Support program and information processing apparatus

Abstract

To provide a technique for assisting a user so as to easily use a support program in an information processing apparatus with an OS-standard general-purpose printing program embedded therein.SOLUTION: A PC 1 includes an OS 21 with a general-purpose printing program 41 implemented thereon, and an auxiliary program 42 compatible with a printer 2 connected to the PC 1. The auxiliary program 42 determines whether or not a predetermined condition for generating a shortcut is satisfied when started from the OS 21 based on a predetermined start instruction, and generates a shortcut for starting the auxiliary program 42 when it is determined that the predetermined condition is satisfied.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The technical field disclosed in this specification relates to a support program and an information processing device that support control of a printer. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, a technology has been put into practical use that controls a printer using a general-purpose print program that is part of the operating system (OS) and does not use a printer driver provided by the printer vendor. With this technology, when the OS detects a printer, it associates it with the OS's standard general-purpose print program, and thereafter, when a print instruction is received for that printer, the OS's standard general-purpose print program generates print data without using a printer driver provided by the printer vendor, making it possible to print using the OS's standard general-purpose print program.

[0003] Since the above-mentioned OS-standard general-purpose printing program cannot perform printer-specific settings, a support program that supports control of the printer according to the printer vendor or the printer type can be prepared. As a technology related to such a support program, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which an extension program corresponding to a specified printer is installed in a client computer having a common printer driver. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-004158 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Even if a support program is installed in an information processing device, it is difficult for a user to notice the existence of the support program, and it is difficult for the user to use the support program. Patent Document 1 does not disclose a configuration for easily starting an extension program equivalent to the support program, so there is room for improvement. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The support program developed for the purpose of solving the above-mentioned problems is executable by a computer of an information processing device, and is a support program corresponding to a printer connected to the information processing device, the information processing device having an operating system in which a general-purpose printing program is implemented, and the support program is a program that supports the general-purpose printing program, and is configured to cause the computer to execute a transmission process for sending a print command to the printer when launched from the operating system in response to a print instruction from an application program on the information processing device, and to further cause the computer to execute a determination process for determining whether or not specified conditions for creating a shortcut are met when launched from the operating system based on a specified launch instruction, and to further cause the computer to execute a generation process for generating a shortcut to launch the support program when it is determined in the determination process that the specified conditions are met.

[0007] A support program having the above configuration generates a shortcut for starting the support program itself, so that a user can become aware of the existence of the support program and can easily start the support program.

[0008] An information processing device and a system for implementing the functions of the support program, and a computer-readable storage medium storing the support program are also novel and useful. Effect of the Invention

[0009] The technology disclosed in this specification realizes a technology that allows users to easily use a support program in an information processing device in which an OS-standard general-purpose print program is installed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of the electrical configuration of a PC according to a first embodiment; [Diagram 2] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of an installation procedure. [Diagram 3] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a print setting procedure. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a printing execution procedure. [Diagram 5] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a control procedure for shortcut processing. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a selection receiving screen. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing an example of an installation procedure executed by a PC according to the second embodiment. [Figure 8] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a control procedure for creating a shortcut. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a creation notification screen. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] A personal computer (hereinafter, referred to as a "PC") using a support program according to an embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. This specification discloses a support program executed on a PC.

[0012] (First embodiment) As shown in FIG. 1, the PC1 of the first embodiment includes a controller 10 including a CPU 11 and a memory 12. The PC1 is an example of an information processing device. The CPU 11 is an example of a computer. The PC1 also includes a user interface (hereinafter, referred to as "user IF") 13 and a communication interface (hereinafter, referred to as "communication IF") 14, which are electrically connected to the controller 10. Note that the controller 10 in FIG. 1 is a collective term for hardware and software used to control the PC1, and does not necessarily represent a single piece of hardware actually present in the PC1.

[0013] The CPU 11 of the PC 1 executes various processes according to the programs read from the memory 12 and based on the user's operation. The memory 12 stores various programs and various data. The memory 12 is also used as a work area when various processes are executed. The buffer provided in the CPU 11 is also an example of a memory. Note that an example of the memory 12 is not limited to a ROM, RAM, HDD, etc. built into the PC 1, but may be a storage medium that can be read and written by the CPU 11, such as a recording medium, for example, a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, a USB memory, etc.

[0014] The user IF 13 includes a display 13a, which is hardware that displays a screen for notifying the user of information, and hardware that accepts operations by the user. The user IF 13 may be a combination of the display 13a capable of displaying information and a mouse, keyboard, or the like having an input acceptance function, or may be a touch panel having the function of the display 13a and the input acceptance function.

[0015] The communication IF 14 includes hardware for communicating with an external device such as the printer 2. The communication standards of the communication IF 14 include Ethernet (registered trademark), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), USB, etc. The PC 1 may be connectable to the Internet via the communication IF 14. The PC 1 may include multiple communication IFs 14 compatible with multiple communication standards.

[0016] 1, the memory 12 of the PC 1 stores various programs and data including an operating system (hereinafter referred to as "OS") 21 including a general-purpose print program 41, an auxiliary program 42, and an editing application 43. The auxiliary program 42 is an example of a support program. The editing application 43 is an example of an application program.

[0017] The OS 21 is a multitasking OS that can process multiple tasks in parallel by managing and switching between multiple tasks. Examples of the OS 21 include Windows (registered trademark), macOS (registered trademark), Linux (registered trademark), iOS (registered trademark), and Android (registered trademark).

[0018] A generic printing program 41 is implemented in the OS 21. The generic printing program 41 is an OS standard program prepared by the OS 21 vendor and provided as part of the OS 21. In other words, the PC 1 is equipped with the OS 21 on which the generic printing program 41 is implemented. The generic printing program 41 is not configured to use a printer driver specific to each printer. The generic printing program 41 may or may not be completely included in the OS 21.

[0019] The generic printing program 41 is a program that has the function of printing on multiple models of printers provided by multiple vendors based on user instructions. The generic printing program 41 supports generic functions that allow printing on many printers. Unlike printer drivers specific to each printer, the generic printing program 41 does not support functions specific to each printer or printer driver, particularly functions that require complex processing.

[0020] The general-purpose printing program 41 is a program including a function of receiving image data designated as a print target in a print instruction output from various applications based on a user instruction, and generating intermediate data based on the image data. The intermediate data is, for example, XPS data. The general-purpose printing program 41 further has a function of generating print data in a format that can be used for printing by various printers based on the intermediate data. The print data is, for example, PWGRaster data or PDF data. The general-purpose printing program 41 also has a function of transmitting the generated print data to a printer designated as a device to execute printing via a communication function of the OS 21.

[0021] The auxiliary program 42 is a program or a group of programs that executes processing based on instructions from the OS 21 in association with the processing of the general-purpose printing program 41, and is a program that supports the control of the target hardware. The auxiliary program 42 in this embodiment corresponds to the model of the printer 2 connected to the PC 1, and is provided, for example, by the vendor of the printer 2. The general-purpose printing program 41 starts the auxiliary program 42 corresponding to the printer 2 when the printer 2 is selected as the device to execute printing, when an instruction for detailed print settings is received while the printer 2 is selected, when an instruction to execute printing on the printer 2 is received, etc. The auxiliary program 42 is, for example, called a print support app (abbreviated as PSA) or a hardware support app (abbreviated as HSA).

[0022] The auxiliary program 42 can be started from the general-purpose printing program 41 or the OS 21, or can be started manually by a user operation. When the auxiliary program 42 is started from the OS 21 or the general-purpose printing program 41 based on a predetermined start instruction, the auxiliary program 42 has a function of creating a shortcut for starting the auxiliary program 42, provided that a predetermined condition is satisfied. The shortcut creation function will be described later. The auxiliary program 42 can also be started by operating a shortcut.

[0023] The auxiliary program 42 may be a combination of multiple programs that each accept an execution command, or a single program that can execute different processes according to commands. The auxiliary program 42 may also be a program prepared by a printer vendor for each printer type. For example, an auxiliary program for inkjet printers and an auxiliary program for laser printers may be prepared. There may be an auxiliary program prepared not only for each printer type, but also for each printer model or series of printer models.

[0024] For example, when a new printer is connected to the PC 1, the OS 21 of the PC 1 can download an appropriate auxiliary program according to the type and model of the connected printer from a server of the printer vendor or the like and install it in the PC 1. The OS 21 stores in the memory 12 the identification information of the installed auxiliary program in association with the printer information of the newly connected printer.

[0025] The editing application 43 is, for example, a program for creating and editing image data and document data. The editing application 43 may be, for example, Microsoft's Word (registered trademark) or PowerPoint (registered trademark), or may be a program provided by the vendor of the printer 2. The editing application 43 can receive, for example, a print execution instruction for causing the printer 2 to execute printing via the user IF 13. Note that the editing application 43 is not limited to a program for creating and editing data, and may be a program having a function of receiving a display instruction or a print instruction for various information such as map information and web pages in response to a user request.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 1, the PC 1 of this embodiment is connected to the printer 2 via the communication IF 14. The printer 2 is a device having at least a printing function and a communication function. For example, when the printer 2 receives print data from the PC 1 or the like, it can execute printing based on the received print data. The printer 2 may be a device capable of color printing, or may be a device capable of only monochrome printing.

[0027] The PC 1 of this embodiment is connected to the server 3 via the communication IF 14. The server 3 has a function of transmitting various application programs such as the auxiliary program 42.

[0028] Next, a process procedure for causing the printer 2 to print using the auxiliary program 42 after the auxiliary program 42 has been installed in the PC 1 of this embodiment will be described. Note that each process in this embodiment basically indicates processing by the CPU 11 in accordance with instructions written in a program such as the auxiliary program 42. Processing by the CPU 11 also includes control of hardware using the API of the OS 21. In this specification, the operation of each program will be described without a detailed description of the OS 21. Also, "obtain" is used as a concept that does not require a request.

[0029] The installation procedure will be described with reference to the sequence diagram in FIG. 2. For example, when the OS 21 of the PC 1 detects that the printer 2 has been connected (A01), it acquires device identification information and model information from the printer 2 (A02). The OS 21 determines whether the printer 2 is a newly added device based on the acquired device identification information (A03). If the printer 2 is a newly added device, the OS 21 uses the communication IF 14 to request the server 3 to transmit the auxiliary program (A06). This request includes the model information acquired in A02.

[0030] The server 3 extracts the auxiliary program 42 corresponding to the model information attached to the request (A07), and transmits it to the PC 1 (A08). When the OS 21 receives the auxiliary program 42 using the communication IF 14, it stores it in the memory 12 in association with the printer 2.

[0031] In this way, when the printer 2 is added to the PC 1, the auxiliary program 42 is automatically downloaded from the server 3 and installed in the PC 1, without the user having to perform an installation operation.

[0032] If the auxiliary program 42 is packaged with another application program (hereinafter, referred to as "another app"), the server 3 may transmit the auxiliary program 42 and the other app to the PC 1 in A08. In this case, the OS 21 stores and installs the auxiliary program 42 and the other program in the memory 12 in A09. The number of other apps may be one or more.

[0033] The auxiliary program 42 may be installed when the printer 2 is added according to the settings on the PC 1. For example, after the user connects the printer 2 to the PC 1, the auxiliary program 42 may be downloaded from the server 3 and installed on the PC 1 when the user operates the user IF 13 of the PC 1 to perform a printer search and selects the printer 2 from among the detected printers.

[0034] The print setting procedure will be described with reference to the sequence diagram of Fig. 3. The editing application 43 accepts creation and editing of text and images based on user instructions. When the user wants to print the text or image being displayed, the user selects print in the editing application 43 (C01). The user can select print from a menu of operation items provided in the editing application 43, for example.

[0035] When the editing application 43 accepts the selection of printing, it requests the general-purpose printing program 41 of the OS 21 to display a screen for accepting instructions regarding printing (C02). In response to the request, the general-purpose printing program 41 causes the user IF 13 to display a print setting screen (C03). The print setting screen is a screen for accepting user instructions regarding various print settings that can be accepted by the general-purpose printing program 41. Note that the print setting screen may be displayed by the editing application 43.

[0036] The print setting screen includes, for example, a printer selection field, a basic print settings selection field, an advanced settings button, and a print button. The printer selection field is a selection field for selecting the printer to execute printing. The basic print settings selection field is a field that accepts basic settings such as the number of copies to be printed and the orientation of the document. The advanced settings button is a button that accepts an instruction to make advanced settings that are not included in the basic print settings selection field. The print button is a button that accepts an instruction to execute printing with the selected print settings. The print setting screen may further include a preview display field that displays a preview of the image to be printed.

[0037] For example, when Printer 2 is selected in the printer selection field as the device to execute printing, and an instruction for detailed print settings is received by operating the detailed settings button (C11), the general-purpose print program 41 passes an instruction to start receiving the detailed print settings to the auxiliary program 42 corresponding to Printer 2 (C12). The instruction in C11 is an example of a "print instruction" and a "predetermined startup condition".

[0038] When the auxiliary program 42 is started in response to the instruction of C12, it acquires the capability information of the printer 2. Specifically, the auxiliary program 42 requests the general-purpose printing program 41 to acquire the capability information (C13). The general-purpose printing program 41 sends a command requesting the capability information to the printer 2, and acquires the capability information from the printer 2 (C14). The general-purpose printing program 41 passes the acquired capability information to the auxiliary program 42 (C15). This allows the auxiliary program 42 to acquire the capability information of the printer 2.

[0039] The general-purpose printing program 41 communicates with the printer 2 in C14 via the OS 21, for example, by communication according to IPP (abbreviation of internet printing protocol). The auxiliary program 42 may obtain capability information directly from the printer 2, for example, by using MIB (abbreviation of Management Information Base), instead of making a request to the general-purpose printing program 41.

[0040] The auxiliary program 42 causes the display 13a to display a detailed settings screen reflecting the capability information (C16). C16 is an example of a "screen display process." The detailed settings screen is an example of a "screen that a support program can provide." The detailed settings screen displays general print setting items and parameters as well as print setting items and parameters specific to the printer 2. Examples of specific print setting items include watermark printing and barcode printing. Examples of specific parameters include postcard size and additional trays. The detailed settings screen includes an "OK button" that accepts an instruction to end the detailed print settings.

[0041] Furthermore, the auxiliary program 42 performs shortcut processing to create a shortcut for starting the auxiliary program 42. The procedure of the shortcut processing will be described later.

[0042] After the shortcut process is completed, when the "OK button" on the detail setting screen is operated to receive an instruction to end the detailed print setting (C22), the auxiliary program 42 stores the print setting received via the detailed setting screen in the memory 12 (C23). After that, the auxiliary program 42 closes the detailed setting screen and passes an end notification to the general-purpose printing program 41 (C25). The general-purpose printing program 41 passes an end notification to the editing application 43 (C26). This allows the editing application 43 to recognize that the detailed print setting has been completed.

[0043] Next, the print execution procedure will be described with reference to the sequence diagram of Fig. 4. After the user determines the image to be printed and the print settings for the printer 2, the user inputs an instruction to execute printing in the editing application 43 (E01). For example, when the editing application 43 receives an operation on the print button on the print settings screen displayed in C03 of Fig. 3, it determines that it has received an execution instruction to the general-purpose printing program 41 to cause the printer 2 to print the selected image.

[0044] The editing application 43 passes the received print instruction information to the general-purpose printing program 41 (E02). The general-purpose printing program 41 acquires, as the print instruction information, image data indicating the image to be printed and information indicating the print settings from the editing application 43. The instruction of E02 is an example of a "print instruction" and a "predetermined startup instruction".

[0045] The general-purpose printing program 41 generates intermediate image data by converting the format of the image data of the image to be printed into the format of intermediate image data based on the information acquired from the editing application 43 (E03). The image data included in the editing application 43 is of various types, and the general-purpose printing program 41 converts the image data to be printed into intermediate image data suitable for generating print data. Note that if the image data to be printed is suitable for generating print data, the generation of the intermediate image data may be omitted and the intermediate image data may be used as is.

[0046] Note that, before generating the intermediate image data, the general-purpose printing program 41 may start an auxiliary program 42 corresponding to the designated device, the printer 2, to notify the start of print job processing. When the auxiliary program 42 is started from the general-purpose printing program 41, it can pass information indicating various instructions used when generating the intermediate image data to the general-purpose printing program 41 as necessary.

[0047] After generating the intermediate image data, the general-purpose printing program 41 starts the auxiliary program 42 (E04). The auxiliary program 42 also executes shortcut processing when started from the general-purpose printing program 41 after receiving a print execution instruction. The shortcut processing will be described later.

[0048] The auxiliary program 42 can acquire the intermediate image data generated by the general-purpose printing program 41 by making a request to the general-purpose printing program 41. Then, the auxiliary program 42 can edit the intermediate image data and the print setting information received from the general-purpose printing program 41 based on the print setting stored in the memory 12 at C23 in FIG.

[0049] The auxiliary program 42 generates print data based on the intermediate image data received from the general-purpose print program 41 and the print settings stored in C23 (E05). The intermediate image data is an example of "image data". The auxiliary program 42 passes the print data to the general-purpose print program 41 and instructs it to send the data to the printer 2 (E06). This instruction may include the print settings stored in the memory 12. E06 is a process for sending a send command to the printer 2, and is an example of a "transmission process". The auxiliary program 42 can send a command to the printer 2 instructing it to execute a specific process that can be executed by the printer 2, and therefore can utilize the functions of the printer 2.

[0050] The print data that the auxiliary program 42 passes to the general-purpose print program 41 in E06 may be data in a format that can be printed by the printer 2. Note that the PDL data generated by the auxiliary program 42 may be data in a format that can be used for printing by printers other than the model of the printer 2.

[0051] The general-purpose printing program 41, in response to an instruction from the auxiliary program 42, sends a print command to the printer 2 to instruct printing together with the print data (E07). The printer 2 executes printing based on the print data attached to the received print command (E08). After E07, the general-purpose printing program 41 notifies the editing application 43 of the end of processing (E09).

[0052] In E06 of FIG. 4, the print data is passed to the general-purpose print program 41, and the general-purpose print program 41 sends a print command and the print data to the printer 2. Alternatively, the auxiliary program 42 may send a print command instructing the printer 2 to execute printing and the print data.

[0053] For example, when the print settings include settings related to image processing executable by the printer 2, the auxiliary program 42 may generate a print command including information on the processing. In this case, the auxiliary program 42 may notify the general-purpose print program 41 of the end information after completing the transmission of the print data.

[0054] Next, the control procedure of the above-mentioned shortcut process will be described with reference to Fig. 5. The CPU 11 of the PC 1 judges whether or not a shortcut to the auxiliary program 42 has not been created (S11). The process of S11 is an example of a "determination process". The condition that a shortcut to the auxiliary program 42 has not been created, that is, the judgment condition of S11, is an example of a "predetermined condition for creating a shortcut".

[0055] For example, when the destination of the shortcut is fixed, the CPU 11 may refer to the path of the destination and determine whether or not a shortcut to the auxiliary program 42 has been created. When the destination of the shortcut is fixed, the shortcut may be created, for example, on the desktop screen or on the task bar. Also, for example, when information indicating the presence or absence of a shortcut to the auxiliary program 42 is stored in a storage area (for example, a registry) for the auxiliary program 42 managed by the OS 21, the CPU 11 may determine whether or not a shortcut has been created based on the information. In this way, even if the destination of the shortcut is not fixed, it is possible to determine whether or not a shortcut has been created.

[0056] For example, if the start-up shown in C12 of FIG. 3 is the first start-up after the auxiliary program 42 is installed, no shortcut has been created. In this case, the CPU 11 determines that a shortcut has not been created (S11: YES). In this case, the CPU 11 determines whether or not a display prohibition flag is off (S12). The display prohibition flag will be described later. On the other hand, if a shortcut has already been created (S11: NO), the CPU 11 ends the shortcut processing without creating a shortcut.

[0057] When the display prohibition flag is off (S12: YES), the CPU 11 displays a selection acceptance screen using the display 13a (S13). The selection acceptance screen is a screen that accepts a selection of whether or not to create a shortcut. S13 is an example of a "selection process."

[0058] For example, when the auxiliary program 42 is started by the OS 21 at C12 in response to an instruction for detailed print settings at C11 in Fig. 3, the auxiliary program 42 displays a detailed settings screen on the display 13a before displaying a selection acceptance screen on the display 13a (C16 in Fig. 3). The instruction for detailed print settings shown at C11 in Fig. 3 is an example of a "specific instruction." The detailed settings screen is an example of a "screen that can provide a support program." In this case, while accepting a selection of whether or not to create a shortcut, the CPU 11 displays the selection acceptance screen in the foreground and does not accept any operation on the detailed settings screen.

[0059] For example, a selection receiving screen 100 shown in FIG. 6 displays a message display field 101, an application introduction field 102, a target selection field 103, a YES button 104, and a NO button 105.

[0060] The message display field 101 is a field for displaying a message that the vendor conveys to the user who has purchased the product. For example, a message of thanks for the purchase of the product is displayed in the message display field 101.

[0061] The application introduction field 102 is a field for introducing the functions of the programs installed on the PC1 at A08 and A09 in FIG. 2. The target selection field 103 is a field for selecting the application for which a shortcut is to be created. The application introduction field 102 and the target selection field 103 display the names of the programs installed on the PC1 at A08 and A09 in FIG. 2. For example, the application introduction field 102 and the target selection field 103 in FIG. 6 display the auxiliary program 42, the integrated application, and the status monitor. The integrated application is a program that prints and reads images. The status monitor is a program that monitors the status of the printer. The integrated application and the status monitor are applications that are installed together with the auxiliary program 42, and are each an example of an "application program other than the support program."

[0062] The application introduction column 102 and the target selection column 103 are provided with a function introduction button 102a and a check column 103a for each program.

[0063] The function introduction button 102a is an operation object that receives an instruction to display an introduction screen that introduces the functions of the auxiliary program 42 on the display 13a. If the introduction screen is stored in the auxiliary program 42, the auxiliary program 42 can display the introduction screen even when the PC 1 is offline. The function introduction button 102a may be associated with the URL of a web page that displays the introduction screen, and the introduction screen may be displayed using the browser function of the auxiliary program 42. This allows the auxiliary program 42 to display an introduction screen that reflects the latest functions. If the auxiliary program 42 does not have a browser function, the auxiliary program 42 may pass the URL to a browser provided in the PC 1 or the OS 21, and the browser may display the web page.

[0064] The check box 103a is a box for accepting the selection of a program for which a shortcut is to be created. The auxiliary program 42 recognizes a program for which a check box 103a is checked as a program for which a shortcut is to be created.

[0065] The YES button 104 is an operation object for accepting a creation instruction for creating a shortcut, whereas the NO button 105 is an operation object for accepting a creation prohibition instruction for not creating a shortcut.

[0066] Returning to FIG. 5, the CPU 11 that has displayed the selection receiving screen 100 determines whether or not to generate a shortcut (S14). For example, when the CPU 11 receives an operation of the YES button 104 on the selection receiving screen 100 using the user IF 13, it determines to create a shortcut (S14: YES). In this case, the CPU 11 creates a shortcut for the program selected in the target selection field 103 on the selection receiving screen 100 (S15), and proceeds to S16. S15 is an example of a "generation process".

[0067] For example, the auxiliary program 42 has a check mark in the check box 103a of the auxiliary program 42 by default. This increases the possibility that the auxiliary program 42 will be selected as a shortcut creation target. If it is necessary to reliably generate a shortcut for the auxiliary program 42, the auxiliary program 42 may be made uncheckable.

[0068] In this state, it is assumed that the user operates the YES button 104 while checking the check box 103a of the status monitor and not checking the check box 103a of the integrated application. In this case, the CPU 11 creates shortcuts for the auxiliary program 42 and the status monitor, but does not create a shortcut for the integrated application. The destination of the shortcut may be fixed, such as the desktop, or may be specified by the user on the selection reception screen 100. The shortcut for the auxiliary program 42 is an example of a "first shortcut." The shortcut for the status monitor is an example of a "second shortcut." In this way, if there is another application included when installing the auxiliary program 42, creating a shortcut for the other application also makes it easier for the user to start the other application, and promotes the use of the other application.

[0069] Note that the check box 103a of the auxiliary program 42 may be blank by default. Also, all check boxes 103a of the auxiliary program 42 may be checked by default. Also, only the auxiliary program 42 may be displayed selectably in the target selection box 103, and the status monitor and the integrated application may not be displayed. In other words, even if there is another application packaged with the auxiliary program 42, a shortcut may be created only for the auxiliary program 42.

[0070] On the other hand, when the CPU 11 accepts an operation of the NO button 105 on the selection accepting screen 100 using the user IF 13, it determines not to create a shortcut (S14: NO) and proceeds to S16.

[0071] In S16, the CPU 11 switches the display prohibition flag on. The display prohibition flag is information indicating whether or not display of the selection receiving screen 100 is prohibited. The display prohibition flag is stored in a storage area for the auxiliary program 42 managed by the OS 21. The display prohibition flag is off when the auxiliary program 42 is installed. The display prohibition flag is switched on when a selection of whether or not to create a shortcut is accepted, or when the selection receiving screen is displayed. When the display prohibition flag is on, the auxiliary program 42 does not perform the process of S13 and thereafter even if the judgment condition of S11 is satisfied (S12: NO). That is, the auxiliary program 42 does not accept a selection of whether or not to create a shortcut, and does not generate a shortcut. This makes it possible to avoid annoying the user by repeatedly displaying the selection receiving screen 100.

[0072] In S17, the CPU 11 closes the selection receiving screen 100 and ends the shortcut process. Closing the selection receiving screen 100 enables the auxiliary program 42 to use the user IF 13, for example, to receive an operation on the detailed setting screen.

[0073] If a shortcut for launching the auxiliary program 42 is not created, the user may not be aware of the auxiliary program 42 installed in the PC 1 and may not be able to fully utilize the printer 2 and the auxiliary program 42.

[0074] 2, when the printer 2 is connected to the PC 1 so as to be usable, the auxiliary program 42 corresponding to the printer 2 is automatically installed in the PC 1. Therefore, if a shortcut for starting the auxiliary program 42 is not created, the user may not be able to recognize the existence and functions of the auxiliary program 42, and may not be able to fully utilize the auxiliary program 42.

[0075] The auxiliary program 42 can display on the display 13a a screen that can be provided by the auxiliary program 42. The screen that can be provided by the auxiliary program 42 is, for example, a screen that accepts print settings, such as detailed print settings. The auxiliary program 42 can automatically display the screen that accepts print settings by having the OS 21 start the auxiliary program 42 during the series of printing processes shown in Figures 3 and 4, for example, or can display the screen by manually starting the auxiliary program 42.

[0076] Manual startup of the auxiliary program 42 is possible through some user operations. For example, when a user opens a printer selection screen from the setting screen of the OS 21 and selects printer 2 on the printer selection screen, the setting screen of printer 2 is displayed on the display 13a, and a startup button is included in the setting screen of printer 2. More specifically, when the auxiliary program 42 is installed in the PC 1, an OPA (Open printer app) that associates the auxiliary program 42 with the general-purpose printing program 41 and starts it is displayed operably on the setting screen of the printer 2. Manual startup of the auxiliary program 42 is limited to the operation of this OPA. The user can manually start the auxiliary program 42 by operating a start button (for example, OPA).

[0077] If there is no shortcut to launch the auxiliary program 42, even if a user wants to use the auxiliary program 42, the user may not know where the launch button (e.g., OPA) is located and may not be able to use the auxiliary program 42, or the user may be reluctant to use the auxiliary program 42 because launching the auxiliary program 42 is too tedious.

[0078] On the other hand, when a shortcut for starting the auxiliary program 42 is generated, the user can see the shortcut and become aware of the existence of the auxiliary program 42. In this embodiment, the shortcut is generated after confirming with the user whether or not to generate a shortcut. Therefore, even during the process of generating the shortcut, the user can become aware of the existence of the auxiliary program 42. Moreover, the user can check the function of the auxiliary program 42 in the application introduction field 102 of the selection receiving screen 100.

[0079] Therefore, by operating a shortcut using the user IF 13, the user can easily start the auxiliary program 42 and display a screen provided by the auxiliary program 42 on the display 13a, thereby easily using the auxiliary program 42. Similarly, the user can also recognize other apps installed on the PC 1 together with the auxiliary program 42, and can promote the use of the apps.

[0080] As described above, the auxiliary program 42 of the first embodiment generates a shortcut for starting the auxiliary program 42, which allows the user to become aware of the existence of the auxiliary program 42 and to easily start the auxiliary program 42. As a result, the use of the auxiliary program 42 is promoted.

[0081] Furthermore, the auxiliary program 42 of the first embodiment generates a shortcut (S15) when a shortcut has not been generated (S11 in FIG. 5: YES), so that the shortcut can be generated reliably and there is no waste in generating the same shortcut multiple times.

[0082] Second embodiment Next, the PC 1 according to the second embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. In the second embodiment, a shortcut is automatically created when the auxiliary program 42 is started in response to the installation of the auxiliary program 42. This differs from the first embodiment in that, when the auxiliary program 42 is started from the OS 21 and a shortcut has not been created, the user is asked whether or not to create a shortcut, and a shortcut is created. Here, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same configurations and processes as those in the first embodiment, and the description will be omitted as appropriate.

[0083] 7, for example, in response to downloading an auxiliary program 42 corresponding to a printer 2 from a server 3 and installing it on the PC 1 (A09), the OS 21 of the PC 1 starts the installed auxiliary program 42 (G01). The OS 21 starts the auxiliary program 42 with a start-up option indicating that it has just been installed. When the auxiliary program 42 is started with the start-up option, it executes a shortcut process. The instruction to start the auxiliary program 42 with the start-up option is an example of a "predetermined start-up instruction" and an "installation start-up instruction".

[0084] 8, the CPU 11 of the PC 1 creates a shortcut for starting the auxiliary program 42 (S21). That is, the shortcut is automatically created in a series of steps for installing the auxiliary program 42 in the PC 1.

[0085] The installer of the auxiliary program 42 may install the auxiliary program 42 in the PC 1 and then start the auxiliary program 42 with a start option. The start instruction output from the installer to the auxiliary program 42 is an example of a "predetermined start instruction" or an "installation start instruction".

[0086] When the CPU 11 installs another application together with the auxiliary program 42 in A09 of FIG. 7, in S21, the CPU 11 may generate a shortcut for starting the auxiliary program 42 and a shortcut for starting the other application.

[0087] In the present embodiment, the auxiliary program 42 has a fixed location for creating a shortcut. For example, the location for creating the auxiliary program 42 is the desktop, which is easily noticeable by the user. Alternatively, the auxiliary program 42 may display a screen for specifying the location for creating the shortcut on the display 13a before creating the shortcut in S21, and create the shortcut in the location specified by the user.

[0088] After creating the shortcut, the CPU 11 displays a creation notification screen on the display 13a (S22). S22 is an example of a “notification process.” The creation notification screen is a screen for notifying the user of the existence of the shortcut created in S21.

[0089] For example, the creation notification screen 200 shown in Fig. 9 includes a message display field 101 and an application introduction field 102, similar to the selection receiving screen 100 (see Fig. 6) of the first embodiment. The user can understand the details of the function of the auxiliary program 42 via the application introduction field 102.

[0090] The creation notification screen 200 includes a creation notification field 203. The creation notification field 203 displays a message notifying the existence of a shortcut. For example, the creation notification field 203 displays a message notifying which program the shortcut was created for, the location where the shortcut was created, etc.

[0091] The created notification screen 200 includes an OK button 210. The OK button 210 is an operation object for the user to confirm that he or she has viewed the notification content.

[0092] 8, the CPU 11 that has displayed the creation notification screen 200 judges whether or not the user has recognized the existence of the shortcut (S23). If the OK button 210 is not operated, the CPU 11 judges that the user has not recognized the existence of the shortcut (S23: NO), and waits while displaying the creation notification screen 200. If the OK button 210 is operated, the CPU 11 judges that the user has recognized the existence of the shortcut (S23: YES), closes the creation notification screen 200 (S24), and ends the shortcut processing.

[0093] As shown in FIG. 7, when the auxiliary program 42 ends the shortcut process, it passes a completion notification to the OS 21 (G02).

[0094] For example, as shown in Fig. 3, when an instruction to set detailed print settings is received (C11), or as shown in Fig. 4, when a print instruction is received (E02), the OS 21 starts the auxiliary program 42. In this case, the OS 21 starts the auxiliary program 42 without the above-mentioned start-up option, so the shortcut process shown in Fig. 8 is not executed. Therefore, the auxiliary program 42 does not create a shortcut or display the creation notification screen 200. Therefore, the auxiliary program 42 creates a shortcut only when it is started after installation, so that it is possible to avoid creating duplicate shortcuts with the same content.

[0095] As described above in detail, the auxiliary program 42 of the present embodiment generates a shortcut in a series of steps related to the installation of the auxiliary program 42, so that the user can easily understand that the shortcut is related to the auxiliary program 42.

[0096] It should be noted that the embodiments disclosed in this specification are merely examples and do not limit the present invention in any way. Therefore, the technology disclosed in this specification can be naturally improved and modified in various ways without departing from the gist of the technology. For example, the device connected to PC1 is not limited to a printer, but may be any device having a printing function, such as a multifunction device, a copier, or a fax machine. Furthermore, the number of printers connected to PC1 is not limited to the illustrated example, and may be two or more.

[0097] Either one of S11 and S12 in Fig. 5 may be omitted. The auxiliary program 42 may store information on whether or not this is the first time in a storage area for the auxiliary program 42 managed by the OS 21, and update the information at the first startup. In this case, instead of S11 and S12 in Fig. 5, the auxiliary program 42 may perform a determination process based on the information on whether or not this startup satisfies a condition that the current startup is the first startup after the auxiliary program 42 is installed in the PC 1. In this way, by creating a shortcut at the first startup of the auxiliary program 42, the auxiliary program 42 can be started and used from the shortcut thereafter, which further promotes the use of the auxiliary program 42.

[0098] Also, for example, the determination condition in S11 and S12 in Fig. 5 may be that the CPU 11 has not accepted the selection of whether or not to create a shortcut. For example, when the auxiliary program 42 is started in a state where the selection acceptance screen 100 in Fig. 6 has not been displayed even once, the CPU 11 may determine that the selection of whether or not to create a shortcut has not been accepted and perform the process from S13 in Fig. 5 onwards, and when the auxiliary program 42 is started after displaying the selection acceptance screen 100 in Fig. 6, the CPU 11 may determine that the selection of whether or not to create a shortcut has been accepted and end the shortcut process without performing the processes from S13 to S17 in Fig. 5. This can avoid the selection acceptance screen 100 from being repeatedly displayed, causing annoyance to the user.

[0099] For example, when another application is installed on the PC 1 together with the auxiliary program 42, the selection receiving screen 100 may receive an instruction to display the introduction screen and a selection of a target for which a shortcut is to be created all at once. However, by receiving an instruction to display the introduction screen and a selection of a target for which a shortcut is to be created for each program, the user can grasp the details of the program and create a shortcut as necessary.

[0100] 5 may be omitted, and a shortcut may be automatically created when it is determined in the determination processes of S11 and S12 that a predetermined condition is satisfied. However, before generating the shortcut, the auxiliary program 42 displays the selection receiving screen 100 to receive a selection of whether or not to generate a shortcut, and generates the shortcut when the selection to generate the shortcut is received, thereby making it possible to avoid the creation of a shortcut that is not intended by the user.

[0101] For example, the display prohibition flag and the processes of S12 and S16 in Fig. 5 may be omitted. In other words, the selection receiving screen 100 may be repeatedly displayed until a shortcut is created. In this way, the auxiliary program 42 can create a shortcut even after the NO button 105 is operated and a shortcut is not created, so that the user can create a shortcut at any timing.

[0102] 6 may be omitted, and the functions of the auxiliary program 42 and the other app installed in the PC 1 may not be introduced. However, by introducing the functions of the auxiliary program 42 and the other app bundled therewith while accepting the selection of whether or not to generate a shortcut, the user can learn the details of the auxiliary program 42 and the other app, which promotes the use of the auxiliary program 42 and the other app.

[0103] For example, while the selection of whether or not to create a shortcut is being accepted, i.e., while the selection acceptance screen is being displayed, operations on a screen such as a detailed setting screen may not be restricted. However, by restricting operations on the screen while the selection of whether or not to create a shortcut is being accepted, the selection of whether or not to create a shortcut can be prioritized over operations on other screens.

[0104] The shortcut process may be performed only during editing in FIG. 3 or during print setting in FIG. 4. If the auxiliary program 42 is configured to execute shortcut process when it is started from the OS 21 in response to a print instruction (E02) based on the print execution instruction in E01 in FIG. 4, for example, shortcuts can be created in a series of flows related to print processing. This makes it easy for the user to understand that the auxiliary program 42, which is the target of the shortcut, is related to printing. On the other hand, if the auxiliary program 42 is configured to execute shortcut process when it is started from the OS 21 in response to an instruction for detailed print setting in C11 in FIG. 3, for example, shortcuts can be created even when printing is not executed.

[0105] The auxiliary program 42 may generate a shortcut after sending a print command. However, by generating a shortcut before sending a print command, the auxiliary program 42 makes it easier for the user to understand the existence of the shortcut compared to when the shortcut is generated after sending a print command.

[0106] 8 may be omitted. In other words, when the auxiliary program 42 automatically creates a shortcut in response to a start instruction at the time of installation, it is not necessary to notify the user that the shortcut has been created or to introduce the functions of the installed auxiliary program 42 and another application. However, the auxiliary program 42 automatically creates a shortcut without user confirmation, and then notifies the user of the existence of the shortcut, thereby allowing the user to understand the existence of the shortcut, and thus promoting the use of the auxiliary program 42. In addition, while notifying the user of the creation of the shortcut, the auxiliary program 42 also displays an introduction to the functions of the auxiliary program 42, allowing the user to know the details of the auxiliary program 42, and promoting the use of the auxiliary program 42. The use of another application installed together with the auxiliary program 42 is also promoted by notifying the user of the existence of the shortcut and introducing its functions.

[0107] In each embodiment, only the printing operation is described in detail as the operation of the auxiliary program 42, but the auxiliary program 42 may have other roles. The program that executes the process of each embodiment is not limited to the auxiliary program 42, but may be any program that receives instructions from the OS 21 or the general-purpose print program 41 when printing is performed using the general-purpose print program 41. For example, it may be a print workflow application (Print workflow) whose specifications have been made public by Microsoft.

[0108] Furthermore, the execution timing of the auxiliary program 42 is not limited to the examples in each embodiment. For example, the auxiliary program 42 may be executed in response to a direct execution instruction from the OS 21, or the auxiliary program 42 may be resident. If the auxiliary program 42 is resident, it is sufficient that the auxiliary program 42 performs the above-mentioned operation upon receiving an execution command.

[0109] In addition, in any sequence diagram and flowchart disclosed in each embodiment, the execution order of multiple processes in any multiple steps can be changed as desired or the processes can be executed in parallel as long as no contradiction occurs in the processing content.

[0110] The processes disclosed in the embodiments may be executed by a single CPU, multiple CPUs, hardware such as ASIC, or a combination of these. The processes disclosed in the embodiments may be realized in various forms, such as a recording medium having a program for executing the processes recorded thereon, or a method. [Explanation of symbols]

[0111] 1...PC, 2...printer, 11...CPU, 21...OS, 41...general-purpose printing program, 42...auxiliary program

Claims

1. A support program executable by a computer of an information processing device and corresponding to a printer connected to the information processing device, the information processing device having an operating system in which a general-purpose printing program is implemented, the support program being a program that supports the general-purpose printing program; The computer includes: executes a transmission process for transmitting a print command to the printer when the process is started from the operating system in response to a print instruction from an application program on the information processing device; The computer further comprises: executes a determination process for determining whether a predetermined condition for creating a shortcut is satisfied when the program is started from the operating system based on a predetermined start-up instruction; The computer further comprises: executing a creation process for creating a shortcut for starting the support program when it is determined in the determination process that the predetermined condition is satisfied; A support program configured to:

2. 2. The support program according to claim 1, In the determination process, determining whether or not the current startup satisfies the predetermined condition that the current startup is the first startup after the support program is installed in the information processing device; A support program configured to:

3. 2. The support program according to claim 1, In the determination process, determining whether or not the predetermined condition for determining that the shortcut for starting the support program has not been generated is satisfied; A support program configured to:

4. 2. The support program according to claim 1, In the generation process, When it is determined in the determination process that the predetermined condition is satisfied, a first shortcut which is the shortcut for starting up the support program and a second shortcut which is a shortcut for starting up an application program other than the support program are generated, and the other application program is a program installed in the information processing device together with the support program when the support program is installed in the information processing device. A support program configured to:

5. 2. The support program according to claim 1, The computer includes: executing a selection process for receiving, via a user interface of the information processing device, a selection as to whether or not to generate the shortcut for starting the support program when it is determined in the determination process that the predetermined condition is satisfied; When the selection of generating the shortcut is accepted in the selection process, the generation process is executed. A support program configured to:

6. The support program according to claim 5, In the selection process, displaying an introduction to functions of the support program on the user interface of the information processing device when the selection of whether or not to generate the shortcut is being accepted; A support program configured to:

7. The support program according to claim 5, The computer includes: executing a screen display process for displaying a screen that can be provided by the support program on the user interface of the information processing device when the support program is started from the operating system in response to a specific instruction to display the screen; The computer further comprises: the predetermined startup instruction includes the specific instruction, and when the specific instruction causes startup from the operating system, and the selection process is executed as a result of the determination process determining that the predetermined condition is satisfied, operations on the screen are restricted while the selection of whether or not to generate the shortcut is being accepted, and after the selection of whether or not to generate the shortcut is accepted, the restriction on operations on the screen is lifted. A support program configured to:

8. 2. The support program according to claim 1, the predetermined start-up instruction is the print instruction, The computer includes: when the printing instruction is issued from the operating system, the determination process and the transmission process are executed; executing the generation process when it is determined that the predetermined condition is satisfied in the determination process based on the print instruction; A support program configured to:

9. The support program according to claim 8, The computer includes: when the operating system is started based on the print instruction, the determination process is executed before the print command is transmitted to the printer by the transmission process; When it is determined that the predetermined condition is satisfied in the determination process based on the print instruction, the generation process is executed; After the generation process is executed, or if the determination process based on the print instruction determines that the predetermined condition is not satisfied, the print command is transmitted to the printer in the transmission process. A support program configured to:

10. 2. The support program according to claim 1, the predetermined start-up instruction is an installation start-up instruction that is output in response to the support program being installed in the information processing device, The computer includes: executes the determination process and the transmission process when the software is started from the operating system based on the installation start instruction; executes the generation process when it is determined that the predetermined condition is satisfied in the determination process based on the installation startup instruction. A support program configured to:

11. 2. The support program according to claim 1, The computer includes: When the shortcut is generated in the generation process, a notification process is executed to notify the user of the existence of the shortcut. A support program configured to:

12. The support program according to claim 11, In the notification process, while notifying the user of the existence of the shortcut, displaying an introduction to functions of the program on a user interface of the information processing device. A support program configured to:

13. 2. The support program according to claim 1, The computer includes: when the printing instruction is output from the application program and the printing instruction is to cause the general-purpose printing program to print an image on the printer, the printing program is started from the operating system, and image data showing the image is obtained from the general-purpose printing program, and the transmission process is executed to transmit the print command to the printer based on the image data. A support program configured to:

14. An information processing apparatus having an operating system in which a general-purpose printing program is implemented, The information processing device includes: When a support program that corresponds to a printer connected to the information processing device and supports the general-purpose printing program is installed, executes a transmission process for transmitting a print command to the printer when the process is started from the operating system in response to a print instruction from an application program on the information processing device; When a predetermined start condition is satisfied, the operating system starts the support program, and the support program determines whether a predetermined condition for creating a shortcut is satisfied; generating a shortcut for starting the support program when it is determined that the predetermined condition is satisfied; The information processing device is configured as follows.

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