Abstract:
The present invention provides a data output system which can transmit data from the nearest server within a short time at a point of time whereat a user has been driven by the necessity of outputting the data. For this purpose, in this system, the user&#39;s location is pursued, and the data is moved to an information accumulating apparatus corresponding to location information indicative of the user&#39;s location, and in accordance with the instructions from the user for the outputting of the data, the relevant data is transmitted from an information accumulating apparatus storing the relevant data therein to an output apparatus.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    This invention relates to a data output system in which a plurality of output apparatuses and computers are connected together through a network, an output controlling method, a mobile information terminal, an information processing apparatus, an information accumulating apparatus and a storage medium.  
           [0003]    2. Related Background Art  
           [0004]    Heretofore, in a data output system in which at least one output apparatus and an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer are connected to a network, a user has controlled the output apparatus such as a digital copier on the network from the personal computer connected to the network, and has effected print output.  
           [0005]    In this case, the user has prepared document data to be printed by a client&#39;s personal computer, and thereafter the personal computer has executed a printer driver and has converted the document data into PDL type print data, and has transmitted the PDL type print data to the digital copier via the network.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    The above-described data output system according to the prior art, however, has suffered from the following problems.  
           [0007]    When he wants to effect an output by the use of an output apparatus at his destination of outing, the user has once preserved output data in a portable recording medium such as a floppy disk (FD) or a magneto-optical disc (MO), and thereafter has taken the recording medium with him to the destination of outing.  
           [0008]    Then, at the destination of outing, the user has inserted the recording medium into a personal computer connected to the network, and has transmitted data from the personal computer to the output apparatus. According, much time and labor have been required until the user gets a print. Also, when the data size of the data is large, it has been impossible to store the data in the recording medium.  
           [0009]    So, the user requests somebody to transmit the data to the output apparatus at the destination of outing when the data has become necessary, whereby the recording medium can be made unnecessary. However, when the data has suddenly become necessary, if the user has had the data transmitted to the destination of outing at that time, wrong transmission has been caused by the data transmission from the remote place or much transmission time has been required, and this has not been efficient.  
           [0010]    So, the present invention has as its object to provide a data output system which can output data from the nearest server within a short time at a point of time whereat the data has become necessary to the user. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]    [0011]FIG. 1 shows the system construction of a network printing environment.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 2 shows the epitome of output processing.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 3 shows a location information collecting system by a location information management server.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the processing procedure of designating document information.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the processing procedure of storing the document information.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing the processing procedure of determining the movement of output document data. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0017]    An embodiment of the data output system, the output controlling method, the mobile information terminal, the information processing apparatus, the information accumulating apparatus and the storage medium of the present invention will hereinafter be described with reference to the drawings. The data output system according to the present embodiment is applied to the system of a network printing environment.  
         [0018]    [System Construction] 
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 1 shows the system construction of a network printing environment. An information processing apparatus (terminal) C 1  used by a document information provider PI is connected to a print server Ps 1  and a file server Fs 1  through a network N 1 . A digital copier Dp 1  is connected to the print server Ps 1 .  
         [0020]    Here, the document information provider is a person having the role of providing the information of output documents he possesses to other users. Also, a user having the role of receiving the information transmitted by the document information provider is expressed as a document information user. That is, each client on the network is a document information provider and also a document information user.  
         [0021]    The network N 1  is connected to a network N 2  existing in an area discrete from the network N 1  via Intrenet In 1 . Intranet may be replaced by Internet.  
         [0022]    A print server Ps 2  and a file server Fs 2  are connected to the network N 2 . A digital copier Dp 2  is connected to the print server Ps 2 . A mobile terminal Pa 1  carried by the information user Pa 1  with him is connected to the networks N 1  and N 2 . This mobile terminal Pa 1  is a mobile information terminal having the communicating function, and has the function of being capable of being carried to a destination of movement by the information user Pa 1  and being connected to a file server existing in the network at the destination of movement. Also, a location information management server Lm 1  is connected to Intranet In 1 .  
         [0023]    While in FIG. 1, the client of the network N 1  is only the terminal C 1  used by the document information users, the number thereof is not particularly limited. Also, while in FIG. 1, the print server Ps 1  and the digital copier Dp 1 , and the print server Ps 2  and the digital copier Dp 2  are discrete apparatuses, respectively, use may be made of digital copiers of a type incorporating a print server therein.  
         [0024]    [Output Control] 
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 2 shows the epitome of the output controlling process. In FIG. 2, there are shown the relations among the network client (terminal) C 1  having the role as the information provider, the file server Fs 1  connected to the same network N 1  as the network client C 1 , the file server Fs 2  connected to the network N 2  discrete from the network client C 1 , the print server Ps 2  connected to the same network N 2  as the file server Fs 2 , the mobile terminal Pa 1  connected to the same network N 2  as the file server Fs 2 , and the location information management server Lm 1  existing on Intranet or Internet In 1 .  
         [0026]    The location information management server Lm 1  is characterized in that it catches the information user&#39;s acting area and reports it to an automatic transmission program for managing respective document data by a server program in each file server.  
         [0027]    In the network client C 1  as a terminal used by the information provider, a document obtained by the information provider or prepared by any application is produced into a PDL code suited for the image processing portion of the digital copier by a printer driver Pdr.  
         [0028]    The produced PDL code is delivered to the server program Sp 1  of the file server Fs 1 . At this time, the information about the information user designated by the client program Cp 1  of the client C 1  is also reported to the server program Sp 1 . The server program Sp 1  incorporates the document data (PDL code) into the automatic transmission program, and thereafter stores it in a user document storing area Ua 1 .  
         [0029]    A user information table UiT exists in the file server Fs 1 , and stores the information of each registered user (information user) therein. The location information management server Lm 1  collects each information user&#39;s acting area information by a server program Sp 3 .  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 3 shows a location information collecting system by the location information management server Lm 1 . In the location information collecting system, the existing communication service can be utilized till the collection of information. That is, if there is an information user in an area A or an area B, receives  11 A and  11 B in the respective areas effect communication with the mobile terminal Pa 1  carried by the information user with him, and specify the location of the mobile terminal Pa 1 .  
         [0031]    In FIG. 2, there is shown a case where the information user has moved to near an area in which the file server Fs 2  exists. when like this, the location information of the information user has changed, the file server nearest to the current location of the information user is calculated. In FIG. 2, the file server Fs 2  is chosen, and the location information management server Lm 1  reports new location information to the server program Sp 1  of the file server Fs 1  in which the user document has been stored before the change of the location information. The server program Sp 1  starts the automatic transmission program stored in the user document storing area Ua 1 , and reports the information of the file server at the destination of movement.  
         [0032]    The started automatic transmission program moves to the file server Fs 2  with the document data. The automatic transmission program effects the transmission output report to the server program Sp 2  of the file server Fs 2 , thus terminating the automatic transmission program.  
         [0033]    The server program Sp 2  of the file server Fs 2  stores this document data in a user document storing area Ua 2 . The information user instructs the server program Sp 2  of the file server Fs 2  by the client program Cp 2  of the mobile information terminal Pa 1  to execute outputting. The server program Sp 2  of the file server Fs 2  takes out the output executing document from the user document storing area Ua 2 , and thereafter transmits the output document to the print server Ps 2 . The print server Ps 2  outputs this output data to an output apparatus it manages (herein, the digital copier Dp 2 ).  
         [0034]    [Designation of the Document Information User] 
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the processing procedure of designating the user of document information. This processing is carried out by the cooperation between the client program Cp 1  shown in FIG. 2 and the server program Sp 1  always stationed at the file server Fs 1 .  
         [0036]    First, the client program Cp 1  obtains the list of registered user information from the server program Sp 1  (step S 1 ). Here, the registered user is a user registered in advance in the user information table of each file server as the user of the output controlling system. At this step S 1 , the server program Sp 1  reads the user information table UiT of FIG. 2 and reports it to the client program Cp 1 .  
         [0037]    The document information provider selects an information user from the list of document information users displayed on the information display screen of the network client C 1  by the client program Cp 1  (step S 2 ). At this time, the selected document information user may be the document information provider himself.  
         [0038]    The information of the degree of importance or urgency or the like of the document data to be transmitted is set (step S 3 ). The content of this setting is utilized to determine the order of priority relative to the existing output document data at the destination of transmission as when the storing area of the destination of transmission is deficient during the automatic transmission of the output document data. Besides the degree of importance or urgency, a document title, the epitome of the content of the document, etc. necessary for the information user to confirm the content of the output document may be set.  
         [0039]    The document data (PDL code) and the previously set user setting information are transmitted to the server program Sp 1  (step S 4 ). Then, whether the transmission has been successful is discriminated (step S 5 ). If the transmission has been successful, the processing is terminated. On the other hand, if the transmission has not been successful, return is made to the processing of the step S 4 .  
         [0040]    [Storing of the Document Information] 
         [0041]    [0041]FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the processing procedure of storing the document information. This processing is processed by the server program Sp 1  always stationed in the file server Fs 1 . First, the server program Sp 1  receives output document data and the transmission setting of the information user and importance from the client program Cp 1  (step S 11 ).  
         [0042]    An automatic transmission program for managing the received output document data is generated (step S 12 ). The output document data is related (added) to and managed by the generated automatic transmission program (step S 13 ). This automatic transmission program is a program having the function of transmitting its own copy including the managed output document data to the destination of movement. Also, this automatic transmission program is also an agent program starting a transmitting method from the server program to thereby recognize the next destination of movement and move to the destination of transmission. The life cycle of the automatic transmission program is controlled by the server program always stationed in each file server.  
         [0043]    The objects of the automatic transmission program and output document data related at the step S 13  are stored in the user document storing area Ua 1  (see FIG. 2) (step S 14 ), thus terminating the processing.  
         [0044]    [Pursuit of the Document Informater User] 
         [0045]    This processing is processed by the cooperation between the server program Sp 2  always stationed in the location information management server Lm 1  and the mobile terminal Pa 1  carried by the information user with him. The location information management is shown by the use of two areas, i.e., the area A and the area B of FIG. 3.  
         [0046]    The receivers  11 A and  11 B are installed in the areas A and B, respectively. The information user carrying the mobile information terminal Pa 1  with the communication function with him moves in each area. The receivers  11 A and  11 B receive a signal produced during the ON of the power source of the mobile information terminal Pa 1 .  
         [0047]    The location information of the information user managed by the location information management server Lm 1  is collected from the receivers  11 A and  11 B in the respective areas into the location information management server Lm 1 . The location information management server Lm 1  records each user&#39;s location on a management table at predetermined time intervals. When the information user moves from the area A to the area B, the location of the mobile information terminal Pa 1  is caught by the receiver  11 B in the area B, and the updating of the management table is done by the location information management server Lm 1 .  
         [0048]    [Movement of the Output Document Data Between the Output Information Accumulating Apparatuses] 
         [0049]    [0049]FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing the processing procedure of determining the movement of the output document data. Here, the processing of determining the movement of the output document data is the processing of determining whether the file server for managing the output document data changes by the movement of the information user.  
         [0050]    This processing is processed by the cooperation between the server program Sp 3  always stationed in the location information management server Lm 1  and the server program always stationed in each output information accumulating apparatus (hereinafter referred to as the fie server).  
         [0051]    First, the server program Sp 3  discriminates whether the user location information table UaT (see FIG. 2) has been updated (step S 21 ). This check-up of updating is done at each predetermined time. The time interval of this check-up of updating is changeable by the setting of the server program Sp 3 . By this setting, a load the automatic transmission of the document data applies to the network is adjusted. When the user location information table UaT is not updated, the processing of the step S 21  is repeated.  
         [0052]    On the other hand, if at the step S 21 , the user location information table UaT has been updated, the file server existing at the location nearest to the information user&#39;s acting area is found by the server program Sp 3  (step S 22 ). In the case of FIG. 2, the information user has moved from the file server Fs 1  to the area in which the file server Fs 2  is installed, and as the result of the finding at the step S 22 , it is determined that the file server Fs 2  is the nearest file server.  
         [0053]    Whether the nearest server is the same as the file server currently used is discriminated (step S 23 ). If as the result of the discrimination, it is the same as the server currently used, return is made to the processing of the step S 21 . On the other hand, if the nearest server differs from the server currently used, the processing of a step S 24  is executed.  
         [0054]    The recognition of the currently used file server is done by the server program Sp 3 , and information on the information user having changed his acting area is reported to all file servers. Each file server having received the report checks up by the server program always stationed therein whether the document data of the pertinent person is held, and if this document data is held, it returns response to the server program Sp 3 .  
         [0055]    Then, the information on the file server at the destination of movement found by the server program Sp 3  is reported to the server program of the file server in which the information user&#39;s data is currently preserved (step S 24 ). In the case of FIG. 2, the information on the file server Fs 2  at the destination of movement is reported to the file server Fs 1 . Here, the server program Sp 1  of the file server Fs 1  inquires of the server program Sp 2  of the file server Fs 2  at the destination of movement about whether there is a margin in the user document storing area Ua 2 .  
         [0056]    If the storing area of the file server at the destination of movement is deficient, automatic transmission is discontinued. Also, the negotiation about the order of priority is effected by the information of the degree of importance and urgency set at the step S 3  of FIG. 4, and if the exchange of the output document data is possible, the exchange of the document data may be done between the file servers.  
         [0057]    On the other hand, if there is a margin in the storing area of the file server at the destination of movement, an automatic transmission program (agent program) incorporated in the said document data is started. Further, the server program Sp 1  calls an automatic transmitting method to thereby start the movement of the document data to the file server Fs 2  at the destination of movement.  
         [0058]    About the document data of which the automatic transmission has been completed, the completion of the transmission is reported to the server program Sp 1  of the file server Fs 1  and the server program Sp 2  of the file server Fs 2 , and the automatic transmission program is terminated. The server program Sp 2  of the file server Fs 2  preserves the transmitted document data in the user document storing area Ua 2  and thus, the movement between the file servers is ended.  
         [0059]    [Perusal of the Document] 
         [0060]    This processing is processed by the cooperation between the client program Cp 2  started by the mobile terminal Pa 1  of FIG. 2 and the server program always stationed in each file server.  
         [0061]    The document user connects the mobile information terminal Pa 1  carried with him to the network in which the output apparatus at the destination of movement is installed. The client program Cp 2  of the mobile information terminal Pa 1  inquires of the server program always stationed in each file server about the presence or absence of document data addressed to itself, and displays the result of the inquiry on an information display portion such as the liquid crystal screen of the mobile information terminal. This displayed information includes, besides the degree of importance designated at the step S 3  of FIG. 4, the document title and the epitome of the document content necessary for the information user to confirm the content of the output document. As required, the information user can also peruse the output document data by the mobile information terminal Pa 1 .  
         [0062]    [Printing of the Document] 
         [0063]    This processing is processed by the cooperation between the client program Cp 2  started by the mobile terminal Pa 1  of FIG. 2 and the server program always stationed in the file server preserving therein the document data addressed to the information user.  
         [0064]    In the case of FIG. 2, the client program Cp 2  of the mobile terminal Pa 1  reports to the server program Sp 2  of the file server Fs 2  the document desired to be printed, the number of prints and the information about whether the output document data should be deleted after printing. The server program Sp 2  having received the report starts the automatic transmission program managing the pertinent output document data, and calls an outputting method and designates the print server Ps 2 . The automatic transmission program transmits the output document data to the designated print server Ps 2 , and when it terminates the transmission, the automatic transmission program is terminated. The print server Ps 2  makes the copier effect printing on the basis of the received output document data.  
         [0065]    Here, when the output document data is to be deleted, the pertinent document data and the automatic transmission program are deleted by the server program Sp 2 . The print server Ps 2  having received the output data outputs it to an output apparatus (herein the digital copier Dp 2 ) it manages.  
         [0066]    According to what has been described above, output data incorporating therein the automatic transmission program pursuing after the information user&#39;s location information during the outputting of the document information is generated, whereby the document data exists in the nearest server at a point of time whereat the information user has been pressed for the necessity of document outputting, and the transmission time for the document data scheduled to be outputted can be shortened. Accordingly, the information user can cause the document data to be outputted from the nearest server within a short time at the point of time whereat he has been pressed for the necessity of document outputting.  
         [0067]    The application of such system to network coping type printing services which will be evolved in convenience stores or the like in the future is studied. File servers are installed in each store, and user document storing areas are allotted to contract users.  
         [0068]    Each user designates himself or other user and transmits output data from the PC in his or other user&#39;s home to the server of a portal site introducing the print shop of each convenience store. The output document data transmitted and registered to a particular user is transmitted to a file server at a destination to which the user moves and therefore, in a convenience store in which he has freely dropped, he can make access to a file server in the store by the use of the mobile information terminal to thereby effect quick document output.  
         [0069]    While the foregoing is the description of the embodiments of the present invention, the present invention is not restricted to the constructions of these embodiments, but is applicable to any construction which can achieve the functions shown in the appended claims or the functions the embodiments have.  
         [0070]    For example, while in the above-described embodiments, a case where the data is document information has been shown, the data is not limited to documents, but may be such data as images or tables. Also, while in the above-described embodiments, a case where document data is printed and outputted has been shown, the present invention is also applicable to a case where the data is outputted intactly as digital data. In this case, it becomes possible for the information user to download the digital data on a recording medium to thereby utilize it.  
         [0071]    Also, of course, the present invention can be applied to a case where a storage medium storing therein the program code of software for realizing the function of the aforedescribed embodiments is achieved by supplying a program to the system or the apparatus. In this case, the program code itself read out from the storage medium realizes the novel function of the present invention, and the storage medium storing the program therein constitutes the present invention. In the above-described embodiments, the processing shown in the flow charts of FIGS. 4, 5 and  6  is carried out by the client programs Cp 1 , Cp 2  and the server programs Sp 1 , Sp 2 , Sp 3 , as previously described, and the codes of these programs are stored in the storage medium. As the storage medium for supplying the program codes, use can be made, for example, a ROM, a floppy disc, a hard disc, an optical disc, a magneto-optical disc, a CD-ROM, a CD-R, a DVD, a magnetic tape, a nonvolatile memory card or the like.  
         [0072]    According to the present invention, at a point of time whereat the information user has come to need data, the data exists in the nearest information accumulating apparatus. Accordingly, the transmission time of the data can be shortened, and at a point of time whereat the data has become necessary, the data can be obtained from the nearest information accumulating apparatus (server) within a short time, and even at the destination of outing, the printing of the data is effected within a short time.