Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and information processing system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016277602-A1
Application number	US-201615063584-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 8, 2016
Priority date	Mar 19, 2015
Publication date	Sep 22, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An information processing apparatus includes a memory that stores, for each of multiple printers, selection information associating at least one of a string, an image, and job information of a print job with printer identification information for identifying the printer being associated with terminal identification information for identifying an information processing terminal currently located near the printer, circuitry that selects, in response to a request for printing data, one of the multiple printers to print the requested data using the selection information stored in the memory, and further selects an information processing apparatus associated with the selected printer, a transmitter that transfers the a confirmation message requesting to confirm that the selected printer prints the requested data to the selected information processing terminal. The circuitry instructs the selected printer to print the requested data in response to receiving a confirmation response from the selected information processing terminal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An information processing apparatus, comprising:
a memory to store, for each of multiple printers, selection information associating at least one of a string, an image, and job information of a print job with printer identification information for identifying the printer, the printer identification information of the printer being associated with terminal identification information for identifying an information processing terminal currently located near the printer; circuitry to select, in response to a request for printing data, one of the multiple printers to print the requested data using the selection information stored in the memory, and further select an information processing apparatus associated with the selected printer; a transmitter to transfer the a confirmation message requesting to confirm that the selected printer prints the requested data to the selected information processing terminal, wherein the circuitry instructs the selected printer to print the requested data in response to receiving a confirmation response from the selected information processing terminal.

2 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the circuitry instructs the selected printer to cancel printing the data requested to be printed, in response to receiving a request for canceling printing from the selected information processing terminal in response to the confirmation message.

3 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the circuitry instructs the selected printer to cancel printing the data requested to be printed in case of not receiving the confirmation response from the selected information processing terminal within a predetermined period of time.

4 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the circuitry instructs the transmitter to send e-mail to a predetermined communication terminal reporting that the message is transferred to the selected information processing terminal in case of not receiving the confirmation response from the selected information processing terminal within a predetermined period of time.

5 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the memory stores first processing information indicating whether canceling printing the data requested to be printed or sending e-mail to a predetermined communication terminal reporting that the message is transferred to the selected information processing terminal, and the circuitry instructs either to cancel printing or to send the e-mail in accordance with the first processing information in case of not receiving a confirmation response from the selected information processing terminal within a predetermined period of time.

6 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the memory further stores confirmation-needed information specifying a string or an image needed to be confirmed and information indicating a confirmation destination previously determined in accordance with a type of the string or a type of the image needed to be confirmed in association with each other, and
the circuitry selects, when the string or the image needed to be confirmed is extracted from the data requested to be printed, a confirmation destination associated with the extracted string or the extracted image, and causes the transmitter to transfer a message including the extracted string or the extracted image to the selected confirmation destination.

7 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the circuitry instructs to cancel printing the data requested to be printed in case of not receiving a confirmation response from the selected confirmation destination within a predetermined period of time.

8 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the circuitry instructs the transmitter to send e-mail to a predetermined communication terminal reporting that the message including the string or the image is transferred to the selected information processing terminal in case of not receiving the confirmation response from the selected confirmation destination within a predetermined period of time.

9 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the memory stores second processing information indicating whether canceling printing the data requested to be printed or sending e-mail to a predetermined communication terminal reporting that a message including the string or the image to the selected information processing terminal, and the circuitry instructs either to cancel printing or to send the e-mail in accordance with the second processing information in case of not receiving the confirmation response from the selected information processing terminal within a predetermined period of time.

10 . A method of processing information, comprising:
storing, for each of multiple printers in a memory, selection information associating at least one of a specified string, a specified image, and job information of a print job with printer identification information for identifying the printer, the printer identification information of the printer being associated with terminal identification information for identifying an information processing terminal currently located near the printer; selecting, in response to a request for printing data, one of the multiple printers to print the requested data using the selection information stored in the memory; selecting an information processing apparatus associated with the selected printer; transferring the a confirmation message requesting to confirm that the selected printer prints the requested data to the selected information processing terminal; and instructing the selected printer to print the requested data in response to receiving a confirmation response from the selected information processing terminal.

11 . The method of processing information according to claim 10 , wherein the method further comprises:
instructing the selected printer to cancel printing the data requested to be printed, in response to receiving a request for canceling printing from the selected information processing terminal in response to the confirmation message.

12 . The method of processing information according to claim 10 , wherein the method further comprises:
instructing the selected printer to cancel printing the data requested to be printed in case of not receiving the confirmation response from the selected information processing terminal within a predetermined period of time.

13 . The method of processing information according to claim 10 , wherein the method further comprises:
instructing the transmitter to send e-mail to a predetermined communication terminal reporting that the message is transferred to the selected information processing terminal in case of not receiving the confirmation response from the selected information processing terminal within a predetermined period of time.

14 . The method of processing information according to claim 10 , wherein the method further comprises:
storing first processing information indicating whether canceling printing the data requested to be printed or sending e-mail to a predetermined communication terminal reporting that the message is transferred to the selected information processing terminal; and instructing either to cancel printing or to send the e-mail in accordance with the first processing information in case of not receiving the confirmation response from the selected information processing terminal within a predetermined period of time.

15 . The metho

Assignees

• Imai Hiroyuki
• Ichikawa Mikiya
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Imai Hiroyuki
• Ichikawa Mikiya

Classifications

• G06F3/1285

  Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server · CPC title

• H04N1/00204 Primary

  with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server (programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561) · CPC title

• G06F3/1207

  resulting in the user being informed about print result after a job submission · CPC title

• G06F3/126

  Job scheduling, e.g. queuing, determine appropriate device · CPC title

• H04N2201/0094

  Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception · CPC title