Method of performing cloud printing and mobile device, image forming apparatus, and cloud printing system for performing using the same
View Patent ↗A method of performing cloud printing is provided. The method may include generating a virtual apparatus corresponding to an image forming apparatus in a mobile device, receiving, by the mobile device, a job request for the virtual apparatus, and when the mobile device is connected to the image forming apparatus, transmitting the received job request to the image forming apparatus.
1. A method of performing cloud printing by using a mobile device, the method comprising:
generating a virtual apparatus registerable to a cloud server, corresponding to identification information of an image forming apparatus, in the mobile device in response to the image forming apparatus receiving a request for information which is necessary to generate the virtual apparatus from the mobile device, wherein the information which is necessary to generate the virtual apparatus includes the identification information of the image forming apparatus;
registering the generated virtual apparatus in the cloud server;
receiving, by the mobile device and from the cloud server, a job request for the virtual apparatus; and
when the mobile device is connected to the image forming apparatus, transmitting the received job request to the image forming apparatus,
wherein the image forming apparatus is not directly connectable to the cloud server, and
wherein the registered virtual apparatus corresponds to identification information of the mobile device.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the registering of the generated virtual apparatus comprises registering the virtual apparatus in correspondence with a medium access control (MAC) address of the mobile device.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transmitting comprises:
determining whether the mobile device is connectable to the image forming apparatus;
when it is determined that the mobile device cannot be connected to the image forming apparatus, storing the received job request for the virtual apparatus; and
when the mobile device is connected to the image forming apparatus, transmitting the stored job request for the virtual apparatus to the image forming apparatus.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the job request for the virtual apparatus is transmitted by using a medium access control (MAC) address of the mobile device associated with the virtual image forming apparatus registered in the cloud server.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the generating of the virtual apparatus comprises:
receiving the information, which is necessary to generate the virtual apparatus, from the image forming apparatus in response to the request for information necessary to generate the virtual apparatus; and
generating the virtual apparatus, based on the information necessary to generate the virtual apparatus.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the information necessary to generate the virtual apparatus comprises at least one of a medium access control (MAC) address and a capability of the image forming apparatus.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the capability of the image forming apparatus includes only black-and-white printing or both color printing and black-and-white printing.
8. A cloud printing system comprising:
a mobile device that includes at least one hardware processor: a virtual apparatus generator configured to generate a virtual apparatus registerable to a cloud server corresponding to identification information of an image forming apparatus in response to the image forming apparatus receiving a request for information which is necessary to generate the virtual apparatus from the mobile device wherein the information which is necessary to generate the virtual apparatus includes the identification information of the image forming apparatus; a communicator configured to transmit a registration request for the generated virtual apparatus, receive a job request for the generated virtual apparatus, and transmit the received job request for the generated virtual apparatus to the image forming apparatus; and a controller configured to control the communicator of the mobile device to transmit the registration request for the generated virtual apparatus, receive the job request for the generated virtual apparatus, and transmit the received job request for the generated virtual apparatus to the image forming apparatus;
a cloud server that includes at least one hardware processor: a virtual apparatus manager configured to register the generated virtual apparatus according to the registration request; a communicator configured to receive the transmitted registration request for the generated virtual apparatus from the mobile device, and transmit a job request for the generated virtual apparatus, registered in the virtual apparatus manager, to the mobile device; and a controller configured to control the communicator of the cloud server to receive the transmitted registration request for the generated virtual apparatus from the mobile device and transmit a job request for the generated virtual apparatus, registered in the virtual apparatus manager, to the mobile device; and
the image forming apparatus that includes at least one hardware processor: a communicator configured to receive the job request for the generated virtual apparatus; a job performer configured to perform operation, based on the received job request for the generated virtual apparatus; and a controller configured to control the communicator of the image forming apparatus to receive the job request for the generated virtual apparatus,
wherein the image forming apparatus is not directly connectable to the cloud server, and
wherein the registered virtual apparatus corresponds to identification information of the mobile device.
9. At least one non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer readable instructions which when executed control at least one processor to implement a method of claim 1 .