IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS, IMAGE FORMING METHOD, IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD, PROGRAM, AND STORAGE MEDIUM

Abstract

Version information set at a client terminal apparatus (110) is received. Identification data and print data generated at the client terminal apparatus (110) based on a file set at the client terminal apparatus (110) are received. Identification data of the file of the version indicated by the version information received from the client terminal apparatus (110) is acquired from a document management server (120). If the acquired identification data matches the received identification data, a print process is executed by using the received print data. Otherwise, a file corresponding to the acquired identification data is acquired from the document management server (120), and a print process is executed by using print data based on the acquired file.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

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

FIG. 2 is a view showing a display example of a GUI (Graphical User Interface) to do settings related to transmission of a document file;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a process that is executed by a client terminal apparatus 110 to transmit a document file held at the client terminal apparatus 110 to an image forming apparatus 130 and process the document file;

FIGS. 4A and 4B are flowchart of a process that is executed by an image forming apparatus 130 upon receiving transmitted print data;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing details of the process in step S410;

FIG. 6 is a view showing a structural example of a table (associated document management table) to manage history information;

FIG. 7 is a view showing a display example of a window that is displayed on the display screen of a display unit 1405 of the client terminal apparatus 110 when it has successfully accessed the image forming apparatus 130;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a process that is executed by the client terminal apparatus 110 after the user designates a button image 206 on the GUI shown in FIG. 2, and the client terminal apparatus 110 and image forming apparatus 130 then execute the above-described processes;

FIGS. 9A and 9B are flowchart of a process that is executed by the image forming apparatus 130 when the client terminal apparatus 110 has executed the process according to the flowchart in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a system according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a process that is executed by an image forming apparatus 1010;

FIGS. 12A and 12B are flowchart of a process that is executed by an image forming apparatus 130 when the image forming apparatus 1010 has executed the process according to the flowchart in FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 130; and

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a computer applicable to the client terminal apparatus 110 and document management server 120.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus which executes data communication between a client terminal apparatus and a document management server that holds, as file update history information, files of updated versions and identification data to identify the files of updated versions, comprising: a first reception unit adapted to receive, from the client terminal apparatus, version information set at the client terminal apparatus as a version of a file to be printed by the image forming apparatus;a second reception unit adapted to receive, from the client terminal apparatus, print data generated at the client terminal apparatus based on a file set at the client terminal apparatus as a candidate to be printed by the image forming apparatus and identification data of the file;an acquisition unit adapted to acquire, from the document management server, identification data of the file of the version indicated by the version information received by said first reception unit; anda print unit adapted to execute a print process by using the print data received by said second reception unit if the identification data acquired by said acquisition unit matches the identification data received by said second reception unit, and otherwise, acquire a file corresponding to the identification data acquired by said acquisition unit from the document management server and execute a print process by using print data based on the acquired file.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a third reception unit adapted to receive, from the client terminal apparatus, version information set at the client terminal apparatus as a version of a file to be externally transmitted by the image forming apparatus;a second acquisition unit adapted to acquire, from the document management server, the file of the version indicated by the version information received by said third reception unit; anda transmission unit adapted to externally transmit the file acquired by said second acquisition unit to an external device different from said client terminal apparatus.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said third reception unit further receives transmission destination information indicating a transmission destination and transmission form information indicating a transmission form, andsaid transmission unit generates a file corresponding to the transmission form indicated by the transmission form information based on the file acquired by said second acquisition unit and transmits the generated file to the transmission destination indicated by the transmission destination information.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first reception unit receives, as the version information, information to designate a file of latest version of the files of updated versions held by the document management server.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a transmission unit adapted to transmit, to the client terminal apparatus, associated file information about files of other versions related to the file based on the file identification data received by said second reception unit, wherein said first reception unit receives, from the client terminal apparatus, the version information set based on the associated file information displayed at the client terminal apparatus.

6. An image forming apparatus which executes data communication between an external device having an image forming function and a document management server that holds, as file update history information, files of updated versions and identification data to identify the files of updated versions, comprising: a first reception unit adapted to receive, from the external device, version information set at the external device as a version of a file to be printed by the image forming apparatus;a second reception unit adapted to receive, from the external device, print data generated at the external device based on a file set at the external device as a candidate to be printed by the image forming apparatus and identification data of the file;an acquisition unit adapted to acquire, from the document management server, identification data of the file of the version indicated by the version information received by said first reception unit; anda reply unit adapted to reply the print data received by said second reception unit to the external device if the identification data acquired by said acquisition unit matches the identification data received by said second reception unit, and otherwise, acquire a file corresponding to the identification data acquired by said acquisition unit from the document management server and reply print data based on the acquired file to the external device.

7. An image processing apparatus which executes data communication between a client terminal apparatus and a document management server that holds, as file update history information, files of updated versions and identification data to identify the files of updated versions, comprising: a first reception unit adapted to receive, from the client terminal apparatus, version information set at the client terminal apparatus as a version of a file to be output from the image processing apparatus;a second reception unit adapted to receive, from the client terminal apparatus, output data generated at the client terminal apparatus based on a file set at the client terminal apparatus as a candidate to be output from the image processing apparatus and identification data of the file;an acquisition unit adapted to acquire, from the document management server, identification data of the file of the version indicated by the version information received by said first reception unit; andan output unit adapted to execute an output process by using the output data received by said second reception unit if the identification data acquired by said acquisition unit matches the identification data received by said second reception unit, and otherwise, acquire a file corresponding to the identification data acquired by said acquisition unit from the document management server and execute an output process by using output data based on the acquired file.

8. An image forming method performed by an image forming apparatus which executes data communication between a client terminal apparatus and a document management server that holds, as file update history information, files of updated versions and identification data to identify the files of updated versions, comprising: a first reception step of receiving, from the client terminal apparatus, version information set at the client terminal apparatus as a version of a file to be printed in the image forming apparatus;a second reception step of receiving, from the client terminal apparatus, print data generated at the client terminal apparatus based on a file set at the client terminal apparatus as a candidate to be printed in the image forming apparatus and identification data of the file;an acquisition step of acquiring, from the document management server, identification data of the file of the version indicated in the version information received in the first reception step; anda print step of executing a print process by using the print data received in the second reception step if the identification data acquired in the acquisition step matches the identification data received in the second reception step, and otherwise, acquiring a file corresponding to the identification data acquired in the acquisition step from the document management server and executing a print process by using print data based on the acquired file.

9. An image forming method performed by an image forming apparatus which executes data communication between an external device having an image forming function and a document management server that holds, as file update history information, files of updated versions and identification data to identify the files of updated versions, comprising: a first reception step of receiving, from the external device, version information set at the external device as a version of a file to be printed in the image forming apparatus;a second reception step of receiving, from the external device, print data generated at the external device based on a file set at the external device as a candidate to be printed in the image forming apparatus and identification data of the file;an acquisition step of acquiring, from the document management server, identification data of the file of the version indicated in the version information received in the first reception step; anda reply step of replying the print data received in the second reception step to the external device if the identification data acquired in the acquisition step matches the identification data received in the second reception step, and otherwise, acquiring a file corresponding to the identification data acquired in the acquisition step from the document management server and replying print data based on the acquired file to the external device.

10. An image processing method performed by an image processing apparatus which executes data communication between a client terminal apparatus and a document management server that holds, as file update history information, files of updated versions and identification data to identify the files of updated versions, comprising: a first reception step of receiving, from the client terminal apparatus, version information set at the client terminal apparatus as a version of a file to be output from the image processing apparatus;a second reception step of receiving, from the client terminal apparatus, output data generated at the client terminal apparatus based on a file set at the client terminal apparatus as a candidate to be output from the image processing apparatus and identification data of the file;an acquisition step of acquiring, from the document management server, identification data of the file of the version indicated in the version information received in the first reception step; andan output step of executing an output process by using the output data received in the second reception step if the identification data acquired in the acquisition step matches the identification data received in the second reception step, and otherwise, acquiring a file corresponding to the identification data acquired in the acquisition step from the document management server and executing an output process by using output data based on the acquired file.

11. A program which is stored in a computer-readable storage medium to cause a computer to execute an image forming method of claim 8.

12. A computer-readable storage medium which stores a program of claim 11.