Abstract:
A method of managing secure print jobs in a distributed computer system includes storing secure print jobs and user ID data associated with the user in the printer system memory. A printer controller periodically transmits reminder messages to the user identified by the user ID data. The reminder messages inform the user that the secure print job is stored in a queue in the printer system and would be printed only on manual entry of an appropriate command at the printer system.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     This invention relates generally to hardcopy production of documents. More particularly, the present invention relates to hardcopy production of documents by distributed network printers.  
         [0002]     The continual emergence of faster, more powerful computers has driven down the cost of implementing “distributed” networks (e.g., local area networks and the like). These networks are advantageous in that each user has control over his or her own personal computer. Moreover, multiple users can be connected to less frequently used hardware equipment such as printers located in a public area accessible to all users. Typically, network printers are attached to computing platforms operating as print servers within distributed systems. Alternatively, some printers, given appropriate interfaces, can be arranged to connect directly to the network of a distributed system.  
         [0003]     For the purpose of further discussion herein, the term “printer” shall include all different types of printer, or other hardcopy or document rendering apparatus and devices. Also, for the sake of convenience of description herein, the term “document” will hereafter be used to denote a document in any state, including (but not limited to) when viewed on a computer display, when formatted as a printer file ready for printing, and when in hardcopy form. The state the document is in at any point in the description depends on the context. Also, a “document” may include text, graphics or mixed representations.  
         [0004]     One problem with printing documents on remote network printers is that any person near to the printer could remove or read printed documents containing sensitive information, which do not belong to them, before the intended recipients are able to retrieve the documents. One way around this is for users who need to print sensitive documents to arrange for a trusted person to stand by the printer while the document is printing and collect the document as soon as it has printed. This, of course, is inconvenient.  
         [0005]     Another way to increase security is to submit sensitive documents to the print queue but to prohibit the printing of such documents until a print release command is entered by the user at the printer. In this type of environment, it is not unusual for numerous secure print jobs to stay in the print queue for significant periods of time before a print release command is entered. Often, the user simply forgets that he/she has submitted a secure printjob to the printer. Depending on the number of printjobs in the print queue, a large portion of the print server/printer memory may be occupied by secure print jobs waiting for a print release command. Also, other users of the printer must navigate through a LCD screen display of the print queue in order to find their jobs in the midst of these “un-printed” jobs.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a method of managing secure print jobs in a distributed computer system. The method comprises commanding a user computer system to submit a secure print job for printing. The user computer system transmits the secure print job and user ID data associated with the user to the printer system through the network. The printer system controller then creates a record in the secure print job database and stores the print job file and user ID data in a print job field and an ID field of the record, respectively. The printer controller periodically transmits reminder messages to the user identified by the user ID data. The reminder messages inform the user that the secure print job is stored in a queue in the printer system and would be printed only on manual entry of an appropriate command at the printer system.  
         [0007]     After the printer system stores the print job file and user ID data, the printer controller initiates a message timer associated with the secure print job to countdown and periodically queries the message timer for each secure print job to determine whether the message timer countdown has exceeded a preset timer interval setpoint. If the message timer countdown is less than the time interval setpoint, the message timer continues to countdown. If the message timer countdown is greater than the time interval setpoint, the printer controller transmits the reminder message to the user and resets the message timer to reinitiate countdown.  
         [0008]     After the printer system initiates the message timer, the printer controller initiates a job timer associated with the secure print job to countdown and periodically queries the job timer for each secure print job to determine whether the job timer countdown has exceeded a preset timer interval setpoint. If the job timer countdown is less than the time interval setpoint, the job timer continues to countdown. If job the timer countdown is greater than the time interval setpoint, the printer controller deletes the print job file and user ID data and returns to standby for receipt of another secure print job. If job the timer countdown is greater than the time interval setpoint, the printer controller also transmits a message informing the user that the print job has been canceled.  
         [0009]     After the printer controller has determined that the timer countdown is greater than the time interval setpoint and before the printer controller transmits the reminder message to the user, the printer controller queries the print job record to determine whether the print status field has been annotated. If the print job record indicates that the print job has been printed, the printer controller deletes the print job file and user ID data and returns to standby for receipt of another secure print job. If the print job record indicates that the print job has not been printed, the printer controller transmits the reminder message to the user.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]     The present invention may be better understood and its numerous objects and advantages will become apparent to those skilled in the art by reference to the accompanying drawings in which:  
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of a local area network using the method of the subject invention; and  
         [0012]      FIG. 2  is a flow diagram of a method for automatic secure print notification in accordance with the invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0013]     With reference to the drawings wherein like numerals represent like parts throughout the several figures, and more particularly to  FIG. 1 , there is shown a local area network  10  comprising multiple local user computer systems  12 , a remote server  14  and a remote printer system  16 . The user computer systems  12  are connected  18  to the server via the TCP/IP protocol.  
         [0014]     Each user computer system  12  includes the standard components of a computer, a keyboard, a display and a mouse (none of which are shown). The user computer provides a secure printer process, or client, which is a software routine that can be initiated by a user when secure printing is required. An electronic printing system, such as one manufactured by Xerox Corporation, under the product name of “DocuTech.RTM.”, is capable of storing a job, in electronic form, for printing at a latertime. As indicated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,436,730 to Hube (Issued Jul. 25, 1995), the pertinent portions of which are incorporated herein by reference, such jobs may be stored in the main memory of the printer system controller  20 .  
         [0015]     In practice, the printer system controller  20  acts as a modified print spooler or print server process. The spooler or server is modified in the respect that it is arranged to recognize encrypted documents and, rather than printing them, holds or stores the encrypted documents until a print release command is entered by the user at the printer. As described above, it is not unusual for numerous secure print jobs to stay in the print queue for significant periods of time before a print release command is entered in this type of environment.  
         [0016]     With reference to  FIG. 2  the subject method for automatic secure print notification prevents users from simply forgetting that they have submitted a secure print job to the printer system  16 . The secure print notification routine is in standby  21 , waiting for secure print jobs from user computer systems  12  so long as the printer system  16  and server  14  are energized. When a user submits  22  a print job file  24  (or print job data) to the printer system  16 , the user&#39;s computer system  12  also transmits user ID data  26 . The user ID data  26  may include the user&#39;s email address for use by secure print notification routine  28  for transmitting messages to the user, as explained below. The user&#39;s email address may be also be used as an identifier for the user. Alternatively, the user ID data  26  may include a separate unique identifier for the user. If for some reason the user ID data is not automatically transmitted, the server  14  or the printer system  16  may query the user&#39;s computer system  12  for such ID data. Alternatively, the server  14  may simply identify the specific user computer system  12  that has provided the print job file  24  and associate user ID data  26  for the user computer system  12  with the print job file  24 .  
         [0017]     The printer system controller  20  then creates  30  a record in the secure print job database and stores the print job file  24  and associated user ID data  26  in the appropriate fields of the record. It should be appreciated that the record also includes fields for storing other information regarding the print job, as indicated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,436,730 to Hube. Amongst these additional fields is a field for storing the print status of the print job, that is whether or not the print job has actually been printed, and a field for storing the reminder status for the print job, as explained below.  
         [0018]     The printer system controller  20  also initiates  32  a job timer and initiates  34  a message timer. The message timer and job timer are countdown devices. The message timer performs a function similar to a stop-watch, that starts when message timer is initiated  34 . The job timer may also be a clock, if the print job is to be terminated if it has not been printed before a predetermined period of time has passed after the print job is submitted  22 . Alternatively, the job timer may count the number of reminder messages that have been transmitted to the user, if the print job is to be terminated if it has not been printed before a predetermined number of reminder messages have been transmitted to the user.  
         [0019]     Periodically, the printer system controller  20  queries  36  the message timer for each print job file  24  to determine whether the timer countdown has exceeded a preset timer interval. If the timer countdown is less than the time interval setpoint  38 , the message timer continues  40  to countdown. If the timer countdown is greater than the time interval setpoint  42 , the printer system controller then queries  44  the print job record to determine whether the print job has already been printed. A predetermined value is stored in the secure print notification routine  28  for the message timer setpoint. However, the message timer setpoint may be reset by system administrator. If the print job record indicates that the print job has been printed  46 , the printer system controller deletes  48  the print job file  24  and user ID data  26  from the secure print notification routine  28  and returns to standby  21  for receipt of another secure print job.  
         [0020]     If the printjob record indicates that the printjob has not been printed  50 , the printer system controller  20  then determines  52  whether the print queue includes print jobs from more than one user. If all of the print jobs in the queue are from a single user  54 , the printer system controller  20  transmits  56  a reminder message to the user, resets  58  the message timer, and restarts  34  the message timer. The message is a single reminder for all of the User&#39;s print jobs that are in the queue. The message may be in the form of an e-mail. The printer system controller  20  also annotates the print job record reminder status field to indicate that a reminder message has been transmitted to the user.  
         [0021]     If the queue includes print jobs from more than one user  60 , the printer system controller  20  then queries  62  print job database to determine whether a reminder has already been transmitted to the user. If the print job database reminder status field indicates that no reminder messages have been sent  64  to the user, the printer system controller  20  transmits  66  a reminder message to the user, resets  68  the message timer, continues  40  the job timer, and annotates the print job record reminder status field to indicate that a reminder message has been transmitted to the user. If the print job database reminder status field indicates that a reminder message has been sent  70  to the user, the printer system controller  20  queries  72  the job timer to determine whether the timer countdown has exceeded a preset timer interval. If the timer countdown is less than the time interval setpoint  74 , the message timer is reset  76  and the message timer and the job timer continues  40  to countdown. A predetermined value is stored in the secure print notification routine for the job timer setpoint. However, job timer setpoint may be reset by system administrator. If the timer countdown is greater than the time interval setpoint  78 , the printer system controller sends a message to the user that the print job has timed out and has been deleted from the queue, and then deletes  48  the print job file and user ID data from the secure print notification routine and returns to standby for receipt of another secure print job.  
         [0022]     It will be appreciated that various of the above-disclosed and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be desirably combined into many other different systems or applications. Also that various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations or improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in the art which are also intended to be encompassed by the following claims.