Output requesting apparatus, position-management server, and computer program product

Abstract

A position management server detects positions of a user based on a signal from an RFID tag carried by the user. A PC displays, on a monitor, map information including a layout of the user and a plurality of printers. The user drags and drops a file icon onto a printer icon corresponding to a printer used for printing. The PC transmits a file corresponding to the file icon, printer identification information, and PC identification information to a printer management server. The printer management server selects a driver, generates print data, and transmits the print data to the printer together with the PC identification information. The printer prints the print data and transmits a print notification to the PC. The PC displays the print notification on the monitor.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a printing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a position management database shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an example of contents of a tag-signal management table shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an example of contents of a tag-ID-position management table shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5A is an example of contents of a printer-information management table shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5B is an example of contents of a printer-ability management table shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is an example of contents of a map-information management table shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is an example of contents of a user-information management table shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 8A is an example of a map image that depicts a people, PCs, and printers laid out therein displayed on a display screen of a monitor shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8B is an example of a layout image in which ability information of printers is displayed;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a printing process according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a schematic for explaining a laid-out map image displayed on a monitor by a printing system according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram of a printing system according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of a printing process according to the third embodiment; and

FIG. 13 is a diagram of a hardware configuration of devices of the printing systems according to the first and the second embodiments.

Claims

1. An output requesting apparatus that is connected via a network to an output apparatus and a position-management server that manages user-position information indicating a position of a user and apparatus-position information indicating a position of the output apparatus, the output requesting apparatus comprising: a storage unit that stores therein data;a receiving unit that receives, from the position-management server, the user-position information, the apparatus-position information, and a map image that indicates an area where the output apparatus is installable;a display control unit that arranges a user symbol indicating the user, an apparatus symbol indicating the output apparatus, and a data symbol indicating the data in the map image based on the user-position information and the apparatus-position information, and displays the map image on a display unit;an input unit that receives input to select the apparatus symbol and the data symbol in the map image; anda transmitting unit that transmits, to the output apparatus corresponding to the apparatus symbol, a first command to request the output apparatus to output the data corresponding to the data symbol, and a second command to request the output apparatus to notify the output requesting apparatus of output state.

2. The output requesting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the input unit receives the input through operation of dragging and dropping the data symbol onto the apparatus symbol.

3. The output requesting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit displays the user symbol and the apparatus symbol as icons.

4. The output requesting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit displays the map image in an enlarged size or a reduced size based on the user-position information and the apparatus-position information.

5. The output requesting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the receiving unit further receives ability information indicating output function of the output apparatus from the position-management server, andthe display control unit displays, when the apparatus symbol is selected, the ability information of the output apparatus corresponding to the apparatus symbol on the map image.

6. The output requesting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output requesting apparatus is connected via the network to an output-management server that manages output of the output apparatus; andthe transmitting unit transmits the first command and the second command to the output-management server.

7. A position-management server that is connected via a network to an output apparatus and an output requesting apparatus, comprising: a position acquiring unit that acquires user-position information indicating a position of a user;a storage unit that stores therein apparatus-position information indicating a position of the output apparatus, and a map image that indicates an area where the output apparatus is installable; anda transmitting unit that transmits the user-position information, the apparatus-position information, and the map image to the output requesting apparatus.

8. The position-management server according to claim 7, wherein the storage unit further stores therein ability information indicating output function of the output apparatus, andthe transmitting unit further transmits the ability information to the output requesting apparatus.

9. The position-management server according to claim 7, wherein the position acquiring unit acquires the user-position information by detecting a position of a radio tag carried by the user.

10. A computer program product used in a system in which an output requesting apparatus is connected via a network to an output apparatus and a position-management server that manages user-position information indicating a position of a user and apparatus-position information indicating a position of the output apparatus, the computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program codes embodied in the medium that, when executed, cause a computer to execute: receiving information, from the position-management server, including the user-position information, the apparatus-position information, and a map image that indicates an area where the output apparatus is installable;arranging a user symbol indicating the user, an apparatus symbol indicating the output apparatus, and a data symbol indicating data in the map image based on the user-position information and the apparatus-position information;displaying the map image;receiving input to select the apparatus symbol and the data symbol in the map image; andtransmitting, to the output apparatus corresponding to the apparatus symbol, a command to output the data corresponding to the data symbol, and a command to notify the output requesting apparatus of output state.

11. The output requesting apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the receiving input includes receiving the input through operation of dragging and dropping the data symbol onto the apparatus symbol.

12. The output requesting apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the displaying includes displaying the user symbol and the apparatus symbol as icons.

13. The output requesting apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the displaying includes displaying the map image in an enlarged size or a reduced size based on the user-position information and the apparatus-position information.

14. The output requesting apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the receiving information includes receiving ability information indicating output function of the output apparatus from the position-management server, andthe displaying includes displaying, when the apparatus symbol is selected, the ability information of the output apparatus corresponding to the apparatus symbol on the map image.