1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a printing method, a print system, a print control apparatus, and a program, in which a server apparatus and a plurality of print control apparatuses are connected through the Internet so that they can communicate with each other and the server apparatus receives and stores print interruption information from the print control apparatuses.
2. Related Background Art
In recent years, in association with the spread of the Internet, the number of membership print services in which formed documents and recorded images are transmitted to a print service server through the Internet and stored therein and print data stored in the print service server can be obtained and printed by printing apparatuses which are set in a plurality of print bases such as convenience stores, print shops, and the like and connected to the Internet has been increasing.
In an image forming apparatus such as a printing apparatus or the like, there is a technique (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H4-369166) in which image forming conditions for interrupting on the basis of an interrupting request are managed and stored into an external storing apparatus, thereby enabling the interrupted image forming apparatus to be restarted anytime.
There is also a technique (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2000-35867) in which when printing fails, the printing is restarted by automatically transmitting a print job including a print program and print data to a printing apparatus existing in the same local area network (LAN).
There is also a system (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2004-157992) in which print targets (data) are managed in a print system connected to the Internet and an ID is unconditionally issued every user or every document.
However, in the print service system as mentioned above, when the user prints the data at the print base, if a fault occurs in the print base or the user cancels the printing and the printing is interrupted, in the case of printing the same data again at the same print base or another print base, it is necessary to re-input all print information such as printed matter information, print setting information, and the like.
By storing the information regarding a state at the time of the interruption into a portable external storing apparatus such as a magnetooptic disk or the like by using the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H4-369166, the information is read out of the external storing apparatus by the printing apparatus in which the printing is to be restarted (hereinafter, also referred to as print-restarting printing apparatus), and the printing process can be restarted by the printing apparatus.
In this case, however, it is necessary for the user to convey the external storing apparatus in which the information regarding the state at the time of the interruption has been stored to a place where the print-restarting printing apparatus exists.
By automatically transmitting the print job including the print program and the print data from the print base at which the printing has been interrupted (hereinafter, also referred to as print-interrupted print base) to the print base at which the printing is to be restarted (hereinafter, also referred to as print-restarting print base) by using the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2000-35867, the printing can be restarted.
In this case, however, it is necessary that the print-interrupted print base and the print-restarting print base exist in the same LAN. In the case where the print service server and the print bases are connected through the Internet and their networks are connected through a router or the like as in the print service system, the print job including the print program and the print data cannot be automatically transmitted.
Further, it is necessary to decide the print-restarting print base at the time of the print interruption. The printing cannot be restarted at the print bases other than the print base at which the print restart has been determined.
Although there is a method of directly designating a print document by using the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2004-157992, nothing is considered about the recovery printing in the case where the printing has been once interrupted.