Server system and printing device communicating with the server system

Abstract

The present invention discloses a server system and a printing device communicating with the server system. The server system includes: a first receiving unit configured to receive, from a printing device operated by a user, a registration request for information regarding the printing device; an obtaining unit configured to obtain, from the printing device that has sent the registration request, information to be used for obtaining capability information of the printing device; a sending unit configured to send the obtained information to a different server system; and a second receiving unit configured to receive, from the different server system, the capability information of the printing device identified by the different server system based on the sent information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a server system and a printing apparatus that communicates with the server system. Background Art

[0002] As discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-238924, there is known a printing system in which a user registers information about a printing apparatus in a cloud printing service in advance, and printing data transmitted via the cloud printing service is printed by the printing apparatus.

[0003] The user accesses the cloud printing service from an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer (PC), selects a printing apparatus to be used for printing from the printing apparatuses registered in the cloud printing service, and issues a print instruction for the printing data.

[0004] The information processing apparatus generates a print job and inputs the generated print job to a print queue on the cloud printing service. The printing apparatus accesses the cloud printing service, acquires the print job spooled in the print queue generated on the cloud printing service, and outputs the acquired print job.

[0005] Representative examples of cloud printing services include Google discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-238924 Microsoft Hybrid and uniFLOW

[0006] When registering a print queue in the cloud printing service, by registering the capability information of the printing apparatus to be used in the cloud printing service, a print setting screen suitable for the printing apparatus to be used for printing can be provided to the user. Conceivable methods for registering the capability information of the printing apparatus in the cloud printing service include a method of storing the capability information in the printing apparatus and acquiring the capability information from the printing apparatus. However, the capability information that can be acquired by the cloud printing service from the printing apparatus is limited to standardized items. Summary of the Invention

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, a server system includes: a first receiving unit that receives a registration request for information about a printing apparatus from a printing apparatus operated by a user; an acquisition unit that acquires information for acquiring the capability information of the printing apparatus from the printing apparatus that has sent the registration request; a transmission unit that transmits the acquired information to a different server system; and a second receiving unit that receives, from the different server system, the capability information of the printing apparatus identified by the different server system based on the transmitted information.

[0008] Other features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a client computer according to a first exemplary embodiment.

[0010] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the network configuration according to a first exemplary embodiment.

[0011] Figure 3A is a block diagram showing an example of the functional blocks of a printer driver distribution service according to a first exemplary embodiment.

[0012] Figure 3B is a block diagram showing an example of the functional blocks of a print extension application distribution service according to a first exemplary embodiment.

[0013] Figure 3C is a block diagram showing an example of the functional blocks of a cloud printing service according to a first exemplary embodiment.

[0014] Figure 4 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the sequence of registering a printer in a cloud printing service according to a first exemplary embodiment.

[0015] Figure 5A is a table showing an example of the information database of printers maintained by a cloud printing service according to a first exemplary embodiment.

[0016] Figure 5B is a table showing an example of the information database of printers maintained by a printer driver distribution service according to a first exemplary embodiment.

[0017] Figure 5C is a table showing an example of the information database of printers maintained by a print extension application distribution service according to a first exemplary embodiment.

[0018] Figure 6 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the sequence of installing a print settings application on a client computer according to a first exemplary embodiment.

[0019] Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of an operation panel for displaying a list of printable jobs received from a cloud printing service according to a first exemplary embodiment.

[0020] Figure 8A is a diagram showing an example of a user interface (UI) for changing print settings according to a first exemplary embodiment.

[0021] Figure 8BIt is a diagram showing an example of a UI for changing print settings according to the first exemplary embodiment.

[0022] Figure 9 It is a diagram showing an example of extended print settings according to the first exemplary embodiment.

[0023] Figure 10 It is a flowchart showing the printing process in a cloud printing service according to the first exemplary embodiment.

[0024] Figure 11 It is a sequence diagram showing an example of the sequence of a process for updating a driver extension package according to the first exemplary embodiment.

[0025] Figure 12 It is a flowchart showing the process of a cloud printing service obtaining a driver extension package according to the first exemplary embodiment. Detailed Description

[0026] Figure 1 It is a hardware configuration diagram of a client computer (information processing device) using a cloud printing service according to the first exemplary embodiment. A detailed description will be given below.

[0027] The central processing unit (CPU) 101 controls the entire device based on programs stored in the read-only memory (ROM) 1021 or random access memory (RAM) 1022 of the main storage device 102 or the auxiliary storage device 105.

[0028] When the CPU 101 executes various processes, the RAM 1022 also serves as a working area. The auxiliary storage device 105 records a cloud drive 1050, an operating system (OS) 1053, applications 1051, and a print extension application 1052. In the following description, the main storage device 102 and the auxiliary storage device 105 are collectively described as the storage device.

[0029] Input devices such as an indicating device 109 represented by a mouse and a touch panel and a keyboard 108 are devices connected to the system bus 107 via an input interface (I / F) 103 for the user to issue various instructions to the computer.

[0030] The output I / F 104 is an interface for outputting data to the outside and outputs data to output devices such as a monitor 110 and a panel 111. In addition, the client computer 100 is equipped with a camera 112 to have a video capture function.

[0031] The client computer 100 is connected to a printer 200 and a system via a communication I / F 106 and a network 150. The following will refer to Figure 2A description thereof will be given. In addition, data exchange is performed between the I / F and the modules via the system bus 107.

[0032] Figure 2 FIG. is a block diagram schematically showing a printing system in a network environment according to the present exemplary embodiment.

[0033] The client computer 100 and the printer 200 are connected to the network 150. The client computer 100 and the printer 200 are connected to the same intranet and can communicate with each other.

[0034] In addition, the printers 201 and 202 are connected to different intranets 204, and the network 150 is connected to the intranet 204 via the Internet 203. The printer driver distribution service 300, the print extension application distribution service 400, and the cloud printing service 500 are connected to the Internet 203.

[0035] The printer driver distribution service 300 is a server system including one or more information processing devices that perform a network-based service of distributing printer drivers to the client computer 100. The client computer 100 searches for the printer 200 using a protocol such as Web Services for Devices (WSD) or Internet Printing Protocol (IPP). The client computer 100 obtains a printer driver from the printer driver distribution service 300 based on the printer identification information of the discovered printer 200 and installs the obtained printer driver. The printer drivers registered in the printer driver distribution service 300 are updated by the printer vendor. The client computer 100 automatically or manually obtains a new version of the printer driver from the printer driver distribution service 300 and updates the installed printer driver with the obtained new version of the printer driver.

[0036] The print extension application distribution service 400 is a server system that performs a service of distributing applications to be executed by the client computer 100. The print extension application is an application for extending the printing function provided by the cloud printing service or the operating system (OS). The printing function provided by the cloud printing service or the OS only enables printing settings for general functions that can be used by printers of any vendor, such as color mode and duplex printing. By using the print extension application, printing settings for printing functions that cannot be performed by the printing function provided by the cloud printing service or the OS can be made, such as saddle stitching, poster printing, or booklet printing.

[0037] If the client computer 100 receives a user operation requesting installation of a print extension application, the client computer 100 accesses the print extension application distribution service 400 and installs the print extension application. Additionally, if an application identifier is described in the information (Inf) file of the printer driver installed on the client computer 100, the print extension application is installed. The client computer 100 accesses the print extension application distribution service 400 and installs the print extension application corresponding to the application identifier described in the Inf file.

[0038] The cloud printing service 500 is a service built on the cloud and is a server system including one or more information processing devices. In the present exemplary embodiment, the cloud printing service 500 can be connected to each intranet and is connected to the client computer 100 and printers 200, 201, and 202 via the Internet. The cloud printing service 500 is under account management using a user identification (ID) and password, and the client computer 100 accesses the cloud printing service 500 using the account information input by the user.

[0039] In the present exemplary embodiment, it is assumed that the client computer 100 pre-stores the uniform resource locators (URLs) of the cloud printing service 500 and the print extension application distribution service 400. Additionally, it is assumed that the cloud printing service 500 pre-stores the URL of the printer driver distribution service 300.

[0040] Figure 3A is a block diagram showing an example of the functional blocks of the printer driver distribution service 300. The printer driver distribution service 300 is a server system including one or more information processing devices having a configuration similar to that of the Figure 1 information processing device shown. The printer driver registration unit 301 and the printer driver response unit 302 are implemented by a CPU of the information processing device included in the printer driver distribution service 300 executing a program.

[0041] The printer driver distribution service 300 is a service existing on the cloud connected to the Internet and enables distribution of a package related to a printer driver to an external service or the client computer 100. The package related to the printer driver is, for example, a printer driver or a driver extension package.

[0042] When the printer driver registration unit 301 receives a registration instruction for a package related to a printer driver from an external service and the client computer 100, the printer driver registration unit 301 registers the uploaded package in the printer driver database 310. The printer driver registration unit 301 registers, for example, a printer driver distributed by a printer vendor or a driver extension package for extending a printer driver in the printer driver database 310.

[0043] When a request for a package related to a printer driver is received from an external service or the client computer 100, the printer driver response unit 302 obtains the corresponding package from the printer driver database 310 and sends a response including the obtained package. For example, when a request for a printer driver for the printer 200 that has generated a print queue is received from the client computer 100, the printer driver response unit 302 reads the printer driver that supports the printer 200 from the printer driver database 310 and sends the read printer driver to the client computer 100. In addition, the printer driver response unit 302 receives a request for obtaining a driver extension package for extending the installed printer driver from the client computer 100. The printer driver response unit 302 reads the driver extension package corresponding to the requested printer driver from the printer driver database 310 and sends the read driver extension package to the client computer 100.

[0044] The following will be described with reference to Figure 5B the databases described are stored in the printer driver database 310. In addition to printer drivers that support various printers, the driver extension package 303 is also stored in the printer driver database 310.

[0045] The driver extension package 303 is an example of a package to be distributed from the printer driver distribution service 300. The driver extension package 303 includes a driver information section 304 and a device capability information section 305. The driver information section 304 includes a hardware identifier (HWID) and a compatible ID (COID) for identifying the driver, information indicating that the corresponding package is a driver extension package, and information 303 about the version of the driver extension package. The device capability information section 305 includes device capability information and prohibited information for the corresponding printer 200. For example, the device capability information is information about the folding position and the folded portion in booklet printing, or information about mixed sheet printing for performing a job using sheets of different sizes or types.

[0046] Figure 3BIt is a block diagram showing an example of functional blocks of a print extension application distribution service 400. The application registration unit 401 and the application response unit 402 are implemented by a CPU of one or more information processing devices included in the print extension application distribution service 400 executing a program.

[0047] The print extension application distribution service 400 is a service existing on a cloud connected to the Internet, and enables print extension applications to be distributed to external services or client computers 100. The applications that can be distributed by the print extension application distribution service 400 are not limited to the print extension application 1052, and the print extension application distribution service 400 can distribute other applications.

[0048] When a registration instruction for the print extension application 1052 or other applications is received from an external service or the client computer 100, the application registration unit 401 registers the uploaded application in the application database 410.

[0049] When a request for obtaining the print extension application 1052 is received from an external service or the client computer 100, the application response unit 402 obtains the corresponding application from the application database 410 and sends the obtained application to the request source.

[0050] The application database 410 is a database in which information about print setting applications distributed by a vendor and receiving a registration request from an external service or the client computer 100 is registered. Details of the information to be registered in the application database 410 will be described below with reference to Figure 5C Describe the details of the information to be registered in the application database 410.

[0051] The print extension application 1052 according to the present exemplary embodiment includes a setting file part 10521 and an execution file unit 10522. The setting file part 10521 includes information such as an identifier for identifying the print extension application 1052 and HWID and COID for identifying compatible printers 200. The execution file unit 10522 is an execution file unit of the print extension application 1052. The execution file unit 10522 can receive a push notification from a print setting user interface (UI) or an external service and display the received push notification.

[0052] Figure 3C It is a functional block diagram of a cloud printing service 500 according to the present exemplary embodiment. Each functional block is implemented by a CPU of one or more information processing devices included in the cloud printing service 500 executing a program.

[0053] The cloud printing service 500 is a service existing on a cloud connected to the Internet and capable of providing functions related to printing. In the present exemplary embodiment, the cloud printing service 500 has the functions of a printer registration unit 501, a print queue generation unit 502, a printer list generation unit 503, a search response unit 504, and a printer database 510. In addition, the cloud printing service 500 has the functions of a print job management unit 505, a print job generation unit 506, and a print job storage area 511. Alternatively, these functions may be provided on other cloud printing services that cooperate with the cloud printing service 500.

[0054] A description will be given below of an example case where the printer 200 is registered in the cloud printing service 500 and printing is performed using the printer 200. Similar processing can also be achieved by the printer 201 or 202 that can be connected to the cloud printing service 500.

[0055] When a printer registration instruction is received from the printer 200, the printer registration unit 501 generates a print queue using the print queue generation unit 502 and registers the generated print queue in the printer database 510 in association with the printer identification information. The state of registering the print queue of the printer and the printer identification information in association with each other in this way is described as the state of registering the printer. In some cases, various attributes are added to the registered printer. For example, the various attributes include the location of the printer.

[0056] Under the control of the printer registration unit 501, the print queue generation unit 502 generates a print queue on the cloud printing service 500. If the client computer 100 issues a print instruction, the print job is registered in the print queue generated by the print queue generation unit 502.

[0057] The printer list generation unit 503 generates a list of registered printers. When the client computer 100 requests a list of printers registered in the cloud printing service 500, the printer list generation unit 503 generates a printer list.

[0058] Based on a printer search performed by the client computer 100 on the cloud printing service 500, the search response unit 504 sends a response including information related to the registered printer to the client computer 100.

[0059] The print job management unit 505 receives image data and print settings from the client computer 100 and sends the print job generated by the print job generation unit 506 to the printer 200. In addition, the print job management unit 505 stores the print job generated by the print job generation unit 506 in the print job storage area 511.

[0060] The printer database 510 is a database that stores information about printers registered in the cloud printing service 500. The items stored in the printer database 510 will be described below with reference to Figure 5A Describe the items stored in the printer database 510.

[0061] First, a process of registering the printer 200 to the cloud printing service 500 will be described.

[0062] Figure 4 is a sequence diagram showing the process of registering the printer 200 to the cloud printing service 500 according to the present exemplary embodiment. In the present exemplary embodiment, a registration request for the printer 200 is sent to the cloud printing service 500 by accessing the printer 200 from the client computer 100 and operating the printer 200.

[0063] The printer 200 supports a cloud printing function (a function of receiving a print job from a cloud printing service and printing the received print job) and a Web UI function for operating the printer 200 from the client computer 100. The WebUI function is a function of generating a UI and publishing the generated UI on the network. The client computer 100 supports a cloud printing client function (a function of sending a file to a cloud printing service), and a Web UI client (e.g., a web browser) for operating the Web UI. In addition, the cloud printing service 500 represents a cloud printing service on the Internet.

[0064] First, the user uses the Web UI client of the client computer 100 to open the Web UI of the printer 200 and selects a button for registering the printer to the cloud printing service on the Web UI. When the button is selected, in step S410, the client computer 100 sends a request for registering to the cloud printing service 500 to the printer 200.

[0065] In step S410, if the printer 200 receives a request for registering to the cloud printing service 500, then in step S411, the printer 200 sends a request for registering to the cloud printing service 500 to the cloud printing service 500. In the present exemplary embodiment, in this way, the registration request of the printer 200 is sent from the Web UI client of the client computer 100 to the cloud printing service 500. The request can be sent by operating an input device included in the printer 200 such as a panel. At this time, no request is sent from the client computer 100, and the printer 200 sends a registration request of the printer to the cloud printing service 500.

[0066] The cloud printing service registration request sent to the cloud printing service 500 in step S411 includes information about the printer 200. The information about the printer 200 includes the name of the printer 200, information (HWID) for identifying the model of the printer 200, and a COID for identifying the printer type (e.g., inkjet printer or laser printer). The information about the printer 200 also includes Internet Protocol (IP) address information and a capabilities information file for functions standardized by IPP.

[0067] If the cloud printing service 500 receives a registration request in step S411, then in step S412, the cloud printing service 500 causes the print queue generation unit 502 to generate a print queue for sending a print job to the printer 200. The printer registration unit 501 registers the information about the printer 200 and the capabilities information in the printer database 510 and generates a record of the printer 200 specified in the registration request. In addition, the print queue generation unit 502 generates a print queue. The print queue is generated using the name of the printer (device name), the HWID and COID for identifying the model of the printer, and the IP address of the printer included in the received information about the printer 200.

[0068] Next, in step S413, the cloud printing service 500 sends a download request for the driver extension package 303 to the printer driver distribution service 300. The download request is a request for receiving the driver extension package 303 that supports the printer registered in the cloud printing service 500. The cloud printing service 500 sends the download request for the driver extension package 303, the HWID, and the COID of the printer 200 to the printer driver distribution service 300.

[0069] In step S414, the printer driver distribution service 300 sends the corresponding driver extension package 303 to the cloud printing service 500 based on the received HWID and COID. The printer driver distribution service 300 identifies the driver extension package from the printer driver database 310, which is a package that has an extension flag indicating TRUE and has an HWID corresponding to the received HWID. If no driver extension package with an extension flag indicating TRUE but having an HWID corresponding to the received HWID is identified, then the printer driver distribution service 300 identifies the driver extension package that has an extension flag indicating TRUE and has a COID corresponding to the received COID. Then, the printer driver distribution service 300 sends the identified driver extension package to the cloud printing service 500. If the driver extension package can be identified only based on the HWID, then in step S413, only the HWID can be sent to the printer driver distribution service 300.

[0070] Then, in step S415, the cloud printing service 500 analyzes the device capability information section 305 of the downloaded driver extension package 303 and extends the print queue. The cloud printing service 500 obtains the capability information of the printer 200 from the device capability information section 305 of the driver extension package 303. Then, the cloud printing service 500 updates the capability information of the printer corresponding to the print queue in the printer information in the printer database 510. In step S415, the cloud printing service 500 overwrites the capability information associated with the print queue with the capability information obtained from the driver extension package. Alternatively, the cloud printing service 500 may add the capability information of the setting items not associated with the print queue in the capability information obtained from the driver extension package to the capability information corresponding to the print queue. Alternatively, the cloud printing service 500 may obtain information indicating the hardware configuration of the printer 200 from the printer 200, and determine the capability information based on the capability information included in the driver extension package and the hardware configuration information.

[0071] Through the above processing, the print queue of the printer 200 registered in the cloud printing service 500 is extended based on the vendor-unique device capability information. Then, in step S416, the information about the printer 200 is registered in the printer database 510. Through the above processing, the capability information extended by the driver extension package is registered in the printer database 510 as the capability information corresponding to the print queue.

[0072] Figure 5A An example of the printer database 510 held by the cloud printing service 500 is shown. The device name indicates the name (device name) of the printer obtained from the printer 200 at the time of registration. The HWID indicates an identifier for identifying the model of the printer 200 (model-specific identifier). The COID is identification information for identifying the category of the printer, such as information indicating whether the printer 200 is an inkjet printer or a laser printer. The IP address indicates the IP address of the connected destination printer 200. The package indicates the package name of the driver extension package 303 that will be used to extend the print queue corresponding to the printer. When the print queue is not extended, it indicates a null value (Null). In addition, in addition to these items, the vendor-specific device capability information extended by the driver extension package 303 is registered in the table in JavaScript (registered trademark) object representation (JSON) format, which is not shown in Figure 5A this. The format for storing the device capability information is not limited to the JSON format, and the device capability information may be stored in another data format. In addition, the information about the printer and the information about the users who can use the printer may be stored in association with each other in the Figure 5A table shown.

[0073] Figure 9 An example of the capability information stored in association with the print queue is shown. For example, the capability information is stored in JSON format, and each setting indicates a function. In addition, each function includes settable options in an array format.

[0074] The capability information 901 indicates the standard capability information defined by IPP. "Duplex" is a setting item regarding the duplex function, which indicates options including "Duplex" representing duplex printing and "Single-sided" representing single-sided printing as setting items. "Color" is a setting item regarding color printing, which indicates options including "Monochrome" representing monochrome printing and "Color" representing color printing. "Orientation" is a setting item regarding the orientation of the sheet to be used for printing, which indicates options including "Portrait" representing the longitudinal length direction and "Landscape" representing the lateral length direction. In the capability information provided from the printer 200 to the cloud printing service 500, these setting items and options are the standard setting items and options defined by IPP. By using the driver extension package to extend the device capability information, even the standard setting items defined by IPP described in the capability information 901 can include vendor-specific options. For example, by extending "Staple" which is a setting item related to the binding of the sheet, in addition to "Staple Top Left" representing binding at the upper left corner as a standard option, "Saddle Stitch" representing saddle stitching can also be set.

[0075] The capability information 902 is the capability information extended by the driver extension package 303, for example, the capability information regarding vendor-specific setting items. The capability information 902 includes extended setting 1 and extended setting 2 as functions, and extended option 1 and extended option 2 as options of the functions. Examples of the extended settings include settings regarding mixed sheet printing for executing a job using multiple types of sheets. If the function is the sheet mixing function, a string indicating mixed sheet printing is described in "extended setting 1". Then, for example, a string indicating an option for representing that A3 sheets and A4 sheets will be used is described in "extended option 1", and a string indicating an option for representing that B4 sheets and B5 sheets will be used is described in "extended option 2". Options that cannot be selected in the standard capability information defined by IPP can be included in the device capability information section of the driver extension package 303.

[0076] In other words, multiple definitions can be made for the extended functions. Figure 9 JSON format is shown as an example, but other data formats can be used.

[0077] Based on this information, the print extension application 1052 generates Figure 8B the shown print setting screen.

[0078] Refer again to Figure 4 Figure 4 , if the registration in the printer database 510 is completed, then in step S417, the cloud printing service 500 sends a cloud printing service registration request response including a registration URL for cloud printing registration and a registration URL presentation request to the printer 200.

[0079] In step S418, the printer 200 receives the cloud printing service registration request response and the registration URL presentation request, and outputs the registration URL information. In step S418, the printer 200 notifies the user of the registration URL by displaying the registration URL on the monitor 110 or printing a sheet describing the registration URL information. In addition, the printer 200 can notify the registration URL to the client computer 100 via the Web UI.

[0080] In step S419, the user accesses the cloud printing service 500 identified by the registration URL presented by the printer 200. At this time, since the user needs to log in to the cloud account that can access the cloud printing service 500, the user needs to input the user ID and password.

[0081] Based on the cloud account and the registration URL including the printer information, the cloud printing service 500 associates the user and the printer 200 with each other. As an association method, for example, there is a method of associating the printer information and the user token with each other. However, the association method is not limited to this method. Then, in step S420, the cloud printing service 500 sends a user token including information about the cloud printing service 500 to the printer 200, and ends the registration process of the printer 200 to the cloud printing service 500. Then, the printer 200 uses the user token to access the cloud printing service 500.

[0082] Now will describe the printer driver database 310 referred to in Figure 4 step S413 of Figure 5BShows an example of the printer driver database 310 maintained by the printer driver distribution service 300. The package name indicates the name of the package obtained from the driver information section 304 at the time of registration. The HWID indicates identification information (model-specific identification information) for identifying the model of the printer 200. The COID is identification information for identifying the category of the printer using the corresponding driver. The package indicates the name of the package including the driver extension package 303. The package can be information such as a file path, as long as the driver or driver extension package corresponding to the record can be identified based on this information. The extension indicates whether the driver extension package 303 is an extension file. If the extension indicates "FALSE", the corresponding package is not an extension package but a printer driver. On the other hand, if the extension indicates "TRUE", the corresponding package is not a printer driver but a package for extending the driver. The application identifier is identification information for identifying the application to be used when using the ability information stored in the corresponding driver extension package to extend the print settings screen. In the present exemplary embodiment, only the driver extension package includes the application identifier, but the printer driver can also include the application identifier.

[0083] When registering a package in the printer driver database 310, the printer driver registration unit 301 analyzes the driver information section 304. The printer driver registration unit 301 obtains the package name, HWID, COID, and information indicating whether the corresponding package is a driver extension package, and registers the obtained information together with the driver extension package 303 in the printer driver database 310.

[0084] Next, a description will be given of the application database 410 that will be referred to in step S617 described below. Figure 6 The description of the application database 410 that will be referred to in step S617 described below will be given. Figure 5C Shows an example of the application database 410 maintained by the print extension application distribution service 400. The application name is the name of the application registered in the database including the print extension program application 1052. The application identifier is information for identifying the application including the print extension application 1052. The application package is the file path in which the application including the print extension application 1052 is stored. The application package can be the name of the folder in which the application is stored, as long as the package of the registered print extension application can be identified based on this information.

[0085] The application registration unit 401 analyzes the settings file section 10521 and obtains the application name and the application identifier. The application registration unit 401 registers the above information together with the print extension application 1052 in the application database 410.

[0086] Next, reference will be made to Figure 6Describe the processing executed when generating a print queue for a printer 200 registered in a cloud printing service 500 on a client computer 100 and installing a print extension application.

[0087] Figure 6 It is a sequence diagram showing the sequence of the process of installing a print extension application 1052 onto a client computer 100 according to the present exemplary embodiment.

[0088] When the client computer 100 outputs print data to the printer 200 using cloud printing, the client computer 100 sends a print job to the cloud printing service 500. Accordingly, a print queue for sending the print job to the cloud printing service 500 will be generated on the client computer 100.

[0089] In the present exemplary embodiment, the printer search function included in the OS 1053 is used as a standard function to generate a print queue for printers registered in the cloud printing service 500. Generally, when performing a printer search, printers located on the same intranet become the search targets. For example, in Figure 2 if the client computer 100 performs a printer search, the client computer 100 can discover the printer 200, but cannot discover printers 201 and 202 existing on another intranet. In the present exemplary embodiment, the client computer 100 can access the cloud printing service 500. When a printer is registered in the cloud printing service 500, the printers registered in the cloud printing service 500 can be discovered through a printer search. In the present exemplary embodiment, in addition to the above-mentioned printer 200, printers 201 and 202 are also registered in the cloud printing service 500, and these printers can also be discovered using the printer search function of the OS 1053.

[0090] In step S610, the client computer 100 performs a printer search, which is the above-mentioned standard function of the OS 1053. In step S610, in addition to printers existing on the same intranet as the client computer 100, the client computer 100 also searches for printers registered in the cloud printing service 500. The client computer 100 accesses the cloud printing service 500 and sends a list request for printer information registered on the cloud printing service 500.

[0091] If information about printer search is received, the search response unit 504 of the cloud printing service 500 presents available printers to the client computer 100. To present available printers, in step S611, the cloud printing service 500 generates a printer list including printer information available to the user who is accessing the cloud printing service 500 from the client computer 100. The printer information includes the name of the printer (device name), the HWID for identifying the printer model, and the IP address of the printer as described above. The printer list generation unit 503 of the cloud printing service 500 generates a printer list including the printer information using the information stored in the printer database 510.

[0092] In step S612, the cloud printing service 500 returns the generated printer list to the client computer 100. At this time, information such as HWID and COID used as printer identification information described in Figure 5A is also included in the printer information of the sent printer list. Based on the printer list, the client computer 100 displays a selection screen of printers available to the user on the monitor 110. The user selects the printer that they expect to use from the presented printer list.

[0093] In step S613, the OS 1053 of the client computer 100 installs the cloud driver 1050 to be used in the cloud printing service 500 and generates a print queue for the selected printer. The client computer 100 obtains information about the printer selected by the user from the cloud printing service 500 and generates a print queue using the obtained information. The client computer 100 generates a print queue based on the HWID, COID, IP address, and printer capability information that has been obtained from the cloud printing service 500. If the cloud driver 1050 has already been installed on the client computer 100, the client computer 100 does not install the cloud driver 1050. The client computer 100 uses the information about the printer obtained from the cloud printing service 500 to generate a print queue.

[0094] In addition, if the OS 1053 of the client computer 100 has successfully generated a print queue, in step S614, the OS 1053 sends a download request for the driver extension package 303 to the printer driver distribution service 300. The client computer 100 sends the HWID, COID, and a request for obtaining the driver extension package to the cloud printing service 500. The client computer 100 may send the HWID or COID to the cloud printing service 500.

[0095] If the printer driver distribution service 300 receives a download request, then in step S615, the printer driver distribution service 300 performs a download process on the client computer 100. The printer driver distribution service 300 identifies a package having an HWID corresponding to the received HWID from the driver extension packages registered in the printer driver database 310, and sends the identified package to the client computer 100. If the driver extension package does not include a package having an HWID corresponding to the received HWID, the printer driver distribution service 300 identifies a driver extension package having a COID corresponding to the received COID. Then, the printer driver distribution service 300 sends the identified driver extension package to the client computer 100.

[0096] In step S616, the OS 1053 of the client computer 100 installs the driver extension package 303 and extends the capability information of the above-described print queue generated based on the cloud driver 1050. The client computer 100 updates the capability information corresponding to the print queue with the device capability information of the driver extension package. In other words, the client computer 100 uses vendor-specific device capabilities to extend the print queue of the printer 200 registered in the cloud printing service 500. If the printer capability information has not been obtained from the cloud printing service 500, the print queue is extended by associating with the print queue capability information included in the driver extension package. If the capability information has been obtained from the cloud printing service 500, the print queue is extended by overwriting the capability information obtained from the cloud printing service 500 with the capability information included in the driver extension package. Additionally, if the capability information has been obtained from the cloud printing service 500, the print queue can be extended by adding capability information that is included in the driver extension package and not included in the capability information obtained from the cloud printing service 500. Further, based on the above-described capability information and the hardware configuration information of the printer, functions executable by the printer can be registered in the print queue as capability information.

[0097] Next, in step S617, the client computer 100 sends a download request to the print extension application distribution service 400. At this time, based on the above-described identifier information of the print extension application 1052, the OS 1053 issues a download request for the print extension application 1052 associated with the target printer. In the present exemplary embodiment, in the print extension application distribution service 400, the identifier information of the print extension application 1052 of the driver extension package 303 and the print extension application 1052 are associated with each other one-to-one.

[0098] In addition, in the print extension application distribution service 400, metadata that describes information related to the association between the identifier information of the print extension application 1052 and the HWID included in the printer information can be stored. In this case, a structure that uses the metadata to download the appropriate print extension application 1052 is adopted.

[0099] If the print extension application distribution service 400 receives a download request, then in step S618, the print extension application distribution service 400 performs a download process on the client computer 100. The application response unit 402 identifies the application corresponding to the application identifier notified from the client computer 100 from the application database 410. The application response unit 402 sends the identified print extension application to the client computer 100. In step S619, the client computer 100 installs the print extension application 1052.

[0100] After the installation, in the client computer 100, the print extension application 1052 and the printer 200 are associated with each other one-to-one. Therefore, since the print queue on the client computer 100 includes the model information and print setting information of the printer 200, an appropriate print setting UI can be presented to the user. Alternatively, the print extension application 1052 can communicate with the cloud printing service 500, obtain the target model information and print setting information, and can use this information to provide the UI. If the installation of the print extension application 1052 is completed, the user can use detailed print setting changes.

[0101] In the present exemplary embodiment, after generating a print queue on the client computer 100, the client computer 100 accesses the printer driver distribution service 300 and obtains a driver extension package. The client computer 100 can obtain information about the extended print queue from the cloud printing service 500 without extending the print queue on the client computer 100. In this case, the client computer 100 omits the processing in steps S614 to S616. Alternatively, after the client computer 100 obtains information about the extended print queue from the cloud printing service 500, the client computer 100 can perform the processing in steps S614 to S616.

[0102] Next, a description will be given of the case where the user operates the client computer 100 and performs printing via the cloud printing service 500.

[0103] If the user uses cloud printing, the user issues a print instruction from the application 1051 of the client computer 100. As a specific example, the user selects the "Print" button from the file menu of the application 1051. According to the print instruction from the user, the application 1051 issues a display to the OS 1053 Figure 8AInstructions for the print common dialog box (print settings screen provided by the OS) shown. When the instruction is received from the application 1051, the OS 1053 displays the print common dialog box. On the print common dialog box displayed by the OS 1053, a list of printers for which a print queue has been generated on the client computer 100 can be presented, and the pages to be printed can be specified, as well as the number of copies can be set. In the area 801, the name of the print queue generated on the client computer 100 is displayed. In the area 801, in addition to the print queues of printers connected to the client computer 100 via the intranet, the print queues of printers available for printing via the cloud printing service 500 are also displayed. On the print common dialog box, the user can only perform page specification and number of copies setting that can be set regardless of which printer is used.

[0104] To perform print settings that the user cannot perform on the print common dialog box, the user selects the print queue of the printer desired for output on the print common dialog box and selects the detailed settings button (object) 800 displayed on the same screen. If the user selects the "Detailed Settings" button, the installed print extension application 1052 is launched and Figure 8B the print settings screen shown is displayed. On the print settings screen provided by the print extension application 1052, print settings that cannot be performed on the print common dialog box can be performed, such as settings for image processing related to density and color impression, whether to print a stamp, and settings for punching or binding positions.

[0105] Now, reference will be made to Figure 8B describe the print settings screen provided by the print extension application 1052.

[0106] If the user selects the detailed settings button 800 on the print common dialog box, the print extension application 1052 acquires the capability information associated with the print queue generated on the client computer 100 via the cloud printing service 500.

[0107] Based on the acquired capability information, the execution file unit 10522 generates Figure 8B the print settings screen shown. The part 803 is the print settings part. In the part 803, based on the capability information of the print queue, the print settings can be changed. The setting 804 is the extended settings part and is an operation part generated based on the capability information extended by the driver extension package 303. The area 805 is an area for switching the displayed screen and changing the items to be set. The button 806 is the OK button. By pressing the button 806, the setting information is determined and the determined setting information is transmitted to the OS 1053.

[0108] If the user selects the "Print" button 802 on the print common dialog box, the image data, the print settings set on the print common dialog box, and the print settings set through the print extension application are sent to the print queue. If the print queue set in the area 801 is the print queue of a printer registered in the cloud printing service 500, the client computer 100 sends the image data and the print settings to the corresponding print queue of the cloud printing service 500.

[0109] Next, the processing executed when the user performs printing by operating the printer will be described. If the user logs in to the printer 200, the printer 200 sends a request for acquiring bibliographic information of a print job registered in the print queue of the cloud printing service 500. The bibliographic information to be acquired here is information necessary for displaying the UI of the printer 200, such as the file name of the image data, the number of copies to be printed, the color mode, and the generation date and time of the print job.

[0110] The cloud printing service 500 generates a printable job list based on the bibliographic information of the print jobs stored in the print queue. Then, the cloud printing service 500 sends the generated printable job list to the printer 200. If the printer 200 receives the printable job list sent by the cloud printing service 500, the printer 200 displays the printable job list on the operation panel. Figure 7 An example of the operation panel for displaying the printable job list received from the cloud printing service 500 is shown. The user selects a desired print job on the operation panel and issues a print instruction by pressing the print button ("Print" 700). If the printer 200 receives a print execution instruction, the printer 200 sends a request for acquiring the print job to the cloud printing service 500. The acquisition request includes the ID of the print job to be acquired, that is, the print job ID. The print job corresponding to the received print job ID is sent to the printer 200 by the cloud printing service 500 to perform printing.

[0111] Figure 10 is a flowchart of the processing executed by the cloud printing service 500 according to this exemplary embodiment when the cloud printing service 500 receives a request for acquiring a print job from the printer 200. Unless otherwise specifically stated, this processing is executed by each processing unit of the cloud printing service 500. First, in step S1000, the print job output processing is started. Next, in step S1001, the print job management unit 505 receives a print job acquisition request (including the print job ID of the print job to be output) from the printer 200.

[0112] If the print job management unit 505 receives a request, the print job management unit 505 identifies the specified print job from the print job storage area 511. The print job management unit 505 transfers the identified print job to the print job generation unit 506. In step S1002, the print job generation unit 506 generates a print job suitable for the output destination printer 200 based on the transferred print job.

[0113] In step S1003, the print job management unit 505 obtains the generated print job from the print job generation unit 506 and sends the print job to the printer 200 that has sent the print request. Then, in step S1004, the print job output process ends.

[0114] In the present exemplary embodiment, the printer 200 obtains a print job selected by the user by operating the printer 200 from the cloud printing service 500. The printer 200 may periodically access the cloud printing service 500 and obtain a print job managed in association with the print queue of the printer 200 from the cloud printing service 500.

[0115] Details of the registration process of the printer to the cloud printing service, which is a characteristic operation in the present exemplary embodiment, will be described. Figure 12 is a flowchart showing the process of registering the printer 200 to the cloud printing service 500 and extending the print queue through the cloud printing service 500. Figure 12 The process shown in is implemented by a CPU of one or more information processing devices included in the cloud printing service 500 executing a program.

[0116] In step S1201, the printer registration unit 501 determines whether a registration request has been received from the printer 200. If a registration request has been received from the printer 200 (Yes in step S1201), the printer registration unit 501 advances the process to step S1202. On the other hand, if a registration request has not been received from the printer 200 (No in step S1201), the printer registration unit 501 continues the process in step S1201.

[0117] In step S1202, the printer registration unit 501 obtains meta information and device capability information from the printer 200, and registers the obtained meta information in the printer database 510. The meta information includes the HWID and COID of the printer 200. In addition, the meta information obtained from the printer 200 includes the version of the file of the device capability information provided by the printer 200. The device capability information obtained from the printer 200 is information such as information indicating whether double-sided printing can be performed, whether monochrome printing or color printing can be performed, and information about the orientation of the sheet to be used for printing, and is IPP-standardized capability information. The printer registration unit 501 registers the obtained meta information and device capability information in the printer database 510. In addition, in step S1202, the cloud printing service 500 can receive the hardware configuration of the printer 200 from the printer 200.

[0118] In step S1203, the print queue generation unit 502 obtains meta information and device capability information from the printer registration unit 501, and generates a print queue for the printer 200.

[0119] In step S1204, the printer registration unit 501 sends a request for obtaining a driver extension package to the printer driver distribution service 300. The printer registration unit 501 sends the HWID and COID included in the meta information obtained from the printer 200 together with the request for obtaining the driver extension package. In the present exemplary embodiment, both the HWID and COID are sent to the printer driver distribution service 300, but one of the HWID and COID may be sent to the printer driver distribution service 300.

[0120] In step S1205, the printer registration unit 501 determines whether the driver extension package has been obtained from the printer driver distribution service 300. For example, if the cloud printing service 500 receives a response from the printer driver distribution service 300 indicating that the corresponding driver extension package does not exist, the printer registration unit 501 determines that the driver extension package has not been obtained. Alternatively, if the driver extension package has not been obtained even after a predetermined time has elapsed since the request for obtaining the driver extension package was sent, the printer registration unit 501 may determine that the driver extension package has not been obtained. If the printer registration unit 501 has not obtained the driver extension package (No in step S1205), the printer registration unit 501 ends Figure 12 the flowchart shown.

[0121] If the printer registration unit 501 has obtained the driver extension package (Yes in step S1205), the printer registration unit 501 advances the process to step S1206.

[0122] In step S1206, the printer registration unit 501 determines whether the device capability information file included in the driver extension package obtained from the printer driver distribution service 300 is newer than the device capability information file obtained from the printer 200. The printer registration unit 501 compares the version of the device capability information file obtained from the printer driver distribution service 300 with the version of the device capability information file obtained from the printer 200. If the device capability information file obtained from the printer driver distribution service 300 is a file that is newer than the device capability information file obtained from the printer 200 ("Yes" in step S1206), the printer registration unit 501 advances the process to step S1207. In step S1207, it can be determined whether the device capability information file obtained from the printer driver distribution service 300 is newer than the device capability information file obtained from the printer 200 based on items other than the version of the file. For example, the generation date of the device capability information file obtained from the printer 200 and the generation date of the device capability information file obtained from the printer driver distribution service 300 can be compared. If the device capability information file obtained from the printer driver distribution service 300 is not a file that is newer than the device capability information file obtained from the printer 200 ("No" in step S1206), the printer registration unit 501 ends Figure 12 the flowchart shown.

[0123] In step S1207, the printer registration unit 501 updates the device capability information file registered in the printer database 510 with the device capability information file obtained from the printer driver distribution service 300. In addition, the printer registration unit 501 sends the device capability information to the print queue generation unit 502 and updates the device capability information corresponding to the print queue. The printer registration unit 501 overwrites the device capability information in the printer database 510 with the device capability information included in the driver extension package. Additionally, the printer registration unit 501 can add items in the capability information included in the driver extension package that are not included in the device capability information obtained from the printer to the device capability information. The print queue generation unit 502 can also overwrite the device capability information associated with the print queue with the capability information included in the driver extension package, or add capability information that is not included in the capability information obtained from the device. Additionally, if the hardware configuration of the printer 200 has been received in step S1202, the printer database 510 can be updated by using functions that are considered executable by the printer 200 in consideration of this hardware configuration as the capability information.

[0124] By executing Figure 12In the processing shown below, among the output of the capability information obtained from the printer and the output of the capability information included in the driver extension package, the newer capability information can be registered in the cloud printing service 500. In Figure 12 from the output of the device capability information obtained from the printer 200 and the output of the capability information obtained from the printer driver distribution service 300, the newer capability information is registered in the cloud printing service 500. Alternatively, the capability information included in the driver extension package obtained from the printer driver distribution service 300 can always be registered in the cloud printing service 500.

[0125] A description of the processing to be performed in the case where the driver extension package 303 registered in the printer driver database 310 of the printer driver distribution service 300 is updated will now be given. Figure 11 is a sequence diagram showing the sequence of processing executed when the driver extension package registered in the printer driver distribution service 300 is updated.

[0126] The driver extension package 303 is updated by the vendor-distributed driver extension package registered in the printer driver database 310 by the printer driver registration unit 301 of the printer driver distribution service 300. If the driver extension package 303 registered in the printer driver distribution service 300 is updated, it is desirable that the driver extension package corresponding to the print queue registered in the cloud printing service 500 is also updated. Therefore, the driver extension package registered in the cloud printing service 500 is updated by performing the following processing.

[0127] In step S1101, the client computer 100 accesses the cloud printing service 500 and sends a login request to the cloud printing service 500. The user accesses the cloud printing service 500 and inputs a user ID and password to log in to the cloud printing service 500. Based on the input user ID and password, the cloud printing service 500 performs user authentication.

[0128] If the user authentication is successful, then in step S1102, the cloud printing service 500 sends a request to the printer driver distribution service 300 to obtain driver extension package information regarding the printer information associated with the user. The cloud printing service 500 sends the HWID and COID of the printer associated with the user who has logged in to the printer driver distribution service 300. In step S1102, the cloud printing service 500 can send either the HWID or the COID.

[0129] In step S1103, the printer driver distribution service 300 sends the package information of the driver extension package associated with the HWID received from the cloud printing service 500 to the cloud printing service 500. The printer driver distribution service 300 sends the package information of the driver extension package stored in the printer driver database 310. The package information sent in this step includes the version information of the driver extension package and the latest update date and time information.

[0130] The cloud printing service 500 compares the received package information of the driver extension package with the driver extension package information stored in association with the print queue and determines whether the driver extension package needs to be updated. For example, the cloud printing service 500 compares the version information of the driver extension package registered in the printer database 510 with the version information of the driver extension package received from the printer driver distribution service 300. If the version of the driver extension package received from the printer driver distribution service 300 has a value indicating a newer version, the process proceeds to step S1104 described below. The cloud printing service 500 can compare the update date and time of the driver extension package received from the printer driver distribution service 300 with the update date and time of the driver extension package stored in the printer database 510. If the update date and time of the driver extension package received from the printer driver distribution service 300 is a later date and time, the cloud printing service 500 causes the process to proceed to step S1104. If the driver extension package installed on the cloud printing service 500 is the latest package, the processing in step S1104 and subsequent steps is not performed, and Figure 11 the sequence shown ends.

[0131] In step S1104, the cloud printing service 500 causes the client computer 100 to display a screen for asking the user whether to update the driver extension package that needs to be updated. In step S1104, for example, a list of information about the printers for which the driver extension package needs to be updated is displayed, and the user is allowed to select the printers for which the driver extension package is to be updated.

[0132] If the user issues a request to update the driver extension package, in step S1105, the client computer 100 sends a request to update the driver extension package of the printer selected by the user to the cloud printing service 500.

[0133] In step S1106, the cloud printing service 500 sends a request for obtaining a driver extension package to the printer driver distribution service 300. In step S1106, the cloud printing service 500 sends the HWID and COID of the printer for which the user has issued an update instruction to the printer driver distribution service 300. In step S1106, the cloud printing service 500 may send only either the HWID or the COID to the printer driver distribution service 300.

[0134] In step S1107, the printer driver distribution service 300 sends the driver extension package identified based on the received HWID to the cloud printing service 500. The cloud printing service 500 uses the received driver extension package to update the driver extension package prestored in association with the printer information. In this way, the driver extension package registered in the cloud printing service 500 can be updated to the latest driver extension package registered in the printer driver distribution service 300. In the above example, the driver extension package is updated in response to the update instruction issued by the user. If the driver extension package distributed by the printer driver distribution service 300 is updated, a new driver extension package can be installed on the cloud printing service 500 without asking the user.

[0135] In step S1108, the cloud printing service 500 also installs the updated driver extension package on the client computer 100. The client computer 100 obtains the updated driver extension package from the cloud printing service 500 and updates the information related to the driver extension package stored in the client computer 100.

[0136] In Figure 11 In step S1102 when the user logs in to the cloud printing service 500, a request for obtaining the driver extension package information registered in the printer driver distribution service 300 is sent. The cloud printing service 500 may send a request for obtaining the driver extension package information to the printer driver distribution service 300 at each predetermined time or at a determined date and time.

[0137] In addition, in Figure 11 In step S1102, the processing is executed at the timing when the user logs in to the cloud printing service 500. If the user who has logged in to the cloud printing service 500 has the permission to manage the printer information in the cloud printing service 500, the processing of step S1102 and subsequent steps can be executed.

[0138] By executing the above processing, the capability information of the printers registered in the cloud printing service 500 can be extended using the capability information provided by another server system different from the cloud printing service 500.

[0139] Other embodiments

[0140] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention can also be implemented by performing the following processes. Specifically, the processes are to provide software (program) for implementing the functions of the above exemplary embodiments to a system or device via a network or various storage media, and to provide a process in which a computer (or a CPU or a microprocessing unit) of the system or device reads the program code and executes the program code. In this case, the computer program and the storage medium storing the computer program are included in the present invention.

[0141] Capability information not provided by a printing device registered in a server system according to an exemplary embodiment can be registered in the server system.

[0142] Other embodiments

[0143] Embodiments of the present invention can also be implemented by the following method, that is, to provide software (program) for implementing the functions of the above embodiments to a system or device via a network or various storage media, and a method in which a computer or a central processing unit (CPU) or a microprocessing unit (MPU) of the system or device reads and executes the program.

[0144] Although the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims should be given the broadest interpretation so as to cover all such variations and equivalent structures and functions.

Claims

1. A server system, comprising: a first receiving unit for receiving, from a printing device operated by a user, a registration request for identification information about the printing device and first capability information indicating a standardized function of the printing device; A sending unit, used for sending the acquired identification information of the printing device to different server systems; a second receiving unit configured to receive, from a different server system, second capability information indicating an extended function of the printing device, which is identified by the different server system based on the sent identification information; and A different sending unit is used to send capability information including the first capability information and the second capability information to the information processing device, wherein the sent capability information is used to display a print setting screen for user operation.

2. The server system according to claim 1, wherein, The second capability information received from the different server system includes information not included in the first capability information.

3. The server system according to claim 1 further comprises: a storage unit, configured to store the identification information and the first capability information in association with each other, The storage unit updates the first capability information using the second capability information received from different server systems.

4. The server system according to claim 1, wherein, The identification information is information for identifying the model of the printing device.

5. The server system according to claim 1, wherein, The identification information is information for identifying the type of the printing apparatus.

6. The server system according to claim 1, further comprising: a third receiving unit, configured to receive a request for obtaining information about a registered printing device from an information processing device; The different sending unit is used to send the capability information to the information processing device based on the acquisition request received by the third receiving unit.

7. The server system according to claim 6, wherein, The third receiving unit receives information indicating a printing device selected by a user from among registered printing devices from the information processing device, and Among them, different sending units send the capability information selected by the user to the information processing device.

8. The server system according to claim 1, wherein, The different server systems store a first package including a driver of the printing device and a second package including second capability information not included in the driver.

9. The server system according to claim 8, wherein, The sending unit sends a request for acquiring the second packet based on the identification information to a different server system.

10. An information processing device capable of communicating with the server system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, the information processing device comprising: An acquisition unit, configured to acquire, through the server system, a program package of the extended function of the printing device from a different server system; as well as A display unit is configured to display a print setting screen for user operation based on the capability information including the first capability information and the second capability information received from the server system.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein, The identification information is information for identifying the model of the printing device.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein, The identification information is information for identifying the type of the printing device.

Images