Information processing apparatus, control method of information processing apparatus, and cloud printing system

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus, a control method of the information processing apparatus, and a cloud printing system. An information processing apparatus having a communication unit is provided. The information processing apparatus downloads a virtual printer from a cloud printing server connected through the communication unit and installs the virtual printer, the virtual printer uploading a print job received from a printer driver to the cloud printing server; installs a general printer driver for the virtual printer; and generates a print queue associated with the general printer driver.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The technology disclosed herein relates to an information processing device, a control method for the information processing device, and a cloud printing system. Background Technology

[0002] In recent years, universal printer drivers (local printer drivers) that communicate directly with image forming devices using industry-standard protocols such as the Internet Printing Protocol (IPP) have become increasingly popular. Local printer drivers can communicate with printers from multiple printer vendors. Therefore, users can send print jobs to image forming devices without installing vendor-specific printer drivers by using local printer drivers.

[0003] We are also considering using cloud printing services. In cloud printing services, the printer driver (cloud printer driver) is installed in the information processing device. In cloud printing services, the information processing device sends a print job to the cloud printing service using the cloud printer driver, and the cloud printing service then sends the print job to the image forming device to execute the printing. Figure 1 ).

[0004] Since the aforementioned local printer drivers, cloud printer drivers, etc., handle print jobs generated by image forming devices from various vendors, there are limitations on the items and functions that can be set in the print settings. Therefore, it is conceivable, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-141093, to use printer identification information associated with the printer driver to expand the print queue associated with that printer driver. This would enable vendor-specific print settings user interface (UI), print job editing functions, etc.

[0005] The identification information used in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-141093, which identifies the model, type, etc., of an image forming apparatus, is set for each individual image forming apparatus. However, when a print job is submitted to an image forming apparatus via a cloud printing service, the cloud printing service does not have the identification information to identify that image forming apparatus. Therefore, the information processing device cannot use a generic printer driver employing an industry-standard protocol such as IPP to generate a print queue. Furthermore, print queues are typically generated using OS standard printer drivers as generic printer drivers, and therefore, it is impossible to automatically install this generic printer driver from the installer provided by the printer vendor.

[0006] In other words, when a user submits a print job to a cloud printing service, in addition to the installer provided by the vendor, they also need to install the OS standard universal printer driver, which increases the workload. In environments that do not use cloud printing services, users only need to download the installer prepared by the vendor to their information processing device to automatically install the printer driver. Therefore, users who move to an environment that prints via cloud printing services will not be aware of the need to install the additional universal printer driver. If the universal printer driver is not installed on the information processing device, a print queue corresponding to the cloud printing service cannot be generated, and printing via the cloud printing service will not be possible. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The technology disclosed herein can automatically install universal printer drivers from vendor installers and generate print queues corresponding to cloud printing services.

[0008] One aspect of this disclosure provides an information processing apparatus comprising: a communication unit; and a control unit, wherein the control unit: downloads and installs a virtual printer from a cloud print server connected via the communication unit, the virtual printer uploading print jobs received from a printer driver to the cloud print server; installs a universal printer driver for the virtual printer; and generates a print queue associated with the universal printer driver.

[0009] Another aspect of this disclosure provides a cloud printing system comprising: an information processing device; a cloud printing server; and a printer configured to obtain print jobs from the cloud printing server and execute printing, wherein the information processing device includes: a communication unit; and a control unit, wherein the control unit: downloads a virtual printer from the cloud printing server connected via the communication unit and installs the virtual printer, the virtual printer uploading print jobs received from a printer driver to the cloud printing server; installs a universal printer driver for the virtual printer; and generates a print queue associated with the universal printer driver.

[0010] Another aspect of this disclosure provides a control method for an information processing apparatus, the information processing apparatus including a communication unit, the control method comprising: downloading a virtual printer from a cloud printing server connected to the information processing apparatus via the communication unit, and installing the virtual printer, the virtual printer uploading print jobs received from a printer driver to the cloud printing server; installing a universal printer driver for the virtual printer; and generating a print queue associated with the universal printer driver.

[0011] Based on the above structure, it is possible to automatically install universal printer drivers from the vendor's installer and generate print queues corresponding to the cloud printing service.

[0012] The features of this disclosure will become apparent from the following description of embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following description of embodiments is given by way of example. Attached Figure Description

[0013] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the embodiments.

[0014] Figure 1 This is a diagram showing the system structure.

[0015] Figure 2A This is a diagram showing the hardware structure of the client terminal.

[0016] Figure 2B This is a diagram showing the hardware structure of a cloud print server.

[0017] Figure 2C This is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the application management server.

[0018] Figure 2D This is a diagram illustrating the hardware structure of a cloud-printing compatible printer.

[0019] Figure 2E This is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the online support server.

[0020] Figure 3A This is a diagram illustrating the software architecture of a client terminal.

[0021] Figure 3B This is a diagram illustrating the software architecture of a cloud print server.

[0022] Figure 3C This is a diagram illustrating the software architecture of the application management server.

[0023] Figure 3D This is a diagram illustrating the software architecture of a cloud-printing compatible printer.

[0024] Figure 3E This is a diagram illustrating the software architecture of an online support server.

[0025] Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the sequence of operations performed between software and services related to the registration of the Print Settings Extended Application.

[0026] Figure 5A This is a diagram showing an example of an extended settings information file.

[0027] Figure 5BThis is a diagram showing an example of device information.

[0028] Figure 6 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a sequence of operations performed between software and services related to registering a printer in a cloud printing service according to the first embodiment.

[0029] Figure 7 This is a flowchart illustrating the generation of a client application installation package according to the first embodiment.

[0030] Figure 8 This is a diagram illustrating a UI example in the client application installer generation screen according to the first embodiment.

[0031] Figure 9A and Figure 9B This is a diagram illustrating an example of a sequence of operations performed between software and services related to adding a printer driver according to the first embodiment.

[0032] Figure 10 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a sequence of operations between software and services related to the startup print settings extension application according to the first embodiment.

[0033] Figure 11A This is a diagram showing an example of the print settings extension application UI.

[0034] Figure 11B This is a diagram showing an example of the print settings extension application UI.

[0035] Figure 12 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a sequence related to printing from a printer driver according to the first embodiment.

[0036] Figure 13 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a sequence of operations performed between software and services related to adding a printer driver according to the second embodiment.

[0037] Figure 14 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a printer driver installation UI provided by an OS according to the second embodiment.

[0038] Figure 15 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a sequence of operations performed between software and services related to adding a printer driver according to a third embodiment.

[0039] Figure 16 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a help information screen for installing a standard OS printer driver according to a third embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0040] The embodiments will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the claims. Several features are described in the embodiments, but not all such features are necessary, and multiple such features may be combined as appropriate. Furthermore, in the drawings, the same or similar constructions are given the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions thereof are omitted.

[0041] First Embodiment Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a cloud printing system according to this embodiment. The client terminal 101, cloud printing server 102, application management server 103, cloud printing compatible printer 104, and online support server 105 are connected via network 106. Figure 1 Although only one client terminal 101 and one cloud-compatible printer 104 are shown, multiple client terminals 101 and multiple cloud-compatible printers 104 can be configured. Furthermore, the cloud print server 102, application management server 103, and online support server 105 can be a server system composed of multiple information processing devices. Implementing each server as a server system composed of multiple information processing devices allows for load distribution among the multiple information processing devices. The cloud print server 102, application management server 103, and online support server 105 can also be virtually implemented within a single physical information processing device.

[0042] Network 106 is a communication network, and is assumed to be a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet, but it can also be a closed environment such as an internal local area network (LAN). The configuration can also include both WAN and LAN.

[0043] Client terminal 101 is an information processing device such as a personal computer (PC), tablet computer, or smartphone, and is a terminal directly operated by the user. Any desired application software can run on client terminal 101.

[0044] The cloud-compatible printer 104 is a device that actually prints on a recording medium such as paper, and is an image forming apparatus that converts print data received from the cloud print server 102 via the network 106 into image data and prints that data. The cloud-compatible printer 104 receives print data generated by the cloud printer driver 311 of the client terminal 101 via the cloud print server 102.

[0045] The cloud print server 102 accepts print commands and document data from external sources. Through the cloud print service 321 running on the server, the cloud print server 102 converts the document data received from the client terminal 101 into print data and sends the print data to a pre-designated cloud print compatible printer 104. The "pre-designated cloud print compatible printer 104" can be a cloud print compatible printer already registered in the cloud print server 102. The cloud print server 102 is a server device that provides the cloud print client application 313.

[0046] Application management server 103 stores and manages various types of applications. Application management server 103 receives application identification information and download requests from client terminal 101 through application management service 331 running on the server. Then, the server sends the application identified based on the received identification information to client terminal 101.

[0047] Online support server 105 is a server device that provides online support service 351. Online support service 351 is a service for providing files to client terminal 101, which contain information for extending the functionality of client terminal 101. Although cloud printing service 321, application management service 331, and online support service 351 are referred to as "services," they are all server programs that provide the corresponding services.

[0048] hardware Next, we will refer to Figures 2A to 2E The hardware configuration of the system according to this embodiment will be described. Figure 2A This is a block diagram showing the hardware structure of the client terminal 101. The client terminal 101 includes a display unit 216, an operation unit 217, a storage unit 214, a control unit 211, and a network communication unit 215.

[0049] Storage unit 214 is a non-volatile storage device such as a hard disk or SSD, and is capable of storing and rewriting digital data.

[0050] The control unit 211 consists of a CPU 212 and a memory 213, and controls the operation of the client terminal 101 as a whole. The CPU 212 loads programs stored in the storage unit 214 into the memory 213 and executes these programs. The memory 213 is the main storage memory of the CPU 212, and is also used as a working area or temporary storage area for loading various types of programs.

[0051] The network communication unit 215 is a communication interface for communicating with the external network 106, and for inputting and outputting digital data with external servers, client terminals, etc. via the network 106.

[0052] Display unit 216 is a device for displaying visual information to a user in real time, such as an LCD. Operation unit 217 is a device for accepting input from a user via a keyboard, mouse, etc. Alternatively, a device that includes the functions of both display unit 216 and operation unit 217 can be used, such as a touch panel.

[0053] Figure 2B This is a block diagram illustrating the hardware structure of a cloud print server 102. The cloud print server 102 includes a storage unit 224, a control unit 221, and a network communication unit 225. The storage unit 224, control unit 221, and network communication unit 225 correspond to the storage unit 214, control unit 211, and network communication unit 215 of the client terminal 101, respectively, and therefore will not be described further here. Although the cloud print server 102 will be described as consisting of... Figure 2B The hardware configuration shown is a single information processing device, but the cloud print server 102 can be composed of devices with... Figure 2B The structure shown consists of multiple information processing devices.

[0054] Figure 2C This is a block diagram illustrating the hardware structure of the application management server 103. The application management server 103 includes a display unit 236, an operation unit 237, a storage unit 234, a control unit 231, and a network communication unit 235.

[0055] The display unit 236, operation unit 237, storage unit 234, control unit 231, and network communication unit 235 correspond to the display unit 216, operation unit 217, storage unit 214, control unit 211, and network communication unit 215 of the client terminal 101, respectively, and therefore will not be described further here. Although the application management server 103 will be described as consisting of... Figure 2C The hardware configuration shown is a single information processing device, but the application management server 103 can be composed of multiple information processing devices.

[0056] Figure 2D This is a block diagram illustrating the hardware structure of a cloud printing compatible printer 104. The cloud printing compatible printer 104 includes a display unit 246, an operation unit 247, a storage unit 244, a control unit 241, a network communication unit 245, and a printing unit 248.

[0057] Display unit 246 is a device for displaying information to the user in real time, such as a touch panel or LED provided in cloud printing compatible printer 104.

[0058] The operation unit 247 is a device for accepting input from the user, and may include physical keys such as a numeric keypad in addition to the touch panel. The storage unit 244 and the control unit 241 correspond to the storage unit 214 and control unit 211 of the client terminal 101, respectively, and therefore will not be described further here.

[0059] The network communication unit 245 is a communication interface for communicating with the external network 106, and is mainly responsible for receiving print data and sending notifications about the status (such as errors) of the cloud printing compatible printer 104 to the external server.

[0060] Printing unit 248 is a device that performs printing processing by feeding, printing, and ejecting sheets prepared in a box or tray. The printing method is not particularly limited and can be electrophotographic, inkjet, etc. Printing unit 248 also includes a duplex unit for ejecting the sheet, and finishing equipment for binding or punching.

[0061] Although this embodiment describes a single-function printer with only printing capabilities as an example of a cloud printing compatible printer 104, a multifunction printer (multifunction peripheral device) that also has scanning, faxing, and other functions can be used alternatively.

[0062] Figure 2E This is a detailed hardware block diagram of the online support server 105. Although the online support server 105 is described in this embodiment as consisting of a single information processing device, it can be composed of multiple information processing devices. The online support server consists of a display unit 256, an operation unit 257, a storage unit 254, a control unit 251, and a network communication unit 255. The display unit 256 and the operation unit 257 are the same as the display unit 216 and the operation unit 217 of the client terminal 101, respectively, and therefore will not be described again. The storage unit 254 is a storage device such as an HDD or an SSD. The storage unit 254 stores a file (also called an "extended information file") containing information for expanding the functions provided by the client terminal 101.

[0063] The control unit 251 consists of a CPU 252 and a memory 253. The CPU 252 provides overall control of the online support server 105. The memory 253 stores programs, data, etc., and is used for processing executed by the CPU 252. The network communication unit 255 is a communication interface for communication between the online support server 105 and the client terminal 101. The online support server 105 receives requests for retrieving extended information files stored in the storage unit 254 through the network communication unit 255, and sends the extended information file corresponding to the retrieval request to the client terminal 101.

[0064] software The following will refer to Figures 3A to 3E The software structure of the system according to this embodiment is described. Figure 3A This is a block diagram showing the software structure of the client terminal 101.

[0065] Client terminal 101 includes a cloud printer driver 311, a print settings extension application 312, a cloud print client application 313, an operating system (OS) 314, and an installer 315. Installer 315 is downloaded and deployed from the cloud print service 321. Note that "print settings extension app" is an abbreviation for "print settings extension application," and "cloud print client app" is an abbreviation for "cloud print client application."

[0066] The cloud printer driver 311 includes a print job management unit 3111, a UI unit 3112, and a print settings extension application I / F 3113. The cloud printer driver 311 is a standard OS printer driver and therefore no different from a local printer driver. However, information obtained from the cloud print client application 313 (described below) results in the construction of the cloud printer driver 311. The cloud printer driver 311 generates a print job in response to print instructions derived from application data (such as document data) generated from the client terminal 101. The generated print job is then sent to the print settings extension application 312.

[0067] The print job management unit 3111 performs processes such as generating and sending print jobs. The UI unit 3112 is responsible for displaying the print settings screen prepared by the cloud printer driver 311 and accepting user operations from the client terminal 101. The print settings extension application I / F 3113 handles the exchange of data, commands, etc. with the print settings extension application 312.

[0068] The print settings extension application 312 includes an extended print settings unit 3121, an extended application UI unit 3122, and a print job management unit 3123. The print settings extension application 312 is used to accept print settings (extended print settings) corresponding to printer vendor-specific functions not supported by the cloud printer driver 311, and apply these settings to print jobs. The print settings extension application 312 then sends the print job to the cloud printing client application 313.

[0069] The extended print settings unit 3121 manages printer vendor-specific feature settings that are not supported by the cloud printer driver 311 or the local printer driver. The extended application UI unit 3122 is responsible for displaying the print settings screen prepared by the print settings extended application 312 and accepting user operations from the client terminal 101. The print job management unit 3123 performs processes such as generating print jobs, editing print jobs generated by the cloud printer driver 311, and sending print jobs.

[0070] The cloud printing client application 313 is an application that includes a UI unit 3131, a virtual printer 3132, a print job control unit 3133, and a cloud printing service I / F 3134. The cloud printing client application 313 enables the virtual printer to function during the installation of the cloud printer driver 311 and also performs processes such as uploading print jobs to the cloud printing service 321. The cloud printing client application 313 is downloaded from the cloud printing server 102 and installed on the client terminal 101.

[0071] UI unit 3131 displays authentication screens for accessing cloud print server 102, etc. Virtual printer 3132 starts itself as a printer to install the OS standard universal printer driver, so that it can be discovered in the printer search performed by OS 314. Print job control unit 3133 receives print jobs from cloud printer driver 311 and sends the print jobs to the cloud print service 321 to which it is to connect. Cloud print service I / F 3134 handles the exchange of data, commands, etc., with cloud print service 321. Cloud print service I / F 3134 sends print data to cloud print service 321 and receives printer information from cloud print service 321, etc.

[0072] OS 314 includes an input / output control unit 3140, a print settings extension application management unit 3141, an extension settings information file search unit 3142, an additional information addition unit 3143, and a printer driver management unit 3144. Specifically for this embodiment, OS 314 has the function of setting up an environment compatible with the cloud printing system in the client terminal 101, such as installing software compatible with the cloud printing system. The print settings extension application management unit 3141, the extension settings information file search unit 3142, the additional information addition unit 3143, etc. (these are modules for this purpose) can be additionally installed software modules.

[0073] The input / output control unit 3140 accepts operations from the user of the client terminal 101.

[0074] The Print Settings Extension Application Management Unit 3141 manages the installation, data processing, and command exchange of the Print Settings Extension Application 312. The Print Settings Extension Application Management Unit 3141 also uses the extension settings information file ( Figure 5A The application ID (AppID) extracted from the application management service 331 is used to search for the print settings extension application 312.

[0075] The extended settings information file search unit 3142 searches for extended settings information files from the online support service 351. These files contain device IDs that match the device IDs (device identification information) stored by the OS 314, which serve as search keywords. The extended settings information file search unit 3142 then downloads the extended settings information files discovered through the search.

[0076] The additional information adding unit 3143 adds first additional information representing the general category of the application to the device ID. In this embodiment, the general category of the application is a classification of the type of application corresponding to the connected device, and if the application corresponds to a printer, the additional information "Print_" is added to the device ID. Note that "Print_" is only an example and other text strings, numbers, or symbols can be used instead.

[0077] In this embodiment, the printer driver management unit 3144 installs and uninstalls the OS standard printer driver included in OS 314.

[0078] The installer 315 downloads, deploys, and stores the cloud printing service 321 in the storage unit 214 of the client terminal 101. The installer 315 also installs the simultaneously downloaded cloud printing client application 313 and cloud printer driver 311.

[0079] Figure 3B This is a block diagram illustrating the software architecture of the cloud print server 102. The cloud print server 102 includes a cloud print service 321. The cloud print service 321 includes an account management unit 3211, a device management unit 3212, a print management unit 3213, a print queue management unit 3214, and a client application management unit 3215. For example, the cloud print server 102 accepts registration from terminals, printers, etc., saves print jobs uploaded from terminals, and downloads print job lists and print jobs in response to requests from printers.

[0080] Account management unit 3211 manages the authentication of tenants and users who have registered in cloud printing service 321.

[0081] The device management unit 3212 manages the device information of printers registered in the cloud printing service 321. It can provide device ID, tenant ID, printer name, device configuration information, capability information, etc., as examples of device information.

[0082] The print management unit 3213 determines whether to allow print job transmission requests from the cloud printing compatible printer 104, and manages the transmission of print jobs, etc.

[0083] The print queue management unit 3214 receives print jobs from external sources and saves the received print jobs in the storage unit 224 of the cloud print server 102 within a designated area.

[0084] The client application management unit 3215 generates and manages the cloud printing client application 313 installed on the client terminal 101. The client application management unit 3215 saves the modules of the virtual printer 3132 and the print job control unit 3133 downloaded to the storage unit 214 of the client terminal, as well as the installation program 315 that loads and installs these modules.

[0085] Figure 3C This is a block diagram illustrating the software architecture of application management server 103. Application management server 103 includes application management service 331. Application management service 331 also includes application management I / F 3311, application management unit 3312, and UI unit 3313. Application management service 331 stores and manages applications such as print settings extension applications, and downloads applications in response to requests from terminals such as client terminal 101.

[0086] Application Management I / F 3311 handles the exchange of data, commands, etc. between client terminal 101 and OS 314.

[0087] Application management unit 3312 manages applications registered in application management service 331. When an application is registered in application management service 331, application management unit 3312 also publishes an application ID.

[0088] UI unit 3313 is responsible for displaying the UI prepared by application management service 331, accepting user operations through application management server 103, etc.

[0089] Figure 3D This is a block diagram illustrating the software architecture of the device control unit 341 of the cloud printing compatible printer 104. The device control unit 341 also includes a print data receiving unit 3411, a device management unit 3412, a print output unit 3413, a UI operation unit 3414, and a cloud printing service I / F 3415.

[0090] The print data receiving unit 3411 receives print data sent from the outside via the network 106 and stores the data in the storage unit 244 of the cloud printing compatible printer 104.

[0091] The device management unit 3412 manages the optional devices connected to the cloud printing compatible printer 104, including capacity information, remaining paper quantity, and remaining ink / tone dosage.

[0092] The print output unit 3413 controls the processing for printing on recording media such as paper.

[0093] The UI operation unit 3414 displays the UI in the operation unit 247 of the cloud printing compatible printer 104 and obtains instructions and information input through the UI.

[0094] The cloud printing service I / F 3415 handles the exchange of data, commands, etc. with the cloud printing service 321.

[0095] Figure 3E This is a block diagram illustrating the software architecture of the online support server 105. The online support server 105 has an online support service 351. The online support service 351 has an online support I / F 3511, a management unit 3512, and a UI unit 3513.

[0096] The online support I / F 3511 handles the exchange of data, commands, etc., between the client terminal 101 and the OS 314. The online support I / F 3511 also receives search requests from the client terminal 101 for files used to extend the functionality of the client terminal 101, and sends responses to those search requests to the client terminal 101.

[0097] The management unit 3512 manages the extended settings information files registered in the online support service 351. The extended settings information file is a file containing information used to extend the functionality of the client terminal 101. For example, it stores the printer ID of the cloud printing compatible printer 104 of the client terminal 101, and application identification information for the print settings extension application 312 used to extend the cloud printer driver 311.

[0098] UI unit 3313 is responsible for displaying the UI prepared by online support service 351, accepting user operations through online support server 105, etc.

[0099] Next, we will refer to Figure 4 , Figure 5A , Figure 5B , Figure 6 , Figure 7 , Figure 8 Figure 9 Figure 10 , Figure 11A , Figure 11B and Figure 12 This section describes examples of processes performed by the print settings extension application registrar, users, etc., according to this embodiment, as well as sequences of processes performed between the software and the print service.

[0100] Register print settings for extended applications and extended settings information files ( Figure 4 ) First, the following will refer to Figure 4 This description illustrates an example of the process for registering the print settings extension application 312 to the application management service 331 and the extension settings information file to the online support service 351. The description here assumes that the application registrant uploads the application from an information processing device to the application management server 103. This information processing device is assumed to be client terminal 101, but may alternatively be a different information processing device. Figure 4 The operations performed by the client terminal 101 shown are implemented by the CPU 212 executing programs loaded into memory. The CPU 232 of the application management server 103 implements the application management service 331 by executing programs loaded into the corresponding memory, and the CPU 252 of the online support server 105 implements the online support service 351.

[0101] Here, we will describe the case where the print settings extension application 312, which is used to extend the print settings of the cloud printer driver 311 pre-installed in the client terminal 101, is uploaded to the application management service 331 as an example.

[0102] First, in step S401, the input / output control unit 4140 of the client terminal 101 receives an operation from the user for registering the print settings extension application by a registrant. For example, the registrant could be an administrator with registration authority.

[0103] Next, in step S402, the Print Settings Extension Application Management Unit 3141 of the client terminal 101 sends a registration request to the Application Management Service 331 for the Print Settings Extension Application 312 to extend the print settings of the cloud printer driver 311. This registration request may include the program file of the Print Settings Extension Application 312 to be registered.

[0104] Next, in step S403, the application management unit 3312 of the application management service 331 registers the print settings extension application 312 into the storage unit 234 and generates an application ID as the identification information of the registered print settings extension application 312.

[0105] In step S404, the application management I / F 3311 of the application management service 331 sends the generated application ID to the information processing device that sent the application registration request, namely the client terminal 101.

[0106] In step S405, the input / output control unit 4140 of the client terminal 101 accepts an operation to register an extended settings information file generated by the registrant of the print settings extended application. The registrant of the print settings extended application generates an extended settings information file containing the application ID received in step S405. This extended settings information file contains the received application ID and the device ID of the printer that can be used for print settings by the application (i.e., print settings extended application 312). The device ID is a text string with additional identification information added to the device ID stored by the device. To distinguish it from the device ID stored by the device, the device ID included in the extended settings information file will be referred to as the "extended device ID". If there are multiple printers that can be used for print settings by the print settings extended application 312, then for all printers, a text string with additional identification information of the printer added to the device ID can be included. Note that the device ID can be the device ID of a printer that the registrant already knows and that can be used for print settings by the print settings extended application 312.

[0107] Figure 5A An example of an extended settings information file 500 is shown, in which an extended device ID is written to add additional identification information to the device ID of the printer used for cloud printing during the additional identification information addition process. In this example, the application ID (AppID) of the print settings extended application 312 for cloud printing is "000ABC". The extended device ID is "Print_Device001", with the additional identification information "Print_" added before the device ID.

[0108] In step S406, the print settings extension application management unit 3141 of the client terminal 101 sends a registration request for the extension settings information file 500 to the online support service 351.

[0109] In step S407, the online support I / F 3511 of the online support service 351 receives the extended settings information file 500 and registers the extended settings information file 500 received by the management unit 3512.

[0110] Therefore, the print settings extension application 312 is registered in the application management service 331. In addition, the extension settings information file 500, which is used to extend the cloud printer driver 311 using the registered print settings extension application 312, is registered in the online support service 351.

[0111] Register cloud printing compatible printers ( Figure 6 ) Next, we will refer to Figure 6 This describes the process performed when a user registers a cloud printing compatible printer 104 in the cloud printing service 321. Figure 6 The operations performed by the cloud printing compatible printer 104 shown are implemented by the CPU 242 executing a program loaded into memory. The cloud printing service 321 is implemented by the CPU 222 of the cloud printing server 102 executing a program loaded into memory.

[0112] First, in step S601, the cloud printing compatible printer 104 accepts a printer registration operation from the user via the UI operation unit 3414 to register the cloud printing compatible printer 104 to the cloud printing service 321.

[0113] Next, in step S602, the cloud printing service I / F 3415 of the cloud printing compatible printer 104 sends the printer registration request along with the printer's device ID to the cloud printing service 321. Here, the device ID sent to the cloud printing service 321 is, for example, the hardware identification information (HWID) assigned to each printer model. Note that the device ID can be any information, as long as it is information that can identify the printer model.

[0114] Upon receiving a registration request, cloud printing service 321 sends the URL of cloud printing service 321 used for printer registration to cloud printing compatible printer 104. The user accesses this URL from cloud printing compatible printer 104 or an information processing device, enters the user ID and password used to use cloud printing service 321, and logs in to cloud printing service 321. When the user successfully logs in, in step S603, the device management unit 3212 of cloud printing service 321 sends a request to cloud printing compatible printer 104 to obtain the printer information required for printer registration.

[0115] In step S604, the cloud printing service I / F 3415 of the cloud printing compatible printer 104 responds to the request and sends the printer information to the cloud printing service 321.

[0116] Next, in step S605, the device management unit 3212 of the cloud printing service 321, which received the printer registration request, registers the printer information of the cloud printing compatible printer 104 and generates a print queue for the cloud printing compatible printer 104. When step S605 is completed, Figure 5B The device information 501 shown is registered in the cloud printing service 321.

[0117] Figure 5BThis is an example of device information registered in the cloud printing service 321, but device information is not limited to this. In this embodiment, device information 501 consists of device ID 5011, tenant ID 5012, printer name 5013, device configuration information 5014, and capability information 5015. Device ID 5011 is a text string with additional identification information added to the device ID obtained from the cloud printing compatible printer 104, and is an extended device ID. Tenant ID 5012 is identification information identifying the tenant to which a user belongs who can use the cloud printing compatible printer identified by this device information belongs. A "tenant" is a group of one or more users. A tenant is the unit that manages users in the cloud printing service, and users, client terminals, cloud printing compatible printers, etc., are managed on a tenant basis. Printer name 5013 is the name of the printer that sent the registration request. Printer name 5013 is based on... Figure 6 The printer name is obtained from the cloud printing compatible printer 104 in step S601 or from the acquisition request from the cloud printing service 321, and is used as the name of the print queue. Note that the printer name can also be set through different methods.

[0118] Device configuration information 5014 indicates the hardware configuration of the cloud printing compatible printer 104. "Hardware configuration" indicates whether the cloud printing compatible printer 104 is equipped with a duplex printing unit, a binding unit, a hole punching unit, etc. Device configuration information 5014 is obtained using a request to obtain capability information sent from the cloud printing service 321 to the cloud printing compatible printer 104. Capability information 5015 indicates the capabilities of the cloud printing compatible printer 104. Capability information 5015 indicates the functions that the cloud printing compatible printer 104 can perform, such as whether it can perform color printing, whether it can perform duplex printing, and whether it can use a toner-saving mode. Capability information 5015 is also obtained by sending a capability information request to the cloud printing compatible printer 104 via the cloud printing service 321.

[0119] Next, in step S606, the UI operation unit 3414 of the cloud printing compatible printer 104 receives a printer registration confirmation operation from the user. Next, in step S607, the cloud printing service I / F 3415 of the cloud printing compatible printer 104 sends a printer registration status request to the cloud printing service 321.

[0120] Next, in step S608, the device management unit 3212 of the cloud printing service 321 returns the printer registration status to the cloud printing compatible printer 104. Then, in step S609, the UI operation unit 3414 of the cloud printing compatible printer 104 displays the received printer registration status. Note that the processes indicated in steps S606 to S609 are methods for the user to confirm whether the information of the cloud printing compatible printer 104 has been registered in the cloud printing service 321, and therefore are not necessarily required.

[0121] By following the above sequence, the cloud printing compatible printer 104 can be registered with the cloud printing service 321. The cloud printing compatible printer 104, which has been registered with the cloud printing service 321, can obtain print jobs from the cloud printing service 321 and print those print jobs.

[0122] Installation package generation process ( Figure 7 ) Next, we will refer to Figure 7 This embodiment describes a sequence for generating an installation package for installer 315 (i.e., cloud printing client application). Note that this generation sequence begins when a request to generate installer 315 is received from the client application management unit 3215 as a result of a user operation performed in the UI unit 3216 of the cloud printing service 321. Figure 7 The processing is achieved by executing the program loaded into memory through the CPU 222 of the cloud print server 102.

[0123] Figure 8 This is an example of the generation screen 800 of the client application installer 315, displayed in the UI unit 3216 of the cloud printing service 321. While the UI unit 3216 may include a physical display unit and an operation unit, it can also be a remote UI provided by a client terminal connected to a network. The generation screen 800 includes an item 801 for setting the name of the printer to be installed and an item 802 for setting the printer driver type (represented as "Printer Type" in the figure). Processing begins when the user sets the items and then presses the generate button 803 of the installer 315. Figure 8 In the example, the selected printer corresponds to the following combination: the OS standard generic printer driver as printer driver type 802 (i.e., the driver provided in the installed OS) and cloud printing client application 313.

[0124] When processing begins in step S700, in step S701, the client application management unit 3215 obtains the driver type selected by the user through the printer driver type item 802. In step S702, the client application management unit 3215 determines the type of the selected printer driver. If the selected printer driver type is a vendor-specific driver, the sequence branches to step S703. If the selected printer driver type is not a vendor-specific driver, the sequence branches to step S704. The determination of whether the printer driver is a vendor-specific driver can be made, for example, based on the name or additional information of the selected printer driver. Specifically, when through... Figure 8 When setting item 802 is selected as "Company C vendor specific printer driver", it is confirmed that the driver is a vendor-specific driver.

[0125] In step S703, the client application management unit 3215 packages the selected vendor-specific driver into the installer 315. "Packaging" may refer to including the selected driver file in the installer 315, which includes the installer and the driver to be installed.

[0126] In step S704, the client application management unit 3215 determines whether the type of the selected printer driver is a generic printer driver associated with the print settings extension application 312. If so, the sequence branches to step S705; otherwise, it branches to step S706.

[0127] If the selected printer driver is a generic printer driver associated with the Print Settings Extension Application 312, then in step S705, the Client Application Management Unit 3215 packages additional identification information of the Print Settings Extension Application into the installation package. Figure 8 In the example, when "OS Standard Generic printer driver + Print Support Apps" is selected via setting item 802, the printer driver is determined to be a generic printer driver associated with the Print Settings extension app. Figure 8When setting item 802 selects "OS Standard Generic printer driver only", step S704 determines that no generic printer driver associated with the print settings extension application 312 is selected. In this case, the modules related to the driver are not packaged into the installer 315. In other words, when "OS Standard Generic printer driver only" is selected, the client application management unit 3215 generates an installer package without a printer driver.

[0128] After determining the modules to be packaged for each selected driver, the client application management unit 3215 further packages the cloud printing client application into the installation program in step S706. In step S707, the client application management unit 3215 generates the installation program package of the installation program 315 (i.e., the printer driver).

[0129] Processing for installing print settings extension applications ( Figure 9A and Figure 9B ) Next, we will refer to Figure 9A and Figure 9B This describes an example of the installation of the print settings extension application 312 when a user performs setup operations for a cloud-compatible printer 104 on client terminal 101. Unless otherwise stated, this process is primarily performed by the client application installer 315. Note that the client application installer 315 can also be simply referred to as "installer 315". Figure 9A and Figure 9B In this system, the processing performed by the client terminal 101 is implemented by the CPU 212 executing programs loaded into memory. The processing of other services is implemented by the CPU of the server executing the service executing programs loaded into memory.

[0130] In step S901, the OS 314 of the client terminal 101 accepts the cloud printer setting operation performed by the user through the input / output control unit 3140. The following description assumes that the installation program 315 is downloaded and automatically executed through a web browser provided by the cloud printing service 321, but the method is not limited to this.

[0131] After OS 314 has accepted the setup operation in step S902, it requests the installation program 315 from the cloud printing service 321. In step S903, the cloud printing service 321, having received the request, sends a file to the requesting source, including information pre-defined based on a reference... Figure 7 and Figure 8The installation program package of the installation program 315 generated by the method. After receiving the installation program package, OS 314 starts the installation program 315 in step S904. After receiving the start command, the installation program 315 instructs OS 314 to install the cloud printing client application 313 packaged in the installation program package in step S905. After receiving the installation instruction, OS 314 loads the cloud printing client application 313 into memory 213 and starts the cloud printing client application 313 in step S906. In addition, in step S907, the installation program 315 starts the virtual printer 3132, which functions as the cloud printing client application 313. When started, the virtual printer 3132 can appear as a printer only within the client terminal 101 and can be discovered through printer search such as mDNS. In addition, the virtual printer 3132 also supports printing using the IPP protocol, which makes it possible to install the OS standard IPP class driver for the printer.

[0132] In step S908, after confirming that the virtual printer 3132 has been started, the installer 315 instructs the OS 314 to install the OS standard printer driver for the virtual printer 3132. After receiving the installation instruction from the installer 315, the OS 314 sends a printer setup request to the virtual printer 3132 in step S909. This printer setup request includes a request to obtain device information (such as capability information and device ID) of the virtual printer 3132 as defined in the cloud printing service 321.

[0133] In response to the printer setup request, virtual printer 3132 sends device information such as device ID and capability information to OS 314 in step S910.

[0134] In step S911, OS 314 installs the cloud printer driver 311 in response to accepting a cloud printer setup operation from the user. However, in this embodiment, it is assumed that the cloud printer driver is the OS standard printer driver, so this process may be unnecessary. The installation of the cloud printer driver 311 may begin in response to a printer setup operation, or it may begin in response to device information such as the device ID obtained in step S910.

[0135] In step S912, OS 314 generates a print queue in client terminal 101 associated with the installed cloud printer driver 311.

[0136] In step S913, OS 314 performs processing to add additional identification information to the device ID received in step S910. The additional identification information can be any text string different from the usual device ID. Therefore, in this embodiment, OS 314 adds additional identification information (“Print_”) to the device ID indicating that the application corresponds to a printer, to distinguish the application from applications on other devices. In a subsequent step, online support service 351 searches for an extended settings information file that includes the device ID with the added additional identification information. Based on this, the additional identification information added here is the same as the additional identification information used in extended settings information file 500. Note that “Print_” is only an example and other text strings, numbers, or symbols can be used instead. Therefore, if the device ID of the virtual printer 3132 is “device001”, the device ID after the additional identification information addition processing is “Print_device001”.

[0137] In step S914, OS 314 requests online support service 351 to search for an extended settings information file including the target device ID via extended settings information file search unit 3142. Here, OS 314 sends the text string containing the device ID with additional identification information added in step S913 as the device ID to online support service 351.

[0138] In step S915, if an extended settings information file including the target device ID is saved, the online support service 351 will save the extended settings information file ( Figure 5A This is returned to OS 314. In this embodiment, the device ID sent in step S914 is "Print_Device001". Therefore, if via... Figure 4 If the sequence shown registers the extended settings information file 500 with the online support service 351, the search is successful, and the extended settings information file 500 is sent to OS 314.

[0139] In step S916, OS 314 detects the application ID from the acquired extended settings information file. By executing step S916, the application ID of the print settings extended application 312 used for cloud printing is detected.

[0140] In step S917, OS 314 uses the detected application ID to request the application management service 331 to add the application with that application ID.

[0141] In step S918, the application management service 331 returns the print settings extension application 312 that matches the requested application ID.

[0142] In step S919, OS 314 installs the acquired print settings extension application 312 in association with the client-side print queue. In step S919, the print queue generated in step S912 is associated with the application ID of the print settings extension application. Therefore, when the print queue generated in step S912 is invoked, the corresponding print settings extension application 312 can be launched.

[0143] Note that the above description refers to searching for printer information for the virtual printer 3132. However, in response to a search command received by the client terminal 101, searches can be performed for both printers connected via network 106 and printers registered in the cloud printing service 321.

[0144] Launch the Print Settings extension application ( Figure 10 ) Next, we will refer to Figure 10 This describes an example sequence of processes performed when the print settings extension application 312 is launched and print settings are configured, according to this embodiment. As an example, Figure 10 This illustrates the process that occurs when a user uses a typical application such as Word or Excel to generate document data and indicates in that application the print settings to be changed. Figure 10 The document generation application 316, OS 314, and print settings extension application 312 shown are implemented by executing programs loaded into memory through the CPU 212 of the client terminal 101.

[0145] First, in step S1001, the application accepts the initial print screen display operation performed by the user. After accepting the initial print screen display operation, in step S1002, the application requests OS 314 to display the initial print settings screen.

[0146] In step S1003, OS 314 displays a print settings screen for selecting the print queue. Figure 11A This is the initial print settings screen. Figure 11A This is an example of the initial print setup screen displayed by OS 314, and some print setup information, such as the copy setting section 1103, can be displayed depending on the type of document generation application 316 used. Area 1101 is used to select the print queue to be used for printing. When the user selects area 1101, the print queues registered in the client terminal 101 are displayed in a list. The print queue list displays a list of print queues installed in the client terminal 101. This list includes print queues of printers registered in the cloud printing service 321. Object 1102 is the object used to launch the print setup extension application 312. Object 1104 is the print execution button that the user touches to perform printing.

[0147] Next, in step S1004, OS 314 receives the user print queue via input / output control unit 3140. Figure 11A ;1101) Select Operation. When a print queue is selected, in step S1005, OS 314 sets the application identification information of the print settings extension application 312 associated with the selected print queue to the information of the print settings extension application 312 associated with object 1102. This makes it possible to launch the print settings extension application 312 corresponding to the set print queue when object 1102 is selected. In this example, the association of the start button is changed to the print settings extension application 312 for cloud printing associated with the print queue of the cloud printer driver 311.

[0148] Next, in step S1006, OS 314 receives a print settings extension application launch operation from the user via input / output control unit 3140. In step S1006, the user selects object 1102 to launch print settings extension application 312.

[0149] In step S1007, OS 314 sends a startup request to the print settings extension application 312 associated with object 1102, along with parameters such as print settings information for the selected print queue and the printer name.

[0150] In step S1008, the print settings extension application 312 for cloud printing generates an extended print settings screen based on the printer's functions as a startup process (extended print settings screen). Figure 11B An example of an extended print settings screen according to this embodiment is shown. In this embodiment, the extended print settings screen 1110 includes general settings such as sheet size 1111, number of copies 1112, print orientation 1113, duplex printing 1114, binding 1115, and perforation 1117. In addition to these, the extended print settings screen 1110 also serves as a UI capable of supplier-specific print settings such as eco-friendly binding 1116. In step S1009, the OS 314 displays the UI (extended print settings screen 1110) of the print settings extension application 312 for cloud printing as a new print settings screen via the input / output control unit 3140.

[0151] Printing Processing ( Figure 12 ) Next, we will refer to Figure 12 This describes an example sequence of processes related to printing from a printer driver according to this embodiment. As an example, Figure 12 This illustrates the process that occurs when a user instructs printing by clicking on an object in a typical application, such as Word or Excel. Figure 12The processing shown by the client terminal 101 and the cloud printing service 321 is implemented by executing the program loaded into memory through the corresponding CPU.

[0152] First, in step S1201, the document generation application 316 receives a print request from the user. Specifically, this means receiving... Figure 11A The print button object 1104 included in the print settings screen 1110 shown has been clicked.

[0153] After accepting a print request, the application instructs OS 314 to execute the print job in step S1202. After receiving the instruction to execute the print job, OS 314 instructs the cloud printer driver 311 to execute the print job in step S1203. After receiving the instruction to execute the print job, the cloud printer driver 311 converts the document object and generates a print job in step S1204. For example, in the case of an IPP class driver, ... Figure 10 Extended Print Settings Screen 1110 ( Figure 11B The print settings items set in the document are converted to print attributes conforming to the IPP protocol, and the document data is converted to PDF file format. However, this embodiment is not limited to this. Incidentally, PDF is an abbreviation for "Portable Document Format" and is gradually becoming the common format for image forming apparatuses to interpret print jobs.

[0154] Furthermore, in step S1205, the cloud printer driver 311 sends the generated print job to the print settings extension application 312. In step S1206, the print job management unit 3123 of the print settings extension application 312, which receives the print job, edits print attributes, print job, etc., as needed. For example, since the cloud printer driver 311 is a standard OS driver, it cannot process... Figure 10 The supplier-specific print job is set in the print settings extension application 312. Therefore, the print settings extension application 312 receives the print job at the scheduled time in step S1205 and edits the print job according to the supplier-specific print job. In addition, in step S1207, the print settings extension application 312 sends the edited print job to the virtual printer 3132 of the cloud printing client application 313.

[0155] In step S1208, the virtual printer 3132, having received the print job, edits print attributes and the print job as needed. For example, it may communicate with the cloud printing service 321 beforehand and encrypt the print job to improve security. Furthermore, in step S1209, the virtual printer 3132 uploads the edited print job to the cloud printing service 321. Although the IPP communication protocol is described in this embodiment as a method (protocol) for uploading print jobs to the cloud printing service 321, the method is not limited thereto.

[0156] In step S1210, the print queue management unit 3214 of the cloud printing service 321 edits the received print job as needed. Furthermore, in step S1211, the print queue management unit 3214 of the cloud printing service 321 saves the edited print job until it receives a print command from the cloud printing compatible printer 104.

[0157] As described above, in the cloud printing system according to this embodiment, when the vendor-specific installer 315 is launched and the printer driver is installed, a virtual printer is installed first. This virtual printer can be accessed from within the client terminal but not from outside the terminal. Installing the virtual printer enables the installation of the OS standard printer driver for this purpose. In this way, the OS standard printer driver can be installed simply by launching the vendor-specific installer 315. The print settings extension application 312 is associated with the OS standard printer driver, and this print settings extension application is also installed along with the printer driver. Therefore, in addition to the print settings that can be configured through the OS standard printer driver, print settings provided by the print settings extension application can also be enabled. Furthermore, print jobs sent from the OS standard printer driver to the virtual printer can be uploaded to the cloud printing service by the virtual printer.

[0158] Second Embodiment The first embodiment describes a method for the installer 315 to automatically install OS standard printer drivers. However, this method is conditional upon the OS providing a means for the installer 315 to install OS standard printer drivers if the OS is vendor-specific, and therefore cannot be implemented without such means. In view of this problem, this embodiment will refer to... Figure 13 This describes a method that enables a user to install OS standard printer drivers even when no means for installing OS standard printer drivers are provided.

[0159] Figure 13 This diagram illustrates an example of the sequence of operations performed between software and services related to printer driver addition. Unless otherwise stated, this process is primarily performed by the client application installer 315. Figure 13The processing of the client terminal 101 and cloud printing service 321 is achieved by executing the program loaded into memory through the corresponding CPU. Steps S1301 to S1307 are related to... Figure 9A The processes of steps S901 to S907 shown in the figure and described in the first embodiment are the same, so they will not be described again here.

[0160] In step S1308, after confirming that the virtual printer 3132 has been started, the installer 315 instructs the OS 314 to display the printer and scanner device addition screen 1400. In the device addition screen 1400, the user can perform operations to install the OS standard printer driver for the virtual printer.

[0161] By launching (displaying) the settings screen 1400, in step S1309, OS 314 performs a device search, finds the virtual printer 3132 launched in step S1307 as the result of the device search, and displays the virtual printer 3132 in the printer list. The selected printer driver can be automatically installed simply by the user clicking the add button object 1401 corresponding to the item. Figure 14 The printer list shown in screen 1400 includes "Virtual Cloud Printer" as virtual printer 3132, and in response to this selection, a printer driver for outputting print jobs to virtual printer 3132 is installed. In response to pressing the Add button object 1401 corresponding to this item, execution... Figure 9A The process proceeds to steps S909 and subsequent steps, generating and installing the selected driver (in this example, the cloud printer driver) and outputting the selected driver to the print queue of the virtual printer 3132. Furthermore, the print settings extension application 312 for cloud printing can also be associated as a mechanism of OS 314. This process is standard in OS 314 and will not be described further here.

[0162] According to this embodiment, in a system that sends print jobs via a cloud printing service, launching the vendor-specific installer 315 enables the user to be directed to the OS standard printer driver installation screen. As a result, the user can install the device simply by clicking the device's "Add" button. According to this embodiment, even if the vendor-specific installer 315 does not have the function of installing the cloud printer driver 311, it can still install the cloud printer driver 311 in response to user actions.

[0163] Third Embodiment The second embodiment describes a method by which the installer 315 displays a printer driver addition screen on the OS, allowing the user to easily install the driver. However, this method does not strictly instruct the user on what to do next. Even if the driver addition screen is actually displayed, it may not be possible to add the printer driver for cloud printing through this screen. In view of this problem, this embodiment will refer to Figure 15 This describes a method for displaying help information that guides users to install standard OS drivers. Figure 15 This diagram illustrates an example of the sequence of actions performed between software and services related to adding a printer driver. The main body performing the processing for each device is... Figure 14 The main body shown is the same. Unless otherwise stated, this process is primarily performed by the client application installer 315. Steps S1501 to S1507 are the same as in... Figure 9A The processes of steps S901 to S907 shown in the figure and described in the first embodiment are the same, so they will not be described again here.

[0164] In step S1508, after confirming that the virtual printer 3132 has been started, the installer 315 displays help information so that the user can install the OS standard printer driver himself. Figure 16 This is an example of a dialog-based help display (help screen) 1600, but the display can be changed to be web-based. Help display 1600 displays a description 1601 of the user's procedure for installing the cloud printer driver 311, based on the details described in the second embodiment.

[0165] When a user views the help screen (1600) and selects, for example, the OK button, they can execute the command from... Figure 13 The process begins at S1308 and is described in the second embodiment. Thus, the cloud printer driver 311 can be selected from screen 1400 and its installation can be instructed.

[0166] According to this embodiment, in a system that sends print jobs via a cloud printing service, displaying help information can guide the user to install the OS standard printer driver.

[0167] Other implementation methods Embodiments of this disclosure can also be implemented by a computer 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. Furthermore, embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented using a method performed by the computer of the system or device, for example, reading and executing the computer-executable instructions from the storage medium to perform one or more functions of the above embodiments and / or controlling the 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 a network of separate processors to read and execute the computer-executable instructions. The computer-executable instructions may be provided to the computer, for example, from a network or the storage medium. The storage medium may include one or more of the following: hard disk, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), memory of a distributed computing system, optical disc (such as compressed optical disc (CD), digital versatile optical disc (DVD) or Blu-ray disc (BD)™), flash memory device, memory card, etc.

[0168] The embodiments of the present invention can also be implemented by the following method: providing software (including computer program products of computer programs) that performs the functions of the above embodiments to a system or device via a network or various storage media, and the computer (central processing unit (CPU) or microprocessor unit (MPU) of the system or device) reads out and executes the computer program.

[0169] Although this disclosure has been described with reference to embodiments, it should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. The scope of the appended claims should be given the broadest interpretation to cover all such variations and equivalent structures and functions.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus, comprising: Department of Communications; as well as Control unit, wherein the control unit: The virtual printer is downloaded from the cloud printing server connected through the communication unit and installed. The virtual printer uploads print jobs received from the printer driver to the cloud printing server. Install a universal printer driver for the virtual printer; and Generate a print queue associated with the general printer driver.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1, in, The control unit: Obtain device identification information from the virtual printer; and Install a print settings extension application, which is associated with the device identification information and is used to extend the print settings of the generic printer driver.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1, in, The virtual printer cannot be accessed from outside the information processing device.

4. The information processing device according to claim 1, in, The control unit obtains an installation program, including the virtual printer, from the cloud printing server and executes the installation program to install the virtual printer.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, in, The universal printer driver is installed according to the installation instructions provided by the installer to the operating system of the information processing device.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, in, After the virtual printer is installed, the control unit displays a device addition screen for adding printers via the display unit. The universal printer driver is installed according to the operation performed in the device addition screen that instructs the installation of the universal printer driver.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, in, After the virtual printer is installed, the control unit displays a help screen through the display unit that indicates the process of adding the printer.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, in, The information processing device is also communicatively connected to the application management server, and The control unit obtains the print settings extension application from the application management server and installs the print settings extension application.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, in, The information processing device is also connected to an online support server, and The control unit: Obtain the extended settings information file associated with the device identification information from the online support server; and The print settings extension application, indicated by the application identification information included in the extension settings information file, is obtained from the application management server.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, in, The control unit: Execute the print settings extension application and accept the print settings; Execute the general printer driver and generate a print job with the print settings described; and The print job is sent to the virtual printer.

11. A cloud printing system, comprising: Information processing device; Cloud print server; as well as A printer configured to retrieve print jobs from the cloud print server and execute printing. The information processing device includes: Ministry of Communications; and Control unit, wherein the control unit: The virtual printer is downloaded from the cloud printing server connected through the communication unit and installed. The virtual printer uploads print jobs received from the printer driver to the cloud printing server. Install a universal printer driver for the virtual printer; and Generate a print queue associated with the general printer driver.

12. A control method for an information processing device, the information processing device including a communication unit, the control method comprising: The virtual printer is downloaded from the cloud printing server connected to the information processing device via the communication unit and installed. The virtual printer uploads print jobs received from the printer driver to the cloud printing server. Install a generic printer driver for the virtual printer; as well as Generate a print queue associated with the general printer driver.

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