Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Satomi Takahashi

Suresh Jeyachandran

Aruna Rohra Suda

Masanori Wakai

Masayuki Takayama

Kenichi Fujii

Shouichi Ibaraki

Shuichi Mikame

Naoko Ueda

A control box is provided for a printer to enable additional information processing, such as transmission of a job and transmission of notifications. The control box is fixed to a plate member that is sandwiched between the printer and a pedestal, so that it can be secured to the printer without drastically altering the printer itself. As another method, wheels are provided for the plate member on which is mounted the control box. The control box is normally placed beside the main body of the printer, and when it can be moved as needed, a door or a tray provided on the side of the main body can be used. An operating panel that is used to enter an instruction for the control box is fixed to one end of a flexible strut that is secured at the other end. With this arrangement, pressure applied by a user can be dispersed. Furthermore, the operating panel is inclined so that it can be pivoted, and the fixed portion of the strut is so designed that it is destroyed by the application of excessive force, and in this manner prevents the destruction of the entire panel and the upsetting of the apparatus itself. In addition, the control box and the operating panel are connected by a multi-cable that is constituted by a plurality of individually shielded associated signal lines that are also collectively shielded. The multi-cable is passed through the strut.

Information processing apparatus with an additional function unit

An attribute of object information to be processed and a corresponding process are designated, and a command to be executed is set. When the process designated for the object information having the designated attribute is performed, the command that is set is executed. Further, a status that is employed as a process execution condition is designated, and a corresponding process that is to be performed while the status corresponds to that of the designated status is stored with that status. Then, when it is determined that the current status is the designated status, the corresponding process is performed, and thus, each time a specific event occurs, a corresponding process can be performed without an instruction having to be issued. Specifically, a trigger for the issuance of a notification is set, and a time period extending from the time the trigger is tripped until the notification is issued is designated. When the designated time has elapsed following the tripping of the trigger for the notification issuance, the notification is issued to a designated destination.

Apparatus and method for performing a specific process based on a setup condition, and a storage medium for such a program

A remote controller for exchanging information using infrared rays requests the direct transmission of a user interface (UI) to a device to be controlled, such as a printer or a facsimile machine, or the indirect transmission through another device that is connected to the device that is to be controlled. When the UI is returned upon receipt of the request, the menu of functions that the device that is to be controlled can execute using the UI is displayed on the screen of the remote controller, and a command to select function that is selected from the menu is transmitted to the device that is to be controlled.

Remote control apparatus and system in which identification or control information is obtained from a device to be controlled

When a suspension instruction from a user is detected during the performance of a process, such as examining mail, a task for resuming a process that is currently being performed is added to a To Do List in which processes to be performed are registered, so that the process that is currently being performed and that is suspended can be performed later.

Information processing apparatus that can suspend processing and method therefor

A client generates a request in accordance with an operation initiated by a user, and transmits the request to a server for a local apparatus or to another apparatus. The server interprets the received request, adds a job to a database, and generates and transmits operation screen information to the client. Then, a daemon monitors the database, and detects and performs an executable job. Furthermore, when the local apparatus is designated to display a job list, to select a job therefrom and to print it, the local apparatus processes the job. When another apparatus is designated to process a job, the job is transmitted to that apparatus. When the transmission source of the received job matches a transmission source that has been registered, the execution process is inhibited. The time for executing a selected job is designated and, so that the selected job will be executed at that time, is stored with the job.

Apparatus and method for controlling execution of job, and storage medium for such a program

The name of a job and a corresponding type of process (transmission, printing, etc). are displayed on a job list. When a local apparatus is selected as an apparatus having a job to be processed, the list of the jobs stored in that apparatus is displayed. When another apparatus is selected, a job list is read from the apparatus and displayed. Then, a job is selected from the list and a type of process to be performed is instructed. When the instructed process type matches the process type that is stored with the selected job, a setup change menu is displayed. When the process types do not match, a new setup menu is displayed so that the job can be easily changed or set. When a job for a user is present immediately after the log-in process, the job list is displayed. When a job for a user is not present, the main menu is displayed. In addition, when there is mail that has not yet been read and there is only one relevant mail message, the contents of the mail message are displayed. When the number of mail messages is more than one and is equal to or smaller than a predetermined count, the names of the senders, the reception dates, and the subjects of the mail messages are displayed. When the number of mail messages that have not yet been read is greater than the predetermined number, if the same sender, or senders, transmitted a plurality of mail messages, the total number of new mail messages, and the name of the sender and the mail count are displayed.

Apparatus and method for displaying job list, and storage medium for such a program

In an information processing system wherein a printer and a personal computer are connected together, when the printer receives a print job from a scanner, as there are a plurality of processes corresponding to the received printed job, the printer distinguishes between a print process to be performed by the printer and a print notification process to be performed for a user by the personal computer. When the printer initiates printing, it instructs the personal computer to perform the print notification process. Upon receipt of the instruction, the personal computer calls a user to notify the user that printing has been initiated.

Information processing system and method therefor

A printer that is instructed to perform a printing job analyzes the job and determines a process to be executed, and identifies the performances of the printer and other printers and their states. Based on the results of the analysis and on the states of the printers, the printer decides whether it should not perform a process or whether the process should be performed by another printer. It also decides whether a process is unnecessary or is not permitted for a user, and halts the performance of such a process. When it determines that a process should be performed by another printer, it transfers the job to that printer.

Growing community of inventors

Yokohama, Japan

Satomi Takahashi