Information processing device and program

Abstract

To provide a technique enabling a user to check necessary information without explicitly giving instructions to display a screen of an extended application.SOLUTION: A program to be executed by a computer of an information processing device and expanding a function in association with print data generation software available for a plurality of different printing devices, causes the computer to execute: acquisition processing of acquiring information from a printing device; determination processing of determining information to be displayed on a print setting screen of an operating system of the information processing device based on the information acquired from the printing device; and notification processing of notifying the operating system of the information processing device of screen definition information defining information to be displayed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a technology for expanding the functions of printing.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, in Windows (registered trademark), etc., a standard class driver (hereinafter also referred to as "standard driver") that can be commonly used for printing devices provided by a plurality of vendors has been provided. Such a standard driver is included in the package of an operating system (hereinafter referred to as "OS"). The standard driver is configured to be able to specify a printing function according to PrintCapabilities generated based on information obtained from the connected printing device. Thereby, a user who uses the standard driver can specify a printing function according to the capabilities of the connected printing device. An application for function expansion (hereinafter also referred to as "expansion application") can be associated with the standard driver. The expansion application is provided by the vendor that provides the printing device. By providing the expansion application, the vendor can provide functions (expansion functions) that cannot be realized only by the standard driver. Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for expanding functions such as a stamp function by an expansion application.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In order to use the extended functions of an extended application, the user needs to explicitly perform an operation to display the screen of the extended application itself. This increases the number of user operations and may reduce convenience. In addition, some information provided by the extended application (such as the status information of a printing device) may not be viewable by the user at any arbitrary timing.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above-described situation. That is, an object of the present invention is to provide a technology that enables a user to check necessary information without explicitly instructing the display of the screen of the extended application.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, an information processing apparatus according to the present invention is an information processing apparatus including printing data generation software that can be used in a plurality of different printing devices, and an extended application that is associated with the printing data generation software and performs function extension, wherein the extended application includes an acquisition unit that acquires information from a printing device, a determination unit that determines information to be displayed on a printing setting screen of an operating system of the information processing apparatus based on the information acquired from the printing device, and a notification unit that notifies the operating system of the information processing apparatus of screen definition information defining the information to be displayed.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, a user can check necessary information without explicitly instructing the display of the screen of the extended application.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the present disclosure, and not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential for the solution means of the present disclosure. The same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

[0010] <<First Embodiment>> FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the printing system in the present embodiment. The printing system includes a host computer 101, and in FIG. 1, mainly shows the block configuration of the host computer. The host computer 101 is an example of an information processing device. The host computer 101 has an input interface 110, a CPU 111, a ROM 112, a RAM 113, an external storage device 114, an output interface 115, an input / output interface 116, and a network interface (NETIF) 120. Input devices such as a keyboard 118 and a pointing device 117 are connected to the input interface 110, and a display device such as a display unit 119 is connected to the output interface 115. The NETIF 120 controls data transfer with external devices via a network. In the example of FIG. 1, the display unit 119, the pointing device 117, and the keyboard 118 are described as examples of devices separate from the host computer 101, but they may be included in the host computer 101. Further, the display unit 119 may be a touch panel display having the function of an input / output device.

[0011] An initialization program is stored in the ROM 112. Application programs, an operating system (OS), printing data generation software, and various other data are stored in the external storage device 114. The RAM 113 is used as a work memory or the like when executing various programs stored in the external storage device 114, whereby various programs can operate within the host computer 101.

[0012] In addition, in this embodiment, the PU 111 executes the functions and processes described below in the host computer 101 by performing processing according to the procedure of the program stored in the ROM 112.

[0013] The printing device 102, which is an output device, is connected to the host computer 101 via the input / output interface 116. In the example of FIG. 1, an example in which the host computer 101 and the printing device 102 are separated is shown, but they may be configured as one information processing device. Note that, although the printing device will be described by taking an inkjet printing device that prints by ejecting ink onto the paper surface as an example, printing may be performed by other methods (for example, an electrophotographic method). Also, the host computer 101 may be a desktop personal computer, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a notebook personal computer. The input / output interface 116 may be wired or wireless. Also, the host computer 101 and the printing device 102 may be connected via a WAN such as a LAN or the Internet.

[0014] FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of a printing system. Here, a printing system using a host computer 101 equipped with Microsoft (registered trademark) Windows (registered trademark) 10 as the OS will be described as a premise. FIG. 2(a) is a diagram showing a general configuration when the extended application 204 is not associated with the print data generation software 202 and the printing device 102. That is, it is a diagram showing the configuration of a printing system in which the extended application 204 is not used. On the other hand, FIG. 2(b) is a diagram showing the configuration of the printing system of the present embodiment in which the extended application 204 is associated with the print data generation software 202 and the printing device 102. First, an example of a printing system with a general configuration will be described using FIG. 2(a). A printing system with a general configuration includes a drawing application 201 and print data generation software 202. Also, print function information 203 is stored in the RAM 113 or the external storage device 114. The drawing application 201 and the print data generation software 202 are programs operable on the host computer 101. The drawing application 201 is software for creating content (drawing data) to be printed. Examples of the drawing application 201 include various applications operated by the user, such as a document creation application or a spreadsheet application. When the drawing application 201 receives a print request from the user, it issues a print instruction to the OS. The print instruction includes print setting information for instructing the operations of the print data generation software 202 and the printing device 102. The print setting information is also called a PrintTicket (hereinafter abbreviated as "PT"). The drawing application 201 can display a print setting screen provided by any one of the print data generation software 202, the OS, and the drawing application 201 in order to set the print setting information (PT). The print setting screen includes a setting item (hereinafter also called a "control item") indicating a printable function and a control item indicating its setting value. Control items are displayed on the print setting screen according to the capability information (information that can be set as a print setting) obtained from the print data generation software 202.The ability information is also called PrintCapabilities (hereinafter abbreviated as "PC"). The print data generation software 202 determines the PC based on the print function information 203. The print function information 203 is data indicating all configurable print functions, their setting values, and the print functions with the exclusive relationship between the setting values. The print function information 203 is also called PDC (PrintDeviceCapabilities). The print function information 203 is included in the configuration file of the print data generation software 202 and is arranged in the external storage device 114 as an unmodifiable file. Alternatively, the print function information 203 can also be dynamically generated by the print data generation software 202. Specifically, the print data generation software 202 or the OS can be configured to obtain the attribute data of the printing device from the printing device 102 and generate the print function information 203 according to the attribute information in the obtained attribute data. When the print function information 203 is dynamically generated, the generated print function information 203 is editable. Note that the attribute data of the printing device obtained from the printing device 102 is the response data obtained by issuing the IPP's Get-Printer-Attributes operation to the printing device. IPP stands for Internet Print Protocol. The response includes attribute information indicating the functions (capabilities of the printing device) that can be specified by the printing device 102 and the setting values related to the attribute information. This response data is stored in the RAM 113. With this configuration, the print data generation software 202 can be configured to enable the user to specify the print functions available on each connected printing device 102 according to the connected printing device 102. That is, even when printing devices with different functions or printing devices developed by different vendors are connected, the print data generation software 202 can be configured to enable the user to specify the print functions available according to the connected printing device. Here, a configuration using the IPP Class Driver installed in Windows (registered trademark) 10 will be described as the print data generation software 202.The IPP Class Driver is a printer device driver that executes printing processing in accordance with the specifications of a standard printing protocol called IPP and is bundled within the OS package. The IPP Class Driver is not a proprietary printer device driver specific to the model of the printer device 102, but rather a standard class driver that can be commonly used for multiple printer devices. Also, the IPP Class Driver acquires the attribute information of the connected printer device 102 so that the user can specify the printing functions supported by the connected printer device 102, and generates printing function information 203 based on that information. In this way, the IPP Class Driver, which is printing data generation software 202, can dynamically generate printing function information 203 (PDC). The printing setting information (PT) specified through the printing setting screen displayed on the PC based on such printing function information 203 (PDC) is included in the printing instruction output from the drawing application 201. Note that the printing instruction output from the drawing application 201 includes, in addition to the printing setting information (PT), the data to be drawn. The OS generates intermediate data (also called input data) based on the printing instruction output from the drawing application 201 and passes it to the printing data generation software 202. Note that the data output by the drawing application 201 for printing is data in the Graphic Device Interface format (GDI format data) or data in the XML Paper Specification format (XPS format data). When using the IPP Class Driver as the printing data generation software 202, if the data output by the drawing application 201 is GDI format data, the OS performs a data format conversion. That is, the OS converts the GDI format data output from the drawing application 201 into XPS format data. Then, the converted XPS format data is passed to the printing data generation software 202 as intermediate data. On the other hand, if the data output by the drawing application 201 is XPS format data, the OS passes the XPS format data to the printing data generation software 202 as intermediate data.Note that the intermediate data includes drawing data which is information of an image formed on the paper surface, and print setting information (PT) set by the user. The print data generation software 202 converts the acquired intermediate data into print data interpretable by the printing device 102 and transmits it to the printing device 102. Note that the print data includes drawing data which is information of an image formed on the paper surface, and print setting attribute information (attribute information specifying the print settings) generated based on the print setting information set by the user. The print setting attribute information includes attribute information indicating functions (capabilities of the printing device) specifiable by the printing device 102 and setting values related to the attribute information. The printing device 102 performs printing on the paper based on the print data sent from the print data generation software 202. At this time, the printing device 102 forms the drawing data included in the print data on the paper surface by operating according to the print setting attribute information included in the print data. The print setting attribute information includes print quality (such as image quality priority or speed priority), and attribute information and its setting values for specifying double-sided printing and the like. For example, when the print setting attribute information includes attribute information specifying double-sided printing, the printing device 102 executes double-sided printing.

[0015] FIG. 2(b) is a diagram showing the configuration of the present embodiment when the extended application 204 is associated with the print data generation software 202 and the printing apparatus 102. Note that configurations and processes not particularly mentioned below are equivalent to those in FIG. 2(a). The extended application 204 is software for extending the functions of the print data generation software 202, and is not pre-included (not bundled) in the OS. Therefore, the user operates the host computer 101 to download the extended application 204 from the server via the Internet and install it on the host computer 101. Alternatively, based on the connection of the printing apparatus 102 to the host computer 101, the extended application 204 may be automatically installed on the host computer 101. Specifically, when the printing apparatus 102 is connected to the host computer 101, the OS acquires device identification information from the printing apparatus 102. The OS may download the extended application 204 corresponding to the acquired device identification information from the server via the Internet and install it on the host computer 101. In this way, the print data generation software 202 and the extended application 204 are held on the host computer 101 as separate files. Note that the print data generation software 202 and the extended application 204 may be updated and upgraded, but this update process is also performed at different timings. That is, the timing at which the print data generation software 202 is acquired by the host computer 101 is different from the timing at which the extended application 204 is acquired. Also, the trigger at which the print data generation software 202 is acquired by the host computer 101 is different from the trigger at which the extended application 204 is acquired. When the extended application 204 is installed, the OS associates the extended application 204 with the print data generation software 202 and the corresponding printing apparatus 102.The extended application 204 described in this embodiment includes a print setting screen extension unit 205, a skip control unit 206, a print function extension unit 207, a print data editing unit 208, and a notification unit 209. Further, the extended application 204 includes shared information 210 that can be commonly accessed from each unit. The entity of the shared information 210 is a file stored in the external storage device 114 or information stored on the RAM 113. The extended application 204 writes and reads information to and from the shared information 210 by using the API (Application Program Interface) provided by the OS. Note that the extended application 204 may end its operation each time the processing of each unit is completed. In that case, the OS will start the extended application 204 each time a request to use each unit is received. Also, another form is conceivable. For example, when the processing of the print setting screen extension unit 205 is completed, the OS ends the operation of the extended application 204, but the OS may keep the extended application 204 running even when the processing of the skip control unit 206 is completed. Furthermore, the extended application 204 may cancel the processing during the processing of each unit. When the extended application 204 cancels the processing, the job being processed on the print queue is deleted by the OS. The print support system 211 is a component provided by the OS. The print support system 211 mediates various instructions and information transmissions exchanged between the drawing application 201, the print data generation software 202, the printing device 102, and the extended application 204. When the drawing application 201 receives a print request from the user, it issues a print instruction to the print support system 211. The print instruction includes print setting information (PT) as in the configuration of FIG. 2(a). Even under the configuration of FIG. 2(b), similar to the configuration of FIG. 2(a), the drawing application 201 can display a print setting screen for specifying the print setting information (PT). Under the configuration of FIG. 2(b), the print setting screen provided by the extended application 204 is displayed.Specifically, the print setting screen provided by the print setting screen extension unit 205 included in the extended application 204 is displayed. That is, the display control of the print setting screen by the print setting screen extension unit 205 is performed. Note that whether the print setting screen provided by the print setting screen extension unit 205 is displayed depends on the user's operation. Also, the print setting screen extension unit 205 can expand the display items of the print setting screen provided by the OS from the information acquired from the printing device 102 and the information regarding the drawing application 201. This function will be described later with reference to FIG. 3. When the drawing application 201 receives a print request from the user and issues a print instruction to the print support system 211, the print support system 211 activates the skip control unit 206. The skip control unit 206 performs control processing on whether to perform a skip process that skips the processing of the print data generation software 202. The skip control unit 206 cannot acquire intermediate data and print setting information. After the skip control process of the skip control unit 206, the print support system 211 generates intermediate data based on the print instruction output from the drawing application 201 and passes the intermediate data to the print data generation software 202. Here, when the skip process is not performed by the skip control unit 206, the intermediate data is processed by the print data generation software 202 into print data interpretable by the printing device 102 and passed to the print data editing unit 208. On the other hand, when the skip process of the print data generation software 202 is performed, the intermediate data is not processed by the print data generation software 202 and is passed to the print data editing unit 208. Thereby, it becomes possible to process the intermediate data by the print data editing unit 208. As a preferable example of skipping the processing of the print data generation software 202, there is a case where it is desired to perform enlargement / reduction processing by the print data editing unit 208. The intermediate data can hold data in vector format. Vector format data has less degradation during enlargement / reduction compared to raster format data.Therefore, in a form where the print data generation software 202 outputs an image in a raster format, it is generally preferable to skip the processing of the print data generation software 202 and process the intermediate data in the print data editing unit 208. The print data editing unit 208 edits the intermediate data passed from the print data generation software 202 via the print support system 211 or the print data processed by the print data generation software 202. Taking collated printing as an example of the editing content, the print data editing unit 208 changes the layout of the intermediate data or the print data based on the print setting information of the collated printing received from the OS. Collated printing is, for example, printing by allocating data for N pages to 1 page, and is called Nin1 or N-up (where N indicates the number of pages). Also, the print data editing unit 208 can display a UI screen on the display unit 119 and can display the layout result of the intermediate data or the print data as a preview screen. After the print data editing unit 208 edits the print data, the print data is passed to the printing device 102 via the print support system 211. The printing device 102 performs printing on the paper surface based on the received print data. Note that when the print data generation software 202 is skipped by the skip control unit 206, the print data editing unit 208 may convert the received intermediate data into print data interpretable by the printing device 102. Also, the extended application 204 has a print function extension unit 207. The print function extension unit 207 can edit the print function information 203 (PDC) generated by the print data generation software 202 or the OS. That is, the print function extension unit 207 can change the print function information 203 even if the print function information 203 is arranged in the external storage device 114 as a file whose change is impossible. Thus, the extended application 204 has a function of editing the print function information 203 (PDC). The print function extension unit 207 can add functions provided by the extended application 204.In addition, the printing function extension unit 207 can also add functions that the printing device 102 supports but the printing data generation software 202 does not support, and add exclusive relationships between the set values of the printing functions. When the extended application 204 is first associated with the printing device 102 and the printing data generation software 202, the operating system (OS) activates the printing function extension unit 207. Furthermore, the OS may activate the printing function extension unit 207 at other arbitrary timings such as when the OS is started. Thus, in a case where an optional device (e.g., a finisher, etc.) is added to the printing device 102 later and the functions related to printing are extended, the printing function extension unit 207 can detect the extended functions and add them to the printing function information 203. Also, the extended application 204 has a notification unit 209. The notification unit 209 can display a notification to the user in response to the occurrence of an error in the printing device 102. For example, when a paperless error occurs in the printing device 102, the printing support system 211 detects the error. Then, the printing support system 211 uses a notification function called toast notification, which is a function of the OS, to display a message on the display unit 119. When the user presses this toast notification, the notification unit 209 of the extended application 204 is called by the OS, and the UI screen of the notification unit 209 is displayed. On the UI screen of the notification unit 209, for example, a detailed message about the paperless error or a paper loading method can be displayed. Note that pressing includes not only a click operation of a mouse or the like, but also a touch or tap operation on a touch panel display. The configuration of the extended application 204 for realizing this embodiment is not limited to having all of the above-described functions (units), and may have only a part of the functions or may have other functions. Also, the extended application 204 may simply be called printing software. As described above, the extended application 204 has at least one of the following functions.Each function includes a function to display a print settings screen (print settings screen extension unit 205), a function to control whether to skip the processing of the print data generation software 202 (skip control unit 206). Further, it is a function to edit print data input to the printing apparatus (print data editing unit 208), a function to extend functions that can be specified by the print data generation software 202 (print function extension unit 207). Further, it is a function to display a screen in response to an error occurrence in the printing apparatus 102 (notification unit 209).

[0016] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a processing flow of the display item expansion process of the OS print setting screen by the print setting screen expansion unit 205 in the present embodiment. First, the drawing application 201 starts processing upon receiving an instruction from the user (S301). Next, the drawing application 201 accepts a designation of a print target file from the user (S302), and displays the content of the selected file to the user by drawing the designated file on the application screen (S303). Subsequently, in order to print the file displayed in S303, the drawing application 201 accepts a print setting screen display instruction from the user (S304). Following S304, the drawing application 201 issues an OS print setting screen display instruction to the print support system 211 provided by the OS (S305). Furthermore, the print support system 211 also has a role of adding display items to the OS print setting screen based on the screen definition information notified from the print setting screen expansion unit 205. Thereafter, the print support system 211 executes the display item determination process of the print setting screen expansion unit 205 (S306). The display item determination process is a process in which the print setting screen expansion unit 205 determines items to be displayed on the OS print setting screen. The print setting screen expansion unit 205 that has received the instruction in S306 determines items to be displayed on the OS print setting screen (S307). Thereafter, the print setting screen expansion unit 205 generates screen definition information based on the display items determined in S307 (S308), and notifies the generated screen definition information to the print support system 211 (notification process) (S309). Details of S307 and S308 will be described later with reference to FIG. 4. The print support system 211 that has been notified of the screen definition information in S309 adds display items to the OS print setting screen according to the notified information, and displays the print setting screen to the user (S310). The user performs print setting operations on the print setting screen displayed by the print support system 211 in order to obtain a desired print result (S311). Examples of the operations include changing the paper size and paper type. When S311 is completed, the user issues a print execution instruction to the print support system 211 (S312).The printing support system 211 that has received a printing execution instruction executes a print data editing process on the print data editing unit 208 using the print data generated by the print data generation software 202 as input (S313). The print data editing unit 208 edits the print data based on the printing settings specified by the user in S311 (S314), and transmits the edited print data to the printing apparatus 102 (S315). Note that the processes of S307 and S308 executed by the print setting screen extension unit 205 are executed as background processes without displaying the screen of the print setting screen extension unit 205 itself.

[0017] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing details of the display item determination process (S307, S308) of the print setting screen extension unit 205. First, the print setting screen extension unit 205 acquires a communication interface provided by the OS (S401). The communication interface is associated with the printing device 102 and provides the print setting screen extension unit 205 with a function of transmitting and receiving arbitrary information using the communication protocol (e.g., IPP) supported by the printing device 102. Subsequently, the print setting screen extension unit 205 acquires status information from the printing device 102 via the print device communication interface (S402). In S402, the print setting screen extension unit 205 shall acquire ink remaining amount information and error information. Thereafter, the print setting screen extension unit 205 determines whether the information acquisition in S402 was successful (S403). If it is determined Yes in S403, the print setting screen extension unit 205 checks for the presence of ink with a low remaining amount value among the inks installed in the printing device 102 from the information acquired in S402 (S404). As an example of a specific determination method for S404, a method of determining whether there is an ink whose remaining amount value is below a predetermined reference value among the inks installed in the printing device 102 can be mentioned. As another method, if there is information explicitly indicating which ink has a low remaining amount among the status information acquired from the printing device 102, that information may be referred to. If it is determined Yes in S404, the print setting screen extension unit 205 generates ink remaining amount screen definition information (S405). On the other hand, if it is determined No in S404, the print setting screen extension unit 205 checks for the occurrence of an error that makes printing impossible in the printing device 102 (S406). As an example of a specific determination method for S406, a method of checking for the presence of a character string or numerical value indicating the occurrence of an error from the information acquired in S402 can be mentioned. If it is determined Yes in S406, the print setting screen extension unit 205 generates error screen definition information including information regarding the occurring error (S407). On the other hand, if it is determined No in S406, the print setting screen extension unit 205 generates manual screen definition information explaining the operation method of the printing device 102 (S408).If the determination in S403 is No, the print setting screen extension unit 205 generates communication failure screen definition information including information indicating that communication with the printing apparatus 102 has failed (S409). The print setting screen extension unit 205 notifies the print support system 211 of the screen definition information generated by any one of the processes in S405, S407, S408, and S409 (S410). Thereafter, the print support system 211 adds display items to the print setting screen of the OS according to the screen definition information notified by the print setting screen extension unit 205. Specific examples of the screen definition information generated in S405, S407, S408, and S409 are illustrated in FIG. 5.

[0018] Figures 5(a) to 5(d) are diagrams showing specific examples of the screen definition information generated by the print setting screen extension unit 205 in S405, S407, S408, and S409. The screen definition information is expressed in the form of JavaScript Object Notation (hereinafter also referred to as JSON), and the items to be displayed by the print support system 211 on the print setting screen of the OS are described within the "display" tag. In Figure 5(a), the ink installed in the printing apparatus 102 and the remaining amount values of each ink are represented by the information within the "inkBar" tag. In the "name" tag, the name of each ink is represented, and in the "value" tag, the remaining amount value of each ink is represented. Also, within the "button" tag, the configuration of the button to be displayed on the print setting screen of the OS is defined. In the "title" tag, the button name is shown, and in the "url" tag, the URL of the ink purchase page to be displayed when the button is pressed is shown. Note that the URL indicated by the "url" tag may reflect the ink remaining amount value obtained from the printing apparatus 102. The print setting screen displayed according to the screen definition information in Figure 5(a) is specifically illustrated in Figure 6(a). In Figure 5(b), the information regarding the error occurring in the printing apparatus 102 is represented by the information within the "printerError" tag. In the "errorCode" tag, a numerical value for identifying the error is shown, and in the "description" tag, an explanation regarding the occurring error is shown. Also, within the "button" tag, the configuration of the button to be displayed on the print setting screen of the OS is defined. In the "title" tag, the button name is shown, and in the "url" tag, the URL of the web page showing the solution method for the error to be displayed when the button is pressed is shown. The print setting screen displayed according to the screen definition information in Figure 5(b) is specifically illustrated in Figure 6(b). In Figure 5(c), the information related to the operation method manual of the printing apparatus 102 is represented by the information within the "text" tag. In the "description" tag, an explanatory text for guiding the reference to the manual page on the web where the operation method is shown is represented.In addition, within the "button" tag, the configuration of the buttons displayed on the printing settings screen of the OS is defined. In the "title" tag, the button name is indicated, and in the "url" tag, the URL of the manual page on the web to be displayed when the button is pressed is shown. The printing settings screen displayed according to the screen definition information in Fig. 5(c) is specifically illustrated in Fig. 6(c). In Fig. 5(d), an explanatory text indicating that communication between the printing device 102 and the information processing device could not be established is expressed based on the information within the "text" tag. The printing settings screen displayed according to the screen definition information in Fig. 5(d) is specifically illustrated in Fig. 6(d). Note that the screen definition information may be expressed in a format different from the JSON format. For example, it is also possible to define display items in a different format such as Extensible Markup Language (hereinafter also referred to as XML).

[0019] Figs. 6(a) to (d) are diagrams showing examples of the display of the OS printing settings screen displayed in S310 of the printing support system 211 according to the respective screen definition information in Figs. 5(a) to (d). Fig. 6(a) shows a state where the ink remaining amount information is expressed on the OS printing settings screen according to the screen definition information in Fig. 5(a). Region 601 is a region for displaying items indicated by the screen definition information notified by the printing settings screen extension unit 205. As other printing settings items, the following are arranged. · Name of the printing device that performs the printing process (region 603) · Printing orientation (region 604) · Number of copies to be printed (region 605) · Paper size (region 606) · Paper type (region 607) · Print quality (region 608) · Print execution button (button 609) · Button to end the display of the printing settings screen (button 610) · Preview image of the print data (region 611)

[0020] Furthermore, area 612 is a link for displaying the GUI screen provided by the print settings screen extension unit 205. When the user selects area 612, the GUI display process of the print settings screen extension unit 205 operates. Inside area 601, the remaining amount information of each ink included in the screen definition information of FIG. 5(a) and a button (button 602) for displaying the ink purchase page are displayed. By pressing area 602, the URL defined by the "url" tag in FIG. 5(a) is displayed by the web browser. FIG. 6(b) shows a state in which information regarding an error occurring in the printing apparatus 102 is expressed according to the screen definition information of FIG. 5(b). Area 613 is an area for displaying items indicated by the screen definition information notified by the print settings screen extension unit 205. Others having the same configuration as in FIG. 6(a) are omitted from description. Inside area 613, a numerical value for identifying the error included in the screen definition information of FIG. 5(b) and an explanatory text regarding the error are displayed. Also, a button (button 614) for opening a web page showing a solution method for the error is displayed. By pressing area 614, the URL defined by the "url" tag in FIG. 5(b) is displayed by the web browser. FIG. 6(c) shows a state in which information regarding a manual indicating an operation method of the printing apparatus 102 is expressed according to the screen definition information of FIG. 5(c). Area 615 is an area for displaying items indicated by the screen definition information notified by the print settings screen extension unit 205. Others having the same configuration as in FIG. 6(a) are omitted from description. Inside area 615, an explanatory text for guiding to refer to a web manual page included in the screen definition information of FIG. 5(c) and a button (button 616) for displaying the web manual page are displayed. By pressing button 616, the URL defined by the "url" tag in FIG. 5(c) is displayed by the web browser. FIG. 6(d) shows a state in which an explanatory text indicating that communication between the printing apparatus 102 and the information processing apparatus could not be established is expressed according to the screen definition information of FIG. 5(d). Area 617 is an area for displaying items indicated by the screen definition information notified by the print settings screen extension unit 205. Inside area 617, the explanatory text included in the screen definition information of FIG. 5(d) is displayed.By checking this display, the user can recognize on the OS print settings screen that there is a problem with the connection between the printing device 102 and the information processing device before executing the printing process.

[0021] According to the present embodiment, the print settings screen extension unit 205 generates screen definition information according to the status information acquired from the printing device 102, and notifies the OS of this information, thereby enabling the display of highly important information on the OS print settings screen. As a result, the user can check highly important information without performing complicated operations.

[0022] <<Second Embodiment>> In the present embodiment, a configuration in which a plurality of information is displayed on the OS print settings screen in the display item determination process of the print settings screen extension unit 205 will be described. Note that since the basic hardware configuration and software configuration are the same as the examples described in the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted.

[0023] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing details of the display item determination process (S307, S308) of the print setting screen extension unit 205 in the present embodiment. First, the print setting screen extension unit 205 acquires a communication interface provided by the OS (S701). Subsequently, the print setting screen extension unit 205 acquires status information from the printing apparatus 102 via the communication interface (S702). In S702, it is assumed that the print setting screen extension unit 205 acquires ink remaining amount information and error information. Subsequently, the print setting screen extension unit 205 checks whether there is ink with a small remaining amount value among the inks mounted on the printing apparatus 102 from the information acquired in S702 (S703). If it is determined Yes in S703, the print setting screen extension unit 205 generates ink remaining amount screen definition information (S704). Subsequently, the print setting screen extension unit 205 checks whether there is an occurrence of an error that makes printing impossible in the printing apparatus 102 from the information acquired in S702 (S705). If it is determined Yes in S705, the print setting screen extension unit 205 generates error screen definition information including information regarding the occurring error (S706). On the other hand, if it is determined No in the determinations of S703 and S705, the print setting screen extension unit 205 skips the processes of S704 and S706. Thereafter, the print setting screen extension unit 205 generates manual screen definition information explaining the operation method of the printing apparatus 102 (S707). Subsequently, the print setting screen extension unit 205 determines whether the screen definition information generated up to S707 can be displayed in the display area of the OS print setting screen (S708). As an example of a specific determination method, there is a method of determining based on whether the number of pieces of generated screen definition information is equal to or less than a predetermined number. In addition, a method of determining by obtaining the size of the area required to display all of the generated screen definition information and checking whether the value fits within the display area of the OS print setting screen is also conceivable. In S708, if it is determined No, the print setting screen extension unit 205 deletes a part of the screen definition information generated so far (S709).As an example of a method for determining screen definition information to be deleted, a method may be mentioned in which the priority is determined from the content of the screen definition information, and the screen definition information with a lower priority is deleted until it fits within the display area of the OS print settings screen. Specifically, a numerical value indicating the priority is recorded in the screen definition information, and the print settings screen extension unit 205 refers to the information and determines the priority from the magnitude of the value. On the other hand, if it is determined to be Yes in S708, the print settings screen extension unit 205 skips S709. After that, the print settings screen extension unit 205 synthesizes the screen definition information generated until reaching S709 (S710), and notifies the generated new screen definition information to the print support system 211 (S711). Note that a specific example of the screen definition information synthesized in S710 is illustrated in FIG. 8.

[0024] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a specific example of the screen definition information synthesized by the print setting screen extension unit 205 in the S710. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the screen definition information generated in S704 and S706 is synthesized. In the "display" tag, the ink remaining amount information indicated by the "inkBar" tag and the error information indicated by "printerError" are described as items to be displayed on the print setting screen of the OS by the print support system 211. The ink mounted on the printing apparatus 102 and the remaining amount value of each ink are represented by the information in the "inkBar" tag. The name of each ink is represented by the "name" tag, and the remaining amount value of each ink is represented by the "value" tag. Also, the configuration of the button to be displayed on the print setting screen of the OS is defined in the "button" tag, the button name is shown in the "title" tag, and the URL of the ink purchase page to be displayed when the button is pressed is shown in the "url" tag. Information regarding the error occurring in the printing apparatus 102 is represented by the information in the "printerError" tag. A numerical value for identifying the error is shown in the "errorCode" tag, and an explanation regarding the occurring error is shown in the "description" tag. Also, the configuration of the button to be displayed on the print setting screen of the OS is defined in the "button" tag, the button name is shown in the "title" tag, and the URL of the web page showing the solution method of the error to be displayed when the button is pressed is shown in the "url" tag. Also, a numerical value indicating the priority of each screen is shown in the "priority" tag.

[0025] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a display command for the print settings screen of the OS in S310, which is displayed according to the screen definition information shown in FIG. 8. Region 901 is a region for displaying items indicated by the screen definition information notified by the print settings screen extension unit 205. In region 901, the remaining ink amount information for each ink included in the screen definition information of FIG. 8 and a button (button 902) for displaying the ink purchase page are displayed. By pressing button 902, the URL defined by the "url" tag arranged at the same hierarchy as the "inkBar" tag in FIG. 8 is displayed by the web browser. Further, in region 901, a numerical value for identifying an error included in the screen definition information of FIG. 8 and an explanatory text regarding the error are displayed. Also, a button (button 903) for opening a web page showing a solution method for the error is displayed. By pressing button 903, the URL defined by the "url" tag arranged at the same hierarchy as the "printerError" tag in FIG. 8 is displayed by the web browser.

[0026] According to the present embodiment, the print settings screen extension unit 205 generates a plurality of screen definition information within a range that fits within a predetermined display area of the OS print settings screen according to the status information acquired from the printing apparatus 102. Therefore, it becomes possible to display more information of high importance on the OS print settings screen. As a result, the user can comprehensively check information of high importance without performing complicated operations. In the present embodiment, the description has been made on the premise that the priority of each screen added by the print settings screen extension unit 205 is fixed for each screen, but a configuration may be adopted in which an arbitrary priority can be specified by the user. For example, the print settings screen extension unit 205 provides means by which the user can specify the priority for each screen on the OS print settings screen or the print settings screen provided by the print settings screen extension unit 205 itself. Then, the priority determination may be made according to the priority input by the user using the means.

[0027] <<Third Embodiment>> In this embodiment, a configuration will be described in which an appropriate default value of print settings is selected based on the information acquired from the printing apparatus 102 in the display item determination process of the print setting screen extension unit 205. Note that since the basic hardware configuration and software configuration are the same as those described in the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted.

[0028] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing details of the display item determination process (S307, S308) of the print setting screen extension unit 205 in the present embodiment. First, the print setting screen extension unit 205 acquires a communication interface provided by the OS (S1001). Subsequently, the print setting screen extension unit 205 acquires a print setting change interface provided by the OS (S1002). The print setting change interface provides the print setting screen extension unit 205 with functions to add or delete display items of each print setting displayed on the print setting screen of the OS and to change the default values of each print setting. Subsequently, the print setting screen extension unit 205 acquires status information from the printing device 102 via the communication interface (S1003). In S1003, the print setting screen extension unit 205 is assumed to acquire ink remaining amount information, error information, and paper information currently set in the printing device 102. The paper information also includes the remaining amount information of the paper set in front of each paper feed port installed in the printing device 102. Thereafter, the print setting screen extension unit 205 determines whether the information acquisition process in S1003 was successful (S1004). If it is determined Yes in S1004, the print setting screen extension unit 205 checks for the presence of ink with a low remaining amount value among the inks installed in the printing device 102 from the information acquired in S1003 (S1005). If it is determined Yes in S1005, the print setting screen extension unit 205 generates ink remaining amount screen definition information (S1006). Subsequently, the print setting screen extension unit 205 designates "low quality" as the default print quality via the print setting change interface acquired in S1002 (S1007). Further, the print setting screen extension unit 205 designates duplex printing settings via the print setting change interface (S1008). On the other hand, if it is determined No in S1005, the print setting screen extension unit 205 determines whether an error has occurred in the printing device 102 from the information acquired in S1003 (S1009). If it is determined Yes in S1009, subsequently, the print setting screen extension unit 205 generates error screen definition information including information regarding the occurring error (S1010).Furthermore, the print setting screen extension unit 205 determines whether a paper-out error has occurred at a specific paper feed port among the occurring errors (S1011). If it is determined Yes in the determination of S1011, the print setting screen extension unit 205 designates a paper feed port with sufficient remaining paper (a paper feed port having a predetermined remaining paper amount) as the default value (S1012). On the other hand, if it is determined No in the determination of S1009, the print setting screen extension unit 205 generates manual screen definition information explaining the operation method of the printing apparatus 102 (S1013). On the other hand, if it is determined No in S1004, the print setting screen extension unit 205 generates communication failure screen definition information including information indicating that communication with the printing apparatus 102 has failed (S1014). Finally, the print setting screen extension unit 205 notifies the print support system 211 of the screen definition information generated in any of S1006, S1010, S1013, and S1014 (S1015).

[0029] Figures 11(a) to 11(b) are diagrams showing display examples of the print setting screen of the OS displayed in S310 of the print support system 211 according to the screen definition information generated through the respective processes of S1006 to S1008 and S1010 to S1012. Note that the display examples based on the screen definition information generated in S1013 and S1014 are the same as those in FIGS. 6(c) and 6(d), respectively, and thus the description thereof is omitted. FIG. 11(a) is a diagram showing a display example of the print setting screen of the OS displayed according to the screen definition information generated by the processes of S1006 to S1008 and the default setting values of the print settings when it is determined that the ink remaining amount value of the printing device 102 is low. Region 1101 is a region for displaying items indicated by the screen definition information notified by the print setting screen extension unit 205. In region 1101, the remaining amount information of each ink included in the screen definition information of FIG. 8 and a button (button 1104) for displaying the ink purchase page are displayed. Also, the values of "duplex printing" (region 1103) and "quality" (region 1104) are set with the values specified in S1006 and S1007 of FIG. 10 as the default. FIG. 11(b) is a diagram showing a display example of the print setting screen of the OS displayed according to the screen definition information generated by the processes of S1010 to S1012 and the default values of the print settings when it is determined that a paperless error has occurred at a specific paper feed port of the printing device 102. In region 1105, a numerical value for identifying the paperless error and an explanatory text regarding the error are displayed. Also, a button for opening a web page showing a method for resolving the error is displayed. Further, the paper feed port specified in S1012 is set as the default value in the value of "paper feed port" (region 1106).

[0030] According to this embodiment, when it is determined from the status information acquired by the print setting screen extension unit 205 from the printing apparatus 102 that the ink remaining amount is low, the default values of some print settings are changed so as to suppress the ink consumption amount. As a result, the user can apply appropriate print settings that enable continuous printing while suppressing the ink consumption amount without changing the print settings by himself / herself. Further, when it is determined from the status information acquired by the print setting screen extension unit 205 from the printing apparatus 102 that the paper remaining amount is low at a specific paper feed port, a paper feed port with a sufficient remaining paper amount is set as the default value. Thereby, the user can select a paper feed port with a sufficient remaining paper amount without changing the print settings by himself / herself. Note that in this embodiment, the settings of "duplex printing" and "quality" are changed, but the items to be changed are not limited to these two. Also, in this embodiment, the default values of the print settings are changed based only on the ink remaining amount information of the printing apparatus 102, but the default values may be determined not only based on the ink remaining amount value information but also according to the content to be printed. As an example, there is a method of changing to a print setting that suppresses the ink consumption amount when the ink remaining amount value is low and the content to be printed is a text that can be printed with a relatively small ink consumption amount. Further, when the print setting screen extension unit 205 changes the default value of the print setting, an explanation to the effect that the default value of the print setting has been changed may be displayed within the area of the area 1101.

[0031] <<Fourth Embodiment>> In this embodiment, a configuration for selecting appropriate default values of print settings based on the information acquired from the printing apparatus 102 in the display item determination process of the print setting screen extension unit 205 will be described. Note that since the basic hardware configuration and software configuration are the same as those described in the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted.

[0032] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing details of the display item determination process (S307, S308) of the print setting screen extension unit 205 in the present embodiment. First, the print setting screen extension unit 205 acquires a print setting change interface provided by the OS (S1201). Subsequently, the print setting screen extension unit 205 acquires information about the drawing application 201 provided by the print support system 211 (S1202). Examples of the information acquired in S1202 include the name of the drawing application 201, an application identifier for identifying the drawing application 201, or the file type supported by the drawing application. Subsequently, the print setting screen extension unit 205 determines whether the drawing application is a postcard printing application based on the information acquired in S1202 (S1203). An example of the determination method in S1203 is a method of determining whether "postcard" is included in the application name acquired in S1202. Another method is to determine whether the application identifier acquired in S1202 matches an identifier indicating a postcard printing application. If it is determined Yes in S1203, the print setting screen extension unit 205 generates screen definition information for guiding the method of setting postcard paper (S1204). A specific example of the screen definition information generated in S1204 is illustrated in FIG. 13. Subsequently, the print setting screen extension unit 205 designates "postcard" as the default paper size via the print setting change interface acquired in S1201 (S1205). Further, the print setting screen extension unit 205 designates "postcard" as the default paper type via the print setting change interface (S1206). Thereafter, the print setting screen extension unit 205 notifies the print support system 211 of the screen definition information generated in S1204 (S1207). On the other hand, if it is determined No in S1203, the print setting screen extension unit 205 skips the processes from S1204 to S1207.

[0033] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing screen definition information generated by the process described in FIG. 12 when the drawing application 201 is an application for postcard printing. Items to be displayed by the print support system 211 on the OS print settings screen are described within the "display" tag. Also, information guiding the method of setting postcard paper is expressed by the information within the "text" tag. The "description" tag expresses a description guiding a reference to a web page showing the method of setting postcard paper. Also, within the "button" tag, the configuration of the button to be displayed on the OS print settings screen is defined, and the "title" tag shows the button name, and the "url" tag shows the URL of the web page to be displayed when the button is pressed.

[0034] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example display of the OS print settings screen displayed according to the screen definition information shown in FIG. 13. Region 1401 is a region for displaying items indicated by the screen definition information notified by the print settings screen extension unit 205. Within region 1401, a description guiding a reference to a web page showing the method of setting postcard paper included in the screen definition information of FIG. 13 and a button (button 1402) for displaying the web page showing the method of setting postcard paper are displayed. By pressing button 1402, the URL defined by the "url" tag in FIG. 13 is displayed by the web browser. Although the display of a web page by the web browser is exemplified as guidance for the method of setting postcard paper, other methods are also conceivable. As another example, guidance may be provided using an image illustrating the method of setting postcard paper. In that case, by setting the image information to be displayed within the screen definition information generated by the print settings screen extension unit 205, the specified image may be displayed within region 1401 on the OS print settings screen.

[0035] According to this embodiment, it is possible to set default values of appropriate print settings according to the use of the drawing application 201 from the information on the drawing application 201 provided by the print support system 211. As a result, when the user executes printing from a drawing application for a specific use (postcard printing in this embodiment), information regarding the specific use can be referred to on the print settings screen of the OS. In addition, by automatically selecting the print settings optimal for the specific use, it is possible to prevent unintended print results from occurring. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the drawing application 201 is an application for postcard printing as an example of a specific use, but other uses are also conceivable. As another example, when the drawing application 201 is an application for photo printing, the print settings screen extension unit 205 may reflect print settings optimal for photo printing as default values.

[0036] <<Fifth Embodiment>> In this embodiment, a configuration will be described in which appropriate default values of print settings are selected based on the user's print history information in the display item determination process of the print settings screen extension unit 205. Note that the basic hardware configuration and software configuration are the same as those described in the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof will be omitted.

[0037] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a processing flow of an extended display item process of an OS print setting screen by the print setting screen extension unit 205 in the present embodiment. Since S1501 to S1506 are the same as S301 to S306 in FIG. 3, the description thereof is omitted. Following S1506, the print setting screen extension unit 205 determines items to be displayed on the OS print setting screen from print setting history information updated by a print data editing unit 208 described later (S1507). Thereafter, the print setting screen extension unit 205 generates screen definition information based on the display items determined in S1507 (S1508), and notifies the generated screen definition information to the print support system 211 (S1509). Note that details of S1507 and S1508 will be described later with reference to FIG. 17. Since S1510 to S1513 are the same as S310 to S313 in FIG. 3, the description thereof is omitted. In S1514, the print data editing unit 208 acquires values of various print setting items set in the print data, and updates the print setting history information using the acquired information. Thereafter, the print data editing unit 208 edits the print data based on the print settings specified by the user in S1511 (S1515), and transmits the edited print data to the printing apparatus 102 (S1516). Note that details of S1514 to S1516 will be described later with reference to FIG. 16.

[0038] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing details of the processes of S1514 to S1516 of the print data editing unit 208 in FIG. 15. When the print data editing process of the print data editing unit 208 is started by the print support system 211, first, the print data editing unit 208 acquires a print setting information acquisition interface provided by the OS (S1601). The print setting information acquisition interface provides the print data editing unit 208 with a function of acquiring various print settings set for the print data. Subsequently, the print data editing unit 208 acquires the values of various print setting items set for the print data via the print setting information acquisition interface (S1602). Specific examples of the print settings to be acquired include paper size, paper type, availability of double-sided printing, print quality, and the like. Thereafter, the print data editing unit 208 updates the print setting history information using the various print settings acquired in S1602 (S1603). The print setting history information manages, for each user, the setting frequency of each setting item in each print setting item. By referring to this information, it becomes possible to determine the print setting items with high usage frequency for each user. The print setting history information is stored in the shared information 210. Subsequently, the print data editing unit 208 edits the print data based on the print settings specified by the user in S1511 (S1604), and transmits the edited print data to the printing apparatus 102 (S1605).

[0039] FIG. 17 is a diagram showing details of the processes of S1507 and S1508 of the print setting screen extension unit 205 in FIG. 15. First, the print setting screen extension unit 205 acquires a print setting change interface provided by the OS (S1701). Subsequently, the print setting screen extension unit 205 acquires the print setting history information updated by the print data editing unit 208 in S1603 from the shared information 120 (S1702). The print setting screen extension unit 205 determines a combination of print settings with high usage frequency of the user from the information acquired in S1702 (S1703). The print setting screen extension unit 205 sets the determined combination of print settings as default values via the print setting change interface (S1704).

[0040] According to this embodiment, the print data editing unit 208 updates the history information of each print setting item set in the print data every time printing is executed. By referring to this information, the print setting screen extension unit 205 sets the frequently used print setting items as default values to be displayed on the print setting screen of the OS. As a result, the combination of frequently used print settings is automatically reflected in the print setting items of the OS by repeated printing, and the user does not need to manually input the frequently used print settings. Further, the print setting screen extension unit 205 may display the frequently used print items among the print setting items at the upper part of the print setting screen of the OS. This makes it easy for the user to check the important print setting items with high usage frequency even when the display area of the print setting screen of the OS is narrow and not all print setting items can be displayed within the screen.

[0041] <<Sixth Embodiment>> In this embodiment, in the display item determination process of the print setting screen extension unit 205, the time required until printing is completed is estimated based on the attribute information of the print data, and the estimated time is displayed on the print setting screen of the OS. Note that since the basic hardware configuration and software configuration are the same as those described in the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

[0042] FIG. 18 is a diagram showing details of the display item determination process (S307, S308) of the print setting screen extension unit 205 in the present embodiment. First, the print setting screen extension unit 205 acquires a print data attribute information acquisition interface provided by the OS (S1801). The print data attribute information acquisition interface provides the print setting screen extension unit 205 with a function of acquiring attribute information related to the print data printed by the user. Subsequently, the print setting screen extension unit 205 acquires the attribute information of the print data via the print data attribute information acquisition interface acquired in S1801 (S1802). Specific examples of the attribute information to be acquired include the size of the print data, the content of the content (text or photo), the number of pages, the file name of the file from which the print data is derived, and the like. Next, the print setting screen extension unit 205 calculates an estimated time until printing is completed based on the attribute information acquired in S1802 (S1803). Subsequently, the print setting screen extension unit 205 generates (S1804) screen definition information including the estimated print completion time estimated in S1803, and notifies the generated screen definition information to the print support system 211 (S1805). Thereafter, the print support system 211 adds display items to the print setting screen of the OS according to the screen definition information notified by the print setting screen extension unit 205. Note that a specific example of the screen definition information generated in S1804 is illustrated in FIG. 19.

[0043] FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a specific example of the screen definition information generated by the print setting screen extension unit 205 in S1804. Items to be displayed by the print support system 211 on the print setting screen of the OS are described in the "display" tag. In addition, the print completion time estimated by the print setting screen extension unit 205 in S1803 is expressed as a character string in the "description" tag within the "text" tag.

[0044] FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a display example of a print setting screen of an OS displayed according to the screen definition information shown in FIG. 19. Area 2001 is an area for displaying items indicated by the screen definition information notified by the print setting screen extension unit 205. The estimated print completion time included in the screen definition information of FIG. 19 is expressed in area 2001.

[0045] According to the present embodiment, the print data editing unit 208 can estimate the time required until printing is completed based on the attribute information of the print data, and display the estimated print completion time on the print setting screen of the OS. As a result, the user can predict the time required until printing is completed before executing printing. Further, the print completion time may be estimated from the attribute information of the print data and other information (for example, the number of physical sheets required for printing) based on each print setting selected by the user.

[0046] <<Embodiment 7>> In the present embodiment, a configuration will be described in which a guidance for executing an initial setting process for the printing apparatus 102 is displayed based on the information acquired from the printing apparatus 102 in the display item determination process of the print setting screen extension unit 205. Note that the basic hardware configuration and software configuration are the same as those described in the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof will be omitted.

[0047] FIG. 21 is a diagram showing details of the display item determination process (S307, S308) of the print setting screen extension unit 205 in the present embodiment. First, the print setting screen extension unit 205 acquires a communication interface provided by the OS (S2101). Subsequently, the print setting screen extension unit 205 acquires status information from the printing apparatus 102 via the communication interface (S2102). In S2102, the print setting screen extension unit 205 shall acquire information on whether or not the initial setting process (such as removal of packaging material and ink installation) for the printing apparatus 102 has been completed. Thereafter, the print setting screen extension unit 205 determines whether or not the initial setting process of the printing apparatus 102 is incomplete based on the information acquired in S2102 (S2103). If it is determined Yes in S2103, the print setting screen extension unit 205 determines whether or not an application (hereinafter referred to as the initial setting process application) for guiding the initial setting process of the printing apparatus 102 is installed in the information processing apparatus (S2104). If it is determined Yes in S2104, subsequently, the print setting screen extension unit 205 generates screen definition information for guiding the activation of the initial setting process application (S2105). On the other hand, if it is determined No in S2104, the print setting screen extension unit 205 generates screen definition information for guiding the installation of the initial setting process application (S2106). Thereafter, the print setting screen extension unit 205 notifies the print support system 211 of the screen definition information generated in S2105 or S2106 (S2107). On the other hand, if it is determined No in S2103, the print setting screen extension unit 205 skips the processes from S2104 to S2107. Note that a specific example of the screen definition information generated in S2105 or S2106 is illustrated in FIG. 22.

[0048] Figures 22(a) and (b) are diagrams showing specific examples of the screen definition information generated by the print setting screen extension unit 205 in S2105 or S2106. In Figure 22(a), in the "description" tag within the "text" tag, the initial setting process of the printing device 102 is incomplete, and a statement guiding the execution of the initial setting process is described. Also, within the "button" tag, the configuration of the buttons displayed on the OS print setting screen is defined. In the "title" tag, the button name is described, and in the "url" tag, information on the initial setting process application to be launched when the button is pressed is described. On the other hand, in Figure 22(b), in the "description" tag within the "text" tag, the initial setting process of the printing device 102 is incomplete, and a statement guiding the installation of the initial setting process application and the execution of the initial setting process is described. Also, within the "button" tag, the configuration of the buttons displayed on the OS print setting screen is defined. In the "title" tag, the button name is described, and in the "url" tag, a link to the web page where the initial setting process application to be displayed when the button is pressed is distributed is described.

[0049] Figure 23 is a diagram showing a display example of the OS print setting screen displayed according to the screen definition information shown in Figure 22(a). Area 2301 is an area for displaying the items indicated by the screen definition information notified by the print setting screen extension unit 205. In area 2301, a statement guiding the execution of the initial setting process included in the screen definition information of Figure 22(a) and a button (button 2302) for starting the initial setting process are displayed. By pressing button 2302, the initial setting process application indicated by the "url" tag in Figure 23(a) is launched. When the screen definition information shown in Figure 22(b) is applied, by pressing the button of button 2302, the web page where the initial setting process application indicated by the "url" tag in Figure 23(b) is distributed is displayed by the web browser.

[0050] According to this embodiment, based on the information acquired from the printing apparatus 102 in the display item determination process of the print setting screen extension unit 205, it is possible to represent, on the print setting screen of the OS, guidance for executing the initial setting process for the printing apparatus 102. As a result, the user can recognize that the initial setting process of the printing apparatus 102 is incomplete before printing is executed.

[0051] <<Other Embodiments>> The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiment to a system or apparatus via a network or a storage medium, and causing one or more processors in a computer of the system or apparatus to read and execute the program. Further, it can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

Claims

【Claim 1】 An information processing apparatus comprising print data generation software usable in a plurality of different printing apparatuses and an extension application that is associated with the print data generation software and extends its functions, wherein the extension application has an acquisition means for acquiring information from a printing apparatus, a determination means for determining information to be displayed on a print setting screen of an operating system of the information processing apparatus based on the information acquired from the printing apparatus, and a notification means for notifying the operating system of the information processing apparatus of screen definition information defining the information to be displayed. The information processing apparatus is characterized by this.

Images