Abstract:
A method for printing a confidential document in a network system having a printer connected to a printer server is provided. The method includes steps of setting a first password for a print job of said confidential document; sending data of the print job to the printer server and holding down the print job; inputting a second password into the printer server; and printing the document by the printer when the first password and the second password are identical.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to network printing, specifically to a method and device for printing documents securely on a network.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Networking is advantaged in that hardware and software can be shared. FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional print server workflow. Computers  11  and  12  share the printer  14  through the printer server  13 . The operation of such a system is dependent on a network operating system (NOS). The print jobs are managed and controlled by the printer server  13 . The printer server  13  will send print jobs to printer  14  as soon as print jobs get to print queue. Such a workflow is insecure because confidential documents will be printed out at unpredictable time. Unfortunately, the printers are usually placed at a certain distance away from the user, or even in another room. It is difficult to prevent the confidential document from being exposed to other people during the printing process.  
           [0003]    It is then observed that the conventional printer server cannot handle the confidential documents, unless the printer server is for a private use. However, a privately used printer server will loss the ability of printing sharing. It is then attempted by the present invention to deal with the above-mentioned problems.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    An object of the present invention is to provide a method and device for printing a confidential document on a network.  
           [0005]    According to the present invention, a method for printing a confidential document in a network system having a printer connected to a printer server is provided. The method includes steps of setting a first password for a print job of said confidential document; sending data of the print job to the printer server and holding down the print job; inputting a second password into the printer server; and printing the document by the printer when the first password and the second password are identical.  
           [0006]    According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the second password is inputted into the printer server by a input device connected to the printer server. The input device may be a personal identification number pad.  
           [0007]    The printer server can be a specific device or a personal computer. The method may further includes steps of presetting a first user name and inputting a second user name to the printer server, and the document is printed when the first user name and the first password are identical to the second user name and the second password.  
           [0008]    Preferably, the first user name and the first password are preset within the printer server.  
           [0009]    The printer server preferably includes a storage device for storing the first user name and the first password.  
           [0010]    The printer server may inquire the first password from either the storage device or another printer server.  
           [0011]    The print job is preferably sent from a client of the network system to the printer server, and the method further includes a step of selecting a confidential printing option on the client before the data of the print job is sent to the printer server.  
           [0012]    In another preferred embodiment, the first password is inputted into the client when the confidential printing option is selected.  
           [0013]    The present invention also provides a secure printing device adapted to be used with a network having a plurality of computers and a printer. The device includes a data receiving device for receiving a printing data from one of the plurality of computers; a password input device for inputting therefrom a password; and a print job control device electrically connected between the data receiving device and the password input device for holding the printing data down and allowing the printing data to be printed by the printer only when a legal password is inputted from the password input device.  
           [0014]    In one preferred embodiment, the device further includes a storage device electrically connected to the print job controlling device for storing therein a pre-stored password, wherein the password inputted by the password input device is identified as the legal password when the password is identical to the pre-stored password.  
           [0015]    Preferably, a preset password is inputted from the data receiving device, and the password inputted by the password input device is identified as the legal password when the password is identical to the preset password.  
           [0016]    Preferably, a user name is inputted from the password input device together with the password.  
           [0017]    In another preferred embodiment, the device further includes a storage device for storing therein a pre-stored user name and a prestored password, wherein the password inputted by the password input device is identified as the legal password when the user name and the password are identical to the pre-stored user name and the preset password respectively.  
           [0018]    The device preferably further includes a data outputting device electrically connected between the print job control device and the printer for outputting the printing data to the printer.  
           [0019]    The present invention may best be understood through the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0020]    [0020]FIG. 1 illustrates a network having a conventional print server;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 2 shows a secure printing architecture according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 3 illustrates another secure printing architecture according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a preferred embodiment of a printer server according to the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0024]    [0024]FIG. 2 illustrates a network system  2  having computers  21  and  22 , a secure printing architecture (SPA) server  23 , a printer server  26 , printers  24  and  28  and personal identification number (PIN) pads  25  and  27 . The printers  24  and  28  and personal identification number pads  25  and  27  are connected to the SPA server  23  and the printer server  26  respectively.  
         [0025]    The SPA server  23  includes functions of file sharing and print job spooling. A preset user name and a preset password may be either stored within the SPA server  23  or sent from the client computers  21  or  22  to the SPA server  23 . When a confidential document is to be printed by a user through the computer  21 , the printing data is firstly sent to the SPA server  23 . Then, instead of printing the confidential document directly, the SPA server  23  holds the print job down. The confidential document will not be printed out until the user moves to the location of the SPA server  23  and enters a correct user name and password through the PIN pad  25 . When the user name and the password are identified as identical to the preset user name and the preset password respectively, the SPA server  23  will allow the confidential document to be printed out from the printer  24 . The confidential document  20  can then immediately be taken away by the user as soon as it has been printed out and will not be exposed to other people. Of course, if the user wants to leave for a while, he/she can pause the print job. The print job will be hold down until the user comes back and inputs the correct password again.  
         [0026]    The print job can also be delivered to another printer server  26  by the SPA server  23 . Before it is printed out by the printer  28 , the user must enter the password to the printer server by the PIN pad  27 . Only when the entered password and the preset password are identical, the confidential document is printed out from the printer  28 . The preset password is provided by the SPA server  23  or the computer  21 .  
         [0027]    Referring to FIG. 3, the client  29  includes a normal printing operation  30  and a secure printing option  31 . The SPA server  32  includes a hard disk  33  for storing therein the print spooler. A PIN pad  34  and a printer  35  are connected to the SPA server  32 . Also, the printer server  37  is connected with a PIN pad  36  and a printer  38 .  
         [0028]    When a confidential document is to be printed, the user selects the confidential printing option  31  in the client  29 . The client  29  will then send the print job of this confidential document to the SPA server  32 . Since the confidential printing option  31  has been selected, the SPA server  32  will not print out the confidential document until the legal password is entered. The confidential document can be printed out locally form the SPA server  32  or from the other printer server  37 . The printer server  37  supports the secure printing architecture.  
         [0029]    Of course, if a non-confidential document is to be printed, the user just has to select the normal printing option  30  in the client  29 . The SPA server  32  and the printer server  37  will no more check the password and allow the print job to be printed out directly. Of course, the client  29  may be a windows or a Novell system, e.t.c. When the client  29  is a windows system, the normal printing option  30  is executed by a normal printer driver, and the confidential printing option  31  is executed by a secure printer driver.  
         [0030]    The SPA server or the printer server mentioned above may be represented by the block diagram shown in FIG. 4. The secure printing device  41  includes a data receiving device  42 , a storage device  43 , a print job control device  45 , and a data outputting device  46 . The data receiving device  42  is connected to a network as those shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The data receiving device  42  receives the printing data from the network and then sends the data to the print job control device  45 . The print job control device  45  is connected between a password input device  44  and the data receiving device  42 . The data outputting device  46  is connected between the print job control device  45  and the printer  47  for outputting the printing data from the print job control device  45  to the printer  47 . The storage device  43  is connected to the printer job control device  45 . The preset user name and the preset password are stored in the storage device  43 .  
         [0031]    When the printing data of a confidential document is received from the data receiving device  42 , it is hold down by the print job control device  45 . The user inputs the user name and the password from the password input device  44 . The print job control device  45  will compare between the preset and inputted user names and passwords respectively. Once the inputted and preset user names and passwords are identical, the print job control device  45  will allow the printing data of the confidential document to be outputted from the data outputting device  46  to be printed out by the printer  47 .  
         [0032]    The storage device  43  may be a hard disk or other storage devices. The user names and their corresponding passwords of the computers on the network may be pre-stored in the storage device. The spooler of the printer server can also stored in the storage device  43 . Of course, in another embodiment, the storage device  43  can be omitted. In such a case, the secure printing device  41  is connected to another SPA server (not shown) which will provide both the printing data and the password. The user only has to enter the password form the password input device  44 . The print job control device  45  will allow the printing data to be printed when the inputted password is identical to the password sent from the SPA server. The secure printing device  41  may be a specific device or a common purpose computer. When a common purpose personal computer is used, the password and user name can be inputted from the keyboard of the person computer.  
         [0033]    To sum up, the present invention provides a securing printing method and device for networking environments. The securing print job can be executed on demand. The confidential document will not be printed out until the correct password is entered to the printer server. Accordingly, the securing printing task is achieved without influencing the printer sharing function of the network.  
         [0034]    While the invention has been described in terms of what are presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention needs not be limited to the disclosed embodiment. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims which are to be accorded with the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar structures.