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US 5,970,228 AGranted
Method of maintaining security in a common output means and system for maintaining security
AssigneeFujitsu Limited
InventorMitsumasa Nezu
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A common output unit such as a print server maintains security when an output request unit, serving as a client, sends a job to be processed to the output unit. The output unit accepts and puts the job in queue. The output unit then creates a collation key that is sent back to the output request unit, which stores the collation key in a storage medium. The output unit searches the storage medium for the collation key and processes the queued job corresponding to the collation key. The print server includes a locked stacker and an ordinary stacker to minimize the output waiting time of the print job.
Claims25
A system for maintaining security which has a plurality of clients connected to a network to designate print jobs via the network connected thereto, comprises a print server which receives the print jobs designated from said plurality of clients and executes an output process, and guarantees security concerning the output of said print server, said print server being used in common by said plurality of clients;
- said print server including a storage medium drive unit for driving a storage medium having the same specifications as that of the case of said clients, and further including a locked stacker wherein a portion for taking out the output result is locked, and a stacker for an ordinary output without function for locking the output result;
- said locked stacker can be designated as a destination of output concerning the print jobs that are thrown from said clients onto said network;
- based upon management of a state of using said locked stacker, a process is executed on the side of said print server in regard to which locked stacker is assigned to said print job and then management data related to said print job are sent to the side of said clients, and it is possible to output said print job into the locked stacker of said print server;
- after said management data are stored in said storage medium, said storage medium is separately loaded in the storage medium drive unit of said print server on the side of said clients;
- and
- upon loading said storage medium, the electronic lock of the corresponding locked stacker is unlocked to take out the output result from said locked stacker;
- said system for maintaining security further comprising a control unit for controlling a variety of print jobs between said client and said print server, said control unit controlling an internal spool and an internal memory in said print server to cope with either a print job for normal output or a print job that designates said locked stacker as the destination of output, and to maintain security equivalent to that of a locally connected printer where said print server is used in common, and to provide preferential output to said stacker for an ordinary output or to said locked stacker;
- wherein a maximum retention period that corresponds to a maximum value of the retention time for holding the print job as a temporarily held job is set in the internal spool of said print server after the security designated job is received for designating said locked stacker to the destination of output but before executing the output process of said print job;
- and
- wherein when the retention time for holding said print job as a temporarily held job has exceeded said maximum retention period, the security designated job corresponding to said job being temporarily held is set to either a mode of being deleted from said internal spool or a mode of being treated and output as a print job for an ordinary output after the holding of the output process of said print job has been canceled, and wherein the client is allowed to request, to said print server, a retention period for temporarily holding said print job as a temporarily held job together with the throwing of the security designated job onto the network to designate said locked stacker to the destination of output, and said print server employs said maximum retention period as a retention period to store it in the internal memory of said print server when the value of the retention period requested by the client is longer than said maximum retention period, employs said requested retention period as a retention period and stores it in the internal memory of said print server in other cases, and transmits the content stored in said internal memory to the client together with various data in order to obtain agreement between the client and the print server in regard to which one of said requested retention period or said maximum retention period be employed.
7 more elements
A system for maintaining security which has a plurality of clients connected to a network to designate print jobs via the network connected thereto, comprises a print server which receives the print jobs designated from said plurality of clients and executes an output process, and guarantees security concerning the output of said print server, said print server being used in common by said plurality of clients;
- said print server including a storage medium drive unit for driving a storage medium having the same specifications as that of the case of said clients, and further including a locked stacker wherein a portion for taking out the output result is locked, and a stacker for an ordinary output without function for locking the output result;
- said locked stacker can be designated as a destination of output concerning the print jobs that are thrown from said clients onto said network;
- based upon management of a state of using said locked stacker, a process is executed on the side of said print server in regard to which locked stacker is assigned to said print job and then management data related to said print job are sent to the side of said clients, and it is possible to output said print job into the locked stacker of said print server;
- after said management data are stored in said storage medium, said storage medium is separately loaded in the storage medium drive unit of said print server on the side of said clients;
- and
- upon loading said storage medium, the electronic lock of the corresponding locked stacker is unlocked to take out the output result from said locked stacker;
- when said locked stacker was designated as a destination of output, said print server being able to designate an operation for changing a mode of the subsequent output process concerning a print job that is being output or is going to be output to said locked stacker;
- when the print job is not yet printed, the print server displays status and a mode in the control block related to a process to be carried out later, a user may manipulate a panel to change settings of the control block and the control data of the spool device, the user selecting one of the modes:
- a) wait until the locked stacker becomes available;
- b) preferentially output the print job into the ordinary stacker;
- c) switch to the ordinary stacker;
- and
- d) cancel the job;
- wherein a maximum retention period that corresponds to a maximum value of the retention time for holding the print job as a temporarily held job is set in the internal spool of the said print server after the security designated job is received for designating said locked stacker to the destination of output but before executing the output process of said print job, and wherein when the retention time for holding said print job as a temporarily held job has exceeded said maximum retention period, the security designated job corresponding to said job being temporarily held is set to either a mode of being deleted from said internal spool or a mode of being treated and output as a print job for an ordinary output after the holding of the output process of said print job has been canceled;
- and
- wherein the client is allowed to request, to said print server, a retention period for temporarily holding said print job as a temporarily held job together with the throwing of the security designated job onto the network to designate said locked stacker to the destination of output, and said print server employs said maximum retention period as a retention period to store it in the internal memory of said print sever when the value of the retention period requested by the client is longer than said maximum retention period, employs said requested retention period as a retention period and stores it in the internal memory of said print server in other cases, and transmits the content stored in said internal memory to the client together with various data in order to obtain agreement between the client and the print server in regard to which one of said requested retention period or said maximum retention period be employed.
13 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.