JP2000112691A - Network printing system, network printer, and network printing method - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Problem] To easily print information resources on the Internet and easily obtain a preview screen reflecting printing performance. A printer includes a proxy server unit.
4 is provided. After selecting the printer to be used as the proxy server, the user inputs the desired UR to the browser 12.
Enter L. The proxy server unit 24 includes the printer 2
1 in a cache or server 3 on the Internet 31
2, the requested information resource is acquired and transferred to the browser 12. When the user desires the print preview, the print image data generated by the print control unit 25 is transmitted to the browser 12. When the user who has checked the preview screen instructs printing, the print control unit 25 reads the data stored in the cache and prints the data.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a network printing system, a network printer, and a network printing method capable of acquiring and printing information resources existing on a network such as the Internet.
In particular, the present invention relates to a network printing system, a network printer, and a network printing method for relaying information resources between a host computer and a server.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, a network printer connected to a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) and shared by a plurality of host computers has been conventionally known. Such a network printer receives a print job from a plurality of host computers connected to a network and performs printing. On the other hand, the Internet is known as a worldwide network formed by connecting a large number of networks to each other.

That is, the Internet is a world-wide network in which several backbone networks are interconnected. For example, TCP / IP (Transmission Control Protocol) is used to perform data communication between servers of different types. /
Internet Protocol), HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Prot)
ocol). Each server on the network usually stores a plurality of information resources in a spool. As information resources, for example, WWW (World Wide We
b) Web page provided by the server, FTP (File Transfer
r Protocol) files provided by the server, net news provided by the news server, and the like are known.

A host computer such as a personal computer can use various information resources held by each server by connecting to the Internet via a router or the like. For example, when a user wants to print a web page displayed on a web browser, the printer sends the data of the web page downloaded from the server to the printer. The printer receives and interprets web page data and performs printing.

[0005]

In the prior art described above, when obtaining information resources held by a server on the Internet as printed matter, a user first activates a host computer to access a desired server. Second, the target data must be downloaded into the host computer, and third, the downloaded data must be sent to the printer. Here, since the data of the web page is transferred to the host computer via the LAN or the like, it takes time and effort to newly transmit the data received on the LAN from the Internet to the printer.
Also, if the same data is distributed over the LAN many times, the communication load increases, and the communication speed decreases.

On the other hand, HTML (HyperText Markup Languag
The web page described in e) lacks the concept of a page, and the screen may be divided into a plurality of frames and displayed. Therefore, when the web page displayed in the browser is printed, the appearance of the display screen is not changed. Is likely to be different from the actual printing state. Some browsers have a print preview function, so that the state of a printed material can be checked in advance. However, the print preview screen generated on the browser side is created based only on the data downloaded to the host computer, and does not consider the performance of the printer used for printing. Different.

As a typical example, even if a color printer does not exist among the printers available to the host computer, a color is displayed on the print preview screen of the browser, but the actual printed matter is monochrome print. The difference from the print preview screen is remarkable. As described above, the printing result when the web page is printed differs depending on various performances such as the printing resolution of the printer, the paper feeding size, and the availability of color / monochrome printing. Depending on the web page, there is a main value in various and precise expressions such as complicated charts and fine still image data, but such expressive web pages are poorly printed Even if printing is performed by a printer, the value of the printed matter is poor, resulting in wasteful consumption of printing resources such as toner and paper.

Of course, if the user selects an appropriate printer from available printers in advance and instructs printing, it is possible to reduce discomfort from the print preview screen. However, as described above, since the print preview screen generated on the browser side does not reflect the performance of the selected printer, it is determined only by looking at the print preview screen whether the printer is appropriate. It is not possible.

Particularly, in the case of a network printing system in which a plurality of printers connected to a network are shared by a plurality of host computers, it is difficult for a user to accurately grasp the performance of each printer. Therefore, in many cases
After viewing the print result of the web page, the user notices a mistake in selecting a printer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described various problems, and has as its object to receive and print information resources on a network without increasing a communication load, and to provide a printer. It is an object of the present invention to provide a network printing system, a network printer, and a network printing method capable of displaying, on a host computer side, print image data reflecting the performance of the network printing.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, in a network printing system according to the present invention, a host computer and a server are connected via a relay function of a printer, and print image data generated by the printer is stored in a host. Transfer to computer.

That is, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a host computer that requests acquisition of an information resource stored in a server on a network and instructs printing of the information resource, and an acquisition request from the host computer. In a network printing system including a printer that receives and prints information resources from the server, the host computer obtains the information resources by requesting the printer to obtain the information resources; And a print instructing unit for instructing the printer to print the obtained information resource, wherein the printer acquires and saves the information resource requested by the acquisition request unit from the server, and stores the information resource in the printer. Relay means for transferring to a host computer, and the middle joint based on an instruction from the print instruction means. Print control means for reading and printing the information resources stored in the printer, wherein the relay means transfers the information resources to the host computer as print image data in response to a request from the host computer. Features.

[0013] Here, the "server on the network" means a server connected to a network such as the Internet, an intranet or a LAN, and the "information resource" is a web page provided by a WWW server, for example. And files provided by the FTP server. “Print image data” indicates a state when the information resource is printed.

The acquisition request means on the host computer side includes:
For example, "http://xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx/abc/japanese/seih
inn / device / device.htm "
By specifying the server address, file name, etc.,
Requests acquisition of information resources from the relay means on the printer side. The relay unit connects to the server specified by the acquisition request unit, relays data communication between the server and the host computer, and transfers information resources on the server to the host computer. The relay unit stores information resources to be relayed and transferred. The user confirms the information resources displayed on the host computer side, and if printing is desired, requests transmission of print image data before instructing printing. The relay unit transmits print image data of the information resource in response to a request from the host computer. The user can instruct printing after checking the print image data. Then, when printing of the information resource is instructed by the print instructing means, the print control means reads out the information resource stored in the relay means and prints it.

As described above, the relay means of the printer functions as a proxy server for storing information resources while relaying the transfer of information resources between the host computer and the server. When printing is instructed, there is no need to transmit information resources from the host computer side to the printer side, and the communication load can be reduced. In addition, the relay unit can transfer the information resource as print image data in response to a request from the host computer, so that the user confirms the print image data on which the actual print performance has been reflected before printing. You can give instructions.

[0016] As in the invention according to claim 2, the relay unit stores the acquired information resource and whether the information resource requested to be acquired by the acquisition request unit is stored in the storage unit. Determining whether or not the information resource is stored, obtaining the information resource from the storage means if the information resource is stored, and obtaining the information resource from the server if the information resource is not stored, , May be included.

As the "storage means", for example, various storage devices such as a hard disk device and a memory device can be used, but a rewritable storage device is preferable. The information resource relayed by the relay unit is stored by the storage unit.

When the acquisition request unit requests acquisition of the information resource, the data management unit determines whether the requested information resource is stored in the storage unit. If it has already been stored, read the information resource stored in the storage means and transfer it to the host computer.If not, connect to the server to obtain the latest information resource and send it to the host computer. Forward. Here, even when the information resource on the server is updated and the content of the information resource stored in the storage unit is out of date, it is determined that the information resource related to the acquisition request is not stored in the storage unit. And connect to the server.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the relay unit includes an update request determination unit that determines whether an update request for an information resource related to the printer has occurred, and determines that the update request has occurred. Update connection means for connecting to the network to determine whether the information resource relating to the printer has been updated on the server; and determining that the information resource relating to the printer has been updated on the server. If so, the information resource may be further obtained from the server and updated and stored in the storage means.

"Information resources relating to the printer" means programs and data files relating to the printer provided with the relay means, and more specifically, programs such as a printer driver and a printer utility, and document data such as an instruction manual. Can be mentioned. The “update request” is a request for prompting an update storage of the information resource related to the printer. For example, an update request can be generated at predetermined time intervals, such as every week or every month.
Also, for example, using a technique such as IP (Internet Protocol) broadcasting, the server side can issue an update request by notifying the relay unit that the information resource relating to the printer has been updated.

When an update request is issued, the update determination means
Server (typically, the server of the printer manufacturer)
To determine whether or not the information resource relating to the printer has been updated. If the information resource has been updated, the latest information resource is obtained from the server and updated and stored in the storage means. Information resources related to a printer are required by all host computers that use the printer. Therefore, each host computer using the printer can obtain the latest information resources via the relay means of the printer without connecting to a server on the network. In other words, since the information resources relating to the printer are managed by the printer itself, it is easy to unify the printer usage environment of each host computer.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the relay unit may store the information resource and the print image data of the information resource in the storage unit in association with each other.

The print image data generated from the information resources can be discarded immediately after being transferred to the host computer. However, print image data for the same information resource may be requested from another host computer. Thus, by storing the generated print image data in association with the information resource, it is possible to reduce the response time to the request for transferring the print image data again. Here, it is not necessary to save the print image data of the entire information resource. For example, it is also possible to save the print image data only in a predetermined portion such as a font or image data that requires time to generate a print image. In addition, buttons frequently used in the user interface, frequently used logos, and the like may be stored.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the relay unit manages the history of the acquisition request from the acquisition request unit, and when the storage unit runs out of free space, the frequency of the acquisition request. It is also possible to delete the information resource with less number from the storage means.

For example, by collecting the access log, the relay means can grasp the history of the name of the information resource requested from the acquisition request means, the requested date and time, the number of requests, and the like. Then, when the free space of the storage unit is insufficient, the information resource with a low acquisition request frequency is deleted from the storage unit to secure the free space. As a result, it is possible to save only information resources having a relatively high frequency of acquisition requests, reduce hit mistakes, and shorten response time.

[0026] As in the invention according to claim 6, the relay unit checks whether the information resource acquired from the server satisfies a predetermined standard, and stores the information resource in the storage unit. The print control unit permits printing when the information resource specified by the print instruction unit satisfies the predetermined criterion, and prohibits printing when the specified information resource does not satisfy the predetermined criterion. Can also.

The "predetermined criterion" includes, for example, whether or not the information resource is directly or indirectly related to the business, and whether or not the information resource is a malicious or anti-social site. Can be.

When receiving the information resource from the server, the relay unit checks whether the information resource satisfies a predetermined standard. For example, it is possible to determine whether or not a predetermined criterion is satisfied by checking whether or not the address is a pre-registered address and whether or not the address includes a pre-registered word. Even information resources that do not meet the predetermined criteria are transferred to the host computer. However, if the user instructs printing of an information resource that does not satisfy the predetermined criterion, the user cannot obtain the information resource as a printed matter because the print control unit prohibits printing. Accordingly, for example, printing of antisocial information resources such as obscene images and fake bill images can be prevented beforehand, and misuse of the printer can be prevented.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a network printer for acquiring an information resource stored in a server on a network, transferring the information resource to a host computer, and printing the information resource. And a network connection means for communicating with the server, connecting to the server via the network connection means, acquiring and storing the information resource requested by the host computer from the server, and Relay means for transferring to the host computer via the network connection means,
A print control unit that reads and prints information resources stored in the relay unit based on an instruction from the host computer, wherein the relay unit stores the acquired information resources; It is determined whether or not the information resource requested by the computer is stored in the storage unit. If the information resource is stored, the information resource is obtained from the storage unit, and the information resource is not stored. Data management means for acquiring the information resource from the server, wherein the information resource is transferred to the host computer as print image data in response to a request from the host computer. .

Thus, the printer can be provided with a so-called proxy server function, and the print image data reflecting the print performance can be transferred to the host computer. Can be obtained.

According to the present invention, the relay means determines whether or not an update request for the information resource relating to the printer has been issued, and determines that the update request has been issued. Update connection means for connecting to the network to determine whether the information resource relating to the printer has been updated on the server; and determining that the information resource relating to the printer has been updated on the server. If so, the information resource may be further obtained from the server and updated and stored in the storage means.

Thus, the same function as the third aspect of the invention can be obtained.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the relay unit may store the information resource and the print image data of the information resource in the storage unit in association with each other.

Thus, the same function as that of the fourth aspect can be obtained.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, the relay unit manages a history of acquisition requests from the host computer, and when the storage unit runs out of free space, the frequency of the acquisition requests is reduced. Less information resources may be deleted from the storage means.

Thus, the same function as that of the fifth aspect can be obtained.

[0037] As in the invention according to claim 11, the relay means checks whether or not the information resource acquired from the server satisfies a predetermined criterion, and stores the information resource in the storage means. The print control unit permits printing when the information resource specified by the print instruction unit satisfies the predetermined criterion, and prohibits printing when the specified information resource does not satisfy the predetermined criterion. Can also.

Thus, the same function as the sixth aspect of the invention can be obtained.

According to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, a network printing method for acquiring an information resource stored in a server on a network in response to an acquisition request from a host computer, transferring the information resource to the host computer, and printing the information resource. In the above, there is a relay process and a print process, wherein the relay process receives an acquisition request from the host computer, and determines whether an information resource related to the acquisition request is stored in a storage unit. Steps and
When the information resource related to the acquisition request is stored in the storage unit, the step of obtaining the information resource from the storage unit; and when the information resource related to the acquisition request is not stored in the storage unit. Connecting to the network to obtain the information resource related to the acquisition request from the server, storing the information resource obtained from the server in the storage unit, and storing the obtained information resource in the host computer. Transferring the acquired information resource to print image data in response to a request from the host computer; and associating the print image data with the information resource related to the acquisition request. Transferring to the host computer. Determining whether or not the print instruction has been received, reading the information resource according to the print instruction from the storage unit, and printing the read information resource. It is characterized by.

Thus, the same operation as that of the second aspect can be obtained.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording medium storing a program for acquiring an information resource stored in a server on a network, transferring the information resource to a host computer, and controlling a network printer for printing the information resource. A storage function for storing the information resource obtained from the server in a storage unit, and determining whether the information resource requested by the host computer is stored in the storage unit, and storing the information resource. In the case, the information resource is acquired from the storage unit, and when the information resource is not stored, the information resource is acquired from the server, and the acquisition is performed in response to a request from the host computer. A function of converting the converted information resource into print image data, and converting the print image data into the information resource. A program for causing a computer to realize a function of linking and transferring the information resource to the host computer and a function of reading and printing information resources stored in the storage unit in accordance with an instruction from the host computer, Is recorded in a readable and understandable form.

As the “recording medium”, for example, various recording media such as a hard disk, a floppy disk, a memory, and an IC card can be used. The invention is not limited to this, and a communication medium can be used, such as downloading a program via a network.

By reading a predetermined program into the computer of the printer, predetermined functions such as a storage function and a data management function can be realized on the computer of the printer. Can be obtained.

[0044]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, for convenience, the relay of a web page by the HTTP protocol will be mainly described, but the file transfer by the FTP protocol can also be used.

1. First Embodiment FIGS. 1 to 8 show a network printing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. First, FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing the overall configuration of the network printing system according to the present embodiment.

A plurality of host computers 11 and a plurality of network printers (hereinafter, “printers”) 21 are connected to a network 1 such as a LAN. For example, a host computer 11 that can be realized as a personal computer or a portable information terminal is provided with a browser 12 that can be expressed as a browsing unit, and a network connection unit 13 having a network interface, a predetermined protocol, and the like. The browser 12 is a program for browsing information resources such as web pages and the like.
By inputting or specifying a URL, a predetermined server can be accessed. Also, as shown in FIG.
The browser 12 has a menu for issuing a print instruction. Therefore, the browser 12 corresponds to an “acquisition request unit” and a “print instruction unit”.

Each printer 21 has a proxy server function in addition to an original printing function, as described later.
Each host computer 11 can be connected to a server 32 on the Internet 31 via a desired printer 21. The printer 21 relays information resources such as web pages and programs stored in the storage device 32A of the server 32 to transfer the information resources to the host computer 11.

The printer 21 is connected to the host computer 11
Network connection unit 2 for performing data communication with
2 and another network connection unit 23 for performing data communication between the Internet 31 and a host computer 11 provided between the network connection units 22 and 23.
A proxy server unit 24 that relays data communication between the server and the server 32; a print control unit 25 that interprets print data to generate print image data;
And an engine control unit 26 for controlling the control unit 7.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional structure of the printer 21. The proxy server unit 24 as a “relay unit” includes a request receiving unit 41, a data management unit 42, and an access history management table 4 as described later.
3, cache 44, request creation unit 45, response reception unit 46, response creation unit 47, update control unit 48
It has.

The request receiving section 41 receives an HTTP request input from the host computer 11 via the network connection section 22 or the like. The request creating unit 45 creates a new HTTP request based on the HTTP request from the host computer 11. That is, the HTTP request creation unit 45 writes the IP address stored in the header of the HTTP request into the printer 21.
By rewriting to the IP address assigned to
An HTTP request is created so that the proxy server unit 24 can receive data from the server 32.

The response receiving section 46 receives the HTTP response transmitted from the server 32. The response creating unit 47 creates an HTTP response to be transmitted to the host computer 11. The response creating unit 47 creates an HTTP response by adding the IP address of the host computer 11 to the latest information resource received from the server 32 or the information resource stored in the cache 44. The response creating unit 47 converts the print image data input from the print control unit 25 into, for example, a GIF (Graphics Interchange Format).
t), JPEG (JointPhotographic Experts Group), PDF
(Portable Document Format) or the like, and an HTTP response including the print image data can be created. The format conversion of the print image data does not need to be performed by the response creation unit 47, and the format conversion may be performed by the print control unit 25.

Upon receiving the HTTP request from the host computer 11, the data management unit 42 as a “data management unit” refers to an access history management table 43, which will be described later with reference to FIG. 3, and stores the requested information resource in the cache 44. It is determined whether or not it is stored. Then, the data management unit 42 stores the requested information resource in the cache 44.
If the requested information resource is not stored in the cache 44, it is connected to the Internet 31 to read the latest information. An information resource is acquired, and the latest information resource is transferred to the host computer 11. Further, in response to a request from the host computer 11, the data management unit 42 requests the print control unit 25 to generate print image data, and causes the print image data input from the print control unit 25 to be transferred to the host computer 11. You can also.
Note that the data management unit 42 may be provided with a function of controlling access authority, and may be configured to permit data communication only with a server permitted in advance. When the data management unit 42 receives a request violating the access restriction,
A response that denies the access is generated and returned to the host computer 11.

For example, as shown in FIG. 3A, the access history management table 43 which can be expressed as history management means includes information for specifying information resources such as URLs (denoted as "address" in the figure). , A storage destination address in the cache 44, a data amount, a storage date and time, a storage destination address of print image data, an access frequency, and a flag indicating whether or not printing is possible. Therefore, the data management unit 42 can determine whether the information resource requested by the host computer 11 is stored in the cache 44 by referring to the access history management table 43 using the URL or the like as a search key. . However, the present invention is not limited to this, and an access log indicating which information resource has been accessed at which time for each host computer 11 can be managed and stored. The print permission flag is suitably used in other embodiments described later.

Returning to FIG. The cache 44 as the "storing means" is preferably formed in a relatively large-capacity rewritable storage device such as a hard disk device. The cache 44 accumulates and stores information resources received from the server 32 and also stores print image data of the information resources.

The update control unit 48 determines whether or not an update request has been issued for a preset information resource. If an update request has been issued, the update control unit 48 connects to the server 32 to obtain the latest information resource. , The contents of the cache 44 are updated. Here, the information resources set in advance include information resources related to the printer 21. Examples of information resources related to the printer 21 include programs such as a printer driver and a printer utility, and a printer 21.
Document data, such as the instruction manual of the company.

The determination as to whether or not an update request has occurred can be made, for example, by the following method. The first method is a method of monitoring whether or not a predetermined time set in advance has elapsed, and connecting to the server 32 assuming that an update request has occurred when the predetermined time has elapsed. The second method is a method of waiting for an update notification from the server 32 and, when receiving the update notification, determining that an update request has occurred. A third method is a method in which the next scheduled update date is notified in advance on the server 32, and when the scheduled update date has arrived, it is determined that an update request has occurred. According to the first method, since an update request is generated every predetermined time, there is a high possibility that the update has not been performed even when connected to the server 32, and useless access occurs. But, for example, HE
Since it is possible to easily determine whether or not the information resource has been updated by using the AD command, the server 3 selects a time period during which the communication load is small.
2, the update request can be generated with a simple configuration. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the first method is adopted, but this is an example, and the present invention is not limited to this. The second that can reduce useless access
This method and the third method can be adopted, or other methods can be adopted.

Print control unit 25 as "print control means"
Has a receiving buffer 51 for receiving print data and the like, an interpreter 52 for interpreting print data and the like to generate print image data and the like, and an output buffer 53 for storing the generated print image data. The generated print image data is input to the engine control unit 26, and the engine control unit 26 controls the driving of the print engine 27 to perform predetermined printing. Further, the print control unit 25 generates print image data of the designated information resource in response to a request from the data management unit 42. FIG. 3B shows an example of print data characteristic of the present invention. When instructing printing of the information resource browsed by the browser 12, print data 61 having a structure as shown in FIG. 3B is input from the host computer 11. That is, the print data 61 includes a print command storage area 61A for storing a print command, and a specification information storage area 61 for storing information for specifying an information resource to be printed.
B. The print control unit 25 interprets the identification information such as the URL stored in the identification information storage area 61B,
The information resource indicated by the specifying information is obtained from the cache 44 and printing is performed. In the present embodiment, the case where the print data 61 is interpreted by the print control unit 25 is exemplified. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and all information input from the host computer 11 may be used by the data management unit 4.
2, the printing control unit 25 may be configured to transfer only the information regarding printing to the print control unit 25.

Next, FIG. 4 shows a schematic structure of a user interface of the browser 12. FIG.
As shown in (a), the browser 12 includes a display unit 71 for displaying a web page or the like, an address designation unit 72 for inputting a URL or the like, a “search”, a “favorite”,
Buttons 73 to 76 for displaying menus such as “print” and “preview” are provided. The menu shown in FIG. 4 is an example, and other menu buttons such as “stop”, “return”, and “advance” may be provided, and a pull-down menu may be used together.

When using the web page of the server 32, the user inputs a URL for specifying a desired web page into the address designation section 72. Thus, a desired web page is transferred via the proxy server unit 24 of the printer 21 and displayed on the display unit 71.

When the user wants to print the obtained web page, the user can print it by operating the print button 75 with a device such as a mouse. To check the state of the printed matter before printing, the preview button 76 is operated. When the preview button 76 is operated, the printer 21 generates print image data based on its own printing performance and transmits it to the host computer 11. For example, when the printer 21 is a color printer, a color print image is displayed on the display unit 71, and when the printer 21 is a monochrome printer, a monochrome print image is displayed on the display unit 71. As shown in FIG. 4B, a preview button 81 is provided in the display unit 71 by HTML or Java (an architecture-neutral object-oriented programming language developed by SUN Microsystems, Inc. and a trademark of the company). It can also be displayed. In this case, it is advantageous in that the preview button 81 can be added without making a change to the browser 12, so that it is preferable to adopt the method shown in FIG.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In the drawings, steps are abbreviated as “S”.

The flowchart of FIG. 5 shows a relay process for relaying information resources such as data files and program files between the host computer 11 and the server 32. First, in S1, it is monitored whether or not a request (HTTP request) has been received from the browser 12. If a request is received, analyze the URL (S
2) By referring to the access history management table 43, it is determined whether or not the requested file is stored in the cache 44 (S3).

If the requested file is stored in the cache, it is determined whether this file is valid, that is, whether it matches the original file on the server 32 (S4). For example, it is possible to confirm whether or not the file on the server 32 has been updated by using an HTTP HEAD command or the like. Therefore, in S4, the server 32 is accessed and the file on the server 32 and the cache 44 are accessed.
It can be determined whether or not the file is the same.

If the file in the cache 44 is valid, the requested file is read from the cache 44 and transferred to the browser 12 (S5). On the other hand, if the requested file is not stored in the cache 44 (S3: NO) or if the file stored in the cache 44 is old (S4: NO), the server 32 is accessed to update the latest file. The latest file is acquired (S6), and transferred to the browser 12 and stored in the cache 44 (S7).

As described above, the file is obtained from either the cache 44 or the server 32 and transferred to the browser 12. Next, it is determined whether a print preview has been requested (S8). If the print preview is requested (S8: YES), the print image data generated by the print control unit 25 is acquired and transferred to the browser 12 (S9), the print image data is stored in the cache 44, and the process is terminated. (S10). If the print preview has not been requested (S8: NO), the process ends. Here, it is not necessary to store the entire print image data in the cache. For example, only data that requires time to generate an image, such as image data, or frequently used data, such as font data, may be stored in the cache.

As described above, in the relay processing, the proxy server unit 2 communicates between the host computer 11 and the server 32.
4 relays, the information resources requested by the browser 12 of the host computer 11 can be stored in the cache 44.

Next, the flowchart of FIG. 6 shows the printing process. In S1, it is monitored whether data or the like has been received from the host computer 11 (S21).
If data or the like has been received, it is determined whether or not it is a print command (S22). If it is a print command (S22: YE
S), it is determined whether or not a URL is specified, that is, as shown in FIG. 3B, whether or not a URL is stored in the specifying information storage area 61B (S23).

If the URL is specified (S23: YES), the storage location of the specified file is detected by referring to the access history management table 43 (S24), and the data of the file instructed to be printed is retrieved. Read from the cache 44 (S2
5). Then, the file is converted into print image data and printed (S26). If the print image data has already been generated in response to the print preview request, the print image data can be read out quickly for printing.

If the data or the like received from the host computer 11 is not a print command (S22: NO) or the URL
Is not specified (S23: NO), it means that a status request command or the like for confirming the remaining amount of toner and paper is received, so that normal processing is performed (S2).
7).

As described above, in the printing process, the cache 4
4 can be read and printed, so that there is no need to transmit data to be printed from the host computer 11 to the printer 21 unlike the prior art.

Next, the flowchart of FIG. 7 shows the updating process. First, in S31, it is monitored whether an update request has been issued for a predetermined information resource such as a printer driver or a printer utility (S31). It is possible to determine whether an update request has occurred based on the elapsed time or a notification from the server 32.

When an update request is issued, the server is connected to a predetermined server 32 providing a printer driver and the like (S
32), it is determined whether the printer driver or the like has been updated (S33). If the printer driver or the like has been updated (S33: YES), the latest program is downloaded from the server 32 (S34). Then, the storage contents of the cache 44 are updated (S35), and the connection is terminated (S36). On the other hand, if the printer driver or the like has not been updated (S33: NO), S34 and S35 are skipped and the connection is terminated (S36).

Next, the flowchart of FIG. 8 shows a cache management process for managing the cache 44. First, when storing a file in the cache 44, the current free space (S41) of the cache 44 and the data amount (S42) of the file to be stored are respectively detected, and the two are compared and stored in the cache 44. It is determined whether the file can be saved (S43). If the free space of the cache 44 exceeds the data amount of the file, the file is stored in the cache 44 (S44).
Conversely, when the free space of the cache 44 is less than the data amount of the file (S43: NO), the access history management table 43 is referred to (S45), and the file with the least access frequency is deleted from the cache 44 ( S46), and returns to S41 again. In this way, the file with the least access frequency is deleted from the cache 44 until the free space of the cache 44 increases and exceeds the data amount of the file. Here, if there is print image data associated with the deleted file, this print image data can be deleted unless it is shared by other files.

According to the present embodiment configured as described above, the following effects can be obtained.

First, a proxy server unit 24 is provided in the printer 21, and data transfer between the host computer 11 and the server 32 is relayed by the printer 21.
There is no need to send data again
Communication load can be reduced.

Second, at the time of print preview, since the print image data generated by the printer 21 can be transmitted to the host computer 11, the user can check the print image reflecting the actual print performance, and This prevents unnecessary printing and improves usability. Particularly, as described above, since the printer 21 stores the information resources transferred to the host computer 11 by the relay function, the printer 21
1 does not have to send print preview data, and print preview image data can be promptly generated and displayed on the browser 12.

Third, when connecting to the Internet 31, the host computer 11
4 selects the printer 2 to be used for printing.
Since 1 can be selected at the same time, the operation of selecting the proxy server unit 24 and the operation of selecting the printer 21 can be performed by one operation, and the usability is improved.

Fourth, since the printer 21 updates and manages predetermined information resources such as a printer driver, the user easily obtains necessary programs and the like from the printer 21 without connecting to the Internet 31. be able to. Conventionally, necessary programs are stored in a recording medium such as a CD-ROM bundled with the printer.
In addition, since each host computer 11 is connected to the Internet 31 and updates the printer driver and the like in each section, the use environment of the printer is likely to be different for each host computer 11. However, in the present embodiment, since the printer 21 can manage programs and documents related to itself, each host computer 11 can obtain the latest printer driver and the like simply by connecting to the printer 21 to be used. It is possible to unify the printer use environment in the office.

Fifth, since the print image data and the information resources are stored in the cache 44 in association with each other, the print image data can be transmitted to the browser 12 more quickly at the time of the second or subsequent print preview request. Is improved.

Sixth, when the free space in the cache 44 runs short, information resources with a relatively high access frequency are accumulated in the cache 44 to delete the information resources with a low access frequency. Can be shortened.

2. Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Note that, in the present embodiment, the same components as those in the above-described first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals,
The description is omitted. The feature of the present embodiment is that it checks whether the information resource requested by the host computer 11 satisfies a predetermined criterion, and rejects printing if the information resource does not satisfy the predetermined criterion.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the relay processing of the network printing system according to the present embodiment. This processing includes all the steps S1 to S10 shown in FIG. In addition, in this processing, after acquiring the latest file from the server 32 and transferring it to the host computer 11 (S6, S7), it is determined whether or not this file satisfies a predetermined standard (S51). If the predetermined criterion is not satisfied (S51: NO), as shown in FIG. 3A, the print permission flag is set to print prohibition (S5).
2). Here, the predetermined criterion may be, for example, whether the image is malicious or antisocial, such as obscene image data or fake image data. Various inspection methods can be adopted as to whether or not a predetermined standard is satisfied. For example, the first method is that a network administrator assigns an IP address of a malicious site to the proxy server unit 24 of each printer 21 in advance.
It is a method to input in. The second method is a method of measuring whether or not a predetermined word or phrase appears, or the frequency of occurrence of the predetermined word or phrase, and thereby determining whether or not a predetermined standard is satisfied.

Next, FIG. 10 shows a flowchart of the printing process according to the present embodiment, and this process includes all the steps of S21 to S27 shown in FIG. In addition, in this processing, after detecting the storage destination address of the file instructed to print (S24), it is determined whether or not printing is permitted by referring to the print permission flag of this file (S61). ). If printing is permitted (S61: YES), a file is read from the cache 44 to generate and print print image data (S25. S2).
6). If the printing is not permitted (S61: NO), the user is notified that the printing is not permitted (S61).
62).

In the present embodiment configured as described above,
The same effects as in the first embodiment can be obtained. In addition, in the present embodiment, it is checked whether or not the information resource satisfies a predetermined criterion. It can be prevented beforehand. In particular, it is more effective to prohibit the printing of a file which is not problematic if only displayed on a monitor but cannot be ignored when printed as a printed matter.

It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various additions and changes within the scope of the present invention described in each embodiment. For example, the present invention can be realized by causing a computer of the printer 21 to read a predetermined program recorded on the recording medium MM shown in FIG.

When a plurality of browsers are mounted on the host computer, a different printer can be used for each browser. That is, one browser can access the Internet via a proxy server unit of a color printer, and the other browser can access the Internet via a proxy server unit of a monochrome printer.

Further, in each of the above embodiments, the case where the print image is transmitted to the host computer 11 when the print preview is instructed has been described as an example, but instead, the information resources received from the server 32 may be transmitted. As much as possible, the image may be converted into a print image in the printer 21 and transmitted to the host computer 11. In this case, for example, it can be expressed as follows.

Expression 1. A host computer for requesting acquisition of information resources stored in a server on the network and instructing printing of the information resources; a printer for receiving and printing from the server the information resources requested to be acquired from the host computer; Wherein the host computer comprises: an acquisition request unit for requesting the printer to acquire the information resource; and a print instruction to the printer to print the information resource acquired by the acquisition request unit. An instruction unit, wherein the printer acquires and saves the information resource requested by the acquisition request unit from the server, and relays the information resource to the host computer as print image data. Information stored in the relay unit based on an instruction from the print instruction unit Network printing system; and a print control means for printing by reading the source.

Further, in the case of an information resource which does not satisfy a predetermined criterion, it may be configured such that neither reception from the server 32 nor storage in the cache 44 is permitted.

Further, the configuration may be such that the storage in the cache 44 is permitted according to the level of the communication cost.
For example, in the case of an information resource that does not require much communication cost to receive data, such as a company homepage, the information is not stored in the cache 44, and only the information resource that requires communication cost, such as an external homepage, is stored in the cache 44. Good.

Further, the printer is not limited to a printer-dedicated machine, but may be a multifunction machine having other functions such as a copying machine and a facsimile machine.

[0092]

As described above, according to the network printing system, the network printer, and the network printing method of the present invention, the print image data can be displayed without increasing the communication load between the host computer and the printer. Or print.

Further, since the information resources relating to the printer are managed by the printer itself, each host computer can easily obtain the necessary latest information resources from the printer, and it is easy to unify the printer use environment in the office.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a network printing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the printer.

FIG. 3A is an explanatory diagram showing a structure of an access history management table, and FIG. 3B is an explanatory diagram showing a data structure when a web page or the like is printed.

4A and 4B are explanatory diagrams illustrating an example of a user interface of a browser. FIG. 4A illustrates a case where a preview button is provided in the browser itself, and FIG. 4B illustrates a case where the preview button is displayed in a display unit. Are respectively shown.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a relay process.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a printing process.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an update process.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a cache management process.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a relay process according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a printing process.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 local network 11 host computer 12 browser 21 network printer 22 network connection unit 23 network connection unit 24 proxy server unit 25 print control unit 26 engine control unit 27 print engine 31 internet 32 server 42 data management unit 43 access history management table 48 update control Department

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. A host computer for requesting acquisition of an information resource stored in a server on a network and instructing printing of the information resource, and receiving from the server an information resource requested to be acquired by the host computer. A network printing system comprising: a printer that prints the information resource; and an acquisition request unit for requesting the printer to acquire the information resource; and the printing of the information resource acquired by the acquisition request unit. A print instructing unit that instructs a printer, wherein the printer acquires and saves the information resource requested by the acquisition request unit from the server, and transfers the information resource to the host computer; and Reading information resources stored in the relay unit based on an instruction from the print instruction unit; A print control unit for causing the information resource to be transferred to the host computer as print image data in response to a request from the host computer. . 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the relay unit determines whether the information resource requested to be acquired by the acquisition request unit is stored in the storage unit. And data management means for acquiring the information resource from the storage means when the information resource is stored, and acquiring the information resource from the server when the information resource is not stored. 2. The network printing system according to item 1. 3. An update request determination unit for determining whether an update request for an information resource relating to the printer has been generated, and a connection to the network when it is determined that the update request has been generated. Update determination means for determining whether the information resource related to the printer has been updated on the server, and when it is determined that the information resource related to the printer has been updated on the server,
3. The network printing system according to claim 2, further comprising: an update storage unit that acquires the information resource from the server and updates and stores the information resource in the storage unit. 4. The network printing system according to claim 2, wherein the relay unit stores the information resource and print image data of the information resource in the storage unit in association with each other. 5. The relay unit manages a history of acquisition requests from the acquisition request unit, and when the storage unit runs out of free space, stores the information resource with a low frequency of the acquisition requests into the storage unit. The network printing system according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the network printing system is deleted from the network printing system. 6. The relay unit checks whether an information resource acquired from the server satisfies a predetermined standard, and stores the information resource in the storage unit. The print control unit controls the print instruction. 6. The printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein printing is permitted when the information resource specified by the means satisfies the predetermined standard, and printing is prohibited when the specified information resource does not satisfy the predetermined criterion. A network printing system according to any one of the first to third aspects. 7. A network printer for acquiring information resources stored in a server on a network, transferring the information resources to a host computer, and printing the information resources, wherein the network printer is connected to the network to communicate with the host computer and the server. Connecting to the server via the network connection means, acquiring and storing the information resource requested by the host computer from the server, and connecting the information resource to the network connection means. Relay means for transferring the information resources stored in the relay means to print based on an instruction from the host computer via an instruction from the host computer. Storage means for storing the information resources obtained, It is determined whether or not the information resource requested by the computer is stored in the storage unit. If the information resource is stored, the information resource is obtained from the storage unit, and the information resource is not stored. A data management unit for acquiring the information resource from the server, wherein the information resource is transferred to the host computer as print image data in response to a request from the host computer. Network printer. 8. The update request determining means for determining whether or not an update request of the information resource relating to the printer has occurred, and connecting to the network when it is determined that the update request has occurred. Update determination means for determining whether the information resource related to the printer has been updated on the server, and when it is determined that the information resource related to the printer has been updated on the server,
8. The network printer according to claim 7, further comprising: an update storage unit that acquires the information resource from the server and updates and stores the information resource in the storage unit. 9. The network printer according to claim 7, wherein the relay unit associates the information resource with print image data of the information resource and causes the storage unit to store the information resource. 10. The relay unit manages a history of acquisition requests from the host computer, and when the storage unit runs out of free space, transfers information resources with a low frequency of acquisition requests from the storage unit. The network printer according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the network printer is deleted. 11. The relay unit checks whether an information resource acquired from the server satisfies a predetermined standard and stores the information resource in the storage unit. The print control unit controls the print instruction. 11. The printing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein printing is permitted when the information resource specified by the unit satisfies the predetermined standard, and printing is prohibited when the specified information resource does not satisfy the predetermined standard. A network printer according to any of the above. 12. A network printing method for acquiring information resources stored in a server on a network in response to an acquisition request from a host computer, transferring the information resources to the host computer, and printing the information resources. The relay processing includes: receiving an acquisition request from the host computer; determining whether an information resource related to the acquisition request is stored in a storage unit; Acquiring the information resource from the storage unit when the information resource according to the above is stored in the storage unit; and, when the information resource according to the acquisition request is not stored in the storage unit, Connecting to the server and acquiring the information resource related to the acquisition request from the server; Storing the obtained information resource in the storage unit, transferring the obtained information resource to the host computer, and converting the obtained information resource into print image data in response to a request from the host computer. Converting, and transferring the print image data to the host computer in association with the information resource related to the acquisition request, wherein the print processing has received a print instruction from the host computer. A network printing method, comprising: a step of determining whether or not the information resource according to the print instruction is read from the storage unit; and a step of printing the read information resource. 13. A recording medium on which a program for controlling a network printer for acquiring an information resource stored in a server on a network, transferring the information resource to a host computer, and printing the information resource, is recorded. A storage function for storing the information resource obtained in the storage unit; and determining whether the information resource requested by the host computer is stored in the storage unit. If the information resource is stored, the storage unit A data management function for acquiring the information resource from the server, and acquiring the information resource from the server if the information resource is not stored; and printing the acquired information resource in response to a request from the host computer. A function of converting the print image data into data resources; The computer can read and understand a program for causing the computer to realize a function of transferring the information resource stored in the storage unit to a function of transferring the information resource stored in the storage unit in accordance with an instruction from the host computer. A recording medium characterized by being recorded in various forms.