Image forming apparatus and non-transitory computer readable recording medium for improved email printing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9646233-B2
Application number	US-201313915959-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 12, 2013
Priority date	Jun 18, 2012
Publication date	May 9, 2017
Grant date	May 9, 2017

Abstract

An image forming apparatus, comprises: a receiving part for receiving an email at a predetermined time; a print outputting part for producing a printed output of data contained in the received email; a stop controlling part for temporarily suspending the receiving process by the receiving part or the process to produce the printed output by the print outputting part; a determining part for receiving an input of instruction information specifying a processing to process the received email and determining the processing to process the received email in accordance with the input instruction information while the stop controlling part is temporarily suspending the process; and an email processing part for performing the processing determined by the determining part to process the received email while the process is being temporarily suspended by the stop controlling part or after the temporary suspension by the stop controlling part is cancelled.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image forming apparatus, comprising:
a receiver for receiving an email during predetermined intervals;
a printer for printing a printed output of data contained in the email received by said receiver on a recording medium:
a hardware processor configured to:
temporarily suspend the receiving process or the process to print the printed output without making the receiving process or the process to print carry out;
receive an input of an instruction specifying a particular process for the image forming apparatus to process the email received by said receiver, and determine the processing to process the email received by the receiver in accordance with said input instruction while said stop controlling part is temporarily suspending the process; and
perform the processing determined by said hardware processor to process the email received by said receiver while the process is being temporarily suspended by said hardware processor or after the temporary suspension by said hardware processor is cancelled,
wherein the input of the instruction is received after the receiver receives the email.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the processing determined by said hardware processor is any one of the processing to delete the received email, to change print settings for producing the printed output and to change a file to print.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a storage for saving the received email, wherein
said image forming apparatus saves the received email in said storage for a predetermined period of time, thereby temporarily suspending the process to produce the printed output,
said hardware processor determines the processing to process the email saved in said storage part in accordance with said instruction when an email containing said instruction is received before said predetermined period of time has elapsed, and
said hardware processor performs the processing determined to process the email saved in said storage.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein
said hardware processor compares a source address of the email containing said instruction with a source address of the email saved in said storage, thereby identifying the email to be a target of the determined processing.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein
said hardware processor, in response to receiving the blank email or the email the same as the one saved in said storage as the email containing said instruction, determines the processing to delete the email saved in said storage.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein
said hardware processor, when the instruction on making change in the print settings for the email saved in said storage is contained as said instruction contained in the received email, determines the processing to make change in the print settings in accordance with the instruction.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein
said hardware processor, when a file attached to the email containing said instruction is different from a file attached to the email saved in said storage, determines the processing to change the file to print.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a manipulation input detector for detecting input by a user, wherein
said hardware processor temporarily suspends the receiving process or the process to print the printed output when a predetermined input operation is detected by said manipulation input detector, and
said hardware processor receives the input of said instruction specifying the processing to process the received email through said manipulation input detector and determines the processing to process the received email in accordance with said input instruction while the process is being temporarily suspended.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein
said hardware processor acquires identification information for identifying the email to be the target of the determined processing with information input through said manipulation input detector and identifies the email to be the target of the determined processing based on said acquired identification information.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein
said identification information corresponds to the source address of the received email.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein
said hardware processor is allowed to receive inputs of the plurality of identification information for identifying the multiple emails to be the targets of the determined processing through said manipulation input detector at the same time.

12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8 , further comprising:
a user authenticator for authenticating the user who operates said manipulation input detector, wherein
said hardware processor acquires said identification information for identifying the email to be the target of the determined processing from information corresponds to the user authenticated by said user authenticator and identifies the email to be the target of the determined processing based on said acquired identification information.

13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8 , further comprising:
a storage for saving the received email, wherein
said hardware processor, when the predetermined operation is detected by said manipulation input detector, saves the received email in said storage, thereby temporarily suspending the process to produce the printed output,
said hardware processor identifies the email not to be the target of the determined processing of at least one email saved in said storage every time the information is input through said manipulation input detector, and
said hardware processor cancels the temporary suspension of the process as to the email not to be the target of the determined processing as the email is identified, and outputs the email by reading the email in said storage, thereby causing said printer to produce the printed output of the data contained in the email.

14. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium on which a program is recorded, said program executable on an image forming apparatus capable of producing a printed output of data contained in a received email, said program executed on said image forming apparatus to perform the steps comprising:
receiving an email during predetermined intervals;
controlling a process to print the printed output of the data contained in the received email on a recording medium:
temporarily suspending the receiving process or the process to print the printed output without making the receiving process or the process to print carry out;
receiving an input of an instruction specifying a particular process for the image forming apparatus to process the received email, and determining the processing to process the received email in accordance with said input instruction while said image forming apparatus is temporarily suspending the process; and
performing the processing specified by said instruction to process the received email while the process is being temporarily suspended or after the temporary suspension is cancelled,
wherein the input of the instruction is received after the image forming apparatus receives the email.

15. The non-transitory computer readable recording medium according to claim 14 , wherein
the processing specified by said instruction is any one of the processing to delete the email received, to change print settings for produci

Assignees

• Konica Minolta Inc

Inventors

• Sugiura Hiroshi
• Kawabata Mie
• Shinchi Toshimi
• Tomita Atsushi
• Maruyama Tomoko

Classifications

• G06F3/1228

  Printing driverless or using generic drivers · CPC title

• G06K15/1806 Primary

  Receiving job control commands · CPC title

• G06K15/181

  Receiving print data characterized by its formatting, e.g. particular page description languages · CPC title

• G06F3/1267

  Job repository, e.g. non-scheduled jobs, delay printing · CPC title

• G06F3/1285

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