Facsimile and static presentation processing – Static presentation processing – Data corruption – power interruption – or print prevention
Reexamination Certificate
2001-09-25
2003-05-20
Wallerson, Mark (Department: 2622)
Facsimile and static presentation processing
Static presentation processing
Data corruption, power interruption, or print prevention
C358S001150, C358S001180, C358S001200
Reexamination Certificate
active
06567177
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image storing apparatus for storing images, an image control apparatus for transmitting a print order to a print command in response to a print order from a client, an output control apparatus for printing an image in accordance with the print command from the image control apparatus, an information processing apparatus for registering image data in the image storing apparatus, respectively running on a network realizing print services, a system of these apparatuses, a print control method for the system, and to a storage medium storing a computer readable program realizing the print control.
2. Related Background Art
The following methods have been incorporated in using print services on a network. A client which wishes to edit images receives editing images from an image storing apparatus on the network, edits the received images, and transmits the edited image data and a print order to an image control apparatus on the network.
Upon reception of the print order of image data from the client on the network, the image control apparatus (print controller) transmits a print command including the image data to an output control apparatus (print server) which then print the image data. In this case, character string data, graphic data and the like other than the image data are developed into print images and thereafter transmitted to the output control apparatus.
Upon reception of the print command from the image control apparatus on the network, the output control apparatus prints the image data contained in the print command, by using a printer engine.
In a conventional system in which image data is registered in an image server (image storing apparatus) via a network, a user space of the server has a limitation, the user space being used for storing registered image data and a charge for this space being billed to the user. In the case of a home page, for example, a provider lends a space of 5 to 10 MB to a user which can form a home page as desired so long as the memory amount does not exceed this limit. However, if image data is registered more than this limit, the provider gives the user an alarm via an electronic mail or the like, with a predetermined grace time. If the memory amount continues to exceed even after this grace time, an additional charge is billed to the user.
With the conventional methods described above, a client is required to receive editing image data of high resolution from the image storing apparatus. Furthermore, even after editing, image data of high resolution is required to be transmitted back to the image control apparatus. Accordingly, a load on data transmission on the network becomes large and it takes a long time to transmit data. Particularly, when print services are used on the Internet, a connection charge becomes large and the user has a large economic burden.
Further, since character string data, graphic data and the like in the print data contained in a print order transmitted from a client to an image control apparatus on the network, are developed into image data and thereafter transmitted. Therefore, image data, particularly image data having a number of colors, has a large data amount so that a load on data transmission on the network becomes large, and that a load on the image control apparatus receiving print orders from a number of clients becomes large and processing print orders is delayed.
Furthermore, since necessary image data is transmitted always from the image server having original image data, a load on the image server becomes large.
Still further, with the conventional methods, even if a user unintentionally registers image data in excess of a limit space, this excessive registration cannot be recognized at that time so that the registration cannot be stopped or other countermeasures cannot be performed.
An alarm by an electronic mail or the like may not be read by the user so that there is a possibility of billing an additional charge while the user does not recognize.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems. The image control apparatus of this invention has the following configurations.
The image control apparatus comprises: receiving means for receiving editing information of image data stored in an image storing apparatus from a client; determining means for determining an output destination of output control apparatuses in accordance with the editing information received by the receiving means; and outputting means for outputting a print order corresponding to the editing information to the output destination of the control apparatuses determined by the determining means.
The image control apparatus further comprises managing means for storing and managing identification information of the output control apparatuses and image data stored in the output control apparatuses.
The managing means receives the identification information for identifying the image data stored in the output control apparatuses, from the output control apparatuses.
The determining means determines as the output destination the output control apparatus having a largest amount of image data designated by the editing information, in accordance with the identification information stored and managed by the managing means.
The image control apparatus further comprises instructing means for instructing the image storing apparatus to transmit image data not stored in the output control apparatus determined as the output destination by the determining means, to the output control apparatus.
The print order transmitted to the output control apparatus includes information of image data of a high resolution converted from image data of a low resolution designated by the editing information.
The identification information stored and managed by the managing means includes information of a time when image data is discarded, and after this time lapses, a corresponding identification information is deleted.
The image control apparatus further comprises name setting means for setting an optional file name of image data stored in the output control apparatus.
The image control apparatus further comprises: storing means for storing image data of a plurality of resolutions for each set of image data; and controlling means responsive to a request from the client for controlling to transmit image data of a low resolution to the client and for controlling to transmit image data of a high resolution to be used for the editing information received from the client, to the output control apparatus.
The managing means stores and manages the identification information in the unit of a plurality of tiles divided from each set of image data.
The editing information is described in a script format.
The client and the output control apparatus are interconnected via the Internet.
An image storing apparatus of this invention connected to a client and an output control apparatus via a network, comprises: storing means for storing image data of a plurality of resolutions for each set of image data; and controlling means responsive to a request from the client for controlling to transmit image data of a low resolution to the client and for controlling to transmit image data of a high resolution corresponding to the image data of the low resolution to the output control apparatus.
The controlling means executes a control operation after an instruction of transmitting the image data of the high resolution to the output control apparatus is received from an external apparatus different from the output control apparatus.
The controlling means controls to transmit image data in the unit of tile to the client or to the output control apparatus.
The image storing apparatus further comprises registering means for registering externally input image data in the storing means.
The image storing apparatus further comprises notifying means for comparing a memory amount permitted to an external apparatus transmitted image data with the image data
Lamb Twyler
Wallerson Mark
LandOfFree
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