Remote e-mail printing

Abstract

An information providing server has information on plural printers. The information providing server provides a user of a portable terminal with the information on the plural printers by sending the information on the plural printers to the portable terminal. The portable terminal sends an e-mail to which a file to be printed is attached to a printer selected by the user. Each of the plural printers has a plurality of print conditions to which different e-mail addresses are respectively assigned. The printer that has received an e-mail specifies a print condition from an e-mail address indicating the destination of the e-mail. The printer then prints the file attached to the received e-mail under the specified print condition.

1 . A server, comprising:
 an address data memory unit which stores address data including a plurality of processing modes, and a plurality of different addresses which is assigned to the respective plurality of processing modes;   a server-side receiving unit which receives a process execution instruction for a processing apparatus from an external terminal; and   a server-side transmitting unit which transmits the address data stored in the address data memory unit to the external terminal, in response to the server-side receiving unit receiving the process execution instruction.   
     
     
         2 . The server according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the address data memory unit stores a plurality of the address data which is assigned to a respective plurality of processing apparatuses;   the server-side receiving unit receives, from the external terminal, a process execution instruction for a processing apparatus among the plurality of processing apparatuses; and   the server-side transmitting unit transmits, to the external terminal, address data which is assigned to the processing apparatus designated by the process execution instruction among the plurality of the address data stored in the address data memory unit, in response to the server-side receiving unit receiving the process execution instruction.   
     
     
         3 . The server according to  claim 2 , further comprising:
 a location memory unit which stores location data indicating respective set-up locations of the plurality of processing apparatuses; wherein   the server-side receiving unit receives information indicating a desired location to execute processing provided by a user from the external terminal; and   the server-side transmitting unit transmits, to the external terminal, information specifying at least one processing apparatus set up in at least one set-up location which is assigned to a location indicated by the information indicating the desired location received by the server-side receiving unit, among the set-up locations indicated by the location data stored in the location memory unit.   
     
     
         4 . The server according to  claim 3 , wherein the server-side transmitting unit transmits, to the external terminal, information specifying at least one processing apparatus set up in at least one set-up location, which is selected in ascending order according to a distance from the location indicated by the information indicating the desired location received by the server-side receiving unit, among the set-up locations indicated by the location data stored in the location memory unit. 
     
     
         5 . The server according to  claim 3 , wherein:
 the location data is an address of a shop where the processing apparatus is set up; and   the information indicating the desired location is an address of the desired location.   
     
     
         6 . The server according to  claim 3 , wherein the information specifying at least one processing apparatus specifies at least one shop where the at least one processing apparatus is set up. 
     
     
         7 . The server according to  claim 6 , wherein the information specifying at least one processing apparatus specifies an address of the at least one shop where the at least one processing apparatus is set up. 
     
     
         8 . A processing system comprising the server according to  claim 1  and an external terminal, wherein:
 the external terminal comprises
 a terminal-side transmitting unit which transmits, to the server, the process execution instruction for the processing apparatus; 
 a terminal-side receiving unit which receives the address data from the server; and 
 a display unit which displays on a screen an image generated on the basis of the address data received by the terminal-side receiving unit, the image showing correspondence relationships between the plurality of processing modes and the plurality of different addresses. 
 
 
     
     
         9 . A processing system comprising the server according to  claim 3  and an external terminal, wherein:
 the external terminal comprises
 a display unit which displays on a screen an image for accepting the information indicating a desired location from the user; 
 an accepting unit which accepts the information indicating a desired location from the user; 
 a terminal-side transmitting unit which transmits, to the server, the information indicating a desired location accepted by the accepting unit; and 
 a terminal-side receiving unit which receives, from the server, the information specifying at least one processing apparatus set up in at least one set-up location which is assigned to the location indicated by the information indicating a desired location; wherein 
 the display unit displays on the screen an image generated on the basis of the information received by the terminal-side receiving unit for letting the user select a processing apparatus from the at least one processing apparatus; 
 the accepting unit accepts information specifying the processing apparatus from the user; 
 the terminal-side transmitting unit transmits, to the server, an process execution instruction for the processing apparatus specified by the information accepted by the accepting unit; 
 the terminal-side receiving unit receives the address data from the server; and 
 the display unit displays on the screen an image generated on the basis of the address data received by the terminal-side receiving unit, the image showing correspondence relationships between the plurality of processing modes and the plurality of different addresses. 
 
 
     
     
         10 . A processing system, comprising:
 the server according to  claim 1  and a processing apparatus; wherein   the processing apparatus comprises
 an apparatus-side receiving unit which receives an e-mail sent from the external terminal; 
 a processing mode memory unit which stores the plurality of processing modes to which the plurality of different addresses are assigned; 
 a mode specifying unit which specifies a processing mode to which an address indicating a destination of the e-mail received by the apparatus-side receiving unit is assigned in memory contents of the processing mode memory unit; 
 a data generating unit which generates processing data for processing a file attached to the e-mail received by the apparatus-side receiving unit; and 
 a processing unit which processes the file by using the processing data generated by the data generating unit under the processing mode specified by the mode specifying unit. 
   
     
     
         11 . An information providing method, which is executed by a server which comprises an address data memory unit, wherein
 the address data memory unit stores address data including a plurality of processing modes, and a plurality of different addresses which is assigned to the respective plurality of processing modes, comprising:   a server-side receiving step of receiving a process execution instruction for a processing apparatus from an external terminal; and   a server-side transmitting step of transmitting the address data stored in the address data memory unit to the external terminal, in response to receiving the process execution instruction in the server-side receiving step.   
     
     
         12 . A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a program for allowing a computer to serve as a server, wherein:
 the server comprises
 an address data memory unit which stores address data including a plurality of processing modes, and a plurality of different addresses which is assigned to the respective plurality of processing modes; 
 a server-side receiving unit which receives a process execution instruction for a processing apparatus from an external terminal; and 
 a server-side transmitting unit which transmits the address data stored in the address data memory unit to the external terminal, in response to the server-side receiving unit receiving the process execution instruction.