Patent ID: 7461138

Claim:
A print portal server that intermediates between multiple content provider servers and multiple printing apparatuses to execute a printing operation in response to an instruction from a user connected to a network, via a client, said print portal server comprising: a print job data storage module that stores print job data mapped to a predetermined identification code and a printing condition mapped to the print job data, which is open to a specified user or a specified client, regardless of a printing requirement, wherein the identification code is assigned to each client to unequivocally identify said client, or is assigned to each client's user to unequivocally identify said user; a printing requirement input module that receives a printing requirement, which is sent from said user and includes the identification code and output resource specification information for specifying a printing apparatus as an output resource; and a storage data transmission module that transmits the print job data mapped to the identification code, to said specified printing apparatus in a specific form processible by said specified printing apparatus, and controls the transmission of the print job data to said specified printing apparatus based on the printing condition.