Patent ID: 8094337
Filing Date: 2012-01-10
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A printer selection assisting device, which assists, in multiple bases which are connected to each other through a network and each of which includes a printer connected to a local network, in selection of a printer to be used for printing in response to a print request from a terminal connected to the local network of any one of the multiple bases, the printer selection assisting device comprising: a printer management information storage unit which associates and stores identification information of the printer of each of the multiple bases and installation environment information of the printer; a candidate extraction request reception unit which receives through the network, when printing is to be performed, from the terminal connected to the local network of any one of the multiple bases, a printer-candidate extraction request that includes installation environment information of the terminal; a printer extraction unit which refers to the printer management information storage unit, and extracts, from multiple printers, the identification information and the installation environment information which are stored in the printer management information storage unit, at least one printer that has installation environment information satisfying a condition determined in advance with respect to the installation environment information of the terminal included in the printer-candidate extraction request received by the candidate extraction request reception unit; and an extracted-printer-information transmission unit which sends to the terminal the identification information and the installation environment information of the at least one printer extracted by the printer extraction unit, wherein: the installation environment information includes at least one of target geographical position information indicating a geographical position of a target, and segment information identifying a network segment that includes the target and in-segment printer identification information identifying a printer in the network segment; the condition determined in advance indicates: in the installation environment information, the segment information comprises subnetmask information, and the in-segment printer identification information indicates an Internet Protocol (IP) address; and the condition determined in advance further indicates that, after applying the subnetmask information to the IP address, the at least one printer belongs to the same segment as the terminal.