AUTHENTICATED PRINTING APPARATUS AND METHOD AND AUTHENTICATED PRINTING SYSTEM

Abstract

An authenticated printing apparatus issues a request for a print job to a job holding apparatus that stores print jobs in association with job-specific information, the print job corresponding to job-specific information obtained from an authenticated user, and executes printing on the basis of the print job obtained in response to the request. The authenticated printing apparatus includes a first list storing unit that stores first list information of job holding apparatuses as destinations of requests for print jobs; a first list creating unit that carries out simultaneous communications to check for presence of job holding apparatuses via a communication network and creates the first list information on the basis of results of the simultaneous communications; and a requesting unit that issues a request for a print job to a print-job holding apparatus registered in the first list information with reference to the first list storing unit, the print job corresponding to job-specific information obtained from an authenticated user.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like numbers reference like elements.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of an authenticated printing system.

FIGS. 2A to 2C are block diagrams showing the functional configurations of a host apparatus, a print-job holding server, and a printer apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining an address-list creating phase in the authenticated printing system.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are flowcharts for explaining an address-list updating phase in the authenticated printing system.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining a print-job storing phase in the authenticated printing system.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are flowcharts for explaining an authenticated-printing executing phase in the authenticated printing system.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of an address list.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are diagram showing an example of an acknowledge request and an example of an acknowledge response.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of data structure in a print-job storing unit.

Claims

1. An authenticated printing apparatus that issues a request for a print job to a job holding apparatus that stores print jobs in association with job-specific information, the print job corresponding to job-specific information obtained from an authenticated user, and that executes printing on the basis of the print job obtained in response to the request, the authenticated printing apparatus comprising: a first list storing unit that stores first list information of job holding apparatuses as destinations of requests for print jobs;a first list creating unit that carries out simultaneous communications to check for presence of job holding apparatuses via a communication network and creates the first list information on the basis of results of the simultaneous communications; anda requesting unit that issues a request for a print job to a print-job holding apparatus registered in the first list information with reference to the first list storing unit, the print job corresponding to job-specific information obtained from an authenticated user.

2. The authenticated printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first list creating unit creates the first list information on the basis of at least one of a timing of power-on of the authenticated printing apparatus, a timing of a first print-job request after the power-on of the authenticated printing apparatus, and a timing of elapse of a predetermined time since last creation of first list information.

3. The authenticated printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a second list storing unit that stores second list information of job holding apparatuses as destinations of requests for print jobs; anda second list creating unit that creates the second list information on the basis of job-holding-apparatus information input by a user when a creating instruction from the user is received;wherein the requesting unit issues a request for a print job to a print-job holding apparatus among the print-job holding apparatuses registered in the first list information and the print-job holding apparatuses registered in the second list information with reference to the first list storing unit and the second list storing unit, the print job corresponding to job-specific information obtained from an authenticated user.

4. The authenticated printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the job-specific information includes at least one of a user name, a password, a file name, a date and time of job generation, and a print property.

5. The authenticated printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a list updating unit that registers or removes information of a job holding apparatus in or from the first list information stored in the first list storing unit when a request for registration in or removal from the first list information is received from the job holding apparatus.

6. An authenticated printing system comprising: the authenticated printing apparatus according to claim 5; anda plurality of the print-job holding apparatuses;wherein each of the plurality of the print-job holding apparatuses sends a request for registration in the first list information to the authenticated printing apparatus on the basis of at least one of a timing of power-on of the print-job holding apparatus, a timing of storage of a first print job after the power-on of the print-job holding apparatus, and a timing of elapse of a predetermined time since a last request for registration.

7. An authenticated printing system comprising: the authenticated printing apparatus according to claim 5; anda plurality of the print-job holding apparatuses;wherein each of the plurality of the print-job holding apparatuses sends a request for removal from the first list information to the authenticated printing apparatus on the basis of a timing of power-off of the print-job holding apparatus or a timing of turn-off of a function for sending a print job to the authenticated printing apparatus.

8. An authenticated printing method in which a request for a print job is issued to a job holding apparatus that stores print jobs in association with job-specific information, the print job corresponding to job-specific information obtained from an authenticated user, and in which printing is executed on the basis of the print job obtained in response to the request, the authenticated printing method comprising: carrying out simultaneous communications to check for presence of job holding apparatuses via a communication network;creating list information of job holding apparatuses as destinations of requests for print jobs on the basis of results of the simultaneous communications and storing the list information in list storing unit; andissuing a request for a print job to a print-job holding apparatus registered in the list information with reference to the list storing unit, the print job corresponding to job-specific information obtained from an authenticated user.

9. A computer program product for causing a computer to execute the authenticated printing method according to claim 8.