Printer and computer program for printer

Abstract

To disclose a technique for a printer to appropriately receive a print job from a server.SOLUTION: A printer comprises: a first state control unit that, when a service state for receiving a print job providing service from a server is in an ineffective state, and a predetermined instruction is acquired from a user, causes the service state to transition from the ineffective state to an effective state; a printer information transmission unit that, when a registration instruction for registering printer information related to the printer in the server is acquired, transmits the printer information to the server; and a second state control unit that, when the service state is in the ineffective state, and the registration instruction is acquired, causes the service state to transition from the ineffective state to the effective state even if the predetermined instruction is not acquired from the user.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a printer that receives a print job from a server. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a cloud print system including a printer and a server. When a print job is added to the server, the printer receives the print job from the server and executes printing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-54412 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] This specification discloses a technique for allowing a printer to properly receive a print job from a server. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The printer disclosed in this specification includes a print engine and a first state control unit that, when a service state for receiving a print job providing service from a server is in an inactive state, transitions the service state from the inactive state to an active state when a predetermined instruction is received from a user, and the inactive state is a state in which the printer receives a print job providing service from the server via IPP (Internet Printing Protocol), a printer information sending unit that, when a registration instruction for registering printer information related to the printer in the server is acquired, sends the printer information to the server; a second state control unit that, when the registration instruction is acquired in a situation where the service state is in an invalid state, transitions the service state from the invalid state to the valid state even if the specified instruction is not acquired from the user; and an engine control unit that, when the print job according to the IPP is received from the server after the printer information has been registered in the server and the service state has transitioned from the invalid state to the valid state, causes the print engine to execute printing according to the print job.

[0006] According to the above configuration, when the printer receives a registration instruction while the service status is disabled, the printer transitions the service status from disabled to enabled without receiving a specific instruction from the user. This prevents the printer from being unable to receive print jobs from the server due to the service status being disabled, even though the printer information has been registered with the server. Therefore, the printer can properly receive print jobs from the server.

[0007] A computer program for the printer, a computer-readable recording medium storing the computer program, and a method executed by the printer are also novel and useful. Also novel and useful is a system including the printer and a server. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 shows the configuration of a communication system. [Figure 2] 10 shows a sequence diagram of case A in the first embodiment. [Figure 3] The sequence diagram continues from Figure 2. [Figure 4] The sequence diagram continues from Figure 3. [Figure 5] 10 shows a sequence diagram of case B in the first embodiment. [Figure 6] 10 shows a sequence diagram of a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] (First Example) (Communication system configuration; Figure 1) 1, the communication system 2 includes a printer 10, a terminal 50, and a print intermediary server 100. The devices 10, 50, and 100 are connected to the Internet 6 and can communicate with each other via the Internet 6.

[0010] (Printer 10 configuration) The printer 10 is a peripheral device (for example, a peripheral device of the terminal 50) that can execute a printing function. In a modified example, the printer 10 may be a multi-function device that can execute a scanning function, a fax function, etc. The printer 10 is assigned a printer ID "P1" for identifying the printer 10. The printer 10 includes an operation unit 12, a display unit 14, a communication interface 16, a print engine 18, and a control unit 30. The units 12 to 30 are connected to a bus line (reference numerals omitted). Hereinafter, the interface will be referred to as "I / F."

[0011] The operation unit 12 has a plurality of keys. A user can input various instructions to the printer 10 by operating the operation unit 12. The display unit 14 is a display for displaying various information. The display unit 14 also functions as a touch panel (i.e., an operation unit) that accepts instructions from the user. The communication I / F 16 is connected to the Internet 6. The print engine 18 has a printing mechanism such as an inkjet system or a laser system.

[0012] The control unit 30 includes a CPU 32 and a memory 34. The CPU 32 executes various processes in accordance with a program 36 stored in the memory 34. The memory 34 is configured with a volatile memory, a non-volatile memory, etc. The memory 34 further stores a service status for receiving a job providing service (in other words, a cloud printing service) from the server 100 in accordance with IPP (abbreviation for Internet Printing Protocol).

[0013] The service status indicates either "enabled", which indicates that the printer 10 can receive jobs from the server 100, or "disabled", which indicates that the printer 10 cannot receive jobs from the server 100. Hereinafter, the state in which the service status in the memory 34 indicates "enabled" and the state in which the service status in the memory 34 indicates "disabled" may be expressed as "the service status of the printer 10 is enabled" and "the service status of the printer 10 is disabled", respectively.

[0014] (Configuration of terminal 50) The terminal 50 is, for example, a portable terminal device such as a mobile phone, smartphone, PDA, notebook PC, or tablet PC. In a modified example, the terminal 50 may be a stationary terminal device such as a desktop PC. The terminal 50 includes an operation unit, a display unit, a communication I / F, a control unit, and the like, which are not shown.

[0015] (Configuration of the print intermediary server 100) Hereinafter, the print intermediary server 100 will be abbreviated as "server 100." The server 100 is a server that provides a cloud printing service. The server 100 is a server that is installed on the Internet 6 by a business operator (e.g., a business operator that provides a cloud printing service) different from the vendor of the printer 10. In a modified example, the server 100 may be installed by the vendor of the printer 10. For example, when the server 100 receives image data from the terminal 50, the server 100 generates a job and sends the job to the printer 10. The job includes print data that is generated by converting the image data into a data format that can be interpreted by the printer 10.

[0016] The server 100 includes a communication I / F 116 and a control unit 130. The units 116 and 130 are connected to a bus (reference numeral omitted). The communication I / F 116 is connected to the Internet 6.

[0017] The control unit 130 includes a CPU 132 and a memory 134. The CPU 132 executes various processes in accordance with a program 136 stored in the memory 134. The memory 134 is configured from a volatile memory, a non-volatile memory, etc. The memory 134 further stores a printer table 138.

[0018] The printer table 138 is a table that stores a printer ID, an access token, accepting-jobs, and subscriptions in association with each other. The access token is information used by the server 100 to authenticate the printer 10 when a request conforming to IPP is communicated between the printer 10 and the server 100. The access token is also used to establish a constant connection between the printer 10 and the server 100. In this embodiment, the printer 10 uses a persistent connection conforming to HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) to achieve behavior similar to a constant connection. In a modified example, the constant connection may be a connection conforming to XMPP (eXtensible Messaging and Presence Protocol). The accepting-jobs is information that indicates printer attributes conforming to IPP, and specifically, information that indicates whether the server 100 accepts print requests. The accepting-jobs indicates either "yes," which indicates that print requests are accepted, or "no," which indicates that print requests are not accepted. Here, "accepting a print request" means that the server 100 generates a job in response to receiving a print request. "Not accepting a print request" means that the server 100 does not generate a job even if it receives a print request. Subscriptions is information that indicates events that the server 100 should monitor and notify.

[0019] (Case A process executed by devices 10, 50, and 100: Figure 2) The processing of Case A will be described with reference to Figure 2. Case A is a case in which information about the printer 10 is registered in the server 100 after the service status of the printer 10 is changed from disabled to enabled. Note that, for ease of understanding, the operations performed by the CPU of each device (e.g., CPU 32, etc.) will be described below with each device (e.g., printer 10) as the subject, rather than with the CPU as the subject. Also, all communications performed by each device 10, 100 are performed via the communication I / F 16, 116. For this reason, the phrase "via the communication I / F 16 (or 116)" will be omitted below.

[0020] In response to receiving an operation from the user, the terminal 50 accesses a web server in the printer 10. Then, in response to receiving a setting change operation from the user in T100, the terminal 50 transmits a setting change screen request to the printer 10 in T102.

[0021] When the printer 10 receives the setting change screen request from the terminal 50 in T102, it transmits setting change screen data representing the setting change screen SC1 to the terminal 50.

[0022] When the terminal 50 receives the setting change screen data from the printer 10 in T104, it displays the setting change screen SC1 in T106. The setting change screen SC1 is a screen for executing settings related to the cloud print service, and includes the printer ID "P1", a check box for setting the service status to enabled, a check box for setting the service status to disabled, an OK button, and a register button for registering information about the printer 10 with the server 100. At the moment, the service status of the printer 10 is disabled, so the disabled check box is checked on the setting change screen SC1.

[0023] In T110, the terminal 50 accepts an operation from the user to check the valid check box on the setting change screen SC1, and then accepts selection of the OK button. In this case, the terminal 50 transmits an activation instruction to the printer 10 in T112.

[0024] When the printer 10 receives an activation instruction from the terminal 50 in T112, the printer 10 transitions the service status from disabled to enabled in T114. Specifically, the printer 10 changes the service status in the memory 34 from disabled to enabled. Then, in T116, the printer 10 transmits completion screen data representing the completion screen SC2 to the terminal 50.

[0025] When the terminal 50 receives the completion screen data from the printer 10 in T116, it displays the completion screen SC2 in T118. The completion screen SC2 includes a message indicating that the service status of the printer 10 has been changed. Therefore, the user can confirm that the change in the service status of the printer 10 has been completed by looking at the completion screen SC2.

[0026] (Continuation of Figure 2: Figure 3) Thereafter, the same processes as those in T100 to T106 in FIG. 2 are executed. At the present time, the service status of the printer 10 is enabled (see T114 in FIG. 2), so a check mark is placed in the enabled check box on the setting change screen SC1 of T106 in FIG. 2 cited in FIG. 3. In T200, the terminal 50 accepts selection of the registration button on the setting change screen SC1 from the user. In this case, the terminal 50 transmits a registration instruction to the printer 10 in T210.

[0027] When the printer 10 receives the registration instruction from the terminal 50 in T210, the printer 10 transmits a registration request including the printer ID "P1" to the server 100 in T212.

[0028] When the server 100 receives a registration request from the printer 10 in T212, the server 100 generates a PIN code "C" in T214. In a modified example, a password may be used instead of the PIN code. The server 100 then associates the printer ID "P1" included in the registration request with the generated PIN code "C" and stores them in the memory 134. Next, in T220, the server 100 transmits the PIN code "C" and a login URL (short for Uniform Resource Locator) to the printer 10. The login URL is information indicating the location of authentication screen data (described below) within the server 100.

[0029] When the printer 10 receives the PIN code "C" and the URL from the server 100 in T220, it transmits them to the terminal 50 in T222.

[0030] When the terminal 50 receives the PIN code "C" and the URL from the printer 10 in T222, it displays them in T230. Next, when the terminal 50 accepts an operation to select the URL from the user in T232, it transmits an authentication request including the URL to the server 100 in T240.

[0031] When the server 100 receives an authentication request from the terminal 50 in T240, the server 100 transmits, in T242, authentication screen data identified by the URL included in the authentication request to the terminal 50. The authentication screen data is data representing an authentication screen for inputting a PIN code.

[0032] When the terminal 50 receives the authentication screen data from the server 100 in T242, it displays the authentication screen in T244. Next, in T246, the terminal 50 accepts input of the PIN code "C" displayed in T230 from the user. In this case, in T250, the terminal 50 transmits the input PIN code "C" to the server 100.

[0033] When the server 100 receives the PIN code "C" from the terminal 50 in T250, it authenticates the received PIN code "C" in T252. Specifically, the server 100 determines whether the received PIN code "C" has been stored. If the server 100 determines that the received PIN code "C" has been stored, that is, if the authentication is successful, it generates an access token AT1, which is a unique character string, in T254. Then, in T256, the server 100 stores the generated access token AT1 in the printer table 138, associating it with the printer ID "P1" stored in T214. Thereafter, in T260, the server 100 sends an authentication notification including the generated access token AT1 to the printer 10.

[0034] When the printer 10 receives the authentication notification from the server 100 in T260, the printer 10 stores the access token AT1 included in the authentication notification in the memory 34 in T262.

[0035] At T270, the printer 10 establishes a constant connection with the server 100 using the stored access token AT1. By using a constant connection, the server 100 can send signals to the printer 10 across the firewall of the LAN to which the printer 10 belongs, even without receiving a request from the printer 10. In other words, a constant connection is a connection that allows server-push communication to be performed. The constant connection is maintained until the service status of the printer 10 is transitioned to a disabled state.

[0036] In T280 to T284, the printer 10 sends various commands including the printer ID "P1" to the server 100. The command T280 is a command for registering "yes" as accepting-jobs in the server 100. This allows the server 100 to execute acceptance of the print request. The commands in T282 and T284 are Create-Printer-Subscriptions (hereinafter referred to as "CPS"). CPS is a command for registering a new event as a Subscription in the server 100.

[0037] The CPS of T282 is a command for registering job-fetchable in the server 100. job-fetchable is an event for accepting a print request. In other words, the CPS of T282 is an instruction for causing the server 100 to monitor the acceptance of a print request and notify the printer 10 that the print request has been accepted.

[0038] The CPS of T284 is a command for registering job-state-changed with the server 100. job-state-changed is an event of a change in the status of a job. In other words, the CPS of T284 is an instruction for causing the server 100 to monitor changes in the status of a job and notify the printer 10 of a change in the status of a job. In a modified example, the processes of T282 and T284 may be realized by one CPS. In other words, the printer 10 may send one CPS for registering both job-fetchable and job-state-changed with the server 100.

[0039] When the server 100 receives various commands from the printer 10 in T280-284, in T286 the server 100 stores this information in the printer table 138. Specifically, the server 100 stores "yes" as "accepting-jobs" in association with the printer ID "P1" included in the command in T280. The server 100 further stores "job-fetchable" and "job-state-changed" as "Subscriptions" in association with the printer ID "P1" included in each CPS in T282 and T284.

[0040] (Continuation of Figure 3: Figure 4) In response to receiving instructions from the user including a designation of the printer to perform printing (printer 10 in this case) and a designation of the image to be printed, terminal 50 transmits a print request to server 100 in T300. The print request includes printer ID "P1" that identifies printer 10 designated by the user and image data representing the image to be printed.

[0041] When the server 100 receives a print request from the terminal 50 in T300, it first identifies the printer ID "P1" included in the request from the printer table 138. Then, the printer 10 determines whether the accepting-jobs associated with the printer ID "P1" in the printer table 138 indicates "yes" or "no." In this case, since accepting-jobs indicates "yes" (see T280 and T286 in FIG. 3), the server 100 accepts the print request. That is, in T302, the server 100 generates a job identified by the job ID "Job1." Specifically, the server 100 first converts the image data received from the terminal 50 to generate print data in a data format that can be interpreted by the printer 10. Then, the server 100 associates the printer ID "P1," the job ID "Job1," and the print data, and stores them in the memory 134.

[0042] Next, the server 100 determines whether job-fetchable is stored as a Subscription associated with the printer ID "P1" in the printer table 138. In this case, since job-fetchable is stored (see T282 and T286 in FIG. 3), the server 100 notifies the printer 10 that a print request acceptance event has occurred. That is, in T304, the server 100 uses a constant connection (see T270 in FIG. 3) to send a job notification to the printer 10 indicating that a job has been created. The job notification includes the job ID "Job1" of the job created in T302.

[0043] When the printer 10 receives the job notification from the server 100 in T304, the printer 10 transmits a job request including the job ID "Job1" to the server 100 in T310.

[0044] When the server 100 receives a job request from the printer 10 in T310, the server 100 identifies the print data stored in association with the job ID "Job1" included in the job request. Then, in T312, the server 100 transmits a job including the print data to the printer 10.

[0045] When the printer 10 receives a job including print data from the server 100 in T312, it supplies the print data to the print engine 18 in T320. As a result, the image represented by the print data is printed by the print engine 18. In this way, the printer 10 can print an image using a cloud print service.

[0046] Although not shown in the case of FIG. 4, the server 100 may receive from the terminal 50 an instruction to cancel the job identified by the job ID "Job1." In this case, the server 100 determines whether job-state-changed is stored as a Subscription associated with the printer ID "P1" in the printer table 138. In this case, since job-state-changed is stored (see T284 and T286 in FIG. 3), the server 100 notifies the printer 10 that a job status change event has occurred. That is, the server 100 uses a constant connection (see T270 in FIG. 3) to send a status change notification to the printer 10 indicating that the job has been canceled. This allows the printer 10 to stop printing the job identified by the job ID "Job1." The status change notification is not limited to an indication that the job has been canceled, but may also indicate that printing according to the job has been suspended.

[0047] (Processing of Case B performed by devices 10, 50, and 100: Figure 5) The processing of case B will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Case B is a case in which information about the printer 10 is registered in the server 100 when the service status of the printer 10 is disabled.

[0048] The same processes as those in T100 to T106 in Fig. 2 are executed. In T400, the terminal 50 accepts the user's selection of the registration button in the setting change screen SC1. In this case, the same processes as those in T210 to T262 in Fig. 3 are executed.

[0049] The printer 10 transitions the service state from the disabled state to the enabled state in T410 even if it does not receive the activation instruction in T112 of Fig. 2 from the terminal 50. The processing in T410 is similar to the processing in T114 of Fig. 2. After this, although not shown in Fig. 5, processing similar to T116 and T118 of Fig. 2 may be executed.

[0050] Next, in T420, the printer 10 establishes a constant connection with the server 100. The processing at T420 is the same as the processing at T270 in Fig. 3. Thereafter, in T430 to T434, the printer 10 transmits various commands to the server 100. The processing at T430 to T434 is the same as the processing at T280 to T284 in Fig. 3. This allows the server 100 to accept the print request, and also to notify the server 100 of the acceptance of the print request and of a change in the job status.

[0051] The process at T436 executed by the server 100 is similar to the process at T286 in Fig. 3. When the process at Fig. 5 ends, the same process as that at Fig. 4 is executed.

[0052] (Effects of the first embodiment) According to this embodiment, when the printer 10 receives a registration instruction (T210 in FIG. 3, which is cited in FIG. 5) while the service status is disabled, the printer 10 transitions the service status from disabled to enabled (T410) without receiving an activation instruction from the user (see T112 in FIG. 2) for transitioning the service status to enabled. Therefore, the printer 10 transitions from a state in which a constant connection is not established to a state in which a constant connection is established (T420). As a result, the printer 10 can properly receive job notifications from the server 100 using the constant connection (T304 in FIG. 4). Therefore, the printer 10 can properly receive jobs from the server 100 (T312).

[0053] In this embodiment, when the printer 10 transitions its service state from a disabled state to an enabled state, it establishes a constant connection with the server 100. In a modified example, when the printer 10 transitions its service state from a disabled state to an enabled state, it may repeatedly send a polling signal to the server 100 without establishing a constant connection with the server 100. That is, the disabled state may be a state in which the printer 10 does not send a polling signal to the server 100, and the enabled state may be a state in which the printer 100 sends a polling signal. In this case, the server 100 can send a job notification and a status change notification to the printer 10 in response to the polling signal. In this modified example, the printer 10 can also receive a job notification and a status change notification from the server 100.

[0054] In both the above embodiment and modification, when the printer 10 receives a registration instruction while the service status is disabled, the printer 10 automatically transitions the service status from disabled to enabled. That is, the printer 10 automatically transitions from a state in which it is unable to receive job notifications from the server 100 to a state in which it is able to receive job notifications from the server 100. This prevents the printer 10 from being unable to receive jobs from the server 100 due to the service status being disabled, even though the printer ID "P1" has been registered with the server 100. Therefore, the printer 10 can properly receive print jobs from the server 100.

[0055] (Correspondence) The activation instruction T112 in FIG. 2 is an example of a "predetermined instruction." The printer ID "P1" is an example of "printer information." The print request is an example of a "job transmission request." The commands T280, T282, and T284 in FIG. 3 are examples of an "acceptance instruction," a "first notification instruction," and a "second notification instruction," respectively.

[0056] The processing of T114 in FIG. 2 is an example of processing executed by a "first state control unit." The processing of T212 and the processing of T280 to T282 in FIG. 3 are examples of processing executed by a "printer information transmission unit" and a "third instruction transmission unit," respectively. The processing of T320 in FIG. 4 is an example of processing executed by an "engine control unit." The processing of T410 and the processing of T430 to T434 in FIG. 5 are examples of processing executed by a "second state control unit" and a "first instruction transmission unit," respectively.

[0057] (Second embodiment; Figure 6) A second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 6. In the second embodiment, when the service status of the printer 10 is disabled and information about the printer 10 is registered in the server 100, inquiry screen data is sent from the printer 10 to the terminal 50. The processes in Fig. 6 are processes that are executed in place of the processes in Fig. 5 of the first embodiment.

[0058] The same processes as T100 to T106 in Fig. 2 are executed. At T400, the terminal 50 accepts selection of the registration button on the setting change screen SC1 from the user. In this case, the same processes as T210 to T262 in Fig. 3 are executed. Thereafter, at T510, the printer 10 transmits inquiry screen data representing the inquiry screen SC3 to the terminal 50.

[0059] When the terminal 50 receives the inquiry screen data from the printer 10 in T510, it displays the inquiry screen SC3 in T512. The inquiry screen SC3 includes a message for inquiring whether or not to transition the service status from the disabled state to the enabled state, a YES button, and a NO button.

[0060] (Case C) In case C, the terminal 50 accepts the selection of the YES button in the inquiry screen SC3 from the user in T520. In this case, the terminal 50 transmits YES selection information indicating that the YES button has been selected to the printer 10 in T522.

[0061] When the printer 10 receives YES selection information from the terminal 50 in T522, it transitions the service state from the disabled state to the enabled state in T530. That is, the printer 10 transitions the service state from the disabled state to the enabled state even if it does not receive the activation instruction in T112 of Fig. 2 from the terminal 50. The processing from T540 to T554 is the same as the processing from T420 to T434 of Fig. 5. When the processing of case C is completed, the same processing as in Fig. 4 is executed.

[0062] (Case D) In case D, the terminal 50 accepts the selection of the NO button in the inquiry screen SC3 from the user in T560. In this case, the terminal 50 transmits NO selection information indicating that the NO button was selected to the printer 10 in T562.

[0063] When the printer 10 receives NO selection information from the terminal 50 in T562, it maintains the service state in the disabled state. That is, the printer 10 does not establish a constant connection with the server 100. Next, in T570, the printer 10 sends a command to the server 100 to register "yes" as accepting-jobs. However, the printer 10 does not send a CPS to the server 100.

[0064] In T572, the server 100 stores "yes" as accepting-jobs in the printer table 138. However, the server 100 does not store job-fetchable and job-state-changed as Subscriptions. Therefore, the server 100 accepts the print request (i.e., creates and stores the job), but does not send a job notification or a status change notification to the printer 10.

[0065] (Effects of the second embodiment) According to this embodiment, when the printer 10 registers information about the printer 10 in the server 100 while the service status is disabled, the printer 10 transmits inquiry screen data to the terminal 50 (T510). For example, if the user wishes to immediately use the cloud printing service, the user can select the YES button in the inquiry screen SC3. In this case, the printer 10 automatically transitions the service status from the disabled state to the enabled state. Therefore, the printer 10 can appropriately receive print jobs from the server 100. If the user does not wish to immediately use the cloud printing service, the user can select the NO button in the inquiry screen SC3. Then, the printer 10 can switch between transitioning the service status to the enabled state (case C) and maintaining the service status in the disabled state (case D) depending on the inquiry result obtained from the user.

[0066] In particular, when the printer 10 maintains the service status in the disabled state (Case D), it does not send a CPS to the server 100. This prevents the server 100 from monitoring events for print request acceptance and job status change even though a constant connection is not established between the printer 10 and the server 100 (i.e., even though the server 100 cannot send notifications to the printer 10). As a result, it is possible to prevent the processing load on the server 100 from increasing due to event monitoring.

[0067] (Correspondence) The display unit of terminal 50 is an example of a “display unit.” The process of T510, the processes of T550 to T552, and the process of T560 in Fig. 6 are examples of processes executed by a “display control unit,” a “first instruction transmission unit,” and a “second instruction transmission unit,” respectively.

[0068] Although specific examples of the technology disclosed in this specification have been described in detail above, these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and variations of the specific examples exemplified above. Modifications of the above examples are listed below.

[0069] (Variation 1) In the above embodiment, the user uses the terminal 50 to access the web server in the printer 10 and issues an activation instruction and a registration instruction to the printer 10 (T112 in FIG. 2, T210 in FIG. 3, etc.). Alternatively, the user may issue an activation instruction and a registration instruction to the printer 10 by operating the operation unit 12 of the printer 10. In this modified example, the activation instruction and the registration instruction obtained by operating the operation unit 12 are examples of a "predetermined instruction" and a "registration instruction," respectively.

[0070] (Variation 2) In the above embodiment, when the service state of the printer 10 transitions to the enabled state, various commands such as T280 to T284 in FIG. 3, T430 to T434 in FIG. 5, or T550 to T554 in FIG. 6 are sent to the server 100. Also, a command is sent to the server 100 at T570 in FIG. 6. In a modified example, these commands do not have to be sent to the server 100. In this case, the server 100 may be configured to send job notifications, status change notifications, etc. to the printer 10 without receiving these commands. In this modified example, the "first instruction transmission unit," "second instruction transmission unit," and "third instruction transmission unit" can be omitted.

[0071] (Variation 3) In the second embodiment, the printer 10 transmits the inquiry screen data to the terminal 50 (T510) and displays the inquiry screen SC3 on the display unit of the terminal 50. Alternatively, the printer 10 may display the inquiry screen SC3 on the display unit 14 of the printer 10. In this modification, the display unit 14 of the printer 10 is an example of a "display unit."

[0072] (Modification 4) In the above embodiments, the processes of FIGS. 2 to 6 are executed by software (for example, programs 36, 136), but at least one of these processes may be realized by hardware such as a logic circuit.

[0073] The technical elements described in this specification or drawings may exhibit technical utility either alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. Furthermore, the technologies illustrated in this specification or drawings may achieve multiple objectives simultaneously, and achieving one of those objectives is itself technically useful. The following items are elements of the claims as originally filed: (Item 1) 1. A printer comprising: A print engine; a first state control unit that transitions a service state for receiving a print job providing service from a server from an invalid state when a predetermined instruction is received from a user, the first state control unit transitioning the service state from the invalid state to an valid state, the invalid state being a state in which a print job conforming to IPP (Internet Printing Protocol) cannot be received from the server, and the valid state being a state in which the print job conforming to IPP can be received from the server; a printer information transmitting unit that transmits printer information related to the printer to the server when a registration instruction for registering the printer information to the server is acquired; a second state control unit that, when the registration instruction is acquired while the service state is in an invalid state, transitions the service state from the invalid state to the valid state even if the predetermined instruction is not acquired from the user; an engine control unit that, when the print job conforming to the IPP is received from the server after the printer information has been registered in the server and the service state has been transitioned from the disabled state to the enabled state, causes the print engine to execute printing conforming to the print job; A printer comprising: (Item 2) The printer further comprises: Item 1: A printer according to item 1, comprising a first instruction sending unit that sends an acceptance instruction according to the IPP and a first notification instruction according to the IPP to the server when the registration instruction is acquired in a situation where the service status is the disabled state, wherein the acceptance instruction is an instruction to cause the server to accept a job transmission request to send the print job to the printer via the server, and the first notification instruction is an instruction to cause the server to notify the printer that the job transmission request has been accepted. (Item 3) the first instruction sending unit further sends a second notification instruction according to the IPP to the server when the registration instruction is acquired in a situation where the service state is the disabled state; 3. The printer according to item 2, wherein the second notification instruction is an instruction to cause the server to notify the printer that the status of the print job has changed. (Item 4) The printer further comprises: a display control unit that displays an inquiry screen on a display unit when the registration instruction is acquired in a situation where the service status is the disabled status, the inquiry screen being a screen for inquiring the user as to whether or not to transition the service status to the enabled status; the second state control unit, when the user selects on the inquiry screen to transition the service state to the enabled state, transitions the service state from the disabled state to the enabled state even if the predetermined instruction is not acquired from the user; 4. The printer according to any one of items 1 to 3, wherein if the user selects on the inquiry screen not to transition the service status to the enabled status, the service status is maintained in the disabled status. (Item 5) The printer further comprises: a first instruction transmission unit that transmits an acceptance instruction in accordance with the IPP and a first notification instruction in accordance with the IPP to the server when the registration instruction is acquired and the user selects on the inquiry screen to transition the service state to the valid state while the service state is the invalid state, the acceptance instruction being an instruction to cause the server to accept a job transmission request to transmit the print job to the printer via the server, and the first notification instruction being an instruction to cause the server to notify the printer that the job transmission request has been accepted; a second instruction sending unit that, when the registration instruction is acquired and the user selects on the inquiry screen not to transition the service status to the enabled status while the service status is the disabled status, sends the acceptance instruction to the server without sending the first notification instruction to the server; Item 5. The printer according to item 4, comprising: (Item 6) The printer further comprises: 6. The printer of any one of items 1 to 5, further comprising: a third instruction sending unit that sends an acceptance instruction according to the IPP and a first notification instruction according to the IPP to the server when the registration instruction is acquired while the service status is the enabled state, wherein the acceptance instruction is an instruction to cause the server to accept a job transmission request to send the print job to the printer via the server, and the first notification instruction is an instruction to cause the server to notify the printer that the job transmission request has been accepted. (Item 7) 1. A computer program for a printer, comprising: The printer computer is composed of the following parts: a first state control unit that transitions a service state for receiving a print job providing service from a server from an invalid state when a predetermined instruction is received from a user, the first state control unit transitioning the service state from the invalid state to an valid state, the invalid state being a state in which a print job conforming to IPP (Internet Printing Protocol) cannot be received from the server, and the valid state being a state in which the print job conforming to IPP can be received from the server; a printer information transmitting unit that transmits printer information related to the printer to the server when a registration instruction for registering the printer information to the server is acquired; a second state control unit that, when the registration instruction is acquired while the service state is in an invalid state, transitions the service state from the invalid state to the valid state even if the predetermined instruction is not acquired from the user; an engine control unit that, when the print job conforming to the IPP is received from the server after the printer information is registered in the server and the service state is transitioned from the disabled state to the enabled state, causes a print engine to execute printing conforming to the print job; A computer program that functions as a [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 2: Communication system, 6: Internet, 10: Printer, 12: Operation unit, 14: Display unit, 16: Communication interface, 18: Print engine, 30: Control unit, 32: CPU, 34: Memory, 36: Program, 50: Terminal, 100: Print intermediary server, 138: Printer table

Claims

1. 1. A printer comprising: A print engine; a state control unit that, when a predetermined instruction is acquired from a user in a situation where a service state for receiving a print job providing service from a server is in an inactive state, transitions the service state from the inactive state to an active state, the inactive state being a state in which a print job conforming to IPP (Internet Printing Protocol) cannot be received from the server, and the active state being a state in which the print job conforming to IPP can be received from the server; a printer information transmitting unit that transmits the printer information to the server when a registration instruction for registering printer information related to the printer is acquired in a situation where the service state is the enabled state; a first instruction transmission unit that, when the registration instruction is acquired in a situation where the service state is the disabled state, transmits to the server an acceptance instruction conforming to the IPP and a first notification instruction conforming to the IPP, the acceptance instruction being an instruction to cause the server to execute acceptance of a job transmission request for transmitting the print job to the printer via the server, and the first notification instruction being an instruction to cause the server to execute notification to the printer that the job transmission request has been accepted; an engine control unit that, when the print job conforming to the IPP is received from the server after the printer information is registered in the server and the service state is transitioned from the disabled state to the enabled state, causes the print engine to execute printing conforming to the print job; A printer comprising:

2. The first instruction sending unit further sends a second notification instruction according to the IPP to the server when the registration instruction is acquired in a situation where the service state is the disabled state; 2. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the second notification instruction is an instruction to cause the server to notify the printer that a status of a print job has changed.

3. The printer further comprises:

3. The printer according to claim 1, further comprising a third instruction sending unit that sends the acceptance instruction and the first notification instruction to the server when the registration instruction is acquired while the service status is the valid state.

4. A computer program for a printer, comprising: The printer computer is comprised of the following components: a state control unit that, when a predetermined instruction is acquired from a user in a situation where a service state for receiving a print job providing service from a server is in an inactive state, transitions the service state from the inactive state to an active state, the inactive state being a state in which a print job conforming to IPP (Internet Printing Protocol) cannot be received from the server, and the active state being a state in which the print job conforming to IPP can be received from the server; a printer information transmitting unit that transmits the printer information to the server when a registration instruction for registering printer information related to the printer is acquired in a situation where the service state is the enabled state; a first instruction transmission unit that, when the registration instruction is acquired in a situation where the service state is the disabled state, transmits to the server an acceptance instruction conforming to the IPP and a first notification instruction conforming to the IPP, the acceptance instruction being an instruction to cause the server to execute acceptance of a job transmission request for transmitting the print job to the printer via the server, and the first notification instruction being an instruction to cause the server to execute notification to the printer that the job transmission request has been accepted; an engine control unit that, when the print job conforming to the IPP is received from the server after the printer information is registered in the server and the service state is transitioned from the disabled state to the enabled state, causes a print engine to execute printing conforming to the print job; A computer program that functions as a

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