Image forming apparatus, image forming system and control methods thereof

1. An image forming apparatus constructed for connection to a firewall that restricts accesses from an external network via a network, and comprises a Web server, comprising:

a storage unit that temporarily stores a print job which is received from an external apparatus on the network in a memory of the image forming apparatus;

a creation unit that creates a URL which is uniquely assigned to the print job and is required to access the Web server;

a transmission unit that transmits the created URL to an e-mail address which is extracted from the received print job;

a detection unit that detects an access to the created URL; and

an execution unit that controls a printing unit of the image forming apparatus to execute the temporarily stored print job under a condition that the access to the URL is detected.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a timing unit that times a time period elapsed since the creation unit creates the URL; and

a discard unit that discards the temporarily stored print job when a predetermined time period timed by the timing unit elapses before the detection unit detects the access to the URL.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a setting unit that sets a job type as a storage target based on a user input, which is input via an operation unit of the image forming apparatus;

a determination unit that determines whether or not a print job received from the external apparatus has the set job type as the storage target; and

a control unit that controls the storage unit to temporarily store the print job when it is determined that the print job has the set job type as the storage target, and controls the printing unit to print the print job when it is determined that the print job does not have the set job type as the storage target.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the detection unit detects only an access from an IP address, which is set in advance.

5. The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the job type includes a job having the number of pages larger than the predetermined number of pages, a job that FAX-transmits a received print job, a job that executes color printing, and a job that executes bookbinding after printing.

6. An image forming system in which an image forming apparatus comprising a Web server, an information processing apparatus, and a firewall are connected via a network,

the information processing apparatus comprising

a unit that requests a print job to the image forming apparatus, and

a unit that accesses information of a URL transmitted from the image forming apparatus;

the image forming apparatus comprising

a storage unit that temporarily stores the print job received from the information processing apparatus in a memory of the image forming apparatus,

a creation unit that creates a URL which is uniquely assigned to the print job and is required to access the Web server,

a transmission unit that transmits the created URL to an e-mail address which is extracted from the received print job,

a detection unit that detects an access to the transmitted URL, and

an execution unit that controls a printing unit of the image forming apparatus to execute the temporarily stored print job under a condition that the access to the URL is detected; and

the firewall comprising

a prohibition unit that prohibits an access to the URL from an external network connected to the network.

7. A method of controlling an image forming apparatus constructed for connection to a firewall that restricts accesses from an external network via a network, and comprises a Web server, comprising:

temporarily storing a print job which is received from an external apparatus on the network in a memory of the image forming apparatus;

creating a URL which is uniquely assigned to the print job and is required to access the Web server;

transmitting the created URL to an e-mail address which is extracted from the received print job;

detecting an access to the created URL; and

controlling a printing unit of the image forming apparatus to execute the temporarily stored print job under a condition that the access to the URL is detected.

8. A method of controlling an image forming system in which an image forming apparatus comprising a Web server, an information processing apparatus, and a firewall are connected via a network,

the information processing apparatus comprising:

requesting a print job to the image forming apparatus, and

accessing information of a URL transmitted from the image forming apparatus;

the image forming apparatus comprising:

temporarily storing the print job received from the information processing apparatus in a memory of the image forming apparatus,

creating a URL which is uniquely assigned to the print job and is required to access the Web server,

transmitting the created URL to an e-mail address which is extracted from the received print job,

detecting an access to the transmitted URL, and

controlling a printing unit of the image forming apparatus to execute the temporarily stored print job under a condition that the access to the URL is detected; and

the firewall comprising:

prohibiting an access to the URL from an external network connected to the network.

9. An image forming apparatus constructed for connection to a firewall that restricts accesses from an external network via a network, and comprises a Web server, comprising:

a determination unit that determines whether or not a print job received from an external apparatus on the network is temporarily stored in a memory of the image forming apparatus;

a storage unit that temporarily stores the print job in the memory when the determination unit determines that the received print job is stored in the memory of the image forming apparatus;

a discard unit that discards the print job when the determination unit determines that the received print job is not stored in the memory of the image forming apparatus;

a creation unit that creates URLs which are uniquely assigned to the print job, are required to access the Web server, and include a first URL required to execute the print job, and a second URL required to discard the print job;

a transmission unit that transmits the created URLs to an e-mail address which is extracted from the received print job;

a detection unit that detects an access to the created first URL and the second URL; and

an execution unit that discards the temporarily stored print job under a condition that an access to the second URL is detected, and controls a printing unit of the image forming apparatus to execute the temporarily stored print job under a condition that an access to the first URL is detected.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9 , further comprising:

a memory unit that stores a domain name which is included in the main address and permits printing,

wherein the determination unit determines that the received print job is stored in the memory of the image forming apparatus when the domain name included in the mail address is stored in the memory unit, and determines that the received print job is not stored in the memory of the image forming apparatus when the domain name is not stored in the memory unit.

11. A method of controlling an image forming apparatus constructed for connection to a firewall that restricts accesses from an external network via a network, and comprises a Web server, comprising:

determining whether or not a print job received from an external apparatus on the network is temporarily stored in a memory of the image forming apparatus;

temporarily storing the print job in the memory when it is determined in the determining that the received print job is stored in the memory of the image forming apparatus;

discarding the print job when it is determined in the determining that the received print job is not stored in the memory of the image forming apparatus;

creating URLs which are uniquely assigned to the print job, are required to access the Web server, and include a first URL required to execute the print job, and a second URL required to discard the print job;

transmitting the created URLs to an e-mail address which is extracted from the received print job;

detecting an access to the created first URL and the second URL; and

discarding the temporarily stored print job under a condition that an access to the second URL is detected, and controlling a printing unit of the image forming apparatus to execute the temporarily stored print job under a condition that an access to the first URL is detected.

12. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute the method defined by claim 7 .

13. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute the method defined by claim 8 .

14. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute the method defined by claim 11 .