Information processing apparatus and method for controlling information processing apparatus

Abstract

The invention discloses an information processing apparatus and a method for controlling the information processing apparatus. An information processing apparatus described in the specification includes an acquisition unit configured to acquire configuration information of a printing apparatus from a cloud print server system, a storage unit configured to store the acquired configuration information, and a processing unit configured to process the configuration information, a control unit configured to display a print setting screen on the display unit based on the configuration information stored in the storage unit, a transmission unit configured to transmit an acquisition request of the configuration information in a state in which the configuration information is stored in the storage unit, and an updating unit configured to update the configuration information stored in the storage unit using the configuration information acquired based on the transmitted acquisition request.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application with application number 202111438332.4, application date November 30, 2021, entitled "Information Processing Apparatus and Method for Controlling Information Processing Apparatus". Technical Field

[0002] This disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus and a method for controlling the information processing apparatus. Background Technology

[0003] A system is known that sends print data from a client terminal to a printer via a cloud server. In this system, the user configures print settings and issues print commands by operating the printer driver installed on the client terminal. The printer driver on the client terminal sends print data based on image data and print settings to the cloud server. The received print data is then sent to the printer via the cloud, allowing printing to be executed.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-238924 discusses creating a virtual printer queue on a cloud server and performing printing via the virtual printer queue.

[0005] When using a cloud print server, a print queue needs to be prepared on the client terminal to send print data to the virtual printer queue on the cloud print server. The client terminal obtains printer configuration information and information about the virtual printer queue on the cloud print server from the cloud printing service, and generates a print queue to send print data to the virtual printer queue on the cloud print server. The client terminal uses the printer configuration and capability information obtained when the print queue was generated to display the print settings screen.

[0006] The client terminal uses the configuration information obtained when the print queue is generated. Therefore, even if the actual printer configuration changes due to a new finisher being connected to the printer, the configuration information in the client terminal is not updated, and the print settings screen for using the newly connected finisher cannot be displayed. Summary of the Invention

[0007] According to one or more embodiments, the information processing apparatus described in this application is aimed at enabling configuration information stored in a client terminal to be updated when the configuration information of a printer registered in a cloud printing server changes.

[0008] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the information processing apparatus described herein is an information processing apparatus configured to send print data to a cloud print server system configured to send print data to a print device, and includes an acquisition unit configured to acquire configuration information of the print device from the cloud print server system, a storage unit configured to store the acquired configuration information of the print device, a control unit configured to display a print settings screen on a display unit based on the configuration information stored in the storage unit, a sending unit configured to send an acquisition request for configuration information to the cloud print server system while the configuration information is stored in the storage unit, and an update unit configured to update the configuration information stored in the storage unit using the configuration information acquired based on the sent acquisition request.

[0009] Further features of this disclosure will become clear from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0010] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0011] Figure 2 This is a diagram illustrating an example configuration of a client computer according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0012] Figure 3 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the software configuration of a cloud printing service according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0013] Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the software configuration of a print settings extension application according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0014] Figure 5 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of a cloud printing-enabled printer according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0015] Figure 6 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a sequence for registering a cloud printing-enabled printer to a cloud printing service according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0016] Figure 7 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a sequence of updating configuration information stored in a client computer according to a first exemplary embodiment.

[0017] Figure 8A This is a diagram illustrating an example of a table showing information about a printer queue registered in a cloud printing service according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0018] Figure 8B This is a diagram illustrating an example of a table showing information about the printer queue after the configuration information has been updated, according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0019] Figure 9 This is an example diagram illustrating a print settings screen to be displayed on a client computer according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0020] Figure 10A This is an example diagram illustrating an extended print settings screen to be displayed on a client computer according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0021] Figure 10B This is a diagram illustrating an example of a message for updating configuration information to be displayed on a client computer according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0022] Figure 10C This is an example diagram illustrating an extended print settings screen to be displayed on a client computer after configuration information has been updated, according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0023] Figure 11 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process to be performed by a client computer according to a first exemplary embodiment.

[0024] Figure 12 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a sequence of processes for updating configuration information stored in a client computer according to a second exemplary embodiment.

[0025] Figure 13 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a sequence of processes for updating configuration information stored in a client computer according to a third exemplary embodiment.

[0026] Figure 14A This is a diagram illustrating an example of information about a printer queue managed by a cloud printing service according to a first exemplary embodiment.

[0027] Figure 14B This is a diagram illustrating an example of information about the updated printer queue according to a first exemplary embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0028] In the following, exemplary embodiments of this disclosure will be described.

[0029] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] Client computer 100, cloud printing service 500, and cloud printing support printer 200 are connected to network 150. Client computer 100 and cloud printing support printer 200 can be connected to different intranets. Even if client computer 100 and cloud printing support printer 200 are connected to different intranets, they can still exchange print data via cloud printing service 500.

[0031] The cloud printing-enabled printer 200 is a printing device that supports a predefined protocol supported by the cloud printing service 500. For example, the predefined protocol is a protocol such as the Internet Printing Protocol (IPP). In the following text, the cloud printing-enabled printer 200 will be described as printer 200.

[0032] Cloud Printing Service 500 is a cloud printing service constructed from a server system that includes one or more information processing devices.

[0033] Cloud printing service 500 performs account management using a user ID and password. Client computer 100 or printer 200 sends the aforementioned user ID and password, along with an authentication request, to cloud printing service 500. By performing authentication processing based on the received information, cloud printing service 500 enables client computer 100 or printer 200 to use cloud printing service 500.

[0034] Figure 1 The number of client computers 100 and printers 200 shown is one, but multiple client computers 100 and multiple printers 200 can be connected to network 150.

[0035] The printer driver delivery service 1400 is a server system that includes one or more information processing devices and delivers printer drivers and information for expanding print queues to client computers 100.

[0036] Application delivery service 1500 is a server system that includes one or more information processing devices and delivers applications to client computer 100. In this exemplary embodiment, application delivery service 1500 is a server system that delivers print settings extension application 300.

[0037] Figure 2 This is a hardware configuration diagram of a general-purpose computer (information processing apparatus) according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Needless to say, unless otherwise stated, embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to a single function, a system comprising multiple devices, and a system performing processing via a network connection, as long as the functions of the present disclosure are performed. A detailed description will be given below.

[0038] The central processing unit (CPU) 101 controls the entire device according to the program stored in the read-only memory (ROM) 1021 or random access memory (RAM) 1022 of the main storage device 102 or the auxiliary storage device 105.

[0039] When the CPU 101 performs various types of processing, the RAM 1022 is used as a work area.

[0040] Auxiliary storage device 105 stores operating system (OS) 1053, application 1051, print settings extension application 300, and cloud print driver 1052.

[0041] Application 1051 is a different application from the print settings extension application 300, which is associated with the driver, and is a general application that can edit documents and create presentation materials. Users can issue print commands by operating the screen displayed by application 1051.

[0042] Cloud print driver 1052 is a printer driver that supports cloud print service 500 and is initially installed on OS 1053. Cloud print driver 1052 is invoked from an application such as application 1051 via OS 1053 and performs printing processing. In this exemplary embodiment, it will be described assuming that cloud print driver 1052 is initially stored in secondary storage device 105. Client computer 100 can download cloud print driver 1052 from another server system such as cloud print service 500. Alternatively, on client computer 100... Figure 6 After receiving information about the print queue in step S1609, the OS 1053 of the client computer 100 can obtain the cloud print driver 1052 from another server system. In this case, in step S1610, the OS 1053 of the client computer 100 generates a print queue by associating the information about the print queue received in step S1609 with the cloud print driver 1052 obtained from the other server system.

[0043] Print Settings Extension Application 300 is an application software that works in conjunction with the aforementioned cloud print driver 1052 to perform advanced print settings specific to the printer for which printing is desired. The method for downloading Print Settings Extension Application 300 is described below.

[0044] In the following description, primary storage device 102 and secondary storage device 105 will be uniformly described as storage devices.

[0045] Input devices such as pointing devices 109 (represented by a mouse and touch panel) and keyboard 108 are connected via input interface (I / F) 103 and are devices used by the user to issue various commands to the computer.

[0046] Output I / F 104 is an interface for outputting data to external devices such as monitor 110 and panel 111.

[0047] Client computer 100 is connected to network 150 via communication I / F 106. System bus 107 is the path for exchanging data between modules.

[0048] Figure 3 This is a functional block diagram of a cloud printing service 500 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The cloud printing service 500 operates as a cloud printing server system including one or more information processing devices. In the cloud printing service 500, the CPUs of the one or more information processing devices implement each function described below.

[0049] Cloud printing service 500 is a service that exists on the cloud and runs on the Internet (network 150), enabling the provision of printing-related functions. In this exemplary embodiment, cloud printing service 500 has the functions of printer registration unit 501, print queue generation unit 502, printer list generation unit 503, search response unit 504, and printer database 510. Furthermore, cloud printing service 500 has the functions of print job management unit 505, print job generation unit 506, and print job storage area 511. These functions can be provided on another cloud printing service that collaborates with cloud printing service 500.

[0050] Printer registration unit 501 is a module used to register printer information in cloud printing service 500 when a printer registration instruction is received from printer 200. Printer registration unit 501 receives a registration request from printer 200 and generates a print queue using print queue generation unit 502. Printer registration unit 501 registers the generated print queue in printer database 510 in association with printer identification information. The state in which the printer's print queue and printer identification information are registered in this way in association is referred to as the printer's registered state. In some cases, various attributes are added to the registered printer. For example, the added attributes correspond to the printer's location and account information indicating the user who can access the registered printer.

[0051] The print queue generation unit 502 generates a print queue for managing print data to be processed by the printer 200 based on a request from the printer registration unit 501.

[0052] The printer list generation unit 503 generates a list of registered printers.

[0053] Search response unit 504 sends information about registered printers in response to a printer search event sent from client computer 100 to cloud printing service 500.

[0054] The print job storage area 511 is an area for storing print data received from the client computer 100 as print jobs.

[0055] The print job management unit 505 manages the print jobs stored in the print job storage area 511 for each print queue and sends the print jobs to the printer corresponding to the print queue. Alternatively, the print job management unit 505 receives a print job retrieval request from the printer 200 and sends the print jobs held in the print queue corresponding to the printer 200 to the printer 200.

[0056] The print job generation unit 506 generates print jobs as needed by processing print data received from the client computer 100.

[0057] Figure 4 This is a block diagram illustrating the software configuration of the Print Settings Extension Application 300. The Print Settings Extension Application 300 is an application used by printer vendors to extend the functionality of the cloud printing driver 1052.

[0058] The print settings extension application 300 includes a print launch application unit 301, an extended print settings unit 302, a device application communication unit 303, and a print job generation unit 304.

[0059] The print launch application unit 301 is a module that is invoked from OS 1053 via cloud print driver 1052 during printing. The print launch application unit 301 controls the entire print setup extension application 300.

[0060] The extended print settings unit 302 is a module used to display the extended print settings screen to be described below. The extended print settings unit 302 receives print settings from the cloud print driver 1052 and displays the extended print settings screen based on the received print settings and the configuration information stored in the configuration information storage unit 305.

[0061] The device application communication unit 303 has the function of communicating with the cloud printing service 500 via the network 150 for each module of the print settings extension application 300.

[0062] The print job generation unit 304 provides the function of editing print data as needed, as well as editing print data generated by the cloud print driver 1052. By editing print data through the print job generation unit 304, vendor-specific print settings that cannot be set by the cloud print driver 1052 can be written into the print data.

[0063] The configuration information storage unit 305 is a module used to manage the configuration information of the printer 200 corresponding to the print queue of the client computer 100.

[0064] Figure 5 This is a diagram illustrating the functional blocks of a printer used as an example image processing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0065] The control unit 201, including CPU 211, controls the operation of the entire printer 200. CPU 211 performs various types of control, such as print control and read control, by reading the control program stored in ROM 212 or storage device 214.

[0066] ROM 212 stores control programs that can be executed by CPU 211. RAM 213 is the main memory of CPU 211 and is used as a working area or temporary storage area to which various control programs are loaded.

[0067] Storage device 214 stores print data, image data, various programs and settings information of various types, and configuration information generated based on the settings information of various types. When new hardware, such as a trimmer, is added to the printer body, CPU 211 updates the settings information of various types in storage device 214 and generates new configuration information based on the updated settings information. The generated configuration information is sent to the associated service or client computer via communication unit I / F 217. In this exemplary embodiment, an auxiliary storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) is assumed to be storage device 214, but non-volatile memory such as a solid-state drive (SSD) can be used instead of an HDD. In this way, hardware components such as CPU 211, ROM 212, and RAM 213 are included in the so-called computer.

[0068] Processing unit 215 has the function of a raster image processor (RIP) to generate a printed image by rasterizing print data received via a network. Processing unit 215 also has the function of an image processing unit and can perform image resolution conversion and correction processing. In this exemplary embodiment, it is assumed that the image processing unit is implemented by hardware circuitry (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), etc.), but the image processing unit is not limited to this. For example, image processing and rasterization of print data can be implemented by the printer 200 including a processor designed for image processing and an image processing program executed by the processor designed for image processing. Furthermore, image processing and rasterization of print data can be performed by the CPU 211 executing a program for performing image processing. Furthermore, image processing can be performed by any combination of these methods.

[0069] Operation unit I / F 216 connects operation unit 202 and control unit 201. Operation unit 202 includes a liquid crystal display unit with touch panel functionality and various hardware keys. Operation unit 202 serves as a display unit for displaying information, a receiving unit for receiving instructions from the user, and a reading unit for generating a reading image by reading a document. The generated reading image is stored in storage device 214 or RAM 213. The print image generated by processing unit 215 through analyzing print data is transmitted from control unit 201 to print unit (not shown) in operation unit 202 via operation unit I / F 216. Print unit receives control commands and print image via control unit 201, and prints the image onto sheet fed from sheet feed cassette (not shown) based on the print image.

[0070] The control unit 201 is connected to the network 150 via the communication unit I / F 217.

[0071] The communication unit I / F 217 sends images and information to the communication devices on the network 150, and receives print data and information from the communication devices on the network 150.

[0072] Scanner unit 219, which generates image data by reading documents, is connected to scanner I / F 218. Printer 200 can perform printing based on the image data generated by scanner unit 219 and send the image data to another device.

[0073] Printer I / F 220 is connected to printing unit 221 for printing images. Printing unit 221 performs printing based on image data generated by scanner unit 219 and printing based on printing data received from cloud printing service 500.

[0074] Hardware I / F 222 is an interface to which hardware, such as a trimmer, is connected. Examples of trimmers include those that have functions for binding sheets with images, punching sheets with images, bookbinding sheets, and folding sheets.

[0075] If the trimmer is connected to printer 200, the configuration information of printer 200 changes. Therefore, printer 200 updates the configuration information managed by cloud printing service 500. Furthermore, in this exemplary embodiment, print settings extension application 300 installed on client computer 100 obtains configuration information from cloud printing service 500 and updates the configuration information.

[0076] Figure 6 This is a sequence diagram illustrating the process of generating a print queue on the client computer 100 to send print data to the cloud printing service 500.

[0077] First, printer 200 needs to be registered with cloud printing service 500. In step S1600, printer 200 sends an authentication request to cloud printing service 500 based on the user's operation. The authentication request includes the user ID and password. In step S1601, cloud printing service 500 performs user authentication based on the received authentication request and the information about the user ID and password, and sends the authentication result to printer 200. In this example, we will assume that authentication has been successful. In the case of authentication failure... Figure 6 The sequence shown has ended.

[0078] In step S1602, printer 200 sends a printer registration request to cloud printing service 500. The registration request includes printer 200's identification information and configuration information. The configuration information sent in this step is the configuration information acquired at the time of step S1602.

[0079] In step S1603, the cloud printing service 500 generates a print queue based on the acquired information. As needed, the user sets information about users who can use the generated print queue. In this manner, the printer's registration process with the cloud printing service 500 is completed.

[0080] Next, the user operates the client computer 100 and configures settings for sending print data to the cloud printing service 500. First, in step S1604, an authentication request is sent from the client computer 100 to the cloud printing service 500. The authentication request includes a user ID and password. The cloud printing service 500 performs user authentication processing based on the received information about the user ID and password. In step S1605, the cloud printing service 500 sends the authentication result to the client computer 100. In this example, we will assume that authentication was successful.

[0081] In step S1606, the client computer 100 sends a request to the cloud printing service 500 to obtain a list of print queues available to logged-in users. In step S1607, the cloud printing service 500 sends the client computer 100 a list of print queues available to logged-in users. In step S1607, the cloud printing service 500, for example, sends the client computer 100 a list of the names of the print queues available to the user.

[0082] The client computer 100 displays a list of received print queues and receives a selection of the print queue to use from the user. In step S1608, the client computer 100 sends a request to the cloud printing service 500 to obtain information about the selected print queue. In step S1609, the cloud printing service 500 sends information about the selected print queue to the client computer 100. The information sent in this step includes the identification information and configuration information of the printer associated with the print queue.

[0083] In step S1610, the client computer 100 generates a print queue based on the received information about the print queue. Then, the client computer 100 stores the generated print queue in association with the acquired printer identification and configuration information.

[0084] In step S1611, the client computer 100 accesses the printer driver delivery service 1400 and sends a request to the printer driver delivery service 1400 for additional information to expand the print queue. In step S1611, the client computer 100 sends the printer identification information obtained from the cloud printing service 500 to the printer driver delivery service 1400.

[0085] In step S1612, the printer driver delivery service 1400 identifies additional information corresponding to the received printer identification information and sends the additional information to the client computer 100. The additional information includes the identification information of the print settings extension application 300.

[0086] In step S1613, the client computer 100 sends a request to the application delivery service 1500 to obtain the print settings extension application 300 using the identification information of the print settings extension application 300 included in the acquired additional information. In step S1614, the application delivery service 1500 sends the print settings extension application 300 identified based on the acquired application identification information to the client computer 100. In step S1615, the client computer 100 stores the obtained print settings extension application 300 in association with a print queue. The above sequence is a sequence for generating a print queue on the client computer 100 for sending print data to the cloud printing service 500.

[0087] Next, we will refer to Figure 7 The sequence diagram in the diagram describes the processing up to the update of printer 200's configuration information and the execution of printing. Assuming... Figure 6 The processing shown has been completed.

[0088] Figure 8AThe illustration shows the configuration information of printer 200 before the trimmer is connected to printer 200. The configuration information is stored in the printer database 510 of the cloud printing service 500. In printer 200, color printing and monochrome printing can be selected as the color mode. Printer 200 supports A3 and A4 sheet sizes. Printer 200 supports plain paper, thick paper, and thin paper sheet types. As for the Nup function, which groups multiple pages onto one side of the sheet for printing, printer 200 supports 2up for combining two pages and 4up for combining four pages. Furthermore, printer 200 supports both portrait and landscape orientations for the sheet during printing. The date and time information indicates the date and time the configuration information was registered in the cloud printing service 500.

[0089] Assume a binder with binding functionality is connected to printer 200. Printer 200 includes a sensor in hardware I / F 222, and in step S700, the sensor detects the connection of the binder and detects that the configuration information has changed. Another method can be used to detect the change in configuration information. For example, the current configuration information can be stored in memory, and whether the configuration information has changed can be determined by comparing the configuration information stored in memory when printer 200 is started with the configuration information acquired after startup. Alternatively, the change in configuration information can be determined by periodically acquiring the configuration information.

[0090] If printer 200 detects a change in configuration information, then in step S701, printer 200 sends the new configuration information and a configuration information update request to cloud printing service 500. At this time, printer 200 notifies cloud printing service 500 according to IPP. For example, if a binding configuration is added, processing unit 215 of printer 200 sets "binding" to the value of "support trimming" as an attribute defined by IPP. Afterwards, processing unit 215 notifies cloud printing service 500 of the new configuration information via communication unit I / F 217. Figure 7 In step S701, the entire updated configuration information can be notified to the cloud printing service 500, or only the differences caused by the configuration change can be notified to the cloud printing service 500. If only the differences are notified to the cloud printing service 500, the process of adding the newly acquired configuration information to the configuration information already stored in the cloud printing service 500 is performed.

[0091] In this exemplary embodiment, the cloud printing service 500 and the printer 200 perform data exchange according to IPP, but they can perform it according to another protocol. Figure 7 The processing shown.

[0092] In step S702, the cloud printing service 500 receives a configuration information update request, identifies the print queue corresponding to the printer whose configuration information needs to be updated from the printer registration unit 501, and updates the configuration information. Figure 8B The configuration information shown is thus registered in the cloud printing service 500. The binding configuration is added. Figure 8A The configuration information shown.

[0093] The above sequence is a sequence for updating configuration information stored in the cloud printing service 500. It is described assuming that the printer 200 detects a change in configuration information and sends an update request to the cloud printing service 500. The cloud printing service 500 may periodically query the printer 200 for configuration information and update the configuration information when it differs from the stored configuration information.

[0094] Next, the update of the configuration information stored in the client computer 100 will be described.

[0095] The user issues a command to display the print settings screen by operating application 1051. Client computer 100 receives the command and displays... Figure 9 The print settings screen 1300 is shown below. Print settings screen 1300 is the print settings screen to be displayed via application 1051. Area 1301 is the area for selecting the print queue to be used in printing. The user selects the print queue to be used in printing from a list of print queues registered in the client computer 100, displayed via selection button 1302. In this example, assuming in... Figure 6 The print queue generated in the sequence shown is selected.

[0096] Application 1051 based on Figure 6 The configuration information obtained in step S1609 displays the print settings screen. Area 1303 is used to set the number of copies to be printed. Area 1304 is used to select the print color mode. If the user selects button 1305, then based on the... Figure 6 The configuration information obtained in step S1609 displays the selectable color modes.

[0097] In this example, assume the user has selected the advanced settings button 1306. In step S704, the client computer 100 launches the print settings extension application 300 based on the selection of the advanced settings button 1306. Figure 10A The illustration shows an example of the extended print settings screen to be displayed when the print settings extension application 300 is launched. This screen is based on configuration information stored in the client computer 100 before the configuration information was updated. Figure 10AIn the interface, each setting item is displayed as a button, and users can select the button to configure the printing settings. In this way, Figure 9 The advanced settings button 1306 shown is operated as an object for receiving display instructions from the user to extend the print settings screen.

[0098] In step S705, the print settings extension application 300 installed on the client computer 100 sends a request to the cloud printing service 500 to retrieve configuration information. In this way, while the client computer 100 has stored configuration information, it sends a new request to the cloud printing service 500 to retrieve configuration information. In step S706, the cloud printing service 500 sends information to the client computer 100 indicating that configuration information has been stored, as well as the configuration information stored in the printer database 510. If the cloud printing service 500 has not stored configuration information, the print queue generation unit 502 can generate configuration information from information about the print queue and notify the client computer 100 of this configuration information.

[0099] Client computer 100 receives configuration information from cloud printing service 500 and determines whether the received configuration information differs from the configuration information stored on client computer 100. If a discrepancy exists, client computer 100 displays a notification and asks the user whether to update the configuration information. "Notification" refers to the push notification service in Windows (registered trademark). The relevant application can be launched through user actions on the displayed dialog box. Figure 10B This is a diagram illustrating an example of a notification to be displayed in this exemplary embodiment. A message indicating that the printer's configuration information has changed, and a message indicating that the configuration information retrieval button should be selected to update the configuration information, are displayed. If the user selects the confirmation button 1800 in the notification area, the screen returns to... Figure 10A The scene shown.

[0100] If the user is Figure 10A If the configuration information acquisition button 1700 is selected on the screen shown, then in step S707, as follows... Figure 8B The update shows the configuration information stored in the client computer 100. Then, in step S708, the print settings extension application 300 displays... Figure 10C The expanded print settings screen is shown. Buttons have been added for setting the binding functionality provided by the newly added trimmer. Figure 10C The screen shown. In step S708, the print settings extension application 300 determines the items to be displayed based on the configuration information stored in the client computer 100. For example, the configuration information stored in the client computer 100 is... Figure 8BGiven the configuration information shown, the print settings extension application 300 determines the color mode, sheet size, sheet type, Nup printing, print orientation, and binding as configurable items. The print settings extension application 300 generates an extended print settings screen with the defined items arranged and displays the extended print settings screen on the client computer 100.

[0101] The user makes print settings on the displayed extended print settings screen and selects the confirmation button. As a result, the following is displayed: Figure 9 The print settings screen is shown. If the user selects the print button 1307, then in step S709, the cloud print driver 1052 of the client computer 100 generates print data. Subsequently, in step S710, the cloud print driver 1052 sends the generated print data to the cloud print service 500. In step S711, the cloud print service 500 sends the received print data to the printer 200 corresponding to the print queue. In step S712, the printer 200 performs print processing based on the received print data.

[0102] In this manner, in the first exemplary embodiment, the print settings extension application 300 is used to obtain configuration information from the cloud printing service 500 and update the configuration information stored in the client computer 100. Using this configuration, changes to the printer 200's configuration information can be reflected in the print settings screen and extended print settings screen displayed on the client computer 100.

[0103] Next, we will refer to Figure 11 Detailed description Figure 7 The process shown in steps S704 to S708.

[0104] Figure 11 The processing shown in the flowchart is achieved by the CPU 101 executing a program stored in the main storage device 102 or the auxiliary storage device 105 of the client computer 100.

[0105] Processing begins when the user selects the Advanced Settings button 1306 on the Print Settings screen 1300.

[0106] In step S401, OS1053 launches the Print Settings Extension Application 300. The launched Print Settings Extension Application 300 displays information based on the configuration information stored in the client computer 100. Figure 10A The extended print settings screen shown.

[0107] In step S402, the print settings extension application 300 instructs the OS 1053 to send a configuration information retrieval request. Based on the instruction from the print settings extension application 300, the OS 1053 sends the configuration information retrieval request to the cloud printing service 500. At this time, the OS 1053 sends information about the print queue to the cloud printing service 500. This information includes, for example, the name of the print queue, the identification information of the printer associated with the print queue, and the identification information of the logged-in user. The cloud printing service 500 uses the received information (such as the printer identification information) to identify the print queue and the configuration information associated with it.

[0108] In step S403, the print settings extension application 300 receives a response to the configuration information retrieval request from the OS1053. Then, in step S404, the print settings extension application 300 determines whether the response received from the OS1053 includes configuration information. If the response does not include configuration information ("No" in step S404), the print settings extension application 300 terminates. Figure 11 The processing is shown below. The inability to obtain configuration information due to a communication error is an example of a situation where configuration information is not included in the response.

[0109] If the response includes configuration information ("Yes" in step S404), the process proceeds to step S405. In step S405, the print settings extension application 300 determines whether the configuration information stored in the client computer 100 is different from the acquired configuration information. If the two sets of configuration information are the same ("No" in step S405), the print settings extension application 300 ends because no configuration information needs to be updated. Figure 11 The processing shown.

[0110] If the two configuration information entries are determined to be different ("Yes" in step S405), the process proceeds to step S407. In step S407, the print settings extension application 300 notifies the user that the configuration information has been updated. Then, the print settings extension application 300 asks the user whether they want to update the configuration information. In step S407, the print settings extension application 300 displays... Figure 10B The scene shown.

[0111] In step S408, the print settings extension application 300 determines whether an update command for the configuration information has been issued. If the update command has not been issued ("No" in step S408), the print settings extension application 300 terminates. Figure 11 The processing shown.

[0112] If an update command has been issued (Yes in step S408), the process proceeds to step S409. In step S409, the print settings extension application 300 updates the configuration information stored in the client computer 100 associated with the print queue using the configuration information included in the response received in step S403. Then, in step S409, the print settings extension application 300 displays an extended print settings screen based on the updated configuration information, such as... Figure 10C As shown in the image.

[0113] In a first exemplary embodiment, the print settings extension application 300 automatically begins processing to obtain configuration information from the cloud printing service 500 upon startup. For example... Figure 10A As shown, the configuration information retrieval button 1700 can be displayed on the screen shown by the print settings extension application 300, and when the user selects the configuration information retrieval button 1700, the print settings extension application 300 can begin... Figure 11 The processing in step S402. In this way, the configuration information retrieval button 1700 can be operated as an object for receiving configuration information retrieval instructions from the user.

[0114] In the first exemplary embodiment, in Figure 11 In step S401, once displayed Figure 10A After the extended print settings screen shown, configuration information is obtained from the cloud print service 500. After the print settings extension application 300 is launched, the processing in step S402 can be performed without displaying [the relevant information]. Figure 10A The extended print settings screen shown.

[0115] In the first exemplary embodiment, if the configuration information stored in the client computer 100 differs from the configuration information obtained from the cloud printing service 500, the configuration information stored in the client computer 100 is updated based on an update command from the user. Alternatively, the configuration information stored in the client computer 100 can be updated without receiving an update command from the user.

[0116] In the first exemplary embodiment, it is assumed that the cloud printing service 500 stores, such as Figure 8A The information about the print queue, as shown in 8B, and the updated configuration information obtained when printer information is registered are described. Cloud Print Service 500 can manage, for example... Figure 14A Or the information about the print queue shown in 14B. Figure 14A The illustration shows about in Figure 6 The information of the print queue generated by the cloud printing service 500 in step S1603. Figure 14A The table shown is an alternative. Figure 8AThe table shown has been modified, and a "Latest Configuration Information" column has been added. Because the configuration information was not updated at the time the printer information was registered with the cloud printing service 500, the "Latest Configuration Information" column is currently blank. Figure 6 In step S1609, a notification is sent to the client computer 100. Figure 14A The configuration information shown in the "Configuration Information" section is information about the print queue.

[0117] Figure 14B The table shown is an indication of... Figure 7 In step S702, the configuration information table is updated after the information about the print queue is updated. Figure 7 The configuration information obtained in step S701 is stored in Figure 14B In the "Latest Configuration Information". Figure 7 In step S706, a notification is sent to the client computer 100. Figure 14B The configuration information shown in the "Latest Configuration Information" section. The printing settings extension application 300 of the client computer 100 utilizes... Figure 7 In step S702, the latest configuration information obtained is updated in the stored... Figure 6 The configuration information obtained in step S1609. Using this configuration, the configuration information can be updated simultaneously with the configuration information obtained when registering printer information stored in the cloud printing service 500.

[0118] In a first exemplary embodiment, the print settings extension application 300 obtains configuration information stored in the cloud printing service 500 and compares the obtained configuration information with configuration information stored in the client computer 100. In a second exemplary embodiment, based on date and time information indicating that the configuration information was stored in the cloud printing service 500 and date and time information indicating that the client computer 100 stored the configuration information, it is determined whether to update the configuration information stored in the client computer 100.

[0119] Figure 12 This is a sequence diagram illustrating the processing according to a second exemplary embodiment. Figure 12 The processing shown is an alternative to that in the first exemplary embodiment. Figure 7 The processing shown is as described. The same step numbers are assigned to the same steps as in the first exemplary embodiment, and the differences from the first exemplary embodiment will be described.

[0120] In step S1002, the print settings extension application 300 of the client computer 100 sends date and time information indicating the date and time when the configuration information stored in the client computer 100 is stored to the cloud printing service 500.

[0121] In step S1003, referring to information about the print queue, the cloud printing service 500 compares the update date and time of the configuration information sent from the client computer 100 with the update date and time of the configuration information stored in the cloud printing service 500. Then, the cloud printing service 500 determines whether the configuration information stored in the client computer 100 needs to be updated. For example, if the update date and time of the configuration information stored in the cloud printing service 500 is more recent than the update date and time sent from the client computer 100, the cloud printing service 500 determines that the configuration information needs to be updated.

[0122] If the cloud printing service 500 determines that the configuration information in the client computer 100 needs to be updated, it executes step S706 and subsequent steps.

[0123] If, in step S1003, the date and time information stored in the cloud printing service 500 is determined to be equal to the date and time information sent from the client computer 100, the cloud printing service 500 determines that the configuration information does not need to be updated. If it is determined that the configuration information does not need to be updated, the cloud printing service 500 notifies the client computer 100 that the configuration information does not need to be updated. In this case, the processes in steps S706 and S707 are not executed, but the processes in step S708 and subsequent steps are executed.

[0124] exist Figure 12 In this process, the processing shown in step S1002 is triggered when the extended print settings screen is displayed in the extended print settings application 300. The triggering time is not limited to the above-mentioned time, as long as the time is when the extended print settings application 300 is started, and the processing shown in steps S1002, S1003, S706 and S707 can be executed.

[0125] Using this configuration, it can be determined whether the configuration information stored in the client computer 100 needs to be updated, without the client computer 100 needing to obtain the configuration information from the cloud printing service 500.

[0126] In the first and second exemplary embodiments, if a change in the configuration of printer 200 is detected, the configuration information stored in cloud printing service 500 is changed. In the third exemplary embodiment, based on instructions from print settings extension application 300 from client computer 100, cloud printing service 500 queries printer 200 for configuration information and performs configuration information update processing.

[0127] Figure 13 This is a sequence diagram illustrating the process according to a third exemplary embodiment. Figure 13In this embodiment, the same step numbers as in the first exemplary embodiment are assigned to the same steps as in the first exemplary embodiment, and the differences from the first exemplary embodiment will be described.

[0128] If a start command for the print settings extension application 300 is issued in step S704, then the display... Figure 10A The extended print settings screen shown.

[0129] In step S1701, the print settings extension application 300 of the client computer 100 receives a configuration information acquisition instruction from the user. The print settings extension application 300 then retrieves the configuration information according to the instructions provided. Figure 10A The configuration information retrieval button 1700 on the extended print settings screen shown is selected to receive configuration information retrieval instructions.

[0130] In step S1702, the print settings extension application 300 of the client computer 100 sends a request to the cloud printing service 500 to obtain configuration information.

[0131] In step S1703, the cloud printing service 500 sends a configuration information retrieval request to the printer 200 based on the received configuration information retrieval request.

[0132] In step S1704, printer 200 sends the configuration information updated in step S700 to cloud printing service 500.

[0133] In step S702, the cloud printing service 500 stores information about the printer queue of printer 200 and the acquired configuration information in association with each other.

[0134] Subsequently, the processes shown in steps S706 to S712 are performed.

[0135] In this manner, in the third exemplary embodiment, configuration information is obtained according to instructions from the client computer 100. Using this configuration, the configuration information referenced by the print settings extension application 300 can be updated even if the configuration information stored in the cloud printing service 500 is not updated.

[0136] <Other exemplary embodiments>

[0137] In the exemplary embodiments described above, an example of adding functionality as an update to configuration information has been given. Besides the case where the trimmer is attached to the printer 200 and configuration information is added, the case of updating configuration information also includes the case where the trimmer is removed from the printer 200. In this case, a process similar to that described in the exemplary embodiments above is performed.

[0138] In the exemplary embodiment described above, the print settings extension application 300 uses updated configuration information to display the extended print settings screen. Application 1051, OS 1053, and cloud print driver 1052 are displayed... Figure 9 The updated configuration information can be used when displaying the print settings screen shown. For example, in... Figure 9 If the print settings screen shown allows binding to be configured, and the configuration information corresponding to the print queue includes binding settings, then a print settings screen where binding can be configured is displayed. On the other hand, if the configuration information corresponding to the print queue does not include binding settings, application 1051, OS 1053, and cloud print driver 1052 display a print settings screen where binding cannot be configured.

[0139] refer to Figure 7 A description has been given of an example of cloud printing supporting printer 200 notifying cloud printing service 500 of configuration information changes, and client computer 100 obtaining configuration information from cloud printing service 500 when print settings extension application 300 is launched. Furthermore, refer to... Figure 13 A description has been given of an example of cloud printing service 500 obtaining configuration information from cloud printing support printer 200 based on instructions received from client computer 100. In addition to the above example, in executing... Figure 6 Following the sequence shown, the cloud printing service 500 can also send a request to the cloud printing support printer 200 to obtain configuration information at a predetermined time. Then, when the print settings extension application 300 starts, the client computer 100 can access the cloud printing service 500 and obtain the configuration information stored in the cloud printing service 500.

[0140] The exemplary embodiments of this disclosure are also implemented by performing the following process. More specifically, this process involves supplying software (programs) for performing the functions of the exemplary embodiments described above to a system or device via a network or various storage media, and the computer (or CPU, microprocessor unit (MPU), etc.) of the system or device reading and executing the program code. In this case, the computer program and the storage medium storing the computer program are included in this disclosure.

[0141] Embodiments of the present invention can also be implemented by a computer of a system or apparatus that reads and executes computer-executable instructions (e.g., one or more programs) recorded on a storage medium (which may also be more fully referred to as a 'non-transitory computer-readable storage medium') to perform one or more functions of the above embodiments and / or includes one or more circuits (e.g., application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs)) for performing one or more functions of the above embodiments, and by a method performed by the computer of the system or apparatus by, for example, reading and executing computer-executable instructions from the storage medium to perform one or more functions of the above embodiments and / or controlling one or more circuits to perform one or more functions of the above embodiments. The computer may include one or more processors (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor unit (MPU)) and may include separate computers or networks of separate processors to read and execute computer-executable instructions. The computer-executable instructions may be provided to the computer, for example, from a network or storage medium. The storage medium may include, for example, a hard disk, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), storage devices for distributed computing systems, optical discs (such as CDs, DVDs, or Blu-ray discs). TM One or more of the following: flash memory devices, memory cards, etc.

[0142] The embodiments of the present invention can also be implemented by providing software (programs) that perform the functions of the above embodiments to a system or device via a network or various storage media, and the computer or central processing unit (CPU) or microprocessor unit (MPU) of the system or device reads out and executes the program.

[0143] While this disclosure includes exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be given the broadest interpretation in order to cover all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing an application configured to cooperate with a printer driver, the printer driver being configured to send print data to a printing device conforming to the Internet Printing Protocol (IPP), wherein, The application is identified based on the printing device's identification information obtained from an external device when it is installed on the information processing device, and The application causes the information processing device, including the printer driver, to execute: Obtain the configuration information of the printing device from the external device; as well as Perform the display of print settings corresponding to at least a portion of the configuration information obtained in the acquisition, received from the user.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein, The information processing device obtains and stores the configuration information of the printing device from the external device before the application is installed. The application further enables the information processing device to update the configuration information stored before the application was installed by using the configuration information obtained in the acquisition, and The display is performed based on the configuration information updated in the update.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein, The external device is configured to send print data to the server system of the printing device. Based on the user's operation, the printing device sends a registration request to the server system to register the printing device's identification information and configuration information to the server system, and The server system stores the identification information and the configuration information based on the registration request.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein, The print settings screen is displayed in the display.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein, The application further enables the information processing device to display an object for receiving instructions from the user to execute the acquired commands.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein, The configuration information is based on the hardware configuration connected to the printing device and changes accordingly.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein, The configuration information obtained during the acquisition includes settings related to binding and options related to binding position.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein, The application is able to reflect print settings that cannot be set by the printer driver in the print data.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein, The printer driver is pre-installed in the operating system of the information processing device.

10. A control method for an information processing device, the information processing device comprising a printer driver and an application program, the printer driver being configured to send print data to a printing device conforming to the Internet Printing Protocol (IPP), and the application program being configured to cooperate with the printer driver, wherein... When the application is installed on the information processing device, it is identified based on the identification information of the printing device obtained from an external device. The control method includes: Obtain the configuration information of the printing device from the external device; and Perform the display of print settings corresponding to at least a portion of the configuration information obtained in the acquisition, received from the user.

11. The control method according to claim 10, wherein, The information processing device obtains and stores the configuration information of the printing device from the external device before the application is installed. The application further enables the information processing device to update the configuration information stored before the application was installed by using the configuration information obtained in the acquisition, and The display is performed based on the configuration information updated in the update.

12. The control method according to claim 10, wherein, The external device is configured to send print data to the server system of the printing device. Based on the user's operation, the printing device sends a registration request to the server system to register the printing device's identification information and configuration information to the server system, and The server system stores the identification information and the configuration information based on the registration request.

13. The control method according to claim 10, wherein, The print settings screen is displayed in the display.

14. The control method according to claim 10, wherein, The information processing device is configured to further display an object for receiving instructions from the user to execute the acquired commands.

15. The control method according to claim 10, wherein, The configuration information is based on the hardware configuration connected to the printing device and changes accordingly.

16. The control method according to claim 10, wherein, The configuration information obtained during the acquisition includes settings related to binding and options related to binding position.

17. The control method according to claim 10, wherein, The application is able to reflect print settings that cannot be set by the printer driver in the print data.

18. An information processing apparatus comprising a printer driver and an application, the printer driver being configured to send print data to a printing device conforming to the Internet Printing Protocol (IPP), and the application being configured to cooperate with the printer driver, wherein... When the application is installed on the information processing device, it is identified based on the identification information of the printing device obtained from an external device. The information processing device includes: The acquisition unit is configured to acquire configuration information of the printing device from the external device; and The display unit is configured to perform the display of print settings corresponding to at least a portion of the configuration information acquired by the acquisition unit, received from the user.

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