Printing system and a method of printing
AssigneeCanon Europa N.V.
InventorsKarsten HUSTER, Chris TICKLER, Lex-Jan WESTRA
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A printing system is provided including a printer server accessible over a first network at a first location and a cloud service accessible from both the first location and a second network at a second network. A user with a client computer moving between the first network and the second network can print using either the printer server, when the user is on the first network, or the cloud service, when the user is on the second network. The client computer is configured detect its location and receive configuration information from the cloud service. The configuration information changes the method used by the client computer to print depending upon the client computer's detected location.
Claims11
A printing system for printing from a client computer at each of a first physical location and a second physical location, the system comprising:
- the client computer;
- a print server provided within an internal network of the first location;
- a cloud service configured to be accessed via the internet at each of the first and second locations;
- a first printer provided on the internal network of the first location;
- a second printer provided on an internal network of the second location;
- wherein the client computer comprises:
- identification means configured to identify whether the client computer is connected to the internal network at the first location or connected to the internal network at the second location;
- connection means configured to request configuration information from the cloud service, the request including location information identified by the identification means;
- and
- reception means configured to receive configuration information from the cloud service which configures the client computer:
- in a case where the identification means identifies that the client computer is connected to the internal network at the first location, to send print data to the print server for printing;
- and
- in a case where the identification means identifies that the client computer is on the internal network at the second location, to perform an operation, the operation being one of:
- storing the print data locally on the client computer for subsequent retrieval by the printer for printing, sending the print data from the client computer to the second printer for subsequent printing, and
- sending the print data from the client computer to the cloud service for subsequent retrieval by the printer for printing.
A printing system according to claim 11, wherein the print server and cloud service are configured to share metadata about print jobs stored on the cloud service and print jobs stored on the print server, the cloud service being configured to provide, upon request from the second printer, a list of print jobs that includes print jobs associated with a user logged in to the second printer that have metadata stored on the cloud service and print jobs associated with the user logged in to the second printer that are stored on the print server.
A method of printing from a client computer at each of a first physical location and a second physical location using a printing system, the printing system comprising:
- the client computer;
- a print server provided within an internal network of the first location;
- a cloud service configured to be accessed via the internet at each of the first and second locations;
- a first printer provided on the internal network of the first location;
- a second printer provided on an internal network of the second location;
- wherein the method comprises:
- the client computer identifying whether the client computer is connected to the internal network at the first location or connected to the internal network at the second location;
- the client computer requesting configuration information from the cloud service, the request including location information identified by the identifying step;
- and
- receiving configuration information from the cloud service which configures the client computer:
- in a case where the identification means identifies that the client computer is connected to the internal network at the first location, to send print data to the print server for printing and,
- in a case where the identification means identifies that the client computer is on the internal network at the second location, to perform an operation, the operation being one of:
- storing the print data locally on the client computer for subsequent retrieval by the printer for printing,
- sending the print data from the client computer to the second printer for subsequent printing, and
- sending the print data from the client computer to the cloud service for subsequent retrieval by the printer for printing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.