Printing apparatus, information processing apparatus, control methods and programs thereof

Abstract

To safely identify a physical printer associated with a logic printer.SOLUTION: A printer has: a first reception part for receiving a first print job from a print server; a second reception part for receiving a second print job in local area network from an information processor; a print part for performing printing based on the first print job and printing based on the second print job; a storage part for storing a secret key and a digital certificate; and a transmission part for transmitting a digital certificate to the information processor in the local area network. The digital certificate includes a public key paired with the secret key, and an electronic signature performed by the print server.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a printing apparatus, an information processing apparatus, control methods thereof, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] A cloud print service using the cloud has been proposed. The cloud print service provides a logical printer, and a print job for the logical printer is executed by a physical printer associated with the logical printer. Printing using a logical printer is sometimes called cloud printing, and printing without using a logical printer is sometimes called local printing. Patent Document 1 proposes a technique for falling back to local printing when cloud printing cannot be performed. Specifically, the information processing apparatus acquires the device ID of the physical printer from each of the cloud print service and the physical printer. By comparing the device IDs acquired through both paths, the information processing apparatus identifies the physical printer associated with the logical printer.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Since the device ID acquired from the physical printer is string data, it may be forged or altered. If the device ID cannot be correctly acquired from the physical printer, the physical device associated with the logical printer cannot be correctly identified. As a result, printing may be performed by a printing apparatus unintended by the user. Some aspects of the present invention aim to provide a technique for safely identifying the physical printer associated with the logical printer. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] According to some embodiments, a printing apparatus is provided, comprising: a first receiving means for receiving a first print job from a print server; a second receiving means for receiving a second print job from an information processing device within a local area network; a printing means for performing printing based on the first print job and printing based on the second print job; a storage means for storing a private key and a digital certificate; and a transmission means for transmitting the digital certificate to the information processing device within the local area network, wherein the digital certificate includes a public key paired with the private key and an electronic signature performed by the print server. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to some embodiments, the physical printer associated with the logical printer can be securely identified. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] A schematic diagram illustrating an example configuration of the printing system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] A block diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of a computer according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] A block diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of the print server in the first embodiment. [Figure 4] A block diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of the information processing device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] A block diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the printing apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] A schematic diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the operating section of the printing apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] A block diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of the printing apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] A sequence diagram illustrating the overall process of cloud printing in the first embodiment. [Figure 9]A flowchart illustrating an example of registration processing using the printing apparatus of the first embodiment. [Figure 10] A sequence diagram illustrating the overall processing of local printing in the first embodiment. [Figure 11] A flowchart illustrating an example of the registration process for a physical printer using the information processing device of the first embodiment. [Figure 12] A diagram illustrating an example of printer information in the information processing device of the first embodiment. [Figure 13] A flowchart illustrating an example of printing processing using the information processing device of the first embodiment. [Figure 14] A schematic diagram illustrating an example screen of the second embodiment. [Figure 15] A schematic diagram illustrating an example message of the third embodiment. [Figure 16] A schematic diagram illustrating an example message of the fourth embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] The embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention as defined in the claims. While the embodiments describe multiple features, not all of these features are essential to the invention, and the features may be combined in any way. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, identical or similar configurations are given the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0009] <First Embodiment> [Example of a printing system configuration] Referring to Figure 1, an example configuration of a printing system according to the first embodiment will be described. The printing system includes, for example, an information processing device 110, printing devices 120 and 121, and a print server 130. The number of components of the printing system is not limited to the example in Figure 1. Furthermore, the printing system may have components not shown in Figure 1.

[0010] The information processing device 110 and the printing device 120 are connected to the same local area network (LAN) 101. The LAN 101 may be a wired LAN, a wireless LAN, or a combination of both. The LAN 101 is connected to a wide area network 103 (e.g., the Internet) through a firewall 102. The wide area network 103 is also connected to a printing device 121 and a printing server 130. The information processing device 110 and the printing device 120 can communicate with each other within the LAN 101 (i.e., without going through the wide area network 103). Also, each of the information processing device 110 and the printing device 120 can communicate with the printing server 130 through the LAN 101, the firewall 102, and the wide area network 103. The printing device 121 may be connected to the wide area network 103 through a LAN or a cellular network (e.g., a network compliant with the fourth generation communication standard (4G) or the fifth generation communication standard (5G)). The information processing device 110 may also be connected to the wide area network 103 through a cellular network.

[0011] The printing devices 120 and 121 have a printing function for performing printing based on a print job. In addition to the printing function, the printing devices 120 and 121 may include at least one of a scanner function and a fax function. A printing device having such multiple functions may be called a multifunction printer (MFP). Alternatively, the printing devices 120 and 121 may be dedicated devices (SFP: Single Function Peripheral) having only the printing function. The printing may be printing on a sheet-like recording medium such as paper, or it may be three-dimensional printing (so-called 3D printing).

[0012] The print server 130 provides a print service that transmits a print job to any print device (e.g., print device 120) according to the print job generated by the information processing device 110. For example, the print server 130 provides a logical printer to the information processing device 110 and accepts a print job for the logical printer. A logical printer is a virtual print device (e.g., a printer object) provided by the print server 130. A logical printer may also be called a cloud printer. Similar to the print devices 120 and 121, the information processing device 110 can also generate a print queue for the logical printer. In contrast to the logical printer, a physical print device such as the print devices 120 and 121 may also be called a physical printer. A physical printer may also be called a local printer when it is connected to the same LAN as the information processing device that inputs the print job. In the following description, the logical printer and the physical printer are collectively referred to simply as a printer.

[0013] The print server 130 may be a server in an on-premises environment connected to the wide area network 103, or may be a server in a cloud computing environment (hereinafter simply referred to as a cloud). The print service provided by the print server 130 in the cloud may be called a cloud print service (hereinafter referred to as CPS). An example of a cloud print service is Universal Print (registered trademark) provided by Microsoft (registered trademark). In the following description, the case where the print server 130 is in the cloud will be described. However, the following description also applies similarly to the case where the print server 130 is in an on-premises environment.

[0014] The information processing device 110 provides a printing function to its user. The information processing device 110 may specify a physical printer (e.g., a printer 120) connected to the same LAN 101 as the output destination, or it may specify a logical printer provided by the print server 130 as the output destination. When a logical printer is specified as the output destination, the physical printer associated with the logical printer (e.g., a printer 120) performs the printing. The information processing device 110 that utilizes CPS may also be called a client or client terminal. Printing performed by submitting a print job to a logical printer may also be called cloud printing. Cloud printing may be performed by a printer 120 connected to the same LAN 101 as the information processing device 110, or by a printer 121 not connected to LAN 101. Printing performed by directly submitting a print job to a physical printer (i.e., within the LAN) may also be called local printing.

[0015] [Example of computer hardware configuration] Referring to Figure 2, an example of the hardware configuration of the computer 200 according to this embodiment will be described. The computer 200 may be used as an information processing device 110 or as a print server 130. The computer 200 may have the components shown in Figure 2.

[0016] The central processing unit (CPU) 201 is a general-purpose processing circuit that controls the overall operation of the computer 200. The random access memory (RAM) 202 is a volatile memory circuit and is used as a temporary storage area such as a work area for processing by the CPU 201. The read-only memory (ROM) 203 is a non-volatile memory circuit that stores programs and data used in the processing of the CPU 201. The storage device 204 is a non-volatile storage device that stores programs and data used in the processing of the CPU 201. The storage device 204 may be, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD). The storage device 204 may also be called a secondary storage device. The operation of the computer 200 may be realized by the CPU 201 executing a program read from the storage device 204 into the RAM 202.

[0017] The input interface (I / F) 205 is an I / F for exchanging signals with the input device 210. The input device 210 is a device that receives input from the user of the computer 200. The input device 210 may be, for example, a keyboard, a touch panel, a microphone, a mouse, or any combination thereof. The output I / F 206 is an I / F for exchanging signals with the output device 220. The output device 220 is a device that provides information to the user of the computer 200. The output device 220 may be, for example, a display, a speaker, or any combination thereof. The network I / F 207 is an I / F for communicating with devices outside the computer 200. The CPU 201, RAM 202, ROM 203, storage device 204, input I / F 205, output I / F 206, and network I / F 207 are each connected to the system bus 208. In the example in Figure 2, the input device 210 and output device 220 are shown as separate devices from the computer 200. Alternatively, the computer 200 may include an input device 210 and an output device 220.

[0018] [Example of print server functional configuration] Referring to Figure 3, an example of the functional configuration of the print server 130 will be described. The print server 130 may have the functional units shown in Figure 3. The print server 130 may also have functional units not shown in Figure 3. Each functional unit in Figure 3 may be implemented by the CPU 201 executing a program read into the RAM 202. Alternatively, some or all of the functional units in Figure 3 may be implemented by a dedicated processing circuit such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0019] The registration control unit 301 performs processing for registering logical printers. For example, in response to a registration start request from the printing device, the registration control unit 301 generates a logical printer associated with a physical printer and registers it in the printer information 311. Logical printers registered in the printer information 311 are recognized as printers by the information processing device 110. A physical printer associated with a logical printer may be a physical printer that performs printing according to a print job submitted to the logical printer. A logical printer may be associated with only one physical printer. A physical printer may be associated with only one logical printer, or it may be associated with multiple logical printers.

[0020] The print control unit 302 performs processing related to print jobs for logical printers. For example, the print control unit 302 receives print jobs for logical printers from the information processing device 110 and, based on this, sends print jobs to the physical printer associated with the logical printer. The print control unit 302 may also control events related to print jobs. Events related to print jobs may include, for example, the receipt of a print job. The print control unit 302 may respond with events related to the physical printer in response to receiving an event request from the physical printer.

[0021] The printer management unit 303 manages information about logical printers registered with the print server 130 as printer information 311. Printer information 311 includes information about the capabilities of the physical printer associated with the logical printer, a cloud printer ID uniquely assigned to the logical printer, information about the print queue where print jobs are spooled, and information about the digital certificate associated with the logical printer. The digital certificate associated with the logical printer may also refer to the digital certificate of the physical printer associated with the logical printer. The digital certificate of the physical printer may also refer to the digital certificate of the private key and public key pair used by the physical printer. In the following, the digital certificate associated with the logical printer may also be simply referred to as the digital certificate of the logical printer.

[0022] The job management unit 304 manages information about print jobs received from the information processing device 110 as job information 312. The job information 312 includes information and status of the print job, as well as the print data included in the print job.

[0023] The signature unit 305 generates a printer certificate 315 by digitally signing the public key of the physical printer using the server private key 313. The server private key 313 is a private key used by the print server 130. The printer certificate 315 is a digital certificate that includes the public key paired with the private key used by the physical printer, and the digital signature performed by the print server 130 using the server private key 313.

[0024] The memory control unit 310 stores information in the RAM 202 or storage device 204, or reads information from the RAM 202 or storage device 204, according to instructions from other functional units. In this embodiment, the memory control unit 310 stores printer information 311, job information 312, server private key 313, server public key 314, and printer certificate 315. The server public key 314 is a public key that pairs with the server private key 313. The memory control unit 310 may also store a printer certificate 315 for each of the multiple logical printers registered with the print server 130.

[0025] [Example of information processing device function configuration] Referring to Figure 4, an example of the functional configuration of the information processing device 110 will be described. The information processing device 110 may have the functional units shown in Figure 4. The information processing device 110 may also have functional units not shown in Figure 4. Each functional unit in Figure 4 may be implemented by the CPU 201 executing a program read into the RAM 202. Alternatively, some or all of the functional units in Figure 4 may be implemented by a dedicated processing circuit such as an ASIC.

[0026] The input acquisition unit 401 acquires input from the user of the information processing device 110 using the input interface 205. The information output unit 402 outputs information to the user of the information processing device 110 using the output interface 206.

[0027] The registration control unit 403 performs processing to register the logical printer with the print server 130. The print control unit 404 performs processing related to printing by the printer. For example, the print control unit 404 may send a print job to the logical printer registered with the print server 130 in accordance with a print instruction from the user of the information processing device 110. The print control unit 404 may also send a print job directly to the physical printer (i.e., within the same LAN) in accordance with a print instruction from the user of the information processing device 110.

[0028] The printer management unit 405 manages information about printers that the information processing device 110 can submit print jobs to as printer information 411. Printer information 411 includes printer capability information and information about the printer's digital certificate. The encryption communication unit 406 performs processing for encrypted communication with other devices (e.g., the printing device 120).

[0029] The memory control unit 410 stores information in the RAM 202 and storage device 204, or reads information from the RAM 202 and storage device 204, according to instructions from other functional units. In this embodiment, the memory control unit 410 stores printer information 411 and printer certificate 412. The printer certificate 412 is a digital certificate that includes the public key of the physical printer and an electronic signature performed by the print server 130 using the server private key 313.

[0030] [Example of printing device hardware configuration] Referring to Figure 5, an example of the hardware configuration of the printing device 500 according to this embodiment will be described. The printing device 500 may be used as printing device 120 or as printing device 121. The printing device 500 may have the components shown in Figure 5. Since the printing device 500 is a physical printing device, it may also be called a physical printer.

[0031] The CPU 501 is a general-purpose processing circuit that controls the overall operation of the printing device 500. The RAM 502 is a volatile memory circuit used as a temporary storage area such as a work area for processing by the CPU 501. The ROM 503 is a non-volatile memory circuit that stores programs and data used in the processing of the CPU 501. The storage device 504 is a non-volatile storage device that stores programs and data used in the processing of the CPU 501 (e.g., print jobs, image data, setting information). The storage device 504 may be, for example, an HDD or an SSD. The storage device 504 may also be called a secondary storage device. The operation of the printing device 500 may be realized by the CPU 501 executing a program read from the storage device 504 into the RAM 502.

[0032] The printer interface 505 is an interface for exchanging signals with the printer engine 520. The printer engine 520 performs printing based on signals (e.g., image signals and print commands) supplied from the control unit 510 through the printer interface 505. Printing may be electrophotographic printing, which transfers and fixes toner onto paper; inkjet printing, which prints by ejecting ink onto paper; or 3D printing.

[0033] The scanner I / F 506 is an interface for exchanging signals with the scanner engine 530. The scanner engine 530 supplies signals obtained by scanning a document (e.g., image signals) to the control unit 510 through the scanner I / F 506. The CPU 501 may process the image signals supplied from the scanner engine 530 and supply the resulting recorded image signals to the printer engine 520. Alternatively, the CPU 501 may generate image data based on the image signals supplied from the scanner engine 530 and transmit it to an external device.

[0034] The control unit I / F 507 is an interface for exchanging signals with the control unit 540. The control unit 540 is a device that receives input from the user of the printing device 500 and provides information to the user of the printing device 500. The control unit 540 may consist of, for example, a display panel (e.g., a liquid crystal display), a speaker, a touch panel, a keyboard, buttons, a touchscreen, or any combination thereof.

[0035] The network interface 508 is an interface for communicating with devices outside the printing device 500. The control unit 510 is composed of the CPU 501, RAM 502, ROM 503, storage device 504, printer interface 505, scanner interface 506, operation unit interface 507, and network interface 508. Each component included in the control unit 510 is connected to the system bus 509.

[0036] [Example of the configuration of the control panel of a printing device] Referring to Figure 6, an example of the configuration of the operating unit 540 of the printing device 500 will be described. In the example in Figure 6, the operating unit 540 is configured as an operating panel formed in a panel shape. The operating unit 540 may have the components shown in Figure 6. The operating unit 540 may also have components not shown in Figure 6.

[0037] The display panel 601 is a touchscreen that integrates a touch panel for obtaining user input and a display (e.g., a liquid crystal display) for displaying information to the user. In the example in Figure 6, the display panel 601 displays buttons 602 to 604. Button 602 is a soft button for obtaining user instructions to switch to copy mode. The printer 500 displays a copy operation screen on the display panel 601 in response to the user touching button 602. Button 603 is a soft button for obtaining user instructions to switch to fax mode. The printer 500 displays a fax operation screen on the display panel 601 in response to the user touching button 603. Button 604 is a soft button for obtaining user instructions to switch to scanner mode. The printer 500 displays a scanner operation screen on the display panel 601 in response to the user touching button 604. In addition, the display panel 601 may display a dialog box for interacting with the user or a cloud print job list.

[0038] The numeric keypad 605 is a set of physical buttons for obtaining input such as numbers from the user. Button 606 is a physical button for obtaining instructions from the user to determine the content displayed on the display panel 601. The directional keys 607 are physical buttons for obtaining instructions from the user to select an item from a menu displayed on the display panel 601. Button 608 is a physical button for obtaining instructions from the user to make a monochrome copy. Button 609 is a physical button for obtaining instructions from the user to make a color copy. Button 610 is a physical button for obtaining instructions from the user to stop the process. Button 611 is a physical button for obtaining instructions from the user to display a menu screen for configuring the printer 500. Button 612 is a physical button for obtaining instructions from the user to display the status of the printer 500, such as a list of print jobs that the printer 500 is receiving.

[0039] [Example of printing device function configuration] Referring to Figure 7, an example of the functional configuration of the printing device 500 will be described. The printing device 500 may have the functional units shown in Figure 7. The printing device 500 may also have functional units not shown in Figure 7. Each functional unit in Figure 7 may be implemented by the CPU 501 executing a program read from the RAM 502. Alternatively, some or all of the functional units in Figure 7 may be implemented by a dedicated processing circuit such as an ASIC.

[0040] The input acquisition unit 701 acquires input from the user of the printing device 500 using the operation unit I / F 507. The information output unit 702 outputs information to the user of the printing device 500 using the operation unit I / F 507. The image processing unit 703 renders the print job into image data for printing. The printing processing unit 704 prints the image data rendered by the image processing unit 703.

[0041] The registration control unit 705 performs processing to register the logical printer associated with the printing device 500 with the print server 130. The printer management unit 706 manages information about the printing device 500 as printer information 721. The printer information 721 may include, for example, the status of the printing device 500, the capabilities of the printing device 500, and a cloud printer ID uniquely assigned by the print server 130 to the logical printer associated with the printing device 500. The printer information 721 may also include a local printer ID for the information processing device 110 to identify printing devices within the same LAN 101.

[0042] The Cloud Print (CP) control unit 707 performs processing related to Cloud Print. For example, the CP control unit 707 may transfer print data received from the print server 130 to the image processing unit 703. Alternatively, the CP control unit 707 may send an event request to the print server 130.

[0043] The local print (LP) control unit 708 performs processing related to local printing. For example, the LP control unit 708 may respond to a printer search from the information processing device 110. Alternatively, the LP control unit 708 may transfer print data received directly from the information processing device 110 to the image processing unit 703.

[0044] The encryption communication unit 709 performs processing for encrypted communication with other devices (e.g., the information processing device 110). For example, the encryption communication unit 709 may generate a pair of private and public keys used in a public-key cryptography scheme. Furthermore, the encryption communication unit 709 may establish an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) session with the other device. SSL may include TLS (Transport Layer Security).

[0045] The memory control unit 720 stores information in the RAM 502 and the storage device 504, and reads information from the RAM 502 and the storage device 504, according to instructions from other functional units. According to this embodiment, the memory control unit 720 stores printer information 721, printer private key 722, printer public key 723, printer certificate 724, SSL private key 725, SSL public key 726, and SSL certificate 727. The printer private key 722 is a private key used by the printing device 500. The printer public key 723 is a public key paired with the printer private key 722. The printer certificate 724 is a digital certificate that includes the printer public key 723 and an electronic signature performed by the printing server 130 using the server private key 313. The SSL private key 725 is a private key used to establish an SSL session. The SSL public key 726 is a public key paired with the SSL private key 725. SSL certificate 727 is a digital certificate that includes SSL public key 726 and a digital signature performed by a Certificate Authority. The Certificate Authority may be the print server 130 or another Certificate Authority. The pair of SSL private key 725 and SSL public key 726 may be generated by the printer 500 or generated by an external device and installed on the printer 500.

[0046] [Overall processing sequence for cloud printing] Referring to Figure 8, the overall processing sequence for performing cloud printing is described. The example in Figure 8 deals with the case where the information processing device 110 registers the printer 120 with the print server 130 and submits a print job to the logical printer associated with the printer 120. Registering the printer 120 with the print server 130 may also mean registering the logical printer associated with the printer 120 with the print server 130. In the following example, it is assumed that the printer 120 supports a web user interface (UI) function for operating the printer 120 from the information processing device 110. It is also assumed that the information processing device 110 supports a web UI client function. Communication between the information processing device 110, the printer 120, and the print server 130 may be performed using the Internet Printing Protocol (IPP).

[0047] In S801, the registration control unit 403 of the information processing device 110 sends a registration start request to the printing device 120 in accordance with instructions from the user of the information processing device 110. The registration start request may also be a request to start the process of registering the printing device 120 with the print server 130. The registration start request may also be sent using the web UI client function of the information processing device 110.

[0048] In S802, the registration control unit 705 of the printing device 120 sends a registration start request to the printing server 130 in response to receiving a registration start request from the information processing device 110. The registration start request may also be a request to start the process of registering the printing device 120 with the printing server 130.

[0049] In S803, the registration control unit 301 of the print server 130 receives a registration start request from the print device 120 and sends a registration start response to the print device 120. The registration start response includes a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) for a web page where the user of the information processing device 110 can enter information to register the print device 120 with the print server 130.

[0050] In step S804, the registration control unit 705 of the printing device 120 transmits registration information to the information processing device 110 in response to receiving a registration start response from the print server 130. The registration information includes the URL contained in the registration start response. The information output unit 402 of the information processing device 110 displays the web page to the user in response to receiving the registration information from the printing device 120.

[0051] In step S805, the registration control unit 403 of the information processing device 110 sends a registration approval request to the print server 130 in response to the user of the information processing device 110 accessing the URL and entering the necessary registration information. The registration approval request includes the cloud account of the user of the information processing device 110. A cloud account is an account that allows a user to use a cloud tenant that includes the print server 130.

[0052] In S806, the registration control unit 301 of the print server 130 verifies whether the cloud account included in the registration approval request belongs to a user who has the authority to register the printing device 120 with the print server 130. If the user has the authority, the registration control unit 301 of the print server 130 sends a registration approval response to the information processing device 110. The registration approval response may be a message notifying the information processing device 110 of the verification result that the user has the authority to register the printing device 120.

[0053] In S807, the printer management unit 706 of the printing device 120 sends a registration confirmation request to the printing server 130 in response to receiving a registration start response from the printing server 130. The registration confirmation request is a request for registering the printing device 120 with the printing server 130, and may specifically be a request to register the printing device 120 with the printing server 130. The registration confirmation request includes a Certificate Signing Request (CSR). The CSR is a message requesting the printing server 130 to digitally sign the printer public key 723. The CSR includes the printer public key 723, the digital signature made using the printer private key 722, and other information used in the application. The pair of printer private key 722 and printer public key 723 may be generated in this step, or may be generated in advance (for example, before the start of the process in Figure 8).

[0054] In step S808, the printer management unit 303 of the print server 130, upon receiving a registration confirmation request from the printing device 120, generates a new logical printer and adds it to the printer information 311 in association with the printing device 120. This registers the printing device 120 with the print server 130, enabling the information processing device 110 to perform cloud printing using the logical printer. The printer management unit 303 of the print server 130 also assigns a unique cloud printer ID to the generated logical printer and adds this cloud printer ID to the printer information 311 in association with the logical printer. Furthermore, the signature unit 305 of the print server 130 creates a printer certificate 315 by digitally signing the printer public key 723 included in the CSR and adds it to the printer information 311 in association with the logical printer. The cloud printer ID and printer public key 723 added to the printer information 311 are stored by the storage control unit 310 of the print server 130. Subsequently, the registration control unit 301 of the print server 130 sends a registration confirmation response to the printing device 120. The registration confirmation response includes the cloud printer ID of the printing device 120 and the printer certificate 315.

[0055] In S809, the CP control unit 707 of the printing device 120 sends an event request to the printing server 130 in response to receiving a registration confirmation response from the printing server 130. The event request may also be a request to notify the printing device 120 when an event related to the printing device 120 occurs. The event request may also be for an event that a print job has been submitted to the logical printer associated with the printing device 120.

[0056] In S810, the printer management unit 405 of the information processing device 110 sends an information request to the print server 130 in accordance with instructions from the user of the information processing device 110. The information request may be a request for information about a logical printer available to the user of the information processing device 110. The information request includes the cloud account of the user of the information processing device 110.

[0057] In step S811, the printer management unit 303 of the print server 130 sends an information response to the information processing device 110 in response to receiving an information request from the information processing device 110. The information response includes the cloud printer ID, the printer certificate 315, and the printer attributes for each of the one or more logical printers available to the user of the information processing device 110. The printer certificate 315 is a digital certificate associated with the logical printer. The printer management unit 405 of the information processing device 110 updates the printer information 411 based on the information response. The storage control unit 410 of the information processing device 110 stores the received printer certificate 315 as printer certificate 412.

[0058] In S812, the printer management unit 405 of the information processing device 110 sends a print request to the print server 130 in accordance with instructions from the user of the information processing device 110. The print request includes a cloud printer ID, a print job, and the cloud account of the user of the information processing device 110. The print job may also include print data and print settings. The print request may also be a request to print the print data included in the print request to a logical printer having the cloud printer ID included in the print request.

[0059] In S813, the print control unit 302 of the print server 130 sends an event response to the printing device 120 associated with the logical printer in response to receiving a print request from the information processing device 110. The event response is a response to the event request received in S809. The event response is a response to notify that an event of the type specified in the event request has occurred.

[0060] In S814, the CP control unit 707 of the printing device 120 sends a print job request to the print server 130 in response to receiving an event response from the print server 130. The print job request may be a request for a print job that the printing device 120 should execute.

[0061] In S815, the print control unit 302 of the print server 130 sends a print job response to the print device 120 in response to receiving a print job request from the print device 120. The print job response includes the cloud account and the print job. Subsequently, the print device 120 prints based on the print job in response to receiving the print job response from the print server 130. The print job response received by the print device 120 from the print server 130 may be an IPP Fetch-Job Response.

[0062] In the explanation of Figure 8, the registration of the printer 120 in S801-S806 and the cloud printing in S810-S815 may be performed by the same user or by different users. Also, in S807, the printer 120 includes the CSR in the registration confirmation request, but the CSR may be sent separately from the registration confirmation request. For example, the printer 120 may include the CSR in a message other than the registration confirmation request, or send the CSR on its own. In S808, the print server 130 includes the printer certificate in the registration confirmation response, but the printer certificate may be sent separately from the registration confirmation response. For example, the print server 130 may include the printer certificate in a message other than the registration confirmation response, or send the printer certificate on its own.

[0063] [Operational flow of registration process using a printing device] Referring to Figure 9, a detailed example of the operation of the printing device 500 for registering the printing device 500 with the printing server 130 will be described. The following operations correspond to S801 to S808 in Figure 8. The operations in Figure 9 may be initiated in response to receiving a registration start request (S801 in Figure 8) from the information processing device 110. The printing device 500 may be the printing device 120, the printing device 121, or any other printing device.

[0064] In S901, the registration control unit 705 of the printing device 500 sends a registration start request to the printing server 130 (S802 in Figure 8), and receives a registration start response from the printing server 130 in return (S803 in Figure 8). As described above, the registration start request includes a URL for the user of the information processing device 110 to perform the registration process for the printing device 500.

[0065] In S902, the registration control unit 705 of the printing device 500 transmits registration information to the information processing device 110 (S804 in Figure 8). As described above, the registration information includes the URL contained in the registration start response received in S901. In S903, the encryption communication unit 709 of the printing device 500 generates a pair of printer secret key 722 and printer public key 723, and the storage control unit 720 stores them.

[0066] In S904, the registration control unit 705 of the printing device 500 sends a registration confirmation request including a CSR to the printing server 130 (S807 in Figure 8), and receives a registration confirmation response in return (S808 in Figure 8). The CSR includes the printer public key 723, an electronic signature made using the printer private key 722, and other information used for the application. The registration confirmation response includes a cloud account ID and a digital certificate. This digital certificate includes the printer public key 723 and an electronic signature made by the printing server 130.

[0067] In S905, the memory control unit 720 of the printing device 500 stores the digital certificate included in the registration confirmation as a printer certificate 724. The printer certificate 724 is stored in association with the printer private key 722 and the printer public key 723.

[0068] In S906, the encryption communication unit 709 of the printing device 500 sets the printer certificate 724 as the digital certificate to be used for future SSL encrypted communication. As a result, from S906 onward, the encryption communication unit 709 establishes an encrypted communication channel using the printer certificate 724. Specifically, during the handshake process to establish the SSL encrypted communication channel, the printer certificate 724 is sent from the printing device 500 to the communication partner. Before the execution of S906, the SSL certificate 727 may be set as the digital certificate to be used for SSL encrypted communication. The printer certificate 724 may be deleted from the printing device 500 if the printing device 500 is unregistered from the printing server 130. In this case, the SSL certificate 727 may be set as the digital certificate to be used for SSL encrypted communication. If the SSL certificate 727 is set as the digital certificate to be used for SSL encrypted communication, the encryption communication unit 709 establishes an encrypted communication channel using the SSL certificate 727.

[0069] [Overall processing sequence for local prints] Referring to Figure 10, the overall processing sequence for performing local printing will be described. Before the start of the operation in Figure 10, it is assumed that the printer 120 has completed the operation in Figure 9. Communication between the information processing device 110 and the printer 120 may be performed using IPP. Furthermore, communication between the information processing device 110 and the printer 120 takes place within LAN 101. Therefore, even if LAN 101 cannot access the wide area network 103, the process in Figure 10 can still be performed.

[0070] In S1001, the registration control unit 403 of the information processing device 110 sends a printer search request to a device connected to LAN 101, for example, in accordance with instructions from the user. The printer search request is a message requesting a response from a printing device connected within LAN 101. In S1002, the LP control unit 708 of the printing device 120 connected to LAN 101 responds to the printer search request and sends a printer search response to the information processing device 110. The printer search response includes the IP (Internet Protocol) address of the printing device 120. By receiving the printer search response, the information processing device 110 can discover the printing device within LAN 101. If multiple printing devices send printer search responses to the information processing device 110 in S1002, the subsequent S1003 to S1008 may be executed for each of the multiple printing devices.

[0071] In steps S1003 to S1006, a handshake process is performed to establish an SSL encrypted communication channel. In S1003, the encrypted communication unit 406 of the information processing device 110 sends a Client Hello message to the printer 120. In S1004, the encrypted communication unit 709 of the printer 120, upon receiving the Client Hello message, sends a Server Hello message, a Server Certificate message, etc., to the information processing device 110. The Server Certificate message includes a printer certificate 724 stored by the storage control unit 720.

[0072] In S1005, the encryption communication unit 406 of the information processing device 110 sends a Client Key Exchange message and the like to the printer 120 in response to the completion of message transmission from the printer 120. The Client Key Exchange message includes a shared key generated by the information processing device 110. In S1006, the encryption communication unit 709 of the printer 120 sends a Change Cipher Spec message and the like to the information processing device 110 in response to the completion of message transmission from the information processing device 110. A shared key is shared between the information processing device 110 and the printer 120 in response to the completion of message transmission from the printer 120. Data exchanged between the information processing device 110 and the printer 120 after S1006 is encrypted using this shared key.

[0073] In S1007, the registration control unit 403 of the information processing device 110 sends a printer information request to the printing device 120 in response to the establishment of an encrypted communication channel. The printer information request is a message requesting information about the printing device 120. In S1008, the LP control unit 708 of the printing device 120 sends a printer information response to the information processing device 110 in response to receiving the printer information request from the information processing device 110. The printer information response includes the local printer ID of the printing device 120 and the printer attributes of the printing device 120. The local printer ID is, for example, identification information assigned to the printing device 120 by the administrator of the printing device 120.

[0074] In S1009, the print control unit 404 of the information processing device 110 sends a print request to the printing device 120, for example, according to instructions from the user. The print request may include a print job that includes print data and print settings. The print request may also be an IPP Print-Job Request. In S1010, the LP control unit 708 of the printing device 120, upon receiving the print request from the information processing device 110, performs printing according to the print job and sends a print response including the result to the information processing device 110.

[0075] [Registration flow for local printers on information processing devices] Referring to Figure 11, a detailed example of the operation of the information processing device 110 for registering the printing device 120 as a physical printer will be described. The following operations correspond to S1001 to S1008 in Figure 10. The operations in Figure 11 may be initiated in response to the information processing device 110 receiving an instruction from the user to add a local printer.

[0076] In S1101, the registration control unit 403 of the information processing device 110 sends a printer search request to a device connected to the LAN 101 (S1001 in Figure 10). In S1102, the registration control unit 403 of the information processing device 110 determines whether it has received a printer search response. If the registration control unit 403 of the information processing device 110 determines that it has received a printer search response (YES in S1102), it proceeds to S1103; otherwise, it terminates the process (NO in S1102). If it determines that it has not received a printer search response, the information output unit 402 of the information processing device 110 may notify the user that the printing device could not be found.

[0077] In S1103, the encrypted communication unit 406 of the information processing device 110 establishes an encrypted communication channel with the printing device 120 that sent the printer search response (S1003-S1006 in Figure 10). In the operation to establish the encrypted communication channel, the encrypted communication unit 406 of the information processing device 110 obtains a printer certificate 724 from the printing device 120 (S1004 in Figure 10). As described above, the printer certificate 724 includes an electronic signature performed by the print server 130.

[0078] In S1104, the registration control unit 403 of the information processing device 110 sends a printer information request to the printing device 120 via an encrypted communication channel (S1007 in Figure 10), and receives a printer information response in return (S1008 in Figure 10).

[0079] In S1105, the registration control unit 403 of the information processing device 110 determines whether the printer certificate 724 received in S1103 matches one or more printer certificates 412 of logical printers stored by the storage control unit 410. If the registration control unit 403 of the information processing device 110 determines that the printer certificate 724 matches any of the printer certificates 412 (YES in S1105), it proceeds to S1106; otherwise (NO in S1105), it proceeds to S1107.

[0080] In S1106, the printer management unit 405 of the information processing device 110 registers the printing device 120 in the printer information 411, associating it with the logical printer whose certificate was determined to match in S1105. In S1107, the printer management unit 405 of the information processing device 110 registers the printing device 120 in the printer information 411 without associating it with any logical printer.

[0081] [Printer information for information processing equipment] Referring to Figure 12, a specific example of printer information 411 managed by the information processing device 110 will be described. In the example in Figure 12, the printer information 411 is stored in a table format. Each record of the printer information 411 represents a printer. As mentioned above, the printer may be a logical printer provided by the print server 130 or a physical printer. When a logical printer and a physical printer are associated with each other, the information for these printers is managed in a single record.

[0082] Column 1201 represents the printer name. Column 1202 represents the printer attributes. Column 1203 represents the cloud printer ID assigned to the logical printer by the print server 130. Column 1203 is blank if the printer is not a logical printer. Column 1204 represents the printer's digital certificate. Column 1205 represents the physical printer's local printer ID. Column 1205 is blank if the printer is not registered as a physical printer in the information processing device 110.

[0083] In response to receiving an information response from the print server 130 at S811 in Figure 8, the printer management unit 405 of the information processing device 110 generates a new record in the printer information 411 based on the information response. Specifically, the printer management unit 405 of the information processing device 110 registers the printer attributes, cloud printer ID, and printer certificate included in the information response in columns 1202 to 1204 of this record, respectively. The printer management unit 405 of the information processing device 110 may register a name based on the printer attributes or a name based on user instructions in column 1201 of this record. In the example in Figure 12, records 1211 and 1213 represent information on a logical printer.

[0084] In step S1105 of Figure 11, the printer management unit 405 of the information processing device 110 determines whether the printer certificate obtained from the printing device 120 matches any of the digital certificates represented in column 1204 of the printer information 411. For example, suppose the printer certificate obtained from the printing device 120 matches the digital certificate in record 1213. In this case, the printer management unit 405 of the information processing device 110 registers the local printer ID of the printing device 120 obtained in step S1104 in column 1205 of record 1213. As a result, the printer represented by record 1213 is registered as both a logical printer and a physical printer. Alternatively, suppose the printer certificate obtained from the printing device 120 does not match any of the digital certificates in any of the records. In this case, the printer management unit 405 of the information processing device 110 generates a new record (for example, record 1212) and registers the printer attributes and local printer ID obtained in S1104 in columns 1202 and 1205 of this record, respectively. The printer management unit 405 of the information processing device 110 also registers the printer certificate obtained in S1103 in column 1204 of this record. Furthermore, the printer management unit 405 of the information processing device 110 may register a name based on the printer attributes or a name based on user instructions in column 1201 of this record.

[0085] In the printer information 411 generated as described above, record 1211 represents information about printers that support cloud printing only. Record 1212 represents information about printers that support local printing only. Record 1213 represents information about printers that support both cloud printing and local printing.

[0086] [Printing flow of information processing equipment] Referring to Figure 13, a detailed example of the operation in which the information processing device 110 performs cloud printing will be described. The operation in Figure 13 may be initiated in response to the information processing device 110 receiving a cloud printing instruction from a user. The instruction from the user specifies the logical printer on which to perform cloud printing.

[0087] In S1301, the print control unit 404 of the information processing device 110 sends a print request to the print server 130 for a logical printer having the cloud printer ID specified by the user (S812 in Figure 8). In S1302, the print control unit 404 of the information processing device 110 determines whether the print request was successfully sent. If the print control unit 404 of the information processing device 110 determines that the print request was successfully sent (YES in S1302), it terminates processing; otherwise (NO in S1302), it transitions processing to S1303. If it determines that the print request was successfully sent, cloud printing is executed as is. For example, if the CPS by the print server 130 is stopped, or if the print server 130 cannot be accessed due to a network failure in the wide area network 103, the transmission of the print request may fail.

[0088] If a print job cannot be submitted to the logical printer, in S1303, the print control unit 404 of the information processing device 110 determines whether the physical printer associated with the logical printer specified by the user is registered in the printer information 411. If the print control unit 404 of the information processing device 110 determines that such a physical printer is registered (YES in S1303), it proceeds to S1303; otherwise (NO in S1303), it terminates the process. When terminating the process, the information output unit 402 of the information processing device 110 may notify the user that printing has failed.

[0089] In S1304, the print control unit 404 of the information processing device 110 sends a print request to the physical printer that has been determined to be associated with the logical printer that sent the print request. The print request sent here may have the same content as the print request sent in S1301.

[0090] As described above, the information processing device 110 determines whether the printing device 120 is associated with a logical printer based on the comparison result between the printer certificate 412 received from the print server 130 and the printer certificate 724 received from the printing device 120. Since both the printer certificate 412 and the printer certificate 724 include the digital signature of the print server 130, it is difficult to forge these digital certificates. Therefore, the information processing device 110 can securely identify the physical printer associated with the logical printer. Furthermore, since the printer certificate is provided from the printing device 120 to the information processing device 110 during the process of establishing an SSL encrypted communication channel, there is no need to define a special message for providing the printer certificate.

[0091] <Second Embodiment> Referring to Figure 14, the printing system according to the second embodiment will be described. Details that may be the same as in the first embodiment will be omitted for brevity. In the first embodiment, at S906 in Figure 9, the encryption communication unit 709 of the printing device 500 sets the printer certificate 724 to be used as the digital certificate for future SSL encrypted communication. In the second embodiment, the printing device 500 queries the user of the printing device 500 for the digital certificate to be used for SSL encrypted communication.

[0092] Figure 14(a) shows screen 1401 presented to the user by the printer 500 when the logical printer associated with the printer 500 is not registered with the print server 130. For example, screen 1401 is displayed before the printer 500 obtains a printer certificate from the print server 130 or when the registration of the logical printer associated with the printer 500 is canceled. Screen 1401 may also be displayed on the display panel 601. In the example of screen 1401, it is shown that the only digital certificate available for SSL encrypted communication is SSL certificate 727.

[0093] Figure 14(b) shows a screen 1402 presented to the user by the printer 500 when a logical printer associated with the printer 500 is registered with the print server 130. Screen 1402 may also be displayed on the display panel 601. In the example of screen 1402, it is shown that the digital certificates usable for SSL encrypted communication are the printer certificate 724 and the SSL certificate 727. The input acquisition unit 701 of the printer 500 obtains instructions from the user of the printer 500 regarding whether to use the printer certificate 724 or the SSL certificate to establish an encrypted communication channel. The encrypted communication unit 709 of the printer 500 performs SSL encrypted communication using the digital certificate specified by the user of the printer 500.

[0094] <Third Embodiment> Referring to Figure 15, a printing system according to the third embodiment will be described. Details that may be the same as in the first embodiment will be omitted for brevity. In the first embodiment, at S906 in Figure 9, the encryption communication unit 709 of the printing device 500 is configured to use the printer certificate 724 as the digital certificate to be used for future SSL encrypted communication. However, if the printing device 500 has other functions that use SSL encrypted communication, it may be better not to change the digital certificate used for these functions to the printer certificate 724. For example, this may occur if a user has installed their own generated key and digital certificate in the printing device 500 and is using this digital certificate for SSL encrypted communication.

[0095] In this embodiment, the encryption communication unit 709 of the printing device 500 determines the digital certificate to be used for SSL encrypted communication based on the port number. The encryption communication unit 709 uses port 443 for the encrypted communication channel established using SSL certificate 727, and uses a different port number, for example, port 10443, for the encrypted communication channel established using printer certificate 724.

[0096] For example, in S1001 of Figure 10, the information processing device 110 may send a printer lookup request using the Multicast Domain Name System (mDNS). In S1002, the printing device 500 includes port number 10443 in the printer lookup response to this printer lookup request. For example, the printing device 500 includes the SRV record 1501 shown in Figure 15 in the printer lookup response. SRV records for mDNS are configured for each service.

[0097] The attributes of record 1501 include the service name (Service), the protocol used (Protocol), the domain name (Name), the port number (Port), and the hostname of the serviced host (Target). In record 1501, "_ipps" is set as the protocol used, indicating IPP over SSL (IPPS). In record 1501, port 10443 is set as the port number.

[0098] Upon receiving record 1501, the information processing device 110 uses port 10443 for SSL encrypted communication with the printing device 500. The printing device 500 uses printer certificate 724 for SSL encrypted communication destined for port 10443 and SSL certificate 727 for SSL encrypted communication destined for port 443. This ensures that the digital certificates used for existing SSL encrypted communication are not changed.

[0099] <Fourth Embodiment> Referring to Figure 16, the printing system according to the fourth embodiment will be described. Details that may be the same as in the first embodiment will be omitted to avoid repetition. In the third embodiment described above, different port numbers are used to select the digital certificate used for SSL encrypted communication. However, there are cases where port 443 is also desired for SSL encrypted communication using printer certificate 724.

[0100] In this embodiment, a function called Server Name Indication (SNI), which is a technology for a single server to use multiple digital certificates in SSL communication, is used. For example, in S1001 of Figure 10, the information processing device 110 sends a printer search request using mDMS. In S1002, the printing device 500 sets the host name of the printing device 500 as "iRC3500-1.local" in the Target host name of the SRV record to be included in the printer search response. In S1003, the information processing device 110 sends a Client Hello message containing extended information.

[0101] Figure 16(a) shows an example of extended information 1601. The "Server Name" in extended information 1601 is set to the name of the server (printer 500) that the information processing device 110 is trying to connect to. The information processing device 110 sets the hostname obtained in S1002 ("iRC3500-1.local") as the server name. In S1003, the printer 500 sends the printer certificate 724 if the hostname is "iRC3500-1.local", and sends the SSL certificate 727 if the hostname is anything else. This allows the digital certificate to be used to be determined based on the hostname specified by the client when establishing the encrypted communication channel, so that the digital certificate used for existing SSL encrypted communication is not changed.

[0102] In the example above, the information processing device 110 obtains the hostname of the printer 500 from the printer search response received from the printer 500. Alternatively, the information processing device 110 may obtain the hostname of the printer 500 from the print server 130. For example, the print server 130 obtains the hostname using printer certificate 724 from the printer 500. The hostname may be included in the registration start request S802 in Figure 8, in the registration confirmation request S807, or in another message. Once the registration with CPS is complete, the printer 500 may send the update-output-device-attributes message 1602 shown in Figure 16(b) according to IPP. The printer 500 may include the hostname indicating the use of printer certificate 724 ("iRC3500-1.local") in the "printer-dns-name" attribute of this message. The print server 130 provides this hostname to the information processing device 110. The hostname may be included in the S811 information response or in other messages.

[0103] <Summary of Embodiments> [Item 1] A printing device, A first receiving means for receiving a first print job from a print server, A second receiving means for receiving a second print job from an information processing device within a local area network, A printing means for performing printing based on the first print job and printing based on the second print job, A storage means for storing a private key and a digital certificate, The system includes a transmission means for transmitting the digital certificate to the information processing device within the local area network, A printing device wherein the digital certificate includes a public key paired with the private key and an electronic signature performed by the print server. [Item 2] The first receiving means receives the first print job from the print server using the Internet Printing Protocol (IPP), The second receiving means is the printing apparatus according to item 1, which receives the second print job from the information processing device using IPP. [Item 3] The system further comprises a request means for sending a request to the print server for registering the printing device with the print server, The aforementioned request includes the public key, The digital certificate is a printing device as described in item 1 or 2, included in the response to the request. [Item 4] A printing apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 3, further comprising encrypted communication means for establishing an encrypted communication channel using the aforementioned digital certificate. [Item 5] The aforementioned digital certificate is the first digital certificate, The storage means further stores the second digital certificate, The printing apparatus described in item 4, wherein the encrypted communication means further establishes an encrypted communication channel using the second digital certificate. [Item 6] The printing apparatus according to item 5, further comprising means for obtaining instructions from the user regarding whether to use the first digital certificate or the second digital certificate to establish an encrypted communication channel. [Item 7] The printing apparatus according to item 5 or 6, wherein the second receiving means receives the second print job from the information processing device through an encrypted communication channel established using the first digital certificate. [Item 8] The encrypted communication means is Regarding the encrypted communication channel established using the aforementioned first digital certificate, the first port number is used, The printing apparatus described in item 5, which uses a second port number different from the first port number for the encrypted communication channel established using the second digital certificate. [Item 9] The printing device described in item 5, wherein the encrypted communication means determines whether to use the first digital certificate or the second digital certificate based on the hostname obtained when the encrypted communication channel is established. [Item 10] A program for causing a computer to function as one of the means of a printing apparatus described in any one of items 1 through 9. [Item 11] A method for controlling a printing device, A first receiving process that receives the first print job from the print server, A first printing process that performs printing based on the first print job, A second receiving process that receives a second print job from an information processing device within a local area network, A second printing process that performs printing based on the second print job, A storage process for storing a private key and a digital certificate, The process includes a transmission step of transmitting the digital certificate to the information processing device within the local area network, A control method comprising a digital certificate, a public key paired with the private key, and an electronic signature performed by the print server. [Item 12] An information processing device, A first receiving means that receives a first digital certificate associated with a logical printer from a print server that provides a logical printer, A second receiving means for receiving a second digital certificate containing the public key of the printing device from the printing device, An information processing apparatus comprising: determination means for determining whether the printing device is associated with the logical printer based on the comparison result of the first digital certificate and the second digital certificate. [Item 13] The information processing device described in item 12, wherein each of the first digital certificate and the second digital certificate includes an electronic signature performed by the print server. [Item 14] The information processing apparatus according to item 12 or 13, further comprising a means for submitting a print job to a printing device determined to be associated with the logical printer based on the comparison result of the first digital certificate and the second digital certificate, when the print job cannot be submitted to the logical printer. [Item 15] A program for causing a computer to function as one of the information processing devices described in any one of items 12 through 14. [Item 16] A method for controlling an information processing device, A first receiving step of receiving a first digital certificate associated with a logical printer from a print server that provides a logical printer, A second receiving step of receiving a second digital certificate containing the public key of the printing device from the printing device, A control method comprising: a determination step of determining whether the printing device is associated with the logical printer based on the comparison result of the first digital certificate and the second digital certificate.

[0104] The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, claims are attached to disclose the scope of the invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0105] 110 Information processing equipment, 120 Printing equipment, 130 Printing servers

Claims

1. A printing device, A first receiving means for receiving a first print job from a print server, A second receiving means for receiving a second print job from an information processing device within a local area network, A printing means for performing printing based on the first print job and printing based on the second print job, A storage means for storing a private key and a digital certificate, The system includes a transmission means for transmitting the digital certificate to the information processing device within the local area network, A printing device wherein the digital certificate includes a public key paired with the private key and an electronic signature performed by the print server.

2. The first receiving means receives the first print job from the print server using the Internet Printing Protocol (IPP), The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second receiving means receives the second print job from the information processing device using IPP.

3. The system further comprises a request means for sending a request to the print server for registering the printing device with the print server, The aforementioned request includes the public key, The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the digital certificate is included in the response to the request.

4. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising encrypted communication means for establishing an encrypted communication channel using the aforementioned digital certificate.

5. The aforementioned digital certificate is the first digital certificate, The storage means further stores the second digital certificate, The printing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the encrypted communication means further establishes an encrypted communication channel using the second digital certificate.

6. The printing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising an acquisition means for obtaining instructions from the user regarding which of the first digital certificate and the second digital certificate to use to establish an encrypted communication channel.

7. The printing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the second receiving means receives the second print job from the information processing device through an encrypted communication channel established using the first digital certificate.

8. The encrypted communication means is Regarding the encrypted communication channel established using the first digital certificate, the first port number is used. The printing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the encrypted communication channel established using the second digital certificate uses a second port number different from the first port number.

9. The printing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the encrypted communication means determines whether to use the first digital certificate or the second digital certificate based on the hostname obtained when the encrypted communication channel is established.

10. A program for causing a computer to function as one of the means of the printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. A method for controlling a printing device, A first receiving process that receives a first print job from the print server, A first printing process that performs printing based on the first print job, A second receiving process that receives a second print job from an information processing device within a local area network, A second printing process that performs printing based on the second print job, A storage process for storing a private key and a digital certificate, The process includes a transmission step of transmitting the digital certificate to the information processing device within the local area network, A control method comprising a digital certificate, a public key paired with the private key, and an electronic signature performed by the print server.

12. An information processing device, A first receiving means that receives a first digital certificate associated with the logical printer from a print server that provides the logical printer, A second receiving means for receiving a second digital certificate containing the public key of the printing device from the printing device, The system includes a determination means for determining whether the printing device is associated with the logical printer based on the comparison result of the first digital certificate and the second digital certificate, An information processing device characterized in that each of the first digital certificate and the second digital certificate includes an electronic signature performed by the print server.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising a means for submitting a print job to a printing device determined to be associated with the logical printer based on the comparison result of the first digital certificate and the second digital certificate, when the print job cannot be submitted to the logical printer.

14. A program for causing a computer to function as each means of the information processing apparatus according to claim 12 or 13.

15. A method for controlling an information processing device, A first receiving step of receiving a first digital certificate associated with the logical printer from a print server that provides the logical printer, A second receiving step of receiving a second digital certificate containing the public key of the printing device from the printing device, The process includes a determination step of determining whether the printing device is associated with the logical printer based on the comparison result of the first digital certificate and the second digital certificate, A control method characterized in that each of the first digital certificate and the second digital certificate includes an electronic signature performed by the print server.

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