INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING SAME
The request management server receives a print data acquisition request received from the client device located at an external access-limited site, and specifies the print server disposed in the site to which the user device belongs as a device that prints the print data. Then, the request management server provides an instruction to the specified print server about the acquisition of the print data via the client device which has made the print data acquisition request.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus and a method for controlling the information processing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
A system in which a work server operates in conjunction with a print server to thereby perform print processing for the print data has been proposed. For example, there is a printing system in which data such as a form is transmitted from a work server located on a LAN (Local Area Network) to a print server, and the print server starts printing after obtaining authorization on a panel. In recent years, there has been an increase in the popularity of a cloud-based service which can build virtual machines on the network because of a high-speed network line and improvements in grid-computing technology due to the maintenance of network infrastructure. Along with the popularity of the cloud-based service, a system which provides software services utilizing virtual machines on the cloud-based service has also been proposed. Even in a work server which has conventionally been built in a LAN, the configuration has been employed such that data or processing is centrally managed on the cloud-based service.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-332642 discloses a distributed printing system that performs print processing by a plurality of print servers on the network in a distributed manner. The distributed printing system searches for a print server with no job based on job information and transfers a print request to the print server. Also, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-115533 discloses a content delivery system in which a management server selects a delivery server based on distribution management information and notifies a terminal device about the information when the terminal device makes a content delivery request to the management server. In the content delivery system, the terminal device redirects to the delivery server that has been reported to thereby transmit a content delivery request, and the delivery server delivers the requested content to the terminal device.
When the work server on a cloud-based service is utilized, an access is made from the Web browser on the client device located in the LAN, which is protected by a firewall, to the work server. Here, in general, an access can be made from the Web browser on the client device to the cloud-based service, and the cloud-based service side can return a response to the request made from the client device side. However, an access cannot be made to the interior of a firewall by the request made from the cloud-based service side. Thus, in a cloud environment, data cannot be transmitted to the print server located at the site (local area) by the request made from the work server.
In order to print out print data within the work server on the cloud-based service, a technique in which a work server generates a page having a print button which is linked to a print server and the generated page is passed to the client Web browser to cause it to display on the client device may be conceived. According to the technique, when a user presses the displayed print button, a print data acquisition request (request) is made from the Web browser on the client device to a print server in the LAN. Then, the print server, which has received the request, acquires the data to be printed from the work server.
Here, since the work server on the cloud-based service is open to the public on, for example, an internet, the work server is commonly operated at a plurality of sites. However, a link to a print server, which is attached to a print button generated by the work server, is fixed. Thus, the print data acquisition requests, which have been made from the user devices located at a plurality of sites, cannot be allocated to the print servers at the plurality of sites. In addition, even in the technique in which the print server on which the request has been received transfers the request to a print server located at another site, an access is limited by the firewall located at the site, whereby the request cannot be reached.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe information processing apparatus of the present invention allocates the print data acquisition requests received from user devices located at a plurality of access-limited local areas to the print devices located at the plurality of local areas.
According to an aspect of the present invention, an information processing apparatus is provided that processes a print data acquisition request received from a user device located at each of a plurality of external access-limited local areas. The information processing apparatus includes a request receiving unit configured to receive the print data acquisition request from the user device; a print device specification unit configured to specify a print device disposed in a local area to which the user device, which has made the print data acquisition request, belongs as a device that prints the print data; and a print data acquisition instruction unit configured to provide an instruction to the specified print device about the acquisition of the print data via the user device which has made the print data acquisition request.
Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.
The cloud-based service 1 is a system (cloud computing) that virtualizes computer resources such as a plurality of CPUs, memory, HDDs, and the like and opens a platform for operating the software to the public on the WAN 2. The term “CPU” is the abbreviation for Central Processing Unit and the term “HDD” is the abbreviation for Hard Disk Drive. The cloud-based service 1 provides the platform as a service to the client device in the site, which is connected thereto via the WAN 2. Software that has been registered by the client device is deployed in a memory provided within the cloud-based service 1 and is executed by the CPU. Since the computer resources required for the operation of software are virtualized by the cloud-based service 1, there is no need for software to be aware of the computer resources that operate in the background of the cloud-based service 1.
The representative form of the cloud-based service 1 includes a form in which an OS (Operating System) and Web application can be registered. Servers (a work server 11 and a request management server 12) to be operated on the cloud-based service 1 may operate on the registered OS, or the servers may be registered as Web applications. In other words, the service provided by the cloud-based service 1 may take any form. In the present embodiment, a description will be given of an example in which an OS is registered in the cloud-based service 1 to cause the servers to operate on the OS.
The cloud-based service 1 includes a work server 11 and a request management server 12. The work server 11 is a virtual server to be operated on the cloud-based service 1, and is connected to the processing unit in each of the sites via the WAN 2. Since the work server 11 is a virtual server to be operated on the cloud-based service 1, a user who operates the processing unit in each of the sites can utilize the work server 11 without having to be aware of where the computer resources constituting the work server 11 are located.
The work server 11 has a Web server function. More specifically, the work server 11 is accessed from the client device (for example, client device 7A and 7B shown in
The request management server 12 is the information processing apparatus of the present embodiment, and processes a document acquisition request transmitted from the client device. As in the work server 11, the request management server 12 is a virtual server to be operated on the cloud-based service 1, and is connected to the processing unit in each of the sites via the WAN 2. Since the request management server 12 is a virtual server to be operated on the cloud-based service 1, a user who operates the processing unit in each of the sites can utilize the request management server 12 without having to be aware of where the computer resources constituting the request management server 12 are located.
The request management server 12 receives a document acquisition request from the client device via the WAN 2, and specifies a print server 5, which processes for printing print data, based on the information of the received document acquisition request. The request management server 12 returns the redirect request for the document acquisition request sent to the specified print server 5 to the client device as a response to the received document acquisition request. The redirect request is a request for causing the client device to redirect the document acquisition request to the specified print server 5. The print server 5, which has received the redirect request, acquires print data from the work server 11 to execute print processing for the print data.
The sites A and B are local areas which are connected to different LANs, i.e., LANs 4A and 4B, respectively. Although only two sites are shown in
The firewall 3 is also connected to the WAN 2. The firewall 3 has a function to limit an access from the WAN 2 to the LAN provided with the firewall 3. The cloud-based service 1 connected to the WAN 2 cannot provide access to the LAN due to the firewall 3. On the other hand, access from the LAN to the WAN 2 can be made. In addition, communication cannot be established between the sites which are mutually connected via the WAN 2.
The print server 5 is a server computer that executes monitoring and management of the print device 6 within the site, monitoring and management of a print job, and generation and transfer of a print job. When the printing system of the present embodiment is a large-scale printing system, the print server 5 may be formed in, for example, a cluster configuration with redundancy so as to distribute the load. The print server 5 also has a Web interface. The client device 7, which has received the redirect request for the document acquisition request from the request management server 12, makes the redirect request for the document acquisition request to the print server 5 via the Web interface. When the print server 5 receives the redirect request from the client device 7, the print server 5 makes a print data acquisition request to the work server 11 via the WAN 2 to thereby acquire print data. The print server 5 serves as a print device that provides an instruction to the print device 6 to cause it to perform print processing for the acquired print data. Also, the client device 7 can acquire the print job managed by the print server 5 and the state of the print device 6, and control the print job via the Web interface provided by the print server 5.
The print device 6 performs print data print processing upon receiving an instruction from the print server 5 via the LAN. A laser beam printer, which uses an electro-photographic format, an inkjet printer, which uses an inkjet format, and the like can be applied as a print device 6. The client device 7 is a user device that is operated by a user. The client device 7 is, for example, a computer device such as a PC (Personal Computer) or the like. The client device 7 may include a permanent storage device such as a HDD or the like, or may have the thin client configuration provided with a temporary storage device. In the present embodiment, the client device 7 includes a Web browser, and the client device 7 provides an access to the work server 11 through the Web browser. More specifically, when the client device 7 receives provision of a work page from the work server 11 through the Web browser, the client device 7 generates print data on the work page. The client device 7 causes the work server 11 to store the generated print data. Also, the client device 7 transmits a document acquisition request, which is a print data acquisition request, to the request management server 12 depending on the operation performed by a user who wishes to print out the print data stored in the work server 11. The printing system, including the information processing apparatus of the present invention, is not limited to a system having the cloud-based service 1. The request management server 12 is not limited to a server on the cloud-based service, but may be an information processing apparatus that processes a print data acquisition request received from a client device located at each of a plurality of external access-limited sites.
The CPU 65 controls the entire print device. More specifically, the CPU 65 reads the control program for the print device 6, which has been stored in the ROM 66 or the HDD 68, to the RAM 67, and executes processing in accordance with the control program. The ROM 66 is a non-volatile storage unit, and stores the control program for the print device 6 and the data employed by the control program. The RAM 67 is a rewritable storage unit, and stores the temporary data relating to the processes executed by the print device 6. The HDD 68 stores the control program for the print device 6, the data employed by the control program, temporary data, and the like. The operation unit 69 displays a screen, and receives a user's operation instruction via the screen.
A save button 202 is a button by which the client device 7 transmits data input to the work operating area 201 for saving. When the Web browser on the client device 7 detects that the save button 202 has been pushed by a user's operation, the Web browser transmits the data input to the work operating area 201 to the work server 11. The work server 11 receives the data transmitted from the client device 7, and stores it in a predetermined storage unit (e.g., the HDD 106 shown in
Also, the Web interface 121 receives a redirect destination registration request from the print server 5, and updates redirect destination information managed by the request manager 122. The redirect destination registration request is a request, which is made from the print server 5 to the request management server 12, for the registration of the print server 5 as the redirect destination for a document acquisition request.
The request manager 122 stores the redirect destination information in a predetermined storage unit for management, and executes the redirect request for the document acquisition request. In general, it is contemplated that a redirect method includes a server side (e.g., the request management server 12 side) redirect and a client side (the client device 7 side) redirect. The server side redirect is a method in which the server, which has received the document acquisition request, directly redirects to the print server 5 of the redirect destination for a document acquisition request, which is located within the site. The client side redirect is a method in which the server, which has received the document acquisition request, redirects to the print server 5 of the redirect destination for a document acquisition request, via the client device 7 of the receive destination for the document acquisition request.
A method for redirecting for the client side includes a method that uses the <meta> tag of a HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language), or a method that uses a Java™ Script. Here, an access from the request management server 12 to the print server 5 is limited by the firewall 3, whereby a redirect for the server side cannot be made. Hence, in the present embodiment, a redirect for the client side, which will be described below, is executed in order to perform a redirect to the print server 5 within the site beyond the firewall 3. The request manager 122 of the request management server 12 specifies the redirect destination based on the IP address, which has been acquired by the Web interface 121, of the client device 7 and the redirect destination information shown in
Redirect destination information shown in
First, the request manager 122 takes the bit-by-bit logical product of the IP address, which is reported while receiving a document acquisition request, of the client device 7 and the subnet mask included in the redirect destination information shown in
The request manager 122 may specify the print server 5 of the redirect destination for a document acquisition request, based on the user name included in the request information acquired by the Web interface 121 and the redirect destination information shown in
The redirect destination information shown in
As a response to the document acquisition request, the request manager 122 returns the redirect request for the document acquisition request to the client device 7, i.e., the reception origin of the document acquisition request. The redirect request for the document acquisition request is a request for a redirect of the document acquisition request to the specified print server 5. The request manager 122 adds the request information corresponding to the document acquisition request acquired by the Web interface 121 to the redirect request as a parameter, and transmits it to the client device 7. More specifically, the request manager 122 describes the URL of the print server 5 of the redirect destination in the <meta> tag of HTML, and sets request information as an argument of the URL.
The client device 7 receives the redirect request for the document acquisition request from the request manager 122, and makes (redirects) the document acquisition request to the print server 5 of the redirect destination. During a redirect, for example, the request information, which is set as an argument of the URL described in the <meta> tag of the aforementioned HTML, is passed to the print server 5 of the redirect destination. The print server 5 of the redirect destination acquires print data based on the content URI included in the passed request information. In other words, the request manager 122 functions as a print data acquisition instruction unit configured to provide an instruction to the specified print server 5 about the acquisition of the print data via the user device which has made the print data acquisition request. In the present embodiment, since the request management server 12 makes a redirect via the client 7 located on the same site as the print server 5 of the redirect destination for the document acquisition request, the request management server 12 can redirect to the print server 5 beyond the firewall 3. A method for controlling the information processing apparatus of the present embodiment and a computer program for the same can be realized by the function of the Web interface 121 and the request manager 122; both of which are provided in the request management server 12 described with reference to
Also, upon activation, the job manager 51 makes a redirect destination registration request described above to the request management server 12. When a redirect destination registration request is made, the job manager 51 notifies the IP address, the subnet mask, and the print server URL of the print server 5 that requests registration as the redirect destination to the request management server 12 as redirect destination information. The request management server 12 manages the reported redirect information in a data structure shown in
Referring back to
The request management server 12 receives the document acquisition request. Then, the request management server 12 specifies the print server 5 of the redirect destination, based on the user name, which is the parameter of the document acquisition request, included in the request information and the redirect destination information shown in
Next, the client device 7 performs a redirect by the function of the Web browser (see F7 shown in
Then, the print server 5 acquires print data from the work server 11 (see F10 shown in
First, the request management server 12 receives a document acquisition request from the client device 7 (step S1), and acquires request information reported upon receiving the document acquisition request. Next, the request management server 12 specifies the print server 5 of the redirect destination based on the reported request information and the request destination information that is managed by the request management server 12 (step S2). The request management server 12 determines whether or not the print server 5 of the redirect destination has been specified (step S3). When the request management server 12 determines that the print server 5 of the redirect destination has not been specified, the request management server 12 returns a request error as a response to the client device 7 (step S5). On the other hand, when the request management server 12 determines that the print server 5 of the redirect destination has been specified, the request management server 12 returns the redirect request for the document acquisition request sent to the specified print server 5 to the client device 7 (step S4).
As described above, the request management server 12 of the present embodiment makes a document acquisition request to the print server 5 at the site on which the client device 7 is located via the client device 7. Thus, the print server 5 at the site can acquire the print data held by the work server 11 beyond the firewall 3. Also, the request management server 12 of the present embodiment pre-registers information including the URL of the print server 5 of the redirect destination as redirect destination information, and specifies the redirect destination for the document acquisition request by using the redirect destination information. Thus, if the request management server 12 registers the redirect destination information including the URLs of the print servers 5 located at a plurality of sites in advance, the request, which has been received from the client device 7 located at each of the plurality of sites, can be allocated to the redirect destination.
Next, a description will be given of a second embodiment of the present invention. In the second embodiment, when the request management server 12 receives a document acquisition request from the client device 7, the print data corresponding to the document acquisition request is acquired from the work server 11 for management. More specifically, the request manager 12 provided in the request management server 12 also functions as a print data acquisition unit configured to acquire print data from the work server 11, which is the device for holding the print data, and generate document information (see
In the second embodiment, when the request management server 12 specifies the redirect destination (see F5 shown in
According to the information processing apparatus of the present invention described above, the print data acquisition requests, which have been made from the user devices in a plurality of access-limited local areas, can be allocated to the print devices in the plurality of local areas. Consequently, for example, the data held by the work server on the cloud-based service can be printed out by the print servers located at a plurality of sites.
Aspects of the present invention can also be realized by a computer of a system or apparatus (or devices such as a CPU or MPU) that reads out and executes a program recorded on a memory device to perform the functions of the above-described embodiments, and by a method, the steps of which are performed by a computer of a system or apparatus by, for example, reading out and executing a program recorded on a memory device to perform the functions of the above-described embodiments. For this purpose, the program is provided to the computer for example via a network or from a recording medium of various types serving as the memory device (e.g., computer-readable medium).
While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.
This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-297148 filed Dec. 28, 2009, which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
Claims
1. An information processing apparatus that processes a print data acquisition request received from a user device located at each of a plurality of external access-limited local areas, the information processing apparatus comprising:
- a request receiving unit configured to receive the print data acquisition request from the user device;
- a print device specification unit configured to specify a print device disposed in a local area to which the user device, which has made the print data acquisition request, belongs as a device that prints the print data; and
- a print data acquisition instruction unit configured to provide an instruction to the specified print device about the acquisition of the print data via the user device which has made the print data acquisition request.
2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the request receiving unit acquires the network address information of the user device which has made the print data acquisition request, and the print device specification unit determines a domain corresponding to the user device which has made the print data acquisition request based on the acquired network address information, and specifies a print device corresponding to the determined domain as a device that prints the print data based on the correspondence information between the domain stored in a storage unit in advance and the print device.
3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the request receiving unit acquires the user identification information of the user device which has made the print data acquisition request, and the print device specification unit specifies a print device corresponding to the user identification information of the acquired user device as a device that prints the print data based on the correspondence information between the user identification information of the user device, which is stored in a storage unit in advance, and the print device.
4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the print data acquisition instruction unit provides an instruction to the specified print device about the acquisition of the print data from a device that holds the print data via the user device.
5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
- a print data acquisition unit configured to acquire print data from a device that holds the print data for storage,
- wherein the print data acquisition instruction unit provides an instruction to the specified print device about the acquisition of the stored print data via the user device.
6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the print data acquisition instruction unit provides an instruction to the user device which has made the print data acquisition request about the redirect of the print data acquisition request to the specified print device.
7. A method for controlling an information processing apparatus that processes a print data acquisition request received from a user device located at each of a plurality of external access-limited local areas, the method comprising the steps of:
- receiving the print data acquisition request from the user device;
- specifying a print device disposed in a local area to which the user device, which has made the print data acquisition request, belongs as a device that prints the print data; and
- providing an instruction to the specified print device about the acquisition of the print data via the user device which has made the print data acquisition request.
8. A storage medium storing a computer program that processes a print data acquisition request received from a user device located at each of a plurality of external access-limited local areas, the computer program comprising:
- receiving the print data acquisition request from the user device;
- specifying a print device disposed in a local area to which the user device, which has made the print data acquisition request, belongs as a device that prints the print data; and
- providing an instruction to the specified print device about the acquisition of the print data via the user device which has made the print data acquisition request.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 1, 2010
Publication Date: Jun 30, 2011
Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA (Tokyo)
Inventor: Kensuke Tsutsumi (Kawasaki-shi)
Application Number: 12/958,327