPS 104 adopts, for example, a proprietary HTTP-based protocol. The print management unit 306 of the CPS 104 converts the print attributes of the received IPP-compliant print job into print job attributes exemplified by 1102 in FIG. 11. At this time, the print management unit 306 replaces the attribute value of "Requesting-user-name" with an attribute value such as "Alice" or "Alice@companyA.example1.jp" that the CPS 104 can interpret.

[0082] Next, a control for the MFP 107 to acquire and print a print job stored in the CPS 104 will be described.

[0083] The MFP 107 periodically checks with the CPS 104 to see if there are any print jobs addressed to it at regular intervals. This polling interval may be an interval specified by the CPS 104 or an interval set in the MFP 107. A print job confirmation request is realized by sending a job confirmation request with False stored in the "Which-jobs" attribute, which indicates an operation to check all print jobs addressed to the MFP 107. Alternatively, if the MFP 107 is login-managed, a print job confirmation request may be sent when a specific user logs in. In this case, the print job confirmation request is sent to check only the jobs of the logged-in user. In this case, for example, the "Which-jobs" attribute is set to True. Also, an attribute value indicating Alice's user name and account information is stored in an attribute that can identify the user, such as "Requesting-user-name" or "Requesting-user-uri." This operation allows the CPS 104 to obtain only the jobs of the user who logged in to the MFP 107.

[0084] In S913, the MFP 107 makes a print job acquisition request in accordance with the communication protocol (for example, HTTP) adopted by the CPS 104. In S914, the CPS 104 accepts the print job acquisition request in accordance with the communication protocol (for example, HTTP) adopted by the CPS 104 and identifies the MFP 107 as the request source. Then, the CPS 104 transmits the print job to be processed by the MFP 107 in an HTTP response to the request of S913 (S915). The subsequent processing is similar to S407 to S410 in FIG. 4 described above, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0085] This series of processes enables the CPS 104 to acquire the print job submitted to the CPS 105 and print it via the CPS 104. Furthermore, in addition to the print history of the print jobs submitted to the CPS 104, the print history of the print jobs submitted to the CPS 105 can also be managed centrally on the CPS 104 side.

[0086] Next, a sequence when user Alice performs printing processing on the MFP 108 will be described with reference to Fig. 10. Here, as described with reference to Fig. 4, it is assumed that the client terminal 103 is mobile and has a dedicated application for the CPS 104 installed.

[0087] In S1001, the user Alice starts the CPS 104 dedicated application on the client terminal 103 (mobile) and a screen 701 is displayed. When "User Login" is selected, a login screen 702 is displayed (S1002). Through the login screen 702, the user enters an administrator user name and password that have been registered in advance in the CPS 104 and attempts to log in to the CPS 104 via the web. If the web login is successful, a print execution screen 705 is displayed. A configuration may also be adopted in which the dedicated application for the CPS 104 automatically logs in to the CPS 104 using the login information stored therein and configuration information that identifies the device.

[0088] When "Check device registration status" is selected on the print execution screen 705, the screen transitions to screen 704, where the current device registration status, external CPS registration status, etc. can be checked. When "Print mobile data" is selected, data held in the client terminal 103 (mobile) is sent to the CPS 104. A new print job is held in the CPS 104 using this data.

[0089] Furthermore, when user Alice selects "Print data from cloud" on the print execution screen 705, the dedicated application displays screen 707. The processing from S1003 is executed in accordance with a user operation using screen 707.

[0090] In S1003, the client terminal 103 uses screen 707 to scan a QR code printed on a sheet or the like attached to the surface of the MFP 108. If the scan is successful, the dedicated application displays screen 708. Furthermore, the dedicated application sends a print request to the CPS 104, including configuration information of the printing device (MFP 108) read from the QR code (S1004).

[0091] In S1005, the CPS 104 that received the print request identifies the request as a print request from a dedicated application, and then checks from the configuration information included in the print request that it is a print request made via a QR code scan via a dedicated application. Here, it checks the attribute value "Polling-FALSE" included in the configuration information. It may also refer to the information at the time of device registration from the printer identification information (device serial number) included in the configuration information and confirm that the "Polling-FALSE" attribute is a registered printer.

[0092] In S1006, the control unit 302, in cooperation with the authentication unit 305, refers to the authentication information 800 stored in the authentication DB 308, and identifies the account name of user Alice in the external CPS and the address information to be used in an IPP request to the external CPS from the account information of user Alice in CPS 104. Here, the "Print-service-URL" for requesting printing from CPS 105 is identified.

[0093] In S1007, the control unit 302 identifies a job in which the attribute value of "HTTP-Requesting-user-name" stores the account name of user Alice in CPS 104, from among the print jobs managed by its own service in storage. Then, CPS 104 transmits the identified print job to CPS 105 using the Fetch-Document attribute of IPP for the "Print-service-URL."

[0094] Here, the MFP 108 realizes a push notification from the CPS 105 by using an IPP Get-Notifications request to the CPS 105. Therefore, the CPS 105 can notify the MFP 108 of a print event related to the print job transmitted from the CPS 104 in response to the print job transmission event in S1007. In S1008, this push notification mechanism is used, and the CPS 105 transmits the print job received in S1007 to the MFP 108.

[0095] Upon receiving the print job, the MFP 108 executes printing processing in accordance with the print job and outputs a printed document (S1009). When the execution of the print job is completed, the MFP 108 transmits a notification indicating that printing has been completed to the CPS 105 (S1010). Upon receiving the notification, the CPS 105 notifies the CPS 104 that printing has been completed for the print job received in S1007 (S1011).

[0096] Upon receiving the notification of print completion, CPS 104 deletes the information of the corresponding job from among the print jobs managed by its own service using storage (S1012). In S1013, CPS 104 accesses print history DB 310 and updates the user's usage history. Specifically, it updates the usage history of user Alice in association with the user who sent the print job. The processing by CPS 104 in S1012 and S1013 is the same as the processing in S409 and S410 described above.

[0097] According to FIG. 10, a user can obtain configuration information using a client terminal, for example, by scanning a QR code on a sheet attached to the MFP 108 itself, and then print a print job submitted to CPS 104 on MFP 108 via CPS 105.

[0098] In other words, even if a printing device such as MFP 108 does not support a linking function for obtaining a print job with CPS 104, the cloud service that the printing device supports can be linked with CPS 104. As a result, in the present invention, when printing, the user simply needs to obtain configuration information on their own terminal, and the print job submitted to CPS 104 can be transferred to another cloud service and printed on the printing device such as MFP 108.

[0099] The attribute fields and attribute values ​​described up to FIG. 10 are merely examples, and are not limited to these.

[0100] FIG. 12A is a flowchart for explaining the process related to printing by the CPS 104.

[0101] In S1201, the control unit 302 of the CPS 104 determines whether a print job acquisition request has been received. If a print job acquisition request has been received, the process proceeds to S1202. The request received in S1201 corresponds to the request received in the processing of S913 in FIG. 9 or S1004 in FIG. 10.

[0102] In S1202, the control unit 302 of the CPS 104 checks the contents of the configuration information included in the print job acquisition request. As a result of referencing the contents of the configuration information, it is determined whether the printing device to be printed is a device registered with the attribute "Polling-FALSE." If the determination result indicates "Polling-FALSE" (Yes in S1202), the process proceeds to S1205; otherwise, the process proceeds to S1203. A Yes result in S1202 corresponds to the process proceeding from S1005 to S1006 shown in FIG. 10. On the other hand, a No result in S1202 corresponds to the process proceeding from S914 to S915 shown in FIG. 9.

[0103] In S1203, the control unit 302 identifies a print job corresponding to the account information of the user who issued the print job acquisition request from among the print jobs managed by the storage of its own service via the print management unit 306. In S1204, the control unit 302 transmits the identified print job to the printing device that is the sender of the print job acquisition request. This corresponds to the processing of S915 shown in FIG. 9.

[0104] In S1205, the control unit 302 identifies a print job corresponding to the account information of the user who issued the print job acquisition request from among the print jobs managed by the storage of its own service via the print management unit 306. Furthermore, the control unit 302 cooperates with the authentication unit 305 to identify the account information of the external CPS (CPS105) that corresponds to the account information of the user who issued the print job acquisition request.

[0105] In S1206, the control unit 302 transfers the identified print job together with the identified account information to the external CPS (CPS 105). The transfer destination is the "Print-service-URL," as described in the process of S1007 shown in FIG.

[0106] Note that printing on the MFP 108 can be triggered by a user operation, such as by a dedicated application acquiring configuration information using a wireless communication function such as NFC provided in the client terminal 103, instead of scanning a QR code. Also, configuration information can be acquired by scanning other code information other than the QR code.

[0107] <Second embodiment> In the first embodiment, the presence or absence of a polling mechanism for the CPS 104 of the printing device could be identified from the configuration information included in the print job acquisition request triggered by scanning a QR code via a dedicated application, and the CPS 104 controlled the subsequent printing path.

[0108] On the other hand, this embodiment describes control using registration information when a printing device is registered in the CPS 104. This embodiment assumes, for example, a case where a user has already installed an external CPS 105 and then decides to install the CPS 104 and wants to perform integrated management. Even after installing the CPS 104, the same usability as before can be maintained.

[0109] 13 shows an example of a printing system according to the second embodiment, which includes the same components as those of the first embodiment, as well as color MFPs 1301 and 1302, and an MFP 1303 dedicated to black and white printing.

[0110] In this embodiment, an example will be described in which cloud printers corresponding to the MFP 107 and MFPs 1301 to 1303 have already been registered in the CPS 104. Specifically, it is assumed that the MFP 107 and MFPs 1301 to 1303 are registered in the CPS 104 as cloud printers for "companyA.example0.jp." Note that the software and hardware configurations of the CPS and printing devices in the system in the second embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment. Differences from the first embodiment will be described below.

[0111] Fig. 14 illustrates screens related to device registration in the cloud print service in the second embodiment. Fig. 14 is an example of a screen provided to a client terminal by the CPS 104, and screen 1401 is a screen displayed in place of screen 603 in Fig. 6. Screen 1402 includes a "Printer Classification" key in addition to the keys described for screen 603. When a printing device is selected on screen 1401 and "Edit" is operated, the screen transitions to screen 1402 or screen 1403.

[0112] A user such as an administrator can register printing devices as office and home devices (printing devices) via screens 1402 and 1403, respectively, and these classification attributes are managed as supplementary information for the devices. Here, an example is shown in which the color MFP 107 is registered as a home device on screen 1402, and the MFP 1301 is registered as an office device on screen 1403.

[0113] Next, the process related to print control in the CPS 104 in this embodiment will be described using the flowchart shown in Fig. 12(B). Fig. 12(B) adds step S1210 to the process described in Fig. 12(A).

[0114] In S1210, if the determination in 1202 is No, the control unit 302 refers to the classification attribute registered in the CPS 104 of the printing device to be printed, which is identified from the configuration information. If the classification attribute indicates Office, the process proceeds to S1203. On the other hand, if the classification attribute indicates Home, the process proceeds to S1205.

[0115] Alternatively, multiple printing devices can be registered as a single virtual cloud printer (hereafter referred to as a virtual cloud printer) and the virtual cloud printer can be registered with an external CPS. In this case, virtual printers cannot be created unless they have the same attributes as office and home printers. For example, by selecting color MFPs 107, 1301, and 1302 and setting a virtual cloud printer called "Office Color MFP Series," it becomes possible to switch print processing for multiple printing devices at once.

[0116] If the printing device under the virtual cloud printer is re-edited and its capabilities updated, a synchronization process is performed to notify the external CPS of the changes, preventing inconsistencies in the printing control of the virtual cloud printer.

[0117] <Modification> In the first and second embodiments, examples are given of a case where a cloud printer that corresponds one-to-one with an actual printing device or a virtual cloud printer that manages multiple printing devices is registered in an external CPS and linked, but the present invention is not limited to this. Furthermore, it is possible to switch printing processes according to the usage mode by increasing the number of attributes when registering a device, rather than being limited to the attributes of office use and home use shown in the second embodiment.

[0118] (Other Examples) The present invention also includes an apparatus or system configured by appropriately combining the above-described embodiments, and a method thereof.

[0119] Here, the present invention is a device or system that executes one or more pieces of software (programs) that realize the functions of the above-described embodiments. Also, a method for implementing the above-described embodiments executed by the device or system is also one aspect of the present invention. The program is supplied to the system or device via a network or various storage media, and is read into one or more memories and executed by one or more computers (CPUs, MPUs, etc.) of the system or device. In other words, the present invention also includes the program itself, or various storage media that store the program and are readable by a computer. The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0120] 104, 105 Cloud Print Service (CPS) 107,108 MFP

Claims

1. A printing system that can cooperate with another printing system, storage that manages print data for each user; a first receiving means for receiving a first request for printing from a first printing device; a first transmitting means for transmitting print data corresponding to the user who issued the first request to the first printing device so that the print data may be printed by the first printing device; a second receiving means for receiving a second request for printing from the client terminal in accordance with acquisition of configuration information of a second printing device that is a printing target by the client terminal; A printing system characterized by having a second sending means for sending print data corresponding to the user who issued the second request to the other printing system that manages the second printing device in order to have the print processing performed by the second printing device that can be identified by the configuration information.

2. The printing system further includes a specifying unit that, when receiving the second request, specifies account information of the user who issued the second request in the other printing system and address information for requesting printing; 2. The printing system according to claim 1, wherein the second sending means uses the specified address information to send the print data to the other printing system as a request for printing based on the specified account information.

3. 3. The printing system according to claim 1, further comprising a management unit that updates the results corresponding to the user who issued the first request when a notification indicating completion of printing based on the print data transmitted by the first transmission unit is received from the first printing device.

4. The printing system described in claim 3, characterized in that the management means further updates the results corresponding to the user who instructed the second request when it receives a notification from the other printing system indicating completion of printing on the second printing device based on the print data sent by the second sending means.

5. A printing system as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a deletion means for deleting the printing data from the storage when a notification indicating completion of printing on the second printing device based on the printing data transmitted by the second transmission means from the other printing system is received.

6. 6. The printing system according to claim 1, wherein the storage is also capable of managing print jobs sent from the other printing system.

7. A method for a printing system that can manage print data for each user in storage and cooperate with another printing system, comprising: a first receiving step of receiving a first request for printing from a first printing device; a first sending step of sending print data corresponding to the user who issued the first request to the first printing device for printing processing by the first printing device; a second receiving step of receiving a second request for printing from the client terminal in accordance with acquisition of configuration information of a second printing device to be printed by the client terminal; a second sending step of sending print data corresponding to the user who issued the second request to the other print system that manages the second printing device for printing processing on the second printing device that can be identified by the configuration information.

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