Image forming system capable of reducing processing load of print server, server system, method of controlling image forming system, and storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11029894-B2
Application number	US-201916657072-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 18, 2019
Priority date	Oct 25, 2018
Publication date	Jun 8, 2021
Grant date	Jun 8, 2021

Abstract

An image forming system capable of reducing the processing load of a print server. An information processing apparatus generates execution data for causing an image forming process to be executed. The print server holds the execution data acquired from the apparatus. A plurality of printers execute the image forming process based on the execution data. Print settings are set based on capability information of the printers and are transmitted to the apparatus. The information processing apparatus generates the execution data based on the received print settings. History information indicating one of the plurality of printers, which is used for printing, is managed, and the print settings are set based on capability information of one of the printers, which is selected based on the history information.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A server system that is capable of receiving print data from an information processing apparatus and transmitting the print data to one of a plurality of printing apparatuses, the server system comprising:
an acquisition unit configured to acquire print capabilities from the plurality of printing apparatuses;
a storing unit configured to store information regarding the one of the plurality of printing apparatuses to which the print data was transmitted;
a determination unit configured to determine a print capability from among the acquired print capabilities based on the stored information; and
a transmission unit configured to transmit the determined print capability to the information processing apparatus.

2. The server system according to claim 1 , wherein the print capability includes information indicating whether a sheet is conveyed with a short side of the sheet at a leading end thereof or with a long side of the sheet at the leading end thereof.

3. The server system according to claim 1 , wherein the print capability transmitted to the information processing apparatus is to be used by the information processing apparatus to generate another print data.

4. The server system according to claim 1 , further comprising a receiving unit configured to receive a request for a print capability from the information processing apparatus,
wherein the transmitting unit transmits the determined print capability in response to the received request.

5. The server system according to claim 4 , wherein the received request is a request necessary to generate another print data which is different from the print data.

6. The server system according to claim 1 , wherein the determination unit determines the print capability to be transmitted to the information processing apparatus, wherein the print capability is a print capability at the one of the plurality of printing apparatuses to which the print data was transmitted.

7. The server system according to claim 6 , wherein the one of the plurality of printing apparatuses is a printing apparatus to which the server system transmitted the print data list.

8. The server system according to claim 1 , wherein
the storing unit stores a print setting regarding the print data which was transmitted to the one of the plurality of printing apparatuses, and
the determination unit determines, based on the stored print setting, the print capability to be transmitted to the information printing apparatus.

9. The server system according to claim 8 , wherein
the storing unit stores the print setting and the number of times of the transmission of the print data which is set the print setting, and
the determination unit determines the print capability based on the stored number of times.

10. The server system according to claim 1 , wherein the storing unit stores the information while associating the information with a user name of the information processing apparatus.

11. The server system according to claim 10 , wherein the determination unit determines the information, based on a user name of a user who instructed printing of the print data.

12. A method of controlling a server system that is capable of receiving print data from an information processing apparatus and transmitting the print data to one of a plurality of printing apparatuses, comprising:
acquiring print capabilities from the plurality of printing apparatuses;
storing information regarding the one of the plurality of printing apparatuses to which the print data was transmitted;
determining a print capability from among the acquired print capabilities based on the stored information; and
transmitting the determined print capability to the information processing apparatus.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer-executable program for executing a method of controlling a server system that is capable of receiving print data from an information processing apparatus and transmitting the print data to one of a plurality of printing apparatuses, the method comprising:
acquiring print capabilities from the plurality of printing apparatuses;
storing information regarding the one of the plurality of printing apparatuses to which the print data was transmitted;
determining a print capability from among the acquired print capabilities based on the stored information; and
transmitting the determined print capability to the information processing apparatus.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Kaneda Takeshi
• Kashiwagi Masaki
• Takeo Akinori
• Miyajima Jun
• Imai Seijiro

Classifications

• G06F3/1288

  in client-server-printer device configuration · CPC title

• G06F3/1292

  Mobile client, e.g. wireless printing · CPC title

• G06F3/1232

  Transmitting printer device capabilities, e.g. upon request or periodically · CPC title

• G06F3/1257

  by using pre-stored settings, e.g. job templates, presets, print styles · CPC title

• H04L67/02

  based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP] · CPC title