# US 10,768,877 B2 · Print job transmission device, printing system, and print job transmission method

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- Number: US 10,768,877 B2
- Document ID: US10768877B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/533,518
- Filed: 2019-08-06
- Published: 2020-03-19
- Granted: 2020-09-08
- Earliest claimed: 2018-09-13
- Assignees: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
- Applicants: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
- Inventors: Tatsuya Hiwatari; Keiji Tsuda; Masafumi Sato
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10768877B2

## CPC

- G06F 3/1268: {Job submission, e.g. submitting print job order or request not the print data itself}
- G06F 3/1289: {in server-client-printer device configuration, e.g. the server does not see the printer}
- G06F 3/1205: {resulting in increased flexibility in print job configuration, e.g. job settings, print requirements, job tickets}
- G06F 3/1207: {resulting in the user being informed about print result after a job submission}
- G06F 3/1212: {achieving reduced delay between job submission and print start}
- G06F 3/1229: {Printer resources management or printer maintenance, e.g. device status, power levels}
- G06F 3/1259: {Print job monitoring, e.g. job status}
- G06F 3/1288: {in client-server-printer device configuration}
- Y02D 10/00: Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- Y02D: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES [ICT], I.E. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AIMING AT THE REDUCTION OF THEIR OWN ENERGY USE

## Abstract

A device communication portion 35a transmits a print job to an image forming apparatus 20 and obtains information of the image forming apparatus 20 from the image forming apparatus 20. A server communication portion 35b transmits the information having been obtained from the image forming apparatus 20 to a server 40 which manages the information of the image forming apparatus 20. The device communication portion 35a obtains specific information of the image forming apparatus 20 from the image forming apparatus 20 with timing that is independent of timing of transmitting the print job to the image forming apparatus.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A print job transmission device comprising:
a device communication portion which communicates with an image forming apparatus, which executes a print job, to transmit the print job to the image forming apparatus and obtain information of the image forming apparatus from the image forming apparatus; and
a server communication portion which transmits the information obtained by the device communication portion to a server which manages the information of the image forming apparatus,
wherein
the device communication portion obtains, from the image forming apparatus, specific information of the image forming apparatus with timing that is independent of timing of transmitting the print job to the image forming apparatus, and obtains, from the image forming apparatus, the information of the image forming apparatus excluding the specific information with timing that is dependent on the timing of transmitting the print job to the image forming apparatus,
the server communication portion caches the information of the image forming apparatus obtained by the device communication portion excluding the specific information,
when a cache of the information of the image forming apparatus excluding the specific information exists, the server communication portion transmits, to the server, the information of the image forming apparatus excluding the specific information, and then deletes the cache of the information of the image forming apparatus excluding the specific information,
the device communication portion continuously queries the image forming apparatus for the specific information by polling, and
the server communication portion transmits, to the server, the specific information when a predetermined time has elapsed since obtainment of the specific information by the device communication portion.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The print job transmission device according to claim 1,
wherein
in a case where the specific information is no longer obtained by the device communication portion after transmission of the specific information to the server by the server communication portion,
the server communication portion transmits, to the server, information indicating that the specific information is no longer obtained from the image forming apparatus.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The print job transmission device according to claim 1,
wherein
the server communication portion transmits the information having been obtained by the device communication portion to the server via a network, and
the device communication portion transmits the print job to the image forming apparatus not via the network, and obtains the information of the image forming apparatus from the image forming apparatus not via the network.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The print job transmission device according to claim 3,
wherein
the device communication portion transmits the print job to the image forming apparatus via a USB port, and obtains the information of the image forming apparatus from the image forming apparatus via the USB port.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The print job transmission device according to claim 1, wherein the specific information is alert information.

### Claim 6

A printing system comprising:
an image forming apparatus which executes a print job;
a print job transmission device which transmits the print job to the image forming apparatus; and
a server which manages information of the image forming apparatus,
wherein
the print job transmission device includes
a device communication portion which communicates with the image forming apparatus to transmit the print job to the image forming apparatus and obtain the information of the image forming apparatus from the image forming apparatus; and
a server communication portion which transmits the information having been obtained by the device communication portion to the server,
the device communication portion obtains, from the image forming apparatus, specific information of the image forming apparatus from the image forming apparatus with timing that is independent of timing of transmitting the print job to the image forming apparatus, and obtains, from the image forming apparatus, the information of the image forming apparatus excluding the specific information with timing that is dependent on the timing of transmitting the print job to the image forming apparatus,
the server communication portion caches the information of the image forming apparatus obtained by the device communication portion excluding the specific information,
when a cache of the information of the image forming apparatus excluding the specific information exists, the server communication portion transmits, to the server, the information of the image forming apparatus excluding the specific information, and then deletes the cache of the information of the image forming apparatus excluding the specific information,
the device communication portion continuously queries the image forming apparatus for the specific information by polling, and
the server communication portion transmits, to the server, the specific information when a predetermined time has elapsed since obtainment of the specific information by the device communication portion.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The printing system according to claim 6, wherein the specific information is alert information.

### Claim 8

A print job transmission method executed by a computer, the computer including:
a device communication portion which communicates with an image forming apparatus, which executes a print job, to transmit the print job to the image forming apparatus and obtain information of the image forming apparatus from the image forming apparatus; and
a server communication portion which transmits the information having been obtained by the device communication portion to a server which manages the information of the image forming apparatus,
the method comprising:
obtaining, with the device communication portion, specific information of the image forming apparatus from the image forming apparatus with timing that is independent of timing of transmitting the print job to the image forming apparatus, and obtaining, from the image forming apparatus, the information of the image forming apparatus excluding the specific information with timing that is dependent on the timing of transmitting the print job to the image forming apparatus,
caching, with the server communication portion, the information of the image forming apparatus obtained by the device communication portion excluding the specific information,
when a cache of the information of the image forming apparatus excluding the specific information exists, transmitting, with the server communication portion, to the server, the information of the image forming apparatus excluding the specific information, and
deleting, with the server communication portion, the cache of the information of the image forming apparatus excluding the specific information after transmitting the information of the image forming apparatus excluding the specific information to the server,
wherein
the device communication portion continuously queries the image forming apparatus for the specific information by polling, and
the server communication portion transmits, to the server, the specific information when a predetermined time has elapsed since obtainment of the specific information by the device communication portion.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The print job transmission method according to claim 8, wherein the specific information is, alert information.