Typewriting machines – Including control of format by programmed-control-system
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-17
2001-07-31
Hilten, John S. (Department: 2854)
Typewriting machines
Including control of format by programmed-control-system
C400S061000, C400S070000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06267517
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a banner page outputting method, a printer using this method in a network, and a printer system using this method, in particular, which are used in case that a print request is instructed to a printer that is connected to a network such as a local area network (LAN), and a wide area network (WAN) as a terminal.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
Plural persons use a printer in common in a network and printed documents of the plural persons are outputted to a tray of the printer, consequently, it is inconvenient for persons to pick up their own printed documents. In order to solve this problem, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. HEI 6-342349 discloses a network printer. In this application, a method, in which a paper for separating print jobs called “Banner” or “banner” having printed thereon the name of the user, is outputted between each of of the print jobs, is applied.
However, in case that the print jobs of a person are outputted in succession, printing out the banner page at each of the print jobs is not necessary, but the banner page is printed out for each of the plural print jobs. Especially, in case that print jobs having a several pages continue, the ratio of the banner pages to the all printed pages becomes high and the cost increases.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. HEI 7-156465 discloses a recording apparatus. In this application, in order not to use banner pages wastefully, this recording apparatus manages network address numbers and names of the host computers, and provides a printing means for printing each of the name of the host computers at the edge of the papers, and further provides a tray in which printed documents instructed by plural host computers are piled up in sequence for every host computer.
In this application, a user may recognize that the printed document is the one that the user instructed by confirming the name of the host computer printed at the edge of the printed document. However, the print instructions are not made by only one person, plural users can instruct the host computer their print jobs. Especially, in case that host computers use an operating system such as UNIX, a registered user can operate any host computer of the host computers by inputting his/her own identification (ID) number. And, after a time passes, another user may instructs a print job, in this case, the user can not distinguish whether the printed document is the one that the user instructed or not by only the printed name of the host computer.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a banner page outputting method, a printer using this method, and a printer system using this method, in which a banner page is printed for every user even in case that plural print jobs of a user are outputted in succession, at a printer used in common connected to a network.
According to a first aspect of the present invention for achieving the object mentioned above, there is provided a banner page outputting method, in a network printer, in case that a banner page is outputted for a printer connected to a network, wherein; in case that a user instructs plural print jobs in succession in a designated time, said banner page is outputted in the first print job and is not printed in the other print jobs, and in case that another user instructs a print job after said user, a banner page is outputted in the print job of another user.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, even in case that said user instructs plural print jobs in succession, when a variable designated time passed between each of said plural print jobs, said plural print jobs are judged as individual print jobs respectively, and said banner page is outputted each of said plural print jobs, the same as said print job of another user.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first and second aspects said banner page is outputted on one page front of said print job.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first and second aspects, a name of said user or another user is printed at the edge of the first page of said print job as said banner page, instead of outputting said banner page.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the first and second aspects, a name of said user or another user is printed at the edge of the last page of said print job or after the final data of said print job as said banner page, instead of outputting said banner page.
According to sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printer, which is connected to a network and is used by plural users in common, including a central processing unit (CPU) for processing print jobs from clients, a user information memorizing means for memorizing user information sent from said CPU via a bus, a user information comparing means for comparing said user information memorized at printing of previous time in said user information memorizing means with user information at printing of this time, a banner page controlling means for outputting a control signal which instructs to print a banner page including a user name, in case that the comparing result of the user information is different at said user information comparing means, and a printer engine which prints said print job including said banner page by an instruction of said CPU, and in case that the comparing result of the user information is the same at said user information comparing means, said banner page is not printed at said printing of this time.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the sixth aspect, a printer further provides a time interval managing means, which is connected to said CPU via said bus, counts a storing time of said user information memorized in said user information memorizing means, and a time interval setting means for setting said storing time as a time interval, and said time interval is variable by the instruction of users, and said user information memorized in said user information memorizing means is deleted from said user information memorizing means after said time interval passed.
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printer system, which provides a print server and a printer and is connected to a network and is used by plural users in common via said network. The print server provides a CPU for processing print jobs from clients, a user information memorizing means for memorizing user information sending from said CPU via a bus, a user information comparing means for comparing said user information memorized at printing of previous time in said user information memorizing means with user information at printing of this time, and a banner page controlling means for outputting a control signal which instructs to print a banner page including a user name, in case that the comparing result of the user information is different at said user information comparing means. And said printer provides a CPU for controlling printing operation of said printer corresponding to a printing instruction from said print server, and a printer engine which prints said print job by an instruction of said main processing means. And in case that the comparing result of the user information is the same at said user information comparing means, said banner page is not printed at said printing of this time, and further, said user information memorized in said user information memorizing section is deleted after a designated time passed, and said user information of said user is handled as the same as said user information of another user.
According to the present invention, in case that said user instructs to print plural print jobs in succession, said banner page is outputted only on the first print job of said plural print jobs, and in case that another user instruct to print a print job, the banner page is outputted, therefore, an unnecessary banner page is not outputted.
According to the present invention, a user
Hilten John S.
NEC Corporation
Nolan, Jr. Charles H.
Ostrolenk Faber Gerb & Soffen, LLP
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