Patent ID: 8228528

Claim:
A printing apparatus connected to a first network and a second network and capable of performing a bidirectional data communication with a server computer connected to the first network and with an information terminal connected to the second network different from the first network, comprising: a first communicating unit configured to be connected to the first network; a second communicating unit configured to be connected to the second network; a printing unit configured to print an image on a printing medium based on externally input data; a sending and receiving unit configured to send a request signal received from the information terminal and to receive content data sent, as a response to the request signal, from the server computer; a request signal interpreting unit configured to interpret contents of the request signal received from the information terminal via the second communicating unit and to determine whether a print request is included in the request signal; and a control unit configured to process the content data received from the server computer via the first communicating unit and to perform one of (a) a first process that causes the printing unit to print the content data received from the server computer via the first communicating unit in a case where the request signal interpreting unit determines that the print request is included in the request signal received from the information terminal via the second communicating unit; and (b) a second process that causes sending of the content data received from the server computer via the first communicating unit to the information terminal via the second communicating unit that sent the request signal in a case where the request signal interpreting unit determines that the print request is not included in the request signal received from the information terminal via the second communicating unit.