Output system, printing system, printing device management device and printing device, print instruction program, printing device management program and printing device control program, and printing method

A printing system having a printing device that executes a printing process based on a printing job so that the printing device performs the printing process after having acquired authentication comprising;

• a printing job acquiring unit for acquiring the printing job;
• a printing job storing unit for storing the printing job acquired by the printing job acquiring unit in a printing job memory unit;
• an authentication information acquiring unit for acquiring authentication information;
• a usage-qualification determining unit for determining a usage qualification of the printing job based on the authentication information acquired by the authentication information acquiring unit;
• an operating state controlling unit for controlling a state of the printing device;
• a printing process completion detecting unit for detecting completion of the printing process in the printing device;
• and a power-save switching unit for switching a state of the printing device into either one of an active state in which the output process to be performed by a print processing unit is enabled and a power-saving state in which a drive power during a stand-by time for the printing process based on either one of a command from the operating state controlling unit and an elapsed time from a switching time which corresponds to a stand-by time for the active state until the state of the printing device is switched from the active state to the power-saving state,
• wherein the operating state controlling unit outputs a power-save-cancel command for causing the power-saving state to be changed into the active state to the power-save switching unit after the device having the printing job storing unit acquires the printing job, and a transition-to-power-save command for causing the state to be changed from the active state to the power-saving state is outputted to the power-save switching unit when the printing process of the printing job is completed is detected by the printing process completion detecting unit.

A printing system having a printing device that executes a printing process based on a printing job so that the printing device executes the printing process after having acquired authentication comprising:

• a printing job acquiring unit for acquiring the printing job;
• a printing job storing unit for storing the printing job acquired by the printing job acquiring unit in a printing job memory unit;
• an authentication information acquiring unit for acquiring authentication information;
• a usage-qualification determining unit for determining a usage qualification of the printing job based on the authentication information acquired by the authentication information acquiring unit;
• an operating state controlling unit for controlling a state of the printing device;
• and a printing process completion detecting unit for detecting completion of the printing process in the printing device;
• wherein the printing device includes:
• a print processing unit for executing the printing process based on the printing job which is determined to have the usage qualification by the usage-qualification determining unit out of the printing jobs stored in the printing job memory unit;
• and a power-save switching unit for switching a state of the printing device into either one of an active state in which the printing process to be performed by the print processing unit is enabled and a power-saving state in which a drive power during a stand-by time for the printing process based on either one of a command from the operating state controlling unit and an elapsed time from a switching time which corresponds to a stand-by time for the active state until the state of the printing device is switched from the active state to the power-saving state, and
• the operating state controlling unit outputs a power-save-cancel command for causing the power-saving state to be changed into the active state to the power-save switching unit after the device having the printing job storing unit acquires the printing job, and a transition-to-power-save command for causing the state to be changed from the active state to the power-saving state is outputted to the power-save switching unit when the printing process of the printing job is completed is detected by the printing process completion detecting unit.

A printing device management device that manages a printing device for executing a printing process based on a printing job, comprising:

• a printing job acquiring unit for acquiring the printing job;
• a printing job storing unit for storing the printing job acquired by the printing job acquiring unit in a printing job memory unit;
• an authentication information acquiring unit for acquiring authentication information;
• a usage-qualification determining unit for determining a usage qualification of the printing job based on the authentication information acquired by the authentication information acquiring unit;
• an operating state controlling unit for controlling a state of the printing device;
• a printing process completion detecting unit for detecting completion of the printing process in the printing device;
• and a printing job transmitting unit for transmitting the printing job which is determined to have the usage qualification by the usage-qualification determining unit out of the printing jobs stored in the printing job memory unit to the printing device,
• wherein the operating state controlling unit transmits a power-save-cancel command for causing a power-saving state to be changed to an active state to the printing device after having acquired the printing job, and transmits a transition-to-power-save command for changing the state from the active state to the power-saving state to the printing device when the printing process completion detecting unit detects that the printing process of the printing job is completed.

A printing device management program stored on a storage medium used for causing a computer that is operated as a printing device management device for managing a printing device for executing a printing process based on a printing job, comprising a program used for causing the computer to executes a process including:

• a printing job acquiring step of acquiring the printing job;
• a printing job storing step of storing the printing job acquired in the printing job acquiring step in a printing job memory unit;
• an authentication information acquiring step of acquiring authentication information;
• a usage-qualification determining step of determining a usage qualification of the printing job based on the authentication information acquired in the authentication information acquiring step;
• an operating state controlling step of controlling a state of the printing device;
• a printing process completion detecting step of detecting completion of the printing process in the printing device;
• and a printing job transmitting step of transmitting the printing job determined to have a usage qualification in the usage-qualification determining step out of the printing jobs stored in the printing job memory unit to the printing device,
• wherein the operating state controlling step is adapted to issue a power-save-cancel command for causing the power-saving state to be changed into an active state to the printing device after having acquired the printing job, and issue a transition-to-power-save command for causing the state to be changed from the active state to the power-saving state to the printing device when the printing process of the printing job is completed is detected in the printing process completion detecting step.

A printing method in which a print instruction issuing device for executing a print instruction issuing process of a printing job is connected to a printing device for executing a printing process based on the printing job so as to be capable of mutual data communication, and the printing device executes the printing process after having acquired the authentication, comprising:

• a printing job acquiring step of acquiring the printing job;
• a printing job storing step of storing the printing job acquired in the printing job acquiring step in a printing job memory unit;
• an authentication information acquiring step of acquiring authentication information;
• an usage-qualification determining step of determining a usage qualification of the printing job based on the authentication information acquired in the authentication information acquiring step;
• an operating state controlling step of controlling a state of the printing device;
• and a printing process completion detecting step of detecting completion of the printing process in the printing device,
• the printing device including a print processing step of executing the printing process based on the printing job which is determined to have the usage qualification out of the printing jobs stored in the printing job memory unit in the usage-qualification determining step;
• and a power-save switching step of switching a state of the printing device into either one of an active state in which the printing process to be performed in the print processing step is enabled and a power-saving state in which a drive power during a stand-by time for the printing process is reduced based on either one of a command from the operating state controlling step and an elapsed time from a switching time which corresponds to a stand-by time for the active state until the state of the printing device is switched from the active state to the power-saving state,
• wherein the operating state controlling step is adapted to issue a power-save-cancel command for causing the power-saving state to be changed into the active state to the power-save switching step after the device for executing the printing job storing step has acquired the printing job, and a transition-to-power-save command for causing the state to be changed from the active state to the power-saving state to the power-save switching step when the printing process of the printing job is completed is detected in the printing process completion detecting step.