Abstract:
A netdeliver used in a network printing system is electrically connected to at least a computer and a printer. The netdeliver includes a plurality of printer profiles for driving a plurality of printers. Before sending an output to one of the printers, the netdeliver transforms image data of a document into a format consistent with a printer profile corresponding to the printer, and then outputs the transformed image data to the printer for printing.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates to a network printing system, and more particularly, to a network printing system with a netdeliver (a device for delivering scanned images over a network).  
           [0003]    2. Description of the Prior Art  
           [0004]    As information develops day-by-day, printers are becoming an important output device for users in modern society. However, printers do not have uniform standards. Each of the different types of printers has a corresponding driving program. When users change to a new printer, a new driving program corresponding to the new printer must be installed in a computer so as to allow the new printer to receive data transmitted from the computer. This is an inconvenience for users.  
           [0005]    Please refer to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a prior art network printing system  10 . The network printing system  10  comprises a printer  12  for printing documents, a first computer  14 , a network  16 , and a second computer  18 . The printer  12  is a general printer, which does not have network functionality. The first computer  14  is electrically connected to the printer  12  for acting as a print server of the printer  12 . The network  16  is electrically connected between the first computer  14  and the second computer  18  for transmitting data between the first computer  14  and the second computer  18 . The second computer  18  is electrically connected to the network  16  for transmitting data to the first computer  14  through the network  16 . The data transmitted from the second computer  18  to the first computer  14  will be further transmitted to the printer  12  for printing.  
           [0006]    Since the printer  12  does not have network functionality, the printer  12  must be electrically connected to the first computer  14  so as to make the first computer  14  act as the print server of the printer  12 . Therefore, the second computer  18 , electrically connected to the first computer  14  through network  16 , is capable of transmitting data to the printer  12  through the first computer  14 . A driving program  20  of the printer  12  is installed in the first computer  14  and the second computer  18  for driving the printer  12  so as to allow the printer  12  to receive data transmitted from the first computer  14  and the second computer  18 . When the second computer  18  wants to print data through the printer  12 , the second computer  18  performs image processing to transform data into image data consistent with a printer profile of the printer  12 . The second computer  18  then performs printer language control to transform the image data into printing data which can be outputted to the printer  12 . At last, the second computer  18 , connected to the first computer  14  through network  16 , transmits the printing data to the first computer  14 , and then the first computer  14  further transmits the printing data to the printer  12  for printing.  
           [0007]    Each printer has a corresponding driving program. If users change to a new printer, a new driving program corresponding to the new printer must be installed in the first computer  14  and the second computer  18  so as to allow the new printer to receive data transmitted from the first computer  14  and the second computer  18 . This installation of the new driving program is an inconvenience for users.  
           [0008]    Please refer to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of another prior art network printing system  30 . The network printing system  30  comprises a network printer  32 , a network  34 , and a computer  36 . The network printer  32  comprises a print server  40 , which gives the network printer  32  network functionality. The network  34  is electrically connected between the network printer  32  and the computer  36  for transmitting data between the network printer  32  and the computer  36 . The computer  36  is electrically connected to the network for transmitting data to the network printer  32  through the network  34 .  
           [0009]    The network printer  32  has network functionality, such that the network printer  32  does not need to connect to the first computer  14  and use the first computer  14  as the print server, as was the case with the printer  12 . A driving program  38  of the network printer  32  and installing software  42  of the print server  40  are installed in the computer  36  for driving the network printer  32  so as to allow the network printer  32  to receive data transmitted from the computer  36 . When the computer  36  outputs data to the network printer  32 , the computer  36  performs image processing to transform data into image data consistent with a printer profile corresponding to the network printer  32 , and performs printer language control to transform image data into printing data that can be outputted to the network printer  32 . At last, the computer  36  connected to the network printer  32  through network  34  transmits printing data to the network printer  32  for printing.  
           [0010]    Similarly, if users change to a new network printer, a new driving program corresponding to the new network printer and a new installing software corresponding to a new print server must be installed in the computer  36  so as to allow the new network printer to receive data transmitted from the computer  36 . Again, this is an inconvenience for users.  
         SUMMARY OF INVENTION  
         [0011]    It is therefore a primary objective of the claimed invention to provide a network printing system with a netdeliver, so that no additional driving program needs to be installed in computers when users change to new printers.  
           [0012]    The claimed invention, briefly summarized, discloses a netdeliver used in a network printing system. The netdeliver is electrically connected to at least a computer and a printer. The netdeliver comprises a plurality of printer profiles for driving a plurality of printers. Before sending an output to one of the printers, the netdeliver transforms image data of a document into a format consistent with a printer profile corresponding to the printer, and then outputs the transformed image data to the printer for printing.  
           [0013]    It is an advantage of the claimed invention that the computer of the claimed invention network printing system can output data to the printer by only installing a driving program of the netdeliver, and without the need to install the driving program of the printer. Therefore, the computer does not need other driving programs installed if users change to different printers.  
           [0014]    These and other objectives of the claimed invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment which is illustrated in the various figures and drawings. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS  
       [0015]    [0015]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a prior art network printing system.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of another prior art network printing system.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a present invention network printing system. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0018]    Please refer to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a present invention network printing system  50 . The network printing system  50  comprises a computer  58  for processing data, a network  56 , a netdeliver  54 , and a printer  52 . The network  56  is electrically connected between the computer  58  and the netdeliver  54  for transmitting data between the computer  58  and the netdeliver  54 . The netdeliver  54  is electrically connected to the computer  58  through the network  56 . A plurality of printer profiles  60  corresponding to a plurality of printers is stored in the netdeliver  54  for driving the plurality of printers. The printer  52  is electrically connected to the netdeliver  54  for printing data transmitted from the netdeliver  54 .  
         [0019]    The network printing system  50  further comprises a driving program  62  of the netdeliver  54 . The driving program  62  is installed in the computer  58  for driving the netdeliver  54  so as to allow the netdeliver  54  to receive data transmitted from the computer  58 . Before the computer  58  outputs data to the netdeliver  54 , the netdeliver  54  transmits a printer profile  60  corresponding to the printer  52  to the computer  58  so that the computer  58  can transform data into image data consistent with the printer profile  60  of the printer  52 . Then the computer  58  outputs image data to the netdeliver  54  through the network  56 . The netdeliver  54  performs printer language control to transform image data outputted from the computer  58  into printing data. The netdeliver  54  outputs printing data to the printer  52  and then the printer  52  prints printing data.  
         [0020]    The plurality of printer profiles  60  corresponding to the plurality of printers is stored inside the netdeliver  54 . Before the computer  58  outputs data to the netdeliver  54 , the netdeliver  54  transmits the printer profile  60  corresponding to the printer  52  to the computer  58  so that the computer  58  can transform data into image data according to the printer profile  60 . Therefore, although users change to a new printer, no new driving program needs to be installed in the computer  58  since the netdeliver  54  already contains the plurality of printer profiles. If the printer profile is not located in the netdeliver  54 , the computer  58  can transmit other printer profiles corresponding to other printers to the netdeliver  54  through the network  56 . For example, when a new printer is installed or when users change to another printer, users only need to refresh the printer profile in the netdeliver once so as to allow the new printer to receive data transmitted from computers inside the network. The computers inside the network do not need to install a new driving program or a printer profile corresponding to the new printer. Additionally, although the printer  52  does not have network functionality, the printer  52  can electrically connect to the netdeliver  54  so as to further connect to the network  56 . Therefore, the printer  52  does not need to connect to the first computer  14  and use the first computer  14  to be the print server, as was the case with the printer  12 . The printer  52  of the present invention network printing system offers convenience for users.  
         [0021]    In general, the image processing ability of the computer  58  is stronger than that of the netdeliver  54 . Therefore, the computer  58  performs image processing to transform data into image data, and then sends the transformed image data to the netdeliver  54  through the network  56 . The netdeliver  54  performs printer language control to transform image data transmitted from the computer  58  into printing data, and then sends the printing data to the printer  52  for printing. However, the netdeliver  54  can perform image processing instead of using the computer  58  to do the image processing. In this case, the netdeliver  54  will also then perform printer language control so as to transform image data into printing data. The printing data is sent to printer  52  for printing.  
         [0022]    Actually, the netdeliver  54  is a scanner that can be used to scan documents. The scanner can perform image processing and printer language control according to the printer profile  60  corresponding to the printer  52  so as to transform scanning data into printing data. Then the scanner sends the transformed printing data to the printer  52  for printing.  
         [0023]    In contrast to the prior art network printing system  10 ,  30 , the present invention network printing system  50  includes the netdeliver  54 . The netdeliver  54  contains the plurality of printer profiles corresponding to the plurality of printers. Therefore, the computer  58  can output data to the printer  52  only by installing the driving program  62  of the netdeliver  54 , and does not need to install the driving program of the printer  52 . Therefore, the computer  58  does not need to install new driving programs if users change to other new printers.  
         [0024]    Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and bounds of the appended claims.