Printing apparatus and method for controlling the same

Abstract

This printing device is provided with: a remote printing unit for performing printing in accordance with a print job transmitted from a print server via a wide area network; a local printing unit for performing printing according to a print job transmitted from an information processing apparatus connected to the same network as the printing apparatus; and a transmission unit for transmitting, to a print server, support information indicating that the printing apparatus supports a standard print function included as a standard in an operating system of the information processing apparatus, the transmitting section transmits support information to the print server in response to at least one of the following events: completing registration of the printing apparatus with the print server; the printing apparatus has been activated in a state in which the printing apparatus has been registered with a print server; the function of printing according to the print job sent from the print server has changed from a disabled state to an enabled state; the server is set to send support information to the print server; the configuration information of the printing apparatus has changed; and the state of the printing apparatus has changed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a printing apparatus and a control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] A cloud printing service using the cloud has been proposed (PTL 1). A print server defines a virtual printer corresponding to a physical printing apparatus and provides the virtual printer to an information processing apparatus. The print server provides the attribute information acquired from the printing apparatus as the attribute information of the virtual printer to the information processing apparatus.

[0003] Citation List

[0004] Patent Document

[0005] PTL1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2020-35233 Summary of the Invention

[0006] Technical Problem

[0007] Some printing apparatuses support a standard printing function that is included as a standard in the operating system of an information processing apparatus. Conventionally, the attribute information provided from the printing apparatus to the print server does not include information indicating that the printing apparatus supports the standard printing function. Therefore, the information processing apparatus cannot determine whether the virtual printer provided by the print server supports the standard printing function. As a result, the convenience of the information processing apparatus having the standard printing function is impaired. Some aspects of the present invention provide a technique for improving the convenience of an information processing apparatus having the standard printing function.

[0008] Solution to the Problem

[0009] According to some embodiments, there is provided a printing apparatus including: a remote printing unit that performs printing according to a print job transmitted from a print server via a wide area network; a local printing unit that performs printing according to a print job transmitted from an information processing apparatus connected to the same network as the printing apparatus; and a transmitting unit that transmits support information indicating that the printing apparatus supports a standard printing function included as a standard in the operating system of the information processing apparatus to the print server, wherein the transmitting unit transmits the support information to the print server in response to at least one of the following events: completion of registration of the printing apparatus with the print server; activation of the printing apparatus in a state where the printing apparatus is registered with the print server; a function of performing printing according to a print job transmitted from the print server changes from a disabled state to an enabled state; being set to transmit the support information to the print server; the configuration information of the printing apparatus has changed; and the state of the printing apparatus has changed.

[0010] Advantageous Effects of the Invention

[0011] According to some embodiments, the convenience of an information processing apparatus having a standard printing function is improved.

[0012] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Note that throughout the drawings, the same reference numerals denote the same or similar components. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the configuration of a printing system according to a first embodiment;

[0014] Figure 2 is a block diagram for explaining an example of the hardware arrangement of a computer according to a first embodiment;

[0015] Figure 3 is a block diagram for explaining an example of the functional arrangement of a print server according to a first embodiment;

[0016] Figure 4 is a block diagram for explaining an example of the functional arrangement of an information processing apparatus according to a first embodiment;

[0017] Figure 5 is a block diagram for explaining an example of the hardware arrangement of a printing apparatus according to a first embodiment;

[0018] Figure 6 is a block diagram for explaining an example of the functional arrangement of a printing apparatus according to a first embodiment;

[0019] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the arrangement of an operation panel of a printing apparatus according to a first embodiment;

[0020] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of a network setting screen of a printing apparatus according to a first embodiment;

[0021] Figure 9 is a sequence diagram for explaining the overall process of cloud printing according to a first embodiment;

[0022] Figure 10 is a diagram for explaining an example of printer attributes according to a first embodiment;

[0023] Figure 11 is a flowchart for explaining an example of a method for generating printer attributes according to a first embodiment;

[0024] Figure 12 is a sequence diagram for explaining the overall process of local printing according to a first embodiment; ​​​​​​​​​​​​

[0025] Figure 13 is a flowchart for explaining an example of a method for searching for a printer according to the first embodiment;

[0026] Figure 14A is a diagram for explaining an example of a screen for showing printer search results according to the first embodiment;

[0027] Figure 14B is a diagram for explaining an example of a screen for showing printer search results according to the first embodiment;

[0028] Figure 15 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of a network setting screen of a printing apparatus according to the second embodiment;

[0029] Figure 16 is a diagram for explaining an example of printer attributes according to the fourth embodiment;

[0030] Figure 17 is a flowchart for explaining an example of a method for searching for a printer according to the fourth embodiment;

[0031] Figure 18 is a flowchart for explaining an example of a method for processing a print job according to the fifth embodiment; and

[0032] Figure 19 is a diagram for explaining an example of function specification information according to the fifth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0033] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the claimed invention. In the embodiments, a plurality of features are described, but the invention is not limited to the invention that requires all of these features, and such a plurality of features can be appropriately combined. In addition, in the drawings, the same or similar configurations are given the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0034] <First Embodiment>

[0035] [Example of Configuration of Print System]

[0036] Referring to Figure 1 , an example of the configuration of a print system according to the first embodiment will be described. The print system includes, for example, an information processing apparatus 110, printing apparatuses 120A to 120D, and a print server 130. The number of components of the print system is not limited to Figure 1 the example. The print system may include Figure 1 components not shown in

[0037] ​​​​​​​​The information processing device 110 and the printing device 120D are connected to the same local area network (LAN) 101. The LAN 101 can be a wired LAN, a wireless LAN, or a combination thereof. The LAN 101 is connected to the wide area network 103 (such as the Internet) via the firewall 102. The print server 130 is also connected to the wide area network 103. The information processing device 110 and the printing device 120D can communicate with each other in the LAN 101 (i.e., without going through the wide area network 103). The information processing device 110 and the printing device 120D can communicate with the print server 130 via the LAN 101, the firewall 102, and the wide area network 103. Alternatively or additionally, the information processing device 110 and the printing device 120D can be connected to the wide area network 103 via a cellular network (e.g., a network compliant with the fourth-generation communication standard (4G) or the fifth-generation communication standard (5G)).

[0038] The printing devices 120A to 120C are connected to the same LAN 105. The LAN 105 can be a wired LAN, a wireless LAN, or a combination thereof. The LAN 105 is connected to the wide area network 103 via the firewall 104. The LAN 105 is a different LAN from the LAN 101. The printing devices 120A to 120C can communicate with the print server 130 via the LAN 105, the firewall 104, and the wide area network 103. As an alternative or supplement, the printing devices 120A to 120C can be connected to the wide area network 103 via a cellular network. The information processing device 110 can communicate with the printing devices 120A to 120C via the LANs 101 and 105, the firewalls 102 and 104, and the wide area network 103. In Figure 1 the example shown, the printing devices 120A to 120C are connected to the same LAN 105, but they can be connected to different LANs.

[0039] The printing devices 120A to 120D have a printing function for printing based on a print job. In addition to the printing function, the printing devices 120A to 120D can further include at least one of a scanner function and a fax function. A printing device having multiple functions in this way can be called a multi-functional printer (MFP). Alternatively, the printing devices 120A to 120D can be single-function peripherals (SFPs) having only a printing function. Printing can be printing on a sheet-like printing medium such as paper, or can be the shaping of a three-dimensional object (so-called three-dimensional printing).

[0040] Based on the print job generated by the information processing device 110, the print server 130 provides a print service for sending the print job to one of the printing devices (e.g., the printing device 120A). For example, the print server 130 provides a logical printer to the information processing device 110 and accepts the print job of the logical printer. The logical printer is a virtual printing device (e.g., a printer object) provided by the print server 130. The logical printer can also be referred to as a cloud printer. The information processing device 110 can generate a print queue for the logical printer in the same manner as the printing device 120D. In contrast to the logical printer, physical printing devices such as the printing devices 120A to 120D can also be referred to as physical printers. In the following description, the logical printer and the physical printer are simply collectively referred to as printers. When a physical printer is connected to the same LAN as the information processing device that submits the print job, it can also be referred to as a local printer.

[0041] The print server 130 can be a server in an on-premise environment connected to the wide area network 103, or can be a server in a cloud computing environment (simply referred to as the cloud). The print service provided by the print server 130 in the cloud can be referred to as a cloud print service (hereinafter referred to as CPS). An example of the cloud print service is Universal Print (registered trademark) provided by Microsoft. In the following description, the case where the print server 130 is in the cloud will be described. However, the following description also applies to the case where the print server 130 is in the on-premise environment.

[0042] The information processing apparatus 110 provides a printing function to the user of the information processing apparatus 110. The information processing apparatus may be a personal computer (PC), a smart phone, or other device. The information processing apparatus 110 may specify a physical printer (e.g., the printing apparatus 120D) connected to the same LAN 101 as the output destination, or may specify a logical printer provided by the print server 130 as the output destination. If the logical printer is specified as the output destination, the physical printer (e.g., the printing apparatus 120A) associated with the logical printer performs the printing. The information processing apparatus 110 using the CPS may be referred to as a client or a client terminal. Printing performed by submitting a print job to the logical printer may also be referred to as cloud printing, remote printing, or remote printing. Printing by cloud printing may be performed by the printing apparatus 120D connected to the same LAN 101 as the information processing apparatus 110, or may be performed by a printing apparatus (e.g., the printing apparatus 120A) not connected to the LAN 101. Printing directly (i.e., in the LAN) by submitting a print job to the physical printer may also be referred to as local printing or local printing.

[0043] The information processing apparatus 110 may have a printing function included as a standard in an operating system (OS). Such a printing function is called a standard printing function. The standard printing function may also be referred to as an OS standard printing function or a native printing function. The information processing apparatus 110 having the standard printing function does not require separate software (e.g., a driver) to use a printing apparatus that supports the standard printing function. Examples of the standard printing function are AirPrint (registered trademark) included as a standard in iOS, macOS, etc., and Mopria (registered trademark) included as a standard in Android, etc.

[0044] [Example of hardware arrangement of a computer]

[0045] Refer to Figure 2 , an example of the hardware arrangement of the computer 200 according to the present embodiment will be described. The computer 200 may be used as the information processing apparatus 110, or may be used as the print server 130. The computer 200 may include Figure 2 the components shown.

[0046] The central processing unit (CPU) 201 is a general-purpose processing circuit that controls the overall operation of the computer 200. The random access memory (RAM) 202 is a volatile memory and serves as a temporary storage area such as a work area for the CPU 201 to perform processing. The read-only memory (ROM) 203 is a non-volatile storage circuit and stores programs and data for the processing of the CPU 201. The storage device 204 is a non-volatile storage device and stores programs and data for the processing of the CPU 201. The storage device 204 can be, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD). The storage device 204 can also be referred to as a secondary storage device. The operation of the computer 200 can be realized by the CPU 201 executing a program read out from the storage device 204 to the RAM 202.

[0047] The input interface (I / F) 205 is an I / F for exchanging signals with the input device 210. The input device 210 is a device that obtains input from the user of the computer 200. The input device 210 can be, for example, a keyboard, a touch panel, a microphone, a mouse, or any combination thereof. The output I / F 206 is an I / F for exchanging signals with the output device 220. The output device 220 is a device that provides information to the user of the computer 200. The output device 220 can be, for example, a display, a speaker, or any combination thereof. The network I / F 207 is an I / F for communicating with devices external to the computer 200. Each of the CPU 201, RAM 202, ROM 203, storage device 204, input I / F 205, output I / F 206, and network I / F 207 is connected to the system bus 208. In Figure 2 the example shown, the input device 210 and the output device 220 are shown as devices separate from the computer 200. Alternatively, the computer 200 can include the input device 210 and the output device 220.

[0048] [Example of the functional arrangement of the print server]

[0049] Refer to Figure 3 and an example of the functional arrangement of the print server 130 will be described. The print server 130 can have Figure 3 the functional units shown in Figure 3 . The print server 130 can have Figure 3 functional units not shown in Figure 3 . Each of the functional units shown in

[0050] The registration control unit 301 performs processing for registering a logical printer. For example, in response to a registration start request from a printing device, the registration control unit 301 generates a logical printer associated with a physical printer and registers it in the printer information 311. The information processing device 110 identifies the logical printer registered in the printer information 311 as a printer. The physical printer associated with the logical printer can be the physical printer that prints according to the print job submitted to the logical printer. A logical printer can be associated with one physical printer individually. A physical printer can be associated with one logical printer individually, or can be associated with multiple logical printers.

[0051] The print control unit 302 performs processing on the logical printer regarding a print job. For example, the print control unit 302 receives a print job for the logical printer from the information processing device 110 and based on this, sends the print job to the physical printer associated with the logical printer. The print control unit 302 can also control events regarding the print job. Events regarding the print job can include, for example, the reception of a print job. The print control unit 302 can respond with an event associated with the physical printer in response to receiving an event request from the physical printer.

[0052] The printer management unit 303 manages information about the logical printers registered with the print server 130 as printer information 311. The printer information 311 includes the capability information of the physical printer associated with the logical printer, the cloud printer ID uniquely assigned to the logical printer, information about the print queue where the print job is spooled, and so on.

[0053] The job management unit 304 manages information about the print jobs received from the information processing device 110 as job information 312. The job information 312 includes information and status of the print job, the print data specified by the print job, and so on.

[0054] The storage control unit 310 stores information in the RAM 202 or the storage device 204 according to instructions from other functional units and reads out information from the RAM 202 or the storage device 204. According to this embodiment, the storage control unit 310 stores the printer information 311 and the job information 312.

[0055] [Example of the functional arrangement of the information processing device]

[0056] Refer to Figure 4 , an example of the functional arrangement of the information processing device 110 will be described. The information processing device 110 can have Figure 4 the functional units shown. The information processing device 110 can have Figure 4Functional units not shown in the figure can be implemented by the CPU 201 executing the program read into the RAM 202. Figure 4 Each of the functional units shown. Alternatively, they can be implemented by dedicated processing circuitry (such as an ASIC). Figure 4 Some or all of the functional units shown in the figure.

[0057] The input acquisition unit 401 acquires input from the user of the information processing device 110 by using the input I / F 205. The information output unit 402 outputs information to the user of the information processing device 110 by using the output I / F 206.

[0058] The registration control unit 403 performs processing for registering a logical printer with the print server 130. The print control unit 404 performs processing related to printing by the printer. For example, the print control unit 404 can send a print job to the logical printer registered with the print server 130 according to a print instruction from the user of the information processing device 110. The print control unit 404 can send a print job directly (i.e., within the same LAN) to the physical printer according to a print instruction from the user of the information processing device 110.

[0059] The printer management unit 405 manages information about printers to which the information processing device 110 can submit print jobs as printer information 411. The printer information 411 includes the capability information of the printer, etc. The printer management unit 405 can search for printers to which the information processing device 110 can submit print jobs.

[0060] The storage control unit 410 stores information in the RAM 202 or the storage device 204 according to instructions from other functional units, and reads out information from the RAM 202 or the storage device 204. According to this embodiment, the storage control unit 410 stores the printer information 411 and the operating system 412. The operating system 412 is installed on the information processing device 110 as a standard (i.e., when the information processing device 110 is shipped). The operating system 412 can be updated. The operating system 412 has functions for basic management and control of the information processing device 110. As described above, the operating system 412 can include a standard printing function.

[0061] [Example of the hardware arrangement of the printing device]

[0062] Refer to Figure 5 , an example of the hardware arrangement of the printing device 500 according to this embodiment will be described. The printing device 500 can be used as any one of the printing devices 120A to 120D. The printing device 500 can include Figure 5 the components shown. Since the printing device 500 is a physical printing device, it can also be referred to as a physical printer.

[0063] The CPU 501 is a general-purpose processing circuit that controls the overall operation of the printing device 500. The RAM 502 is a volatile memory circuit and serves as a temporary storage area such as a work area for the processing performed by the CPU 501. The ROM 503 is a non-volatile storage circuit and stores programs and data for the processing of the CPU 501. The storage device 504 is a non-volatile storage device and stores programs and data for the processing of the CPU 501 (e.g., print jobs, image data, and setting information). The storage device 504 can be, for example, an HDD or an SSD. The storage device 504 can also be referred to as a secondary storage device. The operations performed by the printing device 500 can be implemented by the CPU 501 executing a program read from the storage device 504 into the RAM 502.

[0064] The printer I / F 505 is an I / F for exchanging signals with the printer engine 520. The printer engine 520 performs printing based on signals (e.g., image signals and print commands) supplied from the control unit 510 via the printer I / F 505. The printing can be: electrophotographic printing, in which toner is transferred onto paper and fixed on the paper; inkjet printing, in which ink is discharged onto paper; or three-dimensional printing.

[0065] The scanner I / F 506 is an I / F for exchanging signals with the scanner engine 530. The scanner engine 530 supplies signals (e.g., image signals) obtained by reading a document to the control unit 510 via the scanner I / F 506. The CPU 501 can process the image signals supplied from the scanner engine 530 and supply the obtained print image signals to the printer engine 520. The CPU 501 can generate image data based on the image signals supplied from the scanner engine 530 and send it to an external device.

[0066] The operation unit I / F 507 is an I / F for exchanging signals with the operation unit 540. The operation unit 540 is a device that obtains input from the user of the printing device 500 and provides information to the user of the printing device 500. The operation unit 540 can be composed of, for example, a display panel (e.g., a liquid crystal display), a speaker, a touch panel, a keyboard, buttons, a touch screen, or any combination thereof.

[0067] The network I / F 508 is an I / F for communicating with external devices of the printing device 500. The control unit 510 is composed of the CPU 501, the RAM 502, the ROM 503, the storage device 504, the printer I / F 505, the scanner I / F 506, the operation unit I / F 507, and the network I / F 508. Each component included in the control unit 510 is connected to the system bus 509.

[0068] [Example of Functional Arrangement of Printing Device]

[0069] Referring to Figure 6 , an example of the functional arrangement of the printing device 500 will be described. The printing device 500 may have Figure 6 the functional units shown. The printing device 500 may have Figure 6 functional units not shown in Figure 6 . Each of the functional units shown can be implemented by a program read into the RAM 502 and executed by the CPU 501. Alternatively, Figure 6 some or all of the functional units shown in

[0070] can be implemented by a dedicated processing circuit (such as an ASIC). The input acquisition unit 601 acquires input from the user of the printing device 500 by using the operation unit I / F 507. The information output unit 602 outputs information to the user of the printing device 500 by using the operation unit I / F 507. For example, the information output unit 602 displays an operation menu on the operation unit 540. The input acquisition unit 601 acquires the input of the operation menu and notifies the content of the input instruction to other functional units. The information output unit 602 displays the result obtained from other functional units on the operation unit 540.

[0071] The image processing unit 603 renders the print job into image data for printing. The print processing unit 604 prints the image data rendered by the image processing unit 603.

[0072] The registration control unit 605 performs a process for registering the logical printer associated with the printing device 500 with the print server 130. The printer management unit 606 manages information about the printing device 500 as printer information 621. The printer information 621 may include, for example, the status of the printing device 500, the capabilities of the printing device 500, and the cloud printer ID uniquely assigned by the print server 130 to the logical printer associated with the printing device 500. The printer information 621 may also include the local printer ID that allows the information processing device 110 to identify the printing device in the same LAN 101.

[0073] The cloud printing (CP) control unit 607 performs processing related to cloud printing. For example, the CP control unit 607 may transmit the print data included in the print job received from the print server 130 to the image processing unit 603, so as to perform printing according to the print job sent to the print server 130. In addition, the CP control unit 607 may send an event request to the print server 130.

[0074] The local printing (LP) control unit 608 performs printing for local printing. For example, the LP control unit 608 can respond to a printer search from the information processing device 110. In addition, the LP control unit 608 can transmit the print data included in the print job directly received from the information processing device 110 to the image processing unit 603, so as to perform printing according to the print job sent from the information processing device 110. The job management unit 609 manages information about the print job as job information 622. The job information 622 can include the processing status and processing result of the print job.

[0075] The storage control unit 620 stores information in the RAM 502 or the storage device 504 according to instructions from other functional units, and reads out information from the RAM 502 or the storage device 504. According to this embodiment, the storage control unit 620 stores the printer information 621 and the job information 622. The storage control unit 620 can manage data as a file system. The storage control unit 620 can allocate the storage destination of each piece of data between the storage device 504 as a non-volatile area and the RAM 502 as a volatile area. For example, the storage control unit 620 can store the printer information 621 and the job information 622 in the non-volatile area.

[0076] [Example of the arrangement of the operation unit of the printing device]

[0077] Refer to Figure 7 , an example of the arrangement of the operation unit 540 of the printing device 500 will be described. In Figure 7 the example shown, the operation unit 540 is configured as an operation panel formed in a panel shape. The operation unit 540 can include Figure 7 the components shown. The operation unit 540 can include Figure 7 components not shown in

[0078] The display panel 701 is a touch screen integrally formed with a touch panel for obtaining input from the user and a display (such as a liquid crystal display) for displaying information to the user. In Figure 7In the example shown, the display panel 701 displays buttons 702 to 704. Button 702 is a software button for obtaining from the user a conversion instruction to switch to the copy mode. In response to the user touching button 702, the printing apparatus 500 displays a copy operation screen on the display panel 701. Button 703 is a software button for obtaining from the user a conversion instruction to switch to the fax mode. In response to the user touching button 703, the printing apparatus 500 displays a fax operation screen on the display panel 701. Button 704 is a software button for obtaining from the user a conversion instruction to switch to the scanner mode. In response to the user touching button 704, the printing apparatus 500 displays a scanner operation screen on the display panel 701. In addition, a dialog box for user interaction and a cloud printing job list can be displayed on the display panel 701.

[0079] The numeric keys 705 are a set of physical buttons for obtaining an input such as a number from the user. Button 706 is a physical button for obtaining from the user an instruction for determining the display content of the display panel 701 and the like. The direction keys 707 are physical buttons for obtaining from the user an instruction for selecting an item from the menu displayed on the display panel 701. Button 708 is a physical button for obtaining a monochrome copy instruction from the user. Button 709 is a physical button for obtaining a color copy instruction from the user. Button 710 is a physical button for obtaining a process stop instruction from the user. Button 711 is a physical button for obtaining from the user an instruction for displaying a menu screen for setting the printing apparatus 500 and the like. Button 712 is a physical button for obtaining from the user an instruction for displaying the status of the printing apparatus 500 (such as a list of print jobs received by the printing apparatus 500).

[0080] [Example of Arrangement of Network Setting Screen]

[0081] Refer to Figure 8 , an example of the arrangement of the network setting screen 800 displayed on the operation unit 540 of the printing apparatus 500 will be described. The network setting screen 800 is displayed, for example, on the display panel 701 of the operation unit 540. The network setting screen 800 is a user interface that allows the user to set whether to enable or disable a specific printing function. In the Figure 8 description, it is assumed that the printing apparatus 500 supports AirPrint, Mopria, and CPS. When the printing apparatus 500 supports a specific printing function, this may mean that the printing apparatus 500 can operate according to an instruction issued by an external apparatus (e.g., the information processing apparatus 110 or the print server 130) by using the specific printing function.

[0082] The setting area 801 is an area for AirPrint settings. If the ON (enabled) button in the setting area 801 is selected, the printer management unit 606 enables AirPrint. If the OFF (disabled) button in the setting area 801 is selected, the printer management unit 606 disables AirPrint. The ON button and the OFF button in the setting area 801 can be alternately selected. The printer management unit 606 of the printing device 500 stores the setting on whether to enable or disable AirPrint as printer information 621 in the storage device 504.

[0083] If AirPrint is enabled, the printing device 500 operates as a printing device that supports AirPrint. For example, the printing device 500 operates according to an instruction issued by an external device (e.g., the information processing device 110 or the print server 130) by using AirPrint. The printing device 500 sends information indicating that the printing device 500 supports AirPrints to an external device (e.g., the information processing device 110 or the print server 130).

[0084] If AirPrint is disabled, the printing device 500 does not operate as a printing device that supports AirPrint. For example, the printing device 500 does not operate according to an instruction issued by an external device (e.g., the information processing device 110 or the print server 130) by using AirPrint. The printing device 500 does not send information indicating that the printing device 500 supports AirPrints to an external device (e.g., the information processing device 110 or the print server 130).

[0085] The setting area 802 is an area for Mopria settings. Since the Mopria settings can be similar to the AirPrint settings, the repeated description will be omitted. The setting area 803 is an area for Universal Print settings. Since the Universal Print settings can be similar to the AirPrint settings, the repeated description will be omitted.

[0086] In Figure 8 In the example shown, the printing device 500 can separately set whether to enable or disable each of the two types of standard printing functions (i.e., AirPrint and Mopria). The printing device 500 can support the two types of standard printing functions and is capable of separately setting whether to enable or disable each of two or more types of standard printing functions. As a result, for each of the two types of standard printing functions, the printing device 500 sends information indicating that the printing device 500 supports a single standard printing function to the print server 130. The printing device 500 is capable of uniformly setting whether to enable or disable two or more types of standard printing functions.

[0087] In Figure 8 the example shown, the printing device 500 can be set to enable or disable the standard printing function. Alternatively, the printing device 500 may not be able to set whether to enable or disable the standard printing function. In this case, the printing device 500 can always enable the standard printing function.

[0088] [Overall processing sequence of cloud printing]

[0089] Referring to Figure 9 , the overall processing sequence for performing cloud printing will be described. In Figure 9 the example shown, the information processing device 110 registers the printing device 500 with the print server 130 and submits a print job to the logical printer associated with the printing device 500. The following description of the printing device 500 can be applied to the printing devices 120A to 120D in a similar manner. Registering the printing device 500 with the print server 130 may mean registering the logical printer associated with the printing device 500 with the print server 130. In the following example, the printing device 500 supports a web user interface (UI) function for operating the printing device 500 from the information processing device 110. The information processing device 110 also supports a web UI client function. The Internet Printing Protocol (IPP) can be used for mutual communication between the information processing device 110, the printing device 500, and the print server 130.

[0090] In S901, the registration control unit 403 of the information processing device 100 sends a registration start request to the printing device 500 according to an instruction from a user of the information processing device 110. The registration start request can be a request for starting a process for registering the printing device 500 with the print server 130. The registration start request can be sent using the web UI client function of the information processing device 110.

[0091] In S902, the registration control unit 605 of the printing device 500 sends a registration start request to the print server 130 in response to receiving the registration start request from the information processing device 110. The registration start request can be a request for starting a process for registering the printing device 500 with the print server 130.

[0092] In S903, the registration control unit 301 of the print server 130 sends a registration start response to the printing device 500 in response to receiving the registration start request from the printing device 500. The registration start response includes the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of a web page for a user of the information processing device 110 to input information for registering the printing device 500 to the print server 130.

[0093] In S904, in response to receiving a registration start response from the print server 130, the registration control unit 605 of the printing device 500 sends registration information to the information processing device 110. The registration information includes the URL included in the registration start response. In response to receiving the registration information from the printing device 500, the information output unit 402 of the information processing device 110 displays a web page to the user.

[0094] In S905, in response to the user of the information processing device 100 accessing the URL and inputting information required for registration, the registration control unit 403 of the information processing device 110 sends a registration approval request to the print server 130. The registration approval request includes the cloud account of the user of the information processing device 110. The cloud account is an account that allows the user to use the cloud tenant including the print server 130.

[0095] In S906, the registration control unit 301 of the print server 130 checks whether the cloud account included in the registration approval request belongs to a user who has the permission to register the printing device 500 with the print server 130. If the user has the permission, the registration control unit 301 of the print server 130 sends a registration approval response to the information processing device 110. The registration approval response may be a message notifying the following confirmation result: the user of the information processing device 110 is a user who has the permission to register the printing device 500.

[0096] In S907, in response to receiving a registration start response from the print server 130, the printer management unit 606 of the printing device 500 sends a registration confirmation request to the print server 130. The registration confirmation request is a request to register the printing device 500 with the print server 130. More specifically, it may be a request to register the printing device 500 with the print server 130.

[0097] In S908, in response to receiving the registration confirmation request from the printing device 500, the printer management unit 303 of the print server 130 generates a new logical printer and adds the logical printer associated with the printing device 500 to the printer information 311. Thus, the printing device 500 is registered with the print server 130, and the information processing device 110 can use the logical printer for cloud printing. In addition, the printer management unit 303 of the print server 130 assigns a unique cloud printer ID to the generated logical printer and adds the cloud printer ID associated with the logical printer to the printer information 311. Thereafter, the registration control unit 301 of the print server 130 sends a registration confirmation response to the printing device 500. The registration confirmation response includes the cloud printer ID of the printing device 500.

[0098] In S909, in response to the completion of registering the printing device 500 with the print server 130, the printer management unit 606 of the printing device 500 sends an information update request to the print server 130. The information update request may be a request for updating information about the printing device 500. The information update request includes the printer attributes of the printing device 500. The information update request may be sent in an Update Output Device Attributes Request message that can be defined in IPP.

[0099] In S910, based on the printer attributes included in the received information update request, the printer management unit 303 of the print server 130 updates the information of the printing device 500 included in the printer information 311, and sends an information update response to the printing device 500. The information update response may be a message notifying the successful completion of the information update of the printing device 500.

[0100] In S911, in response to receiving a registration confirmation response from the print server 130, the CP control unit 607 of the printing device 500 sends an event request to the print server 130. The event request may be a request for notifying the printing device 500 when an event related to the printing device 500 occurs. The event request may be about an event of submitting a print job to a logical printer associated with the printing device 500.

[0101] In S912, according to an instruction from the user of the information processing device 110, the printer management unit 405 of the information processing device 100 sends an information request to the print server 130. The information request may be a request for information about the logical printers available to the user of the information processing device 110. The information request includes the cloud account of the user of the information processing device 110. The information request may be sent in a Get-Printer-Attributes Request message that can be defined in IPP.

[0102] In S913, in response to the information request received from the information processing device 110, the printer management unit 303 of the print server 130 sends an information response to the information processing device 100. The information response includes the cloud printer ID and the printer attributes of each of one or more logical printers available to the user of the information processing device 110. Based on the information response, the printer management unit 405 of the information processing device 110 updates the printer information 411. The information response may be sent in a Get-Printer-Attributes Response message that can be defined in IPP.

[0103] In S914, the printer management unit 405 of the information processing apparatus 100 sends a print request to the print server 130 according to an instruction from a user of the information processing apparatus 110. The print request includes a cloud printer ID, a print job, and the cloud account of the user of the information processing apparatus 110. The print job may include print data and print settings. The print request may be a request to print the print data included in the print request on a logical printer having the cloud printer ID included in the print request.

[0104] In S915, the print control unit 302 of the print server 130 sends an event response to the printing apparatus 500 associated with the logical printer in response to receiving the print request from the information processing apparatus 110. The event response is a response to the event request received in S911. The event response is a response for notifying that an event of the type specified in the event request has occurred.

[0105] In S916, the CP control unit 607 of the printing apparatus 500 sends a print job request to the print server 130 in response to receiving the event response from the print server 130. The print job request may be a request for a print job to be executed by the printing apparatus 500.

[0106] In S917, the print control unit 302 of the print server 130 sends a print job response to the printing apparatus 500 in response to receiving the print job request from the printing apparatus 500. The print job response includes the cloud account and the print job. Thereafter, the printing apparatus 500 prints based on the print job in response to receiving the print job response from the print server 130. The print job response received by the printing apparatus 500 from the print server 130 may be an IPP Fetch-JobResponse.

[0107] In Figure 9 the description, the registration of the printing apparatus 500 in S901 to S906 and the cloud printing in S912 to S917 may be performed by the same user or different users.

[0108] [Printer Attributes]

[0109] Refer to Figure 10 and an example of the printer attributes sent by the printing apparatus 500 in S909 and S913 of Figure 9 will be described. In the example shown in Figure 10 the printer attributes 1000 are represented in a table format. Alternatively, the printer attributes 1000 may be represented in another format. The printer attributes 1000 include column 1001 and column 1002. Column 1001 indicates the attribute name. Column 1002 indicates the attribute value.

[0110] Record 1011 indicates whether the printing device 500 supports color printing. The attribute name is "color-supported". If the printing device 500 supports color printing, the attribute value is "true", and if the printing device 500 does not support color printing, the attribute value is "false". Printer attribute 1000 indicates that the printing device 500 supports color printing.

[0111] Record 1012 indicates the paper sizes supported by the printing device 500. The attribute name is "media-supported". The attribute value is a string assigned to a single paper size. Printer attribute 1000 indicates that the printing device 500 supports A4 paper represented by iso_a4_210×297mm and A3 paper represented by iso_a3_297×420mm.

[0112] Record 1013 indicates the document formats supported by the printing device 500. The attribute name is "document-format-supported". The attribute value is a string assigned to a single document format. Printer attribute 1000 indicates that the printing device 500 supports the PDF document format represented by application / pdf and the JPEG document format represented by image / jpeg.

[0113] Record 1014 indicates the number of copies supported by the printing device 500. The attribute name is "copies-supported". The attribute value is represented by a numerical range. Printer attribute 1000 indicates that the printing device 500 supports the number of copies from 1 to 99.

[0114] Record 1015 indicates the version of Mopria supported by the printing device 500. The attribute name is "mopria-certified". The attribute value is a numerical value indicating the version. Printer attribute 1000 indicates that the printing device 500 supports Mopria version 2.0. If the printer attribute 1000 includes a record with the name "mopria-certified", this indicates that the printing device 500 supports Mopria. On the contrary, if the printer attribute 1000 does not include a record with the name "mopria-certified", this indicates that the printing device 500 does not support Mopria.

[0115] Record 1016 indicates the functions supported by the printing device 500. The attribute name is "ipp-features-supported (supported ipp features)". If the printing device 500 supports AirPrint, the attribute value is "airprint". If the printer attribute 1000 includes a record with the name "ipp-features-supported" and the value "airprint", this indicates that the printing device 500 supports AirPrint. Conversely, if the printer attribute 1000 does not include a record with the name "ipp-features-supported" and the value "airprint", this indicates that the printing device 500 does not support AirPrint.

[0116] [Timing of sending printer attributes to the print server]

[0117] In Figure 9 the example shown, the printing device 500 sends the printer attributes to the print server 130 in S909 in response to completing the registration of the printing device 500 with the print server 130. As described above regarding Figure 10 the printer attributes include information indicating that the printing device 500 supports the standard printing function. Hereinafter, this information will be referred to as standard printing support information. In addition to or alternatively to completing the registration of the printing device 500 with the print server 130, the printing device 500 may send the printer attributes to the print server 130 if the following other conditions are met.

[0118] For example, if the printing device 500 is activated while in the state of registering the printing device 500 with the print server 130, the printing device 500 may send the printer attributes to the print server 130.

[0119] If the CP printing function (i.e., the function of printing according to the print job sent from the print server 130) changes from the disabled state to the enabled state, the printing device 500 may send the printer attributes to the print server 130. For example, if the user selects the ON button in the setting area 803 of the network setting screen 800, the CP printing function changes from the disabled state to the enabled state.

[0120] If the printing device is set to send the standard printing support information to the print server 130, the printing device 500 may send the printer attributes to the print server 130. For example, if the user selects the ON button in the setting area 801 or 802 of the network setting screen 800, this setting is made. As described above, if the user selects the ON button in the setting area 801, AirPrint is enabled. In this case, the information indicating that the printing device 500 supports AirPrint (for example, Figure 10The record 1016) shown in is sent to the print server 130. Similarly, if the user selects the ON button in the setting area 802, Mopria is enabled. In this case, information indicating that the printing device 500 supports Mopria (e.g., Figure 10 the record 1015) shown in is sent to the print server 130.

[0121] If the configuration information of the printing device 500 has changed, the printing device 500 can send printer attributes to the print server 130. For example, a change in the configuration information of the printing device 500 may include a change in the paper size set in the printing device 500 from A3 to A4.

[0122] If the state of the printing device 500 has changed, the printing device 500 can send printer attributes to the print server 130. For example, a change in the state of the printing device 500 may include an error occurring in the printing device 500 (e.g., a paper out error).

[0123] The printing device 500 can send printer attributes to the print server 130 at all of the above timings, or can send printer attributes to the print server 130 only at some of the above timings.

[0124] [Operation Process of Printing Device Sending Printer Attributes]

[0125] Referring to Figure 11 , a processing example of the printing device 500 sending printer attributes will be described. The destination for sending the printer attributes may be the print server 130 or the information processing device 110. If the destination for sending the printer attributes is the print server 130, the operation shown in S909 of Figure 9 or at any of the above timings starts. Figure 11 If the destination for sending the printer attributes is the information processing device 110, the operation shown in Figure 9 for example, S913 starts. Figure 11 shown.

[0126] In step S1101, the CP control unit 607 of the printing device 500 acquires the attribute information of the printing device 500. The attribute information can be acquired from the printer engine 520 via the printer I / F 505.

[0127] In step S1102, the CP control unit 607 of the printing apparatus 500 selects one standard printing function from one or more types of standard printing functions supported by the printing apparatus 500 that has not been selected as the target of subsequent processing in steps S1103 and S1104. If the printing apparatus 500 does not support any standard printing functions, the processing in steps S1103 and S1104 is skipped.

[0128] In step S1103, the CP control unit 607 of the printing apparatus 500 determines whether the selected standard printing function is enabled. If it is determined that the selected standard printing function is enabled (Yes in step S1103), the printing apparatus 500 proceeds to step S1104; otherwise (No in step S1103), the processing proceeds to step S1105. Whether the standard printing function is enabled is set by the user on the network setting screen 800, for example, and is stored in the storage device 504 as printer information 621.

[0129] In step S1104, the CP control unit 607 of the printing apparatus 500 adds information indicating that the printing apparatus 500 supports the selected standard printing function to the printer attributes generated in step S1101. For example, if the selected standard printing function is AirPrint, the record 1016 shown is added. If the selected standard printing function is Mopria, the record 1015 shown is added. Figure 10 shown Figure 10 shown record 1015.

[0130] In step S1105, the CP control unit 607 of the printing apparatus 500 determines whether all standard printing functions among one or more types of standard printing functions supported by the printing apparatus 500 have been selected. If it is determined that all standard printing functions have been selected (Yes in step S1105), the printing apparatus 500 proceeds to step S1106; otherwise (No in step S1105), the processing returns to step S1102. In this way, for each of one or more types of standard printing functions supported by the printing apparatus 500, the processing in steps S1103 and S1104 is executed.

[0131] In step S1106, the CP control unit 607 of the printing apparatus 500 sends the generated printer attributes to the destination apparatus. The printer attributes generated in the above method indicate that one or more types of standard printing functions supported by the printing apparatus 500 are enabled. If the printer attributes include information about a specific standard printing function, a device (e.g., the print server 130 or the information processing device 110) that has received the printer attributes from the printing apparatus 500 recognizes that the printing apparatus 500 supports the specific standard printing function. On the other hand, if a specific standard printing function supported by the printing apparatus 500 is disabled, or if the printing apparatus 500 does not support a specific standard printing function, the printer attributes do not include information about the specific standard printing function. Therefore, a device that has received such printer attributes from the printing apparatus 500 recognizes that the printing apparatus 500 does not support the specific standard printing function.

[0132] In Figure 11 The printer attributes transmitted in the method shown indicate that the printing apparatus 500 does not support the standard printing function by not including records corresponding to the standard printing function (e.g., record 1015 and record 1016). Alternatively, the printer attributes can indicate that the printing apparatus 500 does not support the standard printing function by including a record corresponding to the standard printing function having a specific value. For example, the printer attributes can indicate that the printing apparatus 500 does not support Mopria by including a record having the name "mopria-certified" and the value "unsupported". In addition, the printer attributes can indicate that the printing apparatus 500 does not support AirPrint by including a record having the name "supported ipp features" and the value "does not support AirPrint".

[0133] According to Figure 11 the method shown, when sending the printer attributes to the print server 130 in response to setting the standard printing support information, the printing apparatus 500 can perform step S1103 and step S1104 only for a specific standard printing function. For example, if AirPrint is set to enabled in the setting area 801 of the network setting screen 800, the printing apparatus 500 can perform step S1103 and step S1104 for AirPrint, but not perform step S1101 and step S1104 for Mopria.

[0134] [Overall processing sequence for local printing]

[0135] Refer to Figure 12 , and the overall processing sequence for performing local printing will be described. In Figure 12In the example shown, the information processing apparatus 110 submits a print job to a printing apparatus 120D connected to the same network (i.e., LAN 101) as the information processing apparatus 100. IPP can be used for communication between the information processing apparatus 110 and the printing apparatus 120D. Communication between the information processing apparatus 110 and the printing apparatus 120D is performed in the LAN 101 without going through the wide area network 103. In the example described below, a case where the information processing apparatus 110 has AirPrint as a standard printing function and performs local printing using AirPrint will be described. A similar description can be applied to a case where the information processing apparatus 100 has Mopria or other standard printing functions. The printing apparatus 120D supports Airprint.

[0136] In S1201, the printer management unit 405 of the information processing apparatus 11 uses Airprint to send a printer search request to the network (i.e., LAN 101) connected to the information processing apparatus 10 in accordance with an instruction from a user of the information processing apparatus 110. The printer search request can be performed by broadcasting to the LAN 101. The printer search request can be a request for a response as to whether there is a printer that supports AirPrint.

[0137] In S1202, the LP control unit 608 of the printing apparatus 120D that supports Airprint sends a printer search response to the information processing apparatus 110 in response to the printer search request. The printer search response can include the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the printing apparatus 120D. A printing apparatus that does not support Airprint or a printing apparatus in which Airprint is disabled does not respond to the printer search request. The printer management unit 405 of the information processing apparatus 110 stores the IP address of the printing apparatus 120D that has sent the printer search response as part of the printer information 411 in the storage control unit 410. In addition, the information output unit 402 of the information processing apparatus 110 can present a list of the found printing apparatuses to the user.

[0138] In S1203, the printer management unit 405 of the information processing apparatus 110 sends an information request to the printing apparatus 120D. The information request can be a request for information about the printing apparatus 120D. This information request can be sent in a Get-Printer-Attributes Request message defined in IPP.

[0139] In S1204, in response to receiving an information request from the information processing device 110, the printer management unit 606 of the printing device 120D sends an information response to the information processing device 100. The information response includes the printer attributes of the printing device 120D. The printer management unit 405 of the information processing device 110 updates the printer information 411 based on the information response. This information response can be sent in a Get-Printer-Attributes Response message that can be defined in IPP.

[0140] In S1205, the print control unit 404 of the information processing device 100 sends a print request to the printing device 120D according to an instruction from the user of the information processing device 110. The print request includes a print job. The print job can include print data and print settings. The print request can be a request for the printing device 120D to print the print data included in the print request.

[0141] In S1206, the LP control unit 608 of the printing device 120D performs printing according to the received print job. The LP control unit 608 of the printing device 120D sends the print result as a print response to the information processing device 110.

[0142] [Operation process of the information processing device for printer search]

[0143] Refer to Figure 13 , an example of the process in which the information processing device 110 searches for a printer that supports the standard printing function of the information processing device 100 will be described. The operations shown can be continuously executed during the operation of the information processing device 110. Figure 13 the operations shown.

[0144] In step S1301, the printer management unit 405 of the information processing device 110 determines whether a printer search instruction has been obtained from the user of the information processing device 100. If it is determined that the printer search instruction has been obtained (Yes in step S1301), the information processing device 110 proceeds to step S1302; otherwise (No in step S1301), step S1301 is repeated.

[0145] In step S1302, similar to S1201 above, the printer management unit 405 of the information processing apparatus 110 uses the standard printing function of the information processing apparatus 100 to send a printer search request to the network (i.e., LAN 101) connected to the information processing apparatus 10. The printer management unit 405 of the information processing apparatus 110 adds the printing apparatus in response to the printer search request to the printer list. The printer list lists the printers that support the standard printing function of the information processing apparatus 110. Any printing apparatus in response to the printer search request using the standard printing function supports the standard printing function.

[0146] In step S1303, similar to S912 above, the printer management unit 405 of the information processing apparatus 110 sends an information request to the print server 130. The information request may be a request for information about the logical printers available to the user of the information processing apparatus 110. Similar to S913 above, the print server 130 presents an information response to the information processing apparatus 110, and the information response includes information about one or more virtual printers available to the information processing apparatus 100. The one or more virtual printers may include virtual printers associated with the printing apparatus that supports the standard printing function of the information processing apparatus 110.

[0147] In step S1304, the printer management unit 405 of the information processing apparatus 110 selects one virtual printer from the one or more virtual printers included in the information response from the print server 130 that has not been selected as the target for subsequent processing in steps S1305 and S1306. If the information response does not include a virtual printer, the processing in steps S1305 and S1306 is skipped.

[0148] In step S1305, the printer management unit 405 of the information processing apparatus 110 determines whether the selected virtual printer supports the standard printing function of the information processing apparatus 100. If it is determined that the selected virtual printer supports the standard printing function of the information processing apparatus 110 (Yes in step S1305), the printing apparatus 500 proceeds to step S1306; otherwise (No in step S1305), the processing proceeds to step S1307. It can be determined whether the selected virtual printer supports the standard printing function of the information processing apparatus 110 based on the printer attributes included in the information response. For example, if the printer attributes include Figure 10 the record 1016 shown, the virtual printer supports Airprint. If the printer attributes include Figure 10 the record 1015 shown, the virtual printer supports Mopria.

[0149] In step S1306, the printer management unit 405 of the information processing apparatus 110 adds the selected virtual printer to the printer list. In step S1307, the printer management unit 405 of the information processing apparatus 110 determines whether all of the one or more virtual printers included in the information response have been selected. If it is determined that all of the virtual printers have been selected (Yes in step S1307), the printing apparatus 500 proceeds to step S1308; otherwise (No in step S1307), the process returns to step S1304. In this way, the processes in steps S1305 and S1306 are performed for each of the one or more virtual printers included in the information response.

[0150] In step S1308, the information output unit 402 of the information processing apparatus 110 presents the printer list as the query result to the user. The printer list includes both a printing apparatus that is connected to the same network as the information processing apparatus 110 and supports the standard printing function of the information processing apparatus, and a virtual printer that supports the standard printing function of the information processing apparatus 110. In this way, with a single operation (the search instruction in step S1301), the user can search for various printers to which the information processing apparatus 110 can submit a print job.

[0151] In Figure 13 the example shown, steps S1303 to S1307 are performed after step S1302. Alternatively, steps S1303 to S1307 may be performed before step S1302, or steps S1301 to S1307 may be performed in parallel with step S1302.

[0152] [Print list presented to the user]

[0153] Referring to Figure 14A and Figure 14B , an example of the printer list presented to the user in step S1308 of Figure 13 will be described. In the following description, the following assumptions are made. Printing apparatuses 120A to 120C are registered with the print server 130. Accordingly, the print server 130 presents virtual printers corresponding to the printing apparatuses 120A to 120C to the information processing apparatus 110. The printing apparatus 120A supports neither AirPrint nor Mopria. The printing apparatus 120B supports AirPrints but does not support Mopria. The printing apparatus 120C supports Mopria but does not support AirPrint. The printing apparatus 120D supports both AirPprint and Mopria.

[0154] Figure 14ADisplays a result screen 1400 regarding a printer search performed by an information processing apparatus 110 having AirPrint but not Mopria. The result screen 1400 includes a list display area 1401. Printers found through the printer search are listed in the list display area 1401.

[0155] In Figure 14A the example shown, the list display area 1401 includes "Printer B" indicating a virtual printer corresponding to the printing apparatus 120B. The printing apparatus 120B supports AirPrint. Thus, in Figure 13 step S1306, the virtual printer corresponding to the printing apparatus 120B is included in the printer list.

[0156] In Figure 14A the example shown, the list display area 1401 further includes "Printer D" indicating the printing apparatus 120D. The printing apparatus 120D supports AirPrint. Thus, in Figure 13 step S1302, the printing apparatus 120D is included in the printer list.

[0157] The result screen 1400 includes a details display area 1402 showing details of the printer selected by the user. In Figure 14A the example shown, details of "Printer B" are displayed. The result screen 1400 further includes a button 1403 for switching to a screen for checking options and supplies information regarding the printer selected by the user.

[0158] The user of the information processing apparatus 110 can perform printing using the printer selected from the list display area 1401. For example, if the user selects "Printer B", printing is performed via the print server 130 through the Figure 9 processing of S914 to S917. Printing can be performed through the CP function. If the user selects "Printer D", printing is performed without going through the print server 130 through the Figure 12 processing of S1205 to S1206. Printing can be performed through Airprint.

[0159] Figure 14B Displays a result screen 1410 regarding a print search performed by an information processing apparatus 110 having Mopria but not Airprint. In Figure 14B the example shown, "Printer B" indicating a virtual printer corresponding to the printing apparatus 120B is not included in the list display area 1401. Instead, "Printer C" indicating a virtual printer corresponding to the printing apparatus 120C is included in the list display area 1401.

[0160] <Second Embodiment>

[0161] A second embodiment will be described below. In the following description, descriptions of matters that may be similar to those in the first embodiment will be omitted. In the first embodiment, if the standard printing function is enabled, the printing apparatus 500 sends standard printing support information to both the printing server 130 and the information processing apparatus 110. If the standard printing function is disabled, the printing apparatus 500 does not send standard printing support information to the printing server 130 or the information processing apparatus 110. In this way, whether to send standard printing support information is uniformly set for the printing server 130 and the information processing apparatus 110.

[0162] In the second embodiment, whether to send standard printing support information can be set separately for the printing server 130 and the information processing apparatus 110. Therefore, whether to send standard printing support information to the information processing apparatus 110 is set independently of whether to send standard printing support information to the printing server 130.

[0163] Figure 15 FIG. is an example showing the layout of the network setting screen 1500 displayed on the operation unit 540 of the printing apparatus 500. For example, the network setting screen 1500 is displayed on the display panel 701 of the operation unit 540. The network setting screen 1500 is a user interface that allows a user to set whether to enable or disable a specific printing function. In the Figure 15 description, it is assumed that the printing apparatus 500 supports each of AirPrint, Mopria, and CPS.

[0164] The setting area 1501 is an area for AirPrint setting for the information processing apparatus 110. If the ON button in the setting area 1501 is selected, the printer management unit 606 enables AirPrint for the information processing apparatus 110. If the OFF button in the setting area 1501 is selected, the printer management unit 606 disables AirPrint for the information processing apparatus 110. The ON button and the OFF button in the setting area 1501 can be alternately selected. The printer management unit 606 of the printing apparatus 500 stores the setting of whether AirPrint for the information processing apparatus 110 is enabled or disabled as printer information 621 in the storage device 504.

[0165] If AirPrint for the information processing apparatus 110 is enabled, the printing apparatus 500 operates as a printing apparatus that supports AirPrint for the information processing apparatus 100. For example, the printing apparatus 500 operates according to an instruction issued by the information processing apparatus 110 using AirPrint. The printing apparatus 500 sends information indicating that the printing apparatus 500 supports AirPrint to the information processing apparatus 100. This information may be referred to as support information.

[0166] If AirPrint of the information processing apparatus 110 is disabled, the printing apparatus 500 does not operate as a printing apparatus that supports AirPrint for the information processing apparatus 110. For example, the printing apparatus 500 does not operate according to an instruction issued by the information processing apparatus 110 using AirPrint. The printing apparatus 500 does not send information indicating that the printing apparatus 500 supports AirPrint to the information processing apparatus 100.

[0167] The setting area 1502 is an area for Mopria setting of the information processing apparatus 110. Since the Mopria setting can be similar to the AirPrint setting, duplicate descriptions will be omitted. The setting area 1503 is an area for Universal Print setting. Since the Universal Print setting can be similar to the AirPrint setting, duplicate descriptions will be omitted.

[0168] The setting area 1504 is an area for AirPrint setting of the print server 130. If the ON button in the setting area 1504 is selected, the printer management unit 606 enables AirPrint of the print server 130. If the OFF button in the setting area 1504 is selected, the printer management unit 606 disables AirPrint of the print server 130. The ON button and the OFF button in the setting area 1504 can be alternately selected. The printer management unit 606 of the printing apparatus 500 stores the setting as to whether AirPrint of the print server 130 is enabled or disabled in the storage apparatus 504 as printer information 621.

[0169] If AirPrint of the print server 130 is enabled, the printing apparatus 500 operates as a printing apparatus that supports AirPrint for the print server 130. For example, the printing apparatus 500 operates according to an instruction issued by the print server 130 using AirPrint. The printing apparatus 500 sends information indicating that the printing apparatus 500 supports AirPrint to the print server 130.

[0170] If AirPrint of the print server 130 is disabled, the printing device 500 does not operate as a printing device that supports AirPrint for the print server 130. For example, the printing device 500 does not operate according to an instruction issued by the print server 130 using AirPrint. The printing device 500 does not send information indicating that the printing device 500 supports AirPrint to the print server 130.

[0171] The setting area 1505 is an area for Mopria settings of the print server 130. Since Mopria settings can be similar to AirPrint settings, repeated descriptions will be omitted. The setting area 1503 is an area for general printing settings.

[0172] For example, assume that in the printing device 500, AirPrint of the print server 130 is set to enabled, and AirPrint of the information processing device 110 is set to disabled. In this case, the printing device 500 sends standard print support information to the print server 130, and does not send standard print support information to the information processing device 110. As a result, the information processing device 110 can find the printing device 500 only via the print server 130. On the other hand, assume that in the printing device 500, AirPrint for the print server 130 is set to disabled, and AirPrint for the information processing device 110 is set to enabled. In this case, the printing device 500 does not send standard print support information to the print server 130, and sends standard print support information to the information processing device 110. As a result, the information processing device 110 can only find the printing device 500 connected to the same network.

[0173] <Third Embodiment>

[0174] The third embodiment will be described below. In the following description, descriptions of matters that may be similar to those in the first embodiment will be omitted. In the first embodiment, if the standard printing function is enabled, the printing device 500 sends standard print support information to the print server 130 and the information processing device 110. If the standard printing function is disabled, the printing device 500 does not send standard print support information to the print server 130 or the information processing device 110. In this way, whether to send standard print support information is uniformly set for the print server 130 and the information processing device 110.

[0175] In the third embodiment, the process of whether to send standard print support information is different between the case of sending printer attributes to the print server 130 and the case of sending printer attributes to the information processing device 110. In the third embodiment, similar to the first embodiment, the printing device 500 can determine whether to send standard print support information to the information processing device 110 based on whether the standard print function is enabled or disabled in the printing device 500.

[0176] On the other hand, in the third embodiment, regardless of whether the standard print function is enabled or disabled in the printing device 500, the printing device 500 sends standard print support information to the print server 130. Therefore, the user of the information processing device 110 can start executing standard printing via the print server 130. However, if a specific standard print function is disabled in the printing device 500, a specific document format supported by the specific standard print function is not actually supported. Therefore, if a print job is sent in a specific document format, the printing device 500 fails to print.

[0177] [Operation process of the printing device for sending printer attributes]

[0178] In the third embodiment, the process of the printing device 500 sending printer attributes to the information processing device 110 can be similar to the process described above with reference to Figure 11 On the other hand, in the third embodiment, the process of the printing device 500 sending printer attributes to the print server 130 is different from the process described above with reference to Figure 11 in that step S1103 is not executed. That is, the printing device 500 executes step S1104 after executing Figure 11 step S1102.

[0179] The printer attributes sent to the print server 130 in step S1106 indicate one or more types of standard print functions supported by the printing device 500. The standard print functions indicated by the printer attributes include: functions enabled in the printing device 500 and functions disabled in the printing device 500. If the printer attributes include information about a specific standard print function, the device (print server 130) that has received the printer attributes from the printing device 500 recognizes that the printing device 500 supports the specific standard print function. However, in the printing device 500, the standard print function may actually be disabled. Therefore, the user can indicate printing by using the specific standard print function, but if a print job is sent in a specific document format supported by the specific standard print function, the printing device 500 does not perform printing.

[0180] <Fourth Embodiment>

[0181] The fourth embodiment will be described below. In the following description, descriptions of matters that may be similar to those in the third embodiment will be omitted. In the third embodiment, regardless of whether the standard printing function is enabled or disabled in the printing device 500, the printing device 500 sends the standard printing support information to the print server 130. Therefore, the user of the information processing device 110 can start executing standard printing via the print server 130.

[0182] In the fourth embodiment, in addition to the above-mentioned standard printing support information, the printing device 500 also sends information indicating whether a specific standard printing function is enabled or disabled to the print server 130. In the following description, the information indicating whether a specific standard printing function is enabled or disabled is referred to as standard printing availability information. In the fourth embodiment, the standard printing support information indicates whether the printing device 500 supports the specific standard printing function (that is, the printing device 500 has the specific standard printing function). The standard printing availability information indicates whether the specific standard printing function is enabled or disabled in the printing device 500.

[0183] If the standard printing availability information indicates that the specific standard printing function is enabled, the user of the information processing device 110 can perform printing using the specific standard printing function via the print server 130. On the other hand, if the standard printing availability information indicates that the specific standard printing function is disabled, the user of the information processing device 110 cannot perform printing using the specific standard printing function via the print server 130.

[0184] The print server 130 transmits the standard print availability information received from the printing device 500 as printer attributes to the information processing device 110. If the printer attributes acquired in the printer search indicate that the standard print function is disabled, the information processing device 110 does not present the printer to the user as a printer list. Therefore, if the standard print function is disabled, sending a print job from the information processing device 110 using the standard print function is suppressed.

[0185] [Printer properties]

[0186] Reference Figure 16 , the fourth embodiment will be described Figure 9 1000. The printer attributes 1600 are different from the printer attributes 1000 in that records 1601 and 1062 are further included, and the remaining records may be the same as those in the printer attributes 1000.

[0187] Record 1601 indicates whether the AirPrint function is enabled or disabled in the printing device 500. The attribute name is "airprint-enable". If the AirPrint function is enabled in the printing device 500, the attribute value is "true". If the AirPrint function is disabled, the attribute value is "false". If the printer attribute 1600 includes a record with the name "airprint-enable" and the value "true", the printer attribute 1600 indicates that the AirPrint function is enabled in the printing device 500. On the contrary, if the printer attribute 1600 includes a record with the name "airprint-enable" and the value "false", or if the printer attribute 1700 does not include the record "airprint-enable" itself, the printer attribute 1600 indicates that the AirPrint function is disabled in the printing device 500.

[0188] Record 1602 indicates whether the Mopria function is enabled or disabled in the printing device 500. The attribute name is "mopria-enable". If the Mopria function is enabled in the printing device 500, the attribute value is "true". If the Mopria function is disabled, the attribute value is "false". If the printer attribute 1600 includes a record with the name "mopria-enable" and the value "true", the printer attribute 1600 indicates that the Mopria function is enabled in the printing device 500. On the contrary, if the printer attribute 1600 includes a record with the name "mopria-enable" and the value "false", or if the printer attribute 1700 does not include the record "mopria-enable" itself, the printer attribute 1600 indicates that the Mopria function is disabled in the printing device 500.

[0189] [Operation process of the information processing device performing printer search]

[0190] Refer to Figure 17 , an example of the process of the information processing device 110 searching for a printer that supports the standard printing function of the information processing device 100 will be described. Figure 17 The method shown is different from Figure 13 the method shown in that step S1701 is executed instead of step S1305, and the remaining steps can be the same as those of the method shown in Figure 13 .

[0191] In step S1701, the printer management unit 405 of the information processing apparatus 110 determines whether the selected virtual printer supports the standard printing function of the information processing apparatus 110 and enables the standard printing function. If it is determined that the selected virtual printer supports the standard printing function of the information processing apparatus 110 and enables the standard printing function (Yes in step S1701), the printing apparatus 500 proceeds with the processing to step S1809; otherwise (No in step S1701), the processing proceeds to step S1807.

[0192] It is possible to determine whether the selected virtual printer supports the standard printing function of the information processing apparatus 110 based on the printer attributes included in the information response. For example, if the printer attributes include Figure 16 the record 1016 shown, the virtual printer supports Airprint. If the printer attributes include Figure 16 the record 1015 shown, the virtual printer supports Mopria.

[0193] It is possible to determine whether the standard printing function of the information processing apparatus 110 is enabled in the selected virtual printer based on the printer attributes included in the information response. For example, if the printer attributes include Figure 16 the record 1601 shown with the value set to "true", the Airprint function is enabled in the virtual printer. If the printer attributes include Figure 16 the record 1602 shown with the value set to "true", the Mopria function is enabled in the virtual printer.

[0194] <Fifth Embodiment>

[0195] The fifth embodiment will be described below. In the following description, descriptions of matters that may be similar to those in the fourth embodiment will be omitted. In the fourth embodiment, the printing apparatus 500 sends standard printing availability information to the printing server 130, and the printing server 130 sends the standard printing availability information to the information processing apparatus 110. Thus, the information processing apparatus 110 can determine whether a specific standard printing function is enabled or disabled in the printing apparatus 500. In the fifth embodiment, the printing server 130 determines whether a specific standard printing function is enabled or disabled in the printing apparatus 500. The printing server 130 performs processing according to the determined result.

[0196] If the standard print availability information is received from the printing device 500, the printer management unit 303 of the print server 130 updates the printer information 311 regarding the printing device 500 to include the standard print availability information. The print server 130 may not send the standard print availability information to the information processing device 110. Alternatively, the print server 130 may send the standard print availability information to the information processing device 110. Even if the information processing device 110 does not perform a determination based on the standard print availability information and sends a print job to the print server 130 by using a specific standard print function, the print server 130 will not send the print job to the printing device 500 that has disabled the specific standard print function.

[0197] [Operation process of the print server for processing a print job]

[0198] Refer to Figure 18 , and an example of the operation of the print server 130 for processing a print job received from the information processing device 110 will be described. For example, when the print server 130 receives a print request from the information processing device 110 in Figure 9 S914, the operation shown in Figure 18 is started. As described above, the print request includes a print job.

[0199] In step S1801, the job management unit 304 of the print server 130 obtains the document format of the received print job from the job information 312. The document format is stored in the document-format which is a job attribute of IPP.

[0200] In step S1802, the job management unit 304 of the print server 130 obtains the client information of the information processing device 110 that has sent the received print job from the job information 312. The client information may include, for example, the OS type of the information processing device 110. The client information is stored in the client-info which is an operation attribute of IPP.

[0201] In step S1803, the job management unit 304 of the print server 130 specifies the print function for generating the print job based on the document format obtained in step S1801 and the client information obtained in step S1802.

[0202] Refer to Figure 19 , and an example of the method for specifying the print function for generating the print job will be described. The print server 130 may specify the print function by referring to the function specification information 1900. The function specification information 1900 is pre-set by, for example, an administrator of the print server 130 (e.g., during the execution of Figure 19Generated before the method shown and stored in the storage device 204 in the print server 130. In Figure 19 In the example shown, the function specification information 1900 is represented in tabular form. Alternatively, the function specification information 1900 can be represented in another format.

[0203] The function specification information 1900 includes columns 1901 to 1903. Column 1901 indicates the document format. Column 1902 indicates the printing function in the case where the OS type is macOS or iOS. Column 1903 indicates the printing function in the case where the OS type is Windows or Android.

[0204] Record 1911 indicates the printing function of each OS in the case where the document format is PWG Raster. Record 1912 indicates the printing function of each OS in the case where the document format is Apple Raster. Record 1912 indicates the printing function of each OS in the case where the document format is neither PWG Raster nor Apple Raster (for example, in the case of PDF).

[0205] If the document format is PWG Raster, regardless of the OS type, the print server 130 designates the printing function as Mopria. If the document format is Apple Raster, regardless of the OS type, the print server 130 designates the printing function as AirPrint. If the document format is not one of these, in the case where the OS type is MacOS or iOS, the print server 130 designates the printing function as AirPrint, and in the case where the OS type is Windows or Android, designates the printing function as Mopria.

[0206] Return to Figure 18 Regarding the description of, in step S1804, the job management unit 304 of the print server 130 determines whether the printing function specified in step S1803 is enabled in the printing device 500 based on the printer information 311. If it is determined that the specified printing function is enabled in the printing device 500 (Yes in step S1804), the print server 130 proceeds to step S1805; otherwise (No in step S1804), the process is terminated. If it is determined that the specified printing function is not enabled (i.e., disabled) in the printing device 500, the print server 130 can respond to the information processing device 110 with an error.

[0207] In step S1805, the job management unit 304 of the print server 130 sends the print job received from the information processing device 110 to the printing device 500. This step can be performed in the above Figure 9Execute in S917 of. In this way, the print server 130 determines whether to send the print job received from the information processing device 110 to the printing device 500 based on the standard print availability information.

[0208] <Sixth Embodiment>

[0209] The sixth embodiment will be described below. In the following description, the description of matters similar to those in the third embodiment will be omitted. In the sixth embodiment, it is assumed that the printing device 500 supports AirPrint and the OS type of the information processing device 110 is macOS. Regardless of whether the standard print function is enabled or disabled in the printing device 500, the printing device 500 sends standard print support information indicating its support for AirPrint to the print server 130. Therefore, the user of the information processing device 110 can start executing AirPrint via the print server 130.

[0210] The print server 130 receives the print job generated by AirPrint from the information processing device 110 and sends the print job to the printing device 500. Whether AirPrint is enabled or disabled, if the print job generated by AirPrint is received from the print server 130, the printing device 500 can perform printing according to the print job. On the other hand, if the print job generated by AirPrint is received directly from the information processing device 110 (i.e., without passing through the print server 130), the printing device 500 may not perform printing if AirPrint is disabled.

[0211] (Other Embodiments)

[0212] The present invention can be implemented by supplying a program for realizing one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or a storage medium and causing one or more processors in the computer of the system or device to read and execute the program. The present invention can also be implemented by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) for realizing one or more functions.

[0213] The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made within the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, in order to let the public know the scope of the present invention, the appended claims are presented.

[0214] This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-163587 filed on October 11, 2022 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2023-134158 filed on August 21, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. A printing device, which includes: a remote printing unit configured to perform printing based on a print job sent from a print server via a wide area network; a local printing unit configured to perform printing based on a print job sent from an information processing device connected to the same network as the printing device; and a sending unit configured to send support information to the print server, the support information indicating that the printing device supports a standard printing function included as a standard in an operating system of the information processing device, wherein the sending unit sends the support information to the print server in response to at least one of the following events: completing registration of the printing device with the print server; activating the printing device while in a state of being registered with the print server; changing a function of performing printing based on a print job sent from the print server from a disabled state to an enabled state; being set to send the support information to the print server; construction information of the printing device has changed; and the state of the printing device has changed.

2. The printing device according to claim 1, the printing device further includes: a setting unit configured to set whether to send the support information to the print server, wherein, when set to send the support information to the print server, the sending unit sends the support information to the print server, and when not set to send the support information to the print server, the sending unit does not send the support information to the print server.

3. The printing device according to claim 2, the setting unit being capable of separately setting whether to send the support information to the print server for each type of standard printing function among two or more types of standard printing functions.

4. The printing device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein, the setting unit further sets whether to send the support information to the information processing device independently of whether to send the support information to the print server, and when set to send the support information to the information processing device, the sending unit sends the support information to the information processing device, and when not set to send the support information to the information processing device, the sending unit does not send the support information to the information processing device.

5. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein, regardless of whether the standard printing function in the printing device is enabled or disabled, the sending unit sends the support information to the print server.

6. The printing device according to claim 5, wherein, the sending unit further sends to the print server: availability information indicating whether the standard printing function in the printing device is enabled or disabled.

7. The printing device according to any one of claims 1-6, wherein, the support information is included in a message defined by the Internet Printing Protocol.

8. A control method for a printing device, the printing device includes: a remote printing unit configured to perform printing based on a print job sent from a print server via a wide area network; and a local printing unit configured to perform printing based on a print job sent from an information processing device connected to the same network as the printing device; the control method includes: Sending step: sending support information to a print server through a control unit of the printing device, the support information indicating that the printing device supports a standard printing function included as a standard in an operating system of the information processing device, and Printing device, comprising: Remote printing unit for performing printing according to a print job sent from a print server via a wide area network; Local printing unit for performing printing according to a print job sent from an information processing device connected to the same network as the printing device; and Sending unit for sending support information to a print server, the support information indicating that the printing device supports a standard printing function included as a standard in an operating system of the information processing device, wherein the sending step is performed in response to at least one of the following events: Completing registration of the printing device with the print server; Activating the printing device in a state where the printing device is registered with the print server; Changing a function of performing printing according to a print job sent from the print server from a disabled state to an enabled state; Being set to send support information to the print server; The configuration information of the printing device has changed; and The state of the printing device has changed.

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