Printing system, apparatus and method for automatically printing records of electronic transactions

Abstract

A method and system for automatically printing a hard copy of transaction information relating to a transaction conducted electronically between a user-side and a supplier side. A control apparatus performs an operation of identifying a selected aspect of information regarding the electronic transaction to thereby generate a print apparatus which is sent to a printing apparatus which prints transaction information in response to said print request. In addition, a printer for use with the method and system is provided.

1 - 10 . (canceled)  
     
     
         11 . A system for automatically printing, without a need for user action, a hard copy of transaction information relating to a transaction conducted electronically between a user-side and a supplier-side comprising: 
 a controller configured to automatically identify, without reliance on any user action, a selected aspect of information regarding said electronic transaction to thereby generate a print request;    a communication circuit coupled with said controller for communicating the print request; and    a printer coupled with said controller for printing information regarding said electronic transaction in response to said print request.    
     
     
         12 . The system for automatically printing of  claim 11  further comprising: 
 a storage apparatus coupled with said controller and configured to store the information regarding said electronic transaction.    
     
     
         13 . The system for automatically printing of  claim 11  wherein said controller comprises: 
 a notification unit configured to notify of communication between the user-side and the supplier-side;    a monitoring circuit configured to monitor the communication;    a recognizing circuit configured to automatically recognize, without reliance on user action, a selected aspect of information regarding the electronic transaction;    a print request generator configured to generate, when said selected aspect of information is recognized, a print request to be sent to the printer.    
     
     
         14 . (canceled)  
     
     
         15 . The system for automatically printing of  claim 11 , wherein said controller configured to automatically identify is at the user-side.  
     
     
         16 . A system for automatically printing a hard copy of transaction information relating to a transaction conducted electronically between a user-side and a supplier-side comprising: 
 a controller configured to automatically identify, without reliance on user action, a selected aspect of information regarding said electronic transaction to thereby generate a print request;    a communication circuit coupled with said controller for communicating the print request via a local area network;    a printer coupled with said controller for printing information regarding said electronic transaction in response to said print request.    
     
     
         17 . The system for automatically printing of  claim 16  further comprising: 
 a storage apparatus couple with said controller and configured to store the information regarding said electronic transaction.    
     
     
         18 . The system for automatically printing of  claim 16  wherein said controller comprises: 
 a notification unit configured to notify of communication between a user-side and the supplier-side;    a monitoring circuit configured to monitor the communication;    a recognizing circuit configured to recognize, at the user-side, without reliance on user action, a selected aspect of information regarding the electronic transaction;    a print request generator configured to generate, when said selected aspect of information is recognized, a print request to be sent to the printer via the local area network.    
     
     
         19 . (canceled)  
     
     
         20 . A printer for automatically printing, without a need for user action, a hard copy of transaction information relating to a transaction conducted electronically between a user-side and a supplier-side comprising: 
 a receiver for receiving instructions from a controller, wherein said controller automatically identifies, without reliance on user action, a selected aspect of information regarding said electronic transaction, to thereby generate a print request to be sent to the printer; and    printing means to print information regarding said electronic transaction in response to the print request.    
     
     
         21 . The printer apparatus of  claim 20  wherein said controller comprises: 
 a notification unit configured to notify of communication between the user-side and the supplier side;    a monitoring circuit configured to monitor the communication;    a recognizing circuit configured to recognize, at the user-side, without reliance on user action, a selected aspect of information regarding said electronic transaction;    a print request generator configured to generate, when said selected aspect of information is recognized, a print request to be sent to the printer.    
     
     
         22 - 23 . (canceled)  
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein said controller monitors electronic communication conducted between said user-side and said supplier-side via the Internet, to identify automatically said selected aspect of information regarding said electronic transaction.  
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein said controller monitors electronic communication conducted between said user-side and said supplier-side via the Internet, and generates, without a need for user action specifying, said print request.  
     
     
         26 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein said selected aspect of information regarding the electronic transaction includes invoice information.  
     
     
         27 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein said selected aspect of information regarding the electronic transaction includes a confirmation number.  
     
     
         28 . The system of  claim 27 , wherein said information printed by said printer in response to the print request includes said confirmation number.  
     
     
         29 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein said selected aspect of information regarding the electronic transaction includes a password.  
     
     
         30 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein said selected aspect of information regarding the electronic transaction is set by a standard.  
     
     
         31 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein said selected aspect of information regarding the electronic transaction is set by contract.  
     
     
         32 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein said selected aspect of information regarding the electronic transaction includes a print command from the supplier-side to the user-side.  
     
     
         33 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein said selected aspect of information regarding the electronic transaction is communicated by the supplier-side to the user-side via the Internet.  
     
     
         34 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein said print request is automatically generated by said controller and communicated by said communication circuit to said printer, without a need for user action specifying said print request.