Cross-system printing control method

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention discloses a cross-system printing control method. The method comprises the steps that a server receives printing information sent by any web end, and the printing information is stored in a database; the processor periodically sends a printing information acquisition request to the server and receives target printing information returned by the server from the database; and the processor determines a target printer according to a target printer operation code corresponding to the target printing information, obtains a support format of the target printer, converts a data format of the to-be-printed data based on the support format, and sends a printing instruction to the target printer based on the to-be-printed data in the support format. According to the embodiment of the invention, separation of the printing content and the printing operation can be realized, so that the printing operation of a user is not limited by a network, an operating system and a printer brand, and printing can be carried out only by sending the to-be-printed data in a standard format and the printing operation code to the server through a web end under any network and any operating system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] One or more embodiments of the present specification relate to data processing technology, and more particularly, to a cross-system printing control method. Background Art

[0002] Printers are of different types, such as barcode printers and laser printers, and the connection drivers have different calling methods of print drivers, such as exe, dll, and windows. Currently, the printer needs to be connected to the device through a local area network and debugged according to the printer brand model before it can be used. This method requires the device and the printer to be in the same local area network, and the print content and print operation cannot be separated, and the printing cannot be directly operated through the web terminal, so it is not compatible with PC, Android, Windows, Linux, iOS and other systems at the same time. Because the web program cannot debug and connect one by one according to the printer brand, it cannot control multiple printers at the same time. Summary of the invention

[0003] In order to solve the above problems, one or more embodiments of this specification describe a cross-system printing control method.

[0004] According to a first aspect, a cross-system printing control method is provided, which is applied to a cross-system printing control system, wherein the system includes a server for interacting with a web terminal, a processor for directly controlling printing of a printer, and a printer, wherein the processor is respectively connected to the server and the printer for communication, and the method includes: The server receives printing information sent by any web terminal and stores the printing information in a database, wherein the printing information includes data to be printed in a standard format and a printer operation code; The processor periodically sends a print information acquisition request to the server, and receives target print information returned by the server from the database, wherein the target print information is determined based on the printer operation code corresponding to the processor; The processor determines the target printer according to the target printer operation code corresponding to the target printing information, obtains the supported format of the target printer, converts the data format of the to-be-printed data based on the supported format, and sends a print instruction to the target printer based on the to-be-printed data in the supported format.

[0005] Preferably, before the processor periodically sends a print information acquisition request to the server, it also includes: The processor obtains a unique code of a printer connected to the processor, generates an operation code acquisition request based on the unique code, and sends the operation code acquisition request to the server; The server receives the operation code acquisition request, generates a printer operation code based on the unique code, and sends the printer operation code to the processor.

[0006] Preferably, the server receives the operation code acquisition request, generates a printer operation code based on the unique code, and sends the printer operation code to the processor, including: The server receives the operation code acquisition request and determines whether the unique code has been received; When the unique code has been received, querying the printer operation code corresponding to the unique code, and sending the printer operation code to the processor; When the unique code has not been received, a new printer operation code is created for the unique code, and the printer operation code is sent to the processor, and the newly created printer operation code is not repeated with the already created printer operation codes.

[0007] Preferably, the processor periodically sends a print information acquisition request to the server and receives the target print information returned by the server from the database, including: The processor periodically sends a print information acquisition request to the server; After receiving the print information acquisition request, the server searches the database for target print information that matches at least one printer operation code corresponding to the processor, and sends the target print information to the processor; The processor receives the target printing information sent by the server.

[0008] Preferably, the method further comprises: When the processor detects an operation code display request, the printer operation code of the printer is displayed on a display interface of the printer corresponding to the operation code display request.

[0009] Preferably, the method further comprises: The server receives the cooperative printing information sent by any web terminal, determines the target number of cooperation for the cooperative printing information, stores the cooperative printing information in a database, and disables the permission to obtain the cooperative printing information; The server merges the cooperative printing information with the same printer operation code in the database, and opens the access right to the cooperative printing information after the merged number reaches the target cooperative number.

[0010] Preferably, the server merges the cooperative printing information with the same printer operation code in the database, including: The server determines the layer priorities of each of the cooperative printing information having the same printer operation code in the database, and merges each of the cooperative printing information according to the layer priorities.

[0011] Preferably, the method further comprises: The server receives the approval printing information sent by any web terminal, stores the approval printing information in a database, determines the approval terminal corresponding to the approval printing information, and disables the permission to obtain the approval printing information; A web access link for the approval printing information is generated, and SMS reminder information is generated according to the web access link, and the SMS reminder information is sent to the approval terminal.

[0012] Preferably, after sending the SMS reminder information to the approval terminal, the method further includes: The modification data sent by the approval terminal is received, the to-be-printed data corresponding to the approval printing information in the database is overwritten based on the modification data, and the access authority to the approval printing information is opened.

[0013] Preferably, after sending the SMS reminder information to the approval terminal, the method further includes: When no modification data sent by the approval terminal is detected within a preset time period, the permission to obtain the approval printing information is released.

[0014] The method provided in the embodiments of this specification has the following beneficial effects: 1. After the user sends printing information to the server through any web terminal, the processor obtains the corresponding printing information from the server's database, and after determining the printer according to the printer operation code, converts the data to be printed into a format that the printer can recognize, controls the printer to perform the printing operation, and realizes the separation of the printing content and the printing operation, so that the user's printing operation is not restricted by the network, operating system and printer brand. Under any network and any operating system, it only needs to send the data to be printed in a standard format and the printer operation code to the server through the web terminal to print.

[0015] 2. Since the processor actively establishes a connection with the server, there is no need for a local fixed IP, which reduces the cost of fixed IP. And since each printer is set with a unique printer operation code, even if the installation location of the printer device changes, printing can be done without any debugging.

[0016] 3. By sending printing information to the server through the web terminal, and then the processor requests the server to obtain the printing information, it is possible to control the printing of multiple printers of different brands at the same time. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the drawings required for use in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0018] Figure 1 It is a flowchart of a cross-system printing control method in one embodiment of this specification.

[0019] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a cross-system printing control system in one embodiment of this specification. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application.

[0021] In the following introduction, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance. The following introduction provides multiple embodiments of the present application, and different embodiments can be replaced or combined, so the present application can also be considered to include all possible combinations of the same and / or different embodiments recorded. Therefore, if one embodiment includes features A, B, and C, and another embodiment includes features B and D, then the present application should also be considered to include embodiments containing one or more of all other possible combinations of A, B, C, and D, although the embodiment may not be clearly recorded in the following text.

[0022] The following description provides examples and does not limit the scope, applicability or examples set forth in the claims. Changes may be made to the functions and arrangements of the elements described without departing from the scope of the present application. Various processes or components may be appropriately omitted, substituted or added to each example. For example, the described method may be performed in an order different from the order described, and various steps may be added, omitted or combined. In addition, features described in some examples may be combined in other examples.

[0023] See also Figure 1 , Figure 1 It is a flow chart of a cross-system printing control method provided in an embodiment of the present application. In an embodiment of the present application, the method is applied to a cross-system printing control system, the system includes a server for interacting with a web terminal, a processor for directly controlling printing of a printer, and a printer, the processor being respectively connected to the server and the printer in communication.

[0024] The architecture of the cross-system print control system can be as follows Figure 2As shown, the system includes a server 10, a processor 20 and a printer 30. A user can send printing information to the server 10 through any web terminal 40. The server stores the printing information in a database. After receiving the acquisition instruction from the processor 20, the target printing information corresponding to the printer operation code matching the processor 20 is sent to the processor 20. Finally, the processor 20 controls the printer 30 to print according to the target printing information. Among them, the processor 20 can be directly set in the printer 30, that is, the processor 20 can be directly the processor of the printer 30, or it can be a processor of a specific terminal device connected to the printer 30 through a local area network. In the latter case, the processor 20 can be connected to multiple printers 30 in the local area network at the same time according to special debugging, and then control the printing process of each printer 30 according to the printer operation code of each printer 30.

[0025] In an embodiment of the present application, the method includes: S101. The server receives printing information sent by any web terminal and stores the printing information in a database.

[0026] The printing information includes the data to be printed and the printer operation code in a standard format.

[0027] In the embodiments of this specification, the user can open the browser through a mobile phone, computer, tablet, etc., and then upload the print information to the server through the web terminal. A special database is set in the server to store the print information, and the database can be redis. Since the process is implemented by the interaction between the web terminal and the server, it does not involve a specific printer, so the format of the data to be printed does not need to consider the format compatible with the printer, but can directly use a universal standard format for data transmission. In addition to the data to be printed, the print information also includes a printer operation code to characterize which specific printer is needed for printing. Since the web terminal only needs to send the corresponding information to the server, and the server is responsible for completing the subsequent print control process, the web terminal does not need to be in the same local area network or even the Internet as the printer, so that the user can control the corresponding printer to print at any time as long as he can open the browser.

[0028] S102: The processor periodically sends a print information acquisition request to the server, and receives target print information returned by the server from the database.

[0029] The target printing information is determined based on a printer operation code corresponding to the processor.

[0030] In the embodiments of this specification, the processor will periodically send a print information acquisition request to the server. In order to ensure printing efficiency, the time interval for sending the request is generally not too long. The processor can be responsible for connecting to one or more printers at the same time, and the printers connected to different processors are different. Therefore, the print information acquisition request sent by each processor will contain the printer operation code corresponding to the processor. Based on the request, the server will query in the database whether there is print information matching the printer operation code corresponding to the processor, and return the print information as the target print information to the processor. Among them, since the request is actively initiated by the processor to the server, the local IP address of the processor can be not fixed, saving the cost of local fixed IP.

[0031] In one possible implementation, before the processor periodically sends a print information acquisition request to the server, the process further includes: The processor obtains a unique code of a printer connected to the processor, generates an operation code acquisition request based on the unique code, and sends the operation code acquisition request to the server; The server receives the operation code acquisition request, generates a printer operation code based on the unique code, and sends the printer operation code to the processor.

[0032] In the embodiment of this specification, each printer has a unique code. The processor obtains the unique code of the printer connected to it, generates an operation code acquisition request based on the unique code and sends it to the server for operation code registration. The server generates and allocates a unique printer operation code for the unique code based on the obtained request content, associates the printer operation code with the address of the processor, and sends the printer operation code to the processor.

[0033] In one possible implementation, the server receives the operation code acquisition request, generates a printer operation code based on the unique code, and sends the printer operation code to the processor, including: The server receives the operation code acquisition request and determines whether the unique code has been received; When the unique code has been received, querying the printer operation code corresponding to the unique code, and sending the printer operation code to the processor; When the unique code has not been received, a new printer operation code is created for the unique code, and the printer operation code is sent to the processor, and the newly created printer operation code is not repeated with the already created printer operation codes.

[0034] In the embodiments of this specification, the operation code acquisition request may be automatically sent by the processor or sent by the processor under the control of the user, so there may be a situation where repeated requests for registration operation codes are sent. In order to avoid repeated registration, after receiving the unique code, the server will first query whether the unique code has been received before. If it has been received before, the print operation code corresponding to the unique code will be directly queried in the record and returned. If it has not been received before, the server will create and allocate a new printer operation code and return it.

[0035] In one possible implementation, the processor periodically sends a print information acquisition request to the server and receives target print information returned by the server from the database, including: The processor periodically sends a print information acquisition request to the server; After receiving the print information acquisition request, the server searches the database for target print information that matches at least one printer operation code corresponding to the processor, and sends the target print information to the processor; The processor receives the target printing information sent by the server.

[0036] In the embodiment of this specification, the server will query the printer operation code of the processor in the database. If the processor is connected to multiple printers at the same time, the processor corresponds to multiple printer operation codes. If the print information that can match at least one printer operation code is queried in the database, the print information will be sent to the processor as the target print information.

[0037] S103. The processor determines the target printer according to the target printer operation code corresponding to the target printing information, obtains the supported format of the target printer, converts the data format of the to-be-printed data based on the supported format, and sends a print instruction to the target printer based on the to-be-printed data in the supported format.

[0038] In the embodiment of the present specification, the processor can determine which specific printer currently needs to perform printing work according to the target printer operation code in the target printing information, and after obtaining the supported format of the target printer, convert the data to be printed in the standard format into the data to be printed in the supported format, and finally generate a printing instruction to control the target printer to perform printing work according to the data to be printed. The processor will only convert the format of the data to be printed according to the brand and model requirements of the printer when finally controlling the printer to print, so that the solution of the present application can be compatible with various systems, and no matter which system wants to print, there is no need to consider the format and adaptation issues, and only needs to upload the printing information in the standard format to the server to achieve printing.

[0039] In one embodiment, the method further comprises: When the processor detects an operation code display request, the printer operation code of the printer is displayed on a display interface of the printer corresponding to the operation code display request.

[0040] In the embodiment of this specification, when a user uses a printer for the first time, he needs to obtain the printer operation code of the printer, so that he can realize remote printing control by filling in the printer operation code later. Therefore, the user can first generate an operation code display request according to the operation of the corresponding button on the printer, and after receiving the request, the processor will display the printer operation code of the printer on the display interface of the printer.

[0041] In one embodiment, the method further comprises: The server receives the cooperative printing information sent by any web terminal, determines the target number of cooperation for the cooperative printing information, stores the cooperative printing information in a database, and disables the permission to obtain the cooperative printing information; The server merges the cooperative printing information with the same printer operation code in the database, and opens the access right to the cooperative printing information after the merged number reaches the target cooperative number.

[0042] In the embodiments of this specification, without the need to directly connect and control the printer through a local area network or the Internet, the present application can also realize collaborative printing by multiple users, that is, each person is responsible for a part of the content to be printed in the end, and finally the printed content uploaded by everyone is integrated and printed. Specifically, this printing information will have a special cooperation coding mark to indicate that it is collaborative printing information. After receiving the collaborative printing information, the server will determine the target number of cooperation for the collaborative printing information, that is, how many copies of printing information are needed to integrate into the data to be printed in the end. After the collaborative printing information is stored in the database, its access permission will be disabled first to avoid being acquired by the processor before all the printing information is acquired for integration, resulting in the printed content not being what the user needs. Then, the server will merge the data to be printed in the collaborative printing information with the same printer operation code, and when the merged number reaches the target number of cooperation, it is considered that all the printing information has been acquired. At this time, the server will open the access permission for the collaborative printing information so that the processor can acquire the information and print it.

[0043] In one possible implementation, the server merges the cooperative printing information with the same printer operation code in the database, including: The server determines the layer priorities of each of the cooperative printing information having the same printer operation code in the database, and merges each of the cooperative printing information according to the layer priorities.

[0044] In the embodiments of this specification, taking the printing of picture content as an example, in addition to each user being responsible for a region of the picture, there may also be a situation where the picture regions that multiple users are responsible for overlap, which may cause part of the content in the picture uploaded by someone to be blocked when the printing information is integrated. In order to ensure that the final picture is what the user needs, each printing information will set a layer priority, and the server will merge the cooperative printing information according to the layer priority. Pictures in the same area will be integrated according to the layer priority, so that images with higher layer priorities are displayed on the upper layer of the image first.

[0045] In one embodiment, the method further comprises: The server receives the approval printing information sent by any web terminal, stores the approval printing information in a database, determines the approval terminal corresponding to the approval printing information, and disables the permission to obtain the approval printing information; A web access link for the approval printing information is generated, and SMS reminder information is generated according to the web access link, and the SMS reminder information is sent to the approval terminal.

[0046] In the embodiments of this specification, when printing can be controlled remotely, in order to ensure printing security, the printing information can also be approved, and the printing information that needs to be approved will be attached with an approval mark to become the approval printing information. After storing the approval printing information in the database, the server will also first disable the access authority of the information and determine the approval terminal corresponding to the approval printing information. In order to allow the approval personnel to conduct approval more conveniently at any location, the server will generate a text message reminder message based on the web access link generated for the information and send it to the approval terminal. In this way, after the approval personnel receive the text message at the approval terminal, they can directly click the link in the text message to view the approval printing information through the web terminal and perform the approval operation.

[0047] In one possible implementation, after sending the SMS reminder information to the approval terminal, the method further includes: The modification data sent by the approval terminal is received, the to-be-printed data corresponding to the approval printing information in the database is overwritten based on the modification data, and the access authority to the approval printing information is opened.

[0048] In the embodiment of this specification, if the approver wants to modify the approval printing information, he can edit the information on the web side. After the editing is completed, the server will receive the modified data sent by the approval terminal and use the modified data as the final printed data, that is, the modified data will overwrite the data to be printed and reopen the access rights to the approval printing information.

[0049] In one possible implementation, after sending the SMS reminder information to the approval terminal, the method further includes: When no modification data sent by the approval terminal is detected within a preset time period, the permission to obtain the approval printing information is released.

[0050] In the embodiment of the present specification, after the approval terminal accesses the web access link, if no modification data sent by the approval terminal is detected within the preset time, it is considered that the approver has viewed the information and has no modification opinions. The server will directly open the approval printing information access rights to improve printing efficiency.

[0051] It should be noted that, for the above-mentioned method embodiments, for the sake of simplicity, they are all expressed as a series of action combinations, but those skilled in the art should be aware that the present application is not limited by the order of the actions described, because according to the present application, certain steps can be performed in other orders or simultaneously. Secondly, those skilled in the art should also be aware that the embodiments described in the specification are all preferred embodiments, and the actions involved are not necessarily required by the present application.

[0052] In the above embodiments, the description of each embodiment has its own emphasis. For parts that are not described in detail in a certain embodiment, reference can be made to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0053] A person skilled in the art may understand that all or part of the steps in the various methods of the above embodiments may be completed by entering a program to instruct related hardware. The program may be stored in a computer-readable memory, and the memory may include: a flash drive, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk, etc.

[0054] The above is only an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, and the scope of the present disclosure cannot be limited thereto. That is, any equivalent changes and modifications made according to the teachings of the present disclosure are still within the scope of the present disclosure. After considering the specification and practicing the disclosure here, those skilled in the art will easily think of the implementation scheme of the present disclosure. This application is intended to cover any modification, use or adaptation of the present disclosure, which follows the general principles of the present disclosure and includes common knowledge or customary technical means in the technical field not recorded in the present disclosure. The description and examples are regarded as exemplary only, and the scope and spirit of the present disclosure are defined by the claims.

Claims

1. A cross-system printing control method, characterized in that: Applied to a cross-system printing control system, the system includes a server for interacting with a web terminal, a processor for directly controlling printing of a printer, and a printer, the processor is respectively connected to the server and the printer for communication, and the method includes: The server receives printing information sent by any web terminal and stores the printing information in a database, wherein the printing information includes data to be printed in a standard format and a printer operation code; The processor periodically sends a print information acquisition request to the server, and receives target print information returned by the server from the database, wherein the target print information is determined based on the printer operation code corresponding to the processor; The processor determines the target printer according to the target printer operation code corresponding to the target printing information, obtains the supported format of the target printer, converts the data format of the to-be-printed data based on the supported format, and sends a print instruction to the target printer based on the to-be-printed data in the supported format.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Before the processor periodically sends a print information acquisition request to the server, the processor also includes: The processor obtains a unique code of a printer connected to the processor, generates an operation code acquisition request based on the unique code, and sends the operation code acquisition request to the server; The server receives the operation code acquisition request, generates a printer operation code based on the unique code, and sends the printer operation code to the processor.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The server receives the operation code acquisition request, generates a printer operation code based on the unique code, and sends the printer operation code to the processor, including: The server receives the operation code acquisition request and determines whether the unique code has been received; When the unique code has been received, querying the printer operation code corresponding to the unique code, and sending the printer operation code to the processor; When the unique code has not been received, a new printer operation code is created for the unique code, and the printer operation code is sent to the processor, and the newly created printer operation code is not repeated with the already created printer operation codes.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The processor periodically sends a print information acquisition request to the server and receives target print information returned by the server from the database, including: The processor periodically sends a print information acquisition request to the server; After receiving the print information acquisition request, the server searches the database for target print information that matches at least one printer operation code corresponding to the processor, and sends the target print information to the processor; The processor receives the target printing information sent by the server.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further comprises: When the processor detects an operation code display request, the printer operation code of the printer is displayed on a display interface of the printer corresponding to the operation code display request.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further comprises: The server receives the cooperative printing information sent by any web terminal, determines the target number of cooperation for the cooperative printing information, stores the cooperative printing information in a database, and disables the permission to obtain the cooperative printing information; The server merges the cooperative printing information with the same printer operation code in the database, and opens the access right to the cooperative printing information after the merged number reaches the target cooperative number.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The server merges the cooperative printing information with the same printer operation code in the database, including: The server determines the layer priorities of each of the cooperative printing information having the same printer operation code in the database, and merges each of the cooperative printing information according to the layer priorities.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further comprises: The server receives the approval printing information sent by any web terminal, stores the approval printing information in a database, determines the approval terminal corresponding to the approval printing information, and disables the permission to obtain the approval printing information; A web access link for the approval printing information is generated, and SMS reminder information is generated according to the web access link, and the SMS reminder information is sent to the approval terminal.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that After sending the SMS reminder information to the approval terminal, the method further includes: The modification data sent by the approval terminal is received, the to-be-printed data corresponding to the approval printing information in the database is overwritten based on the modification data, and the access authority to the approval printing information is opened.

10. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that After sending the SMS reminder information to the approval terminal, the method further includes: When no modification data sent by the approval terminal is detected within a preset time period, the permission to obtain the approval printing information is released.

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