Automatic registration of receiving device on a remote printing application

1. A system for delivering files to a plurality of users over a communications network, said system comprising:

at least one server computer, said server computer being operable to receive and store a plurality of electronic documents;

a plurality of receiving devices capable of receiving said documents; and

a plurality of printer devices capable of printing said documents; and wherein:

each said receiving device has assigned to it at least one said printer device;

each said receiving device is registered with said server computer, said receiving device being identified by a unique identifier data stored by said server computer; and

said server computer comprises:

means for asking a particular individual receiver user to accept or reject a particular printing job, and for receiving a response indicating acceptance or rejection of the job,

means for allocating documents for a particular individual receiver user to a receiving device registered with the server computer for said particular receiver user, if the particular individual receiver user accepts an associated printing job, and

means for sending said documents to a said receiving device upon receipt of request data received by said server computer from said receiving device.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein:

the server computer is remote from the receiving devices and from the printer devices.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein:

the server computer is part of a business entity that is different from business entities of the receiving devices.

4. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:

at least one sending device, said sending device being:

registered with said at least one server computer, and

operable to send a said electronic document to said at least one server computer.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein:

said at least one server computer comprises a web interface; and

said web interface is operable to accept:

an e-mail address of a sender, and

a password for said sender.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein:

said at least one server computer operates to assign unique identifier data to each said receiving device.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein:

said at least one server computer operates to assign unique respective identifier data to at least one sending device.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein:

said at least one server computer maintains data describing:

a plurality of receiving devices, and

a plurality of users.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein:

a said receiving device operates to print jobs intended for a plurality of different users of the system.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein:

a user of said system may direct a document to a plurality of different said receiving users for printing; and

said at least one server computer maps said users to at least one said registered receiving device.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein:

a said receiving device obtains documents from said at least one server computer using a unique identifier, identifying said receiving device.

12. A method of operating a printing system that has at least one server computer which acts to route documents intended for a plurality of users; at least one receiving device which acts to receive documents sent from said server computer; and at least one printer device associated with said receiving device, for printing said documents; said method comprising the steps of:

registering a plurality of receiving devices at said server computer by creating a plurality of registration data entries which identify said plurality of receiving devices;

wherein each said registration data entry specifies at least one said printer device for printing a document addressed to a user;

said server sending an interrogation to a particular one of the receiving devices, to determine whether that receiving device will accept or reject a particular print job for printing;

said receiving device, or a human operator thereof, thereby having an option of either accepting or rejecting the job;

if the receiving device or operator accepts the job, then making the job available to the receiving device upon receipt of interrogations from the particular receiving device;

receiving interrogations from said plurality of receiving devices;

in response to said interrogations, causing said server computer to identify one or more documents intended for said receiving devices; and

sending said identified documents to said receiving devices.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein:

all the recited steps are performed by a server computer that is remote from each receiving device and from each printer device.

14. A method of operating a printing system that has at least one remote server computer acting to route documents intended for a plurality of users; at least one receiving device which acts to receive documents sent from said server computer; and at least one printer device associated with said receiving device for printing said documents; said method comprising the steps of:

sending a job to said remote printing server, using a sender computer, said sender specifying an address of a job receiver for which the print job is intended;

receiving, by a job receiver, an e-mail notification requesting the job receiver to confirm whether or not the job receiver accepts the print job;

accepting or rejecting, by the job receiver, said print job;

if the job receiver accepted said print job, then:

downloading said print job from said server computer to said receiving device; and

printing said print job.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising the steps of:

said job sender receiving an e-mail notification from said remote server acknowledging the uploading of said print job from said sender computer to said print server computer; and

said job receiver receiving an e-mail message describing said print job.

16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising the step of:

said job receiver interrogating said remote print server, to inspect a list of print jobs intended for said receiver.

17. The method of claim 14 , further comprising the step of:

said job sender interrogating said print server computer, to read a status of print jobs uploaded from said job sender to said remote print server.

18. A server computer comprising;

at least one data processing device;

at least one data storage device;

at least one remote communications interface; and

a web server component, said web server component comprising means for:

accepting documents for printing via said communication interface;

generating a message indicating that a job is available for printing and inviting acceptance, by a remote receiver, of the printing job;

sending said message to a remote receiver via said remote communications interface;

whereby the receiver has an opportunity to accept or reject the job;

receiving an acceptance or rejection message for accepting a job to be printed; and

if the message is an acceptance message, then:

responding to said acceptance message by sending said print job via said communications interface,

generating a second message confirming that a job has been printed, and

sending said second message via said communications interface.