Support program

Abstract

To provide a technique which is easily compatible with the current capability of a printer in an information processing device in which an OS-standard general-purpose printing program is incorporated.SOLUTION: An auxiliary program 42 is compatible with a printer 2 connected to a PC 1 and supports a general-purpose printing program 41 of an OS 21. The general-purpose printing program 41 and the auxiliary program 42 cause a CPU 11 of the PC 1 to acquire capability information indicating the capabilities of the printer 2, store the acquired capability information in a memory 12, and receive print settings for causing the printer 2 to execute printing on the basis of the stored capability information. The auxiliary program 42 causes the CPU 11 to receive an operation for updating the capability information via a user interface 13. The auxiliary program 42 further causes the CPU 11 to acquire capability information from the printer 2 on receipt of the operation, and update the capability information stored in the memory 12.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The technical field disclosed in this specification relates to a support program that supports control of a printer. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, a technology has been put into practical use that controls a printer using a standard 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 then when a print instruction for that printer is received, the OS's standard general-purpose print program generates print data, making it possible to print using the OS's standard general-purpose print program, without using a printer driver provided by the printer vendor.

[0003] An example of a document disclosing technology related to an OS-standard general-purpose printing program is Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 discloses a support program that supports a general-purpose printing program, and that, if capability-dependent information based on the printer's capability information is cached when the printer is selected, reads the cached capability-dependent information, and if the capability information is not cached, acquires the capability information from the printer and caches the capability-dependent information based on the acquired capability information. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-136090 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Printer capabilities change depending on the printer's status, such as whether an additional tray is attached or detached, etc. Therefore, if printer capability information is acquired when the printer is selected and data based on that capability information is cached, as in the configuration of Patent Document 1, and then that cached capability information is used, it may not be able to accommodate the printer's current capabilities. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A support program created for the purpose of solving the above-mentioned problems is executable by a computer of an information processing device, corresponds to a printer connected to the information processing device, and supports a general-purpose printing program possessed by the operating system of the information processing device, wherein at least one of the general-purpose printing program and the support program causes the computer to acquire capability information indicating the capabilities of the printer by communicating with the printer and store the acquired capability information in memory of the information processing device, the general-purpose printing program and the support program are capable of causing the computer to accept print settings for causing the printer to execute printing based on the capability information stored in the memory, the support program causes the computer to execute a reception process that accepts an operation for updating the capability information via a user interface of the information processing device, and the support program is further configured to cause the computer to execute an update process that acquires the capability information from the printer and updates the capability information stored in the memory in response to accepting the operation in the reception process.

[0007] The support program disclosed in this specification causes a computer of an information processing device to accept an operation for updating the capability information via a user interface of the information processing device. In response to accepting the operation, the support program causes the computer to acquire and update the capability information from the printer. Therefore, after accepting the operation, the computer can use print settings that reflect the printer's capability information at that time. This makes it highly likely that changes in the printer's capabilities can be accommodated by accepting the user's operation, even after the printer has been selected.

[0008] An information processing device incorporating the support program, a computer-readable storage medium storing the support program, and a control method for realizing the functions of the support program are also novel and useful. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] The technology disclosed in this specification realizes a technology that can easily accommodate the current capabilities of a printer in an information processing device that has an OS-standard general-purpose printing program installed. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an outline of the electrical configuration of a PC. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a print setting procedure. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a print setting screen. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of an update operation reception procedure. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a detailed setting procedure. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a detailed setting screen. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an update selection screen. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a capability update procedure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

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

[0012] As shown in Fig. 1, the PC 1 of this embodiment includes a controller 10 including a CPU 11 and a memory 12. The PC 1 is an example of an information processing device. The CPU 11 is an example of a computer. The PC 1 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 PC 1, and does not necessarily represent a single piece of hardware that actually exists in the PC 1.

[0013] The CPU 11 of the PC 1 executes various processes in accordance with programs read from the memory 12 and based on user operations. 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 memory. Note that the memory 12 is not limited to a ROM, RAM, HDD, etc. built into the PC 1, but may also be a storage medium readable and writable by the CPU 11, such as a recording medium such as a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM.

[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. Note that the user IF 13 may be a combination of the display 13a capable of displaying information and a mouse, keyboard, or the like that has an input acceptance function, or may be a touch panel that has the functions of the display 13a and an input acceptance function.

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

[0016] 1, the memory 12 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 editing application program.

[0017] OS21 is a multitasking OS that can process multiple tasks in parallel by managing and switching between them. Examples of OS21 include Windows (registered trademark), macOS (registered trademark), Linux (registered trademark), iOS (registered trademark), and Android (registered trademark).

[0018] The OS 21 includes a general-purpose printing program 41. The general-purpose printing program 41 is a standard OS 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 that includes the general-purpose printing program 41. The general-purpose printing program 41 is not configured to use printer drivers specific to each printer.

[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, especially functions that require complex processing.

[0020] The general-purpose printing program 41 is a program that includes a function to receive image data designated as a print target in a print instruction output from various applications based on a user instruction and generate intermediate data based on that image data. The intermediate data is, for example, XPS data. The general-purpose printing program 41 also has a function to generate print data in a format that can be used for printing on 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 to send the generated print data to the printer designated as the device to execute printing via a communication function provided by the OS 21.

[0021] The auxiliary program 42 is a program or group of programs that executes processing based on instructions from the OS 21 in conjunction 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 of 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 launches 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 may be a combination of multiple programs that each accept an execution command, or a single program that can execute different processes depending on the command. The auxiliary program 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. A separate auxiliary program may be prepared not only for each printer type, but also for each printer model or series of printer models.

[0023] 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 from a storage device designated by the OS 21, and install the program in the PC 1. The OS 21 stores the identification information of the installed auxiliary program in the memory 12 in association with the printer information of the newly connected printer.

[0024] 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 Word (registered trademark) or PowerPoint (registered trademark), or may be a program provided by the vendor of the printer 2. The editing application 43 is capable of receiving, via the user IF 13, a print execution instruction for causing the printer 2 to execute printing. Note that the editing application 43 is not limited to a program for creating and editing data, and may also be a program having a function for receiving display instructions and print instructions for various types of information, such as map information and web pages, in response to a user request.

[0025] In this embodiment, the PC 1 is connected to the printer 2 via the communication IF 14 as shown in FIG. 1. The printer 2 is a device that has 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.

[0026] Next, the procedure for processing related to printing on the printer 2 in the PC 1 of this embodiment will be described. Note that in this embodiment, each process other than user operation basically indicates processing by the CPU 11 in accordance with instructions written in a program such as the auxiliary program 42. In this specification, various processes performed by the controller 10 or the CPU 11 in accordance with programs such as the auxiliary program 42, the general-purpose printing program 41, and the OS 21 may be described, for convenience, as if each program were independently performing various processes. Processing by the CPU 11 also includes hardware control 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, the term "acquire" is used as a concept that does not necessarily require a request.

[0027] First, the print setting procedure for selecting a printer to be used for printing and receiving instructions for print settings will be described with reference to the sequence diagram in Fig. 2. The editing application 43 can create and edit text and images based on user instructions. When the user wants to print the text or image currently being displayed, the user selects print in the editing application 43 (A01). The user can select print from a menu of operation items provided in the editing application 43, for example.

[0028] When the editing application 43 accepts the selection of printing, it displays a print setting screen on the user IF 13 (A03). The print setting screen is a screen that accepts user instructions regarding basic print settings that can be accepted by the general-purpose printing program 41 or the editing application 43, as shown in Fig. 3, for example. Note that the print setting screen may be displayed by the general-purpose printing program 41.

[0029] 3 includes a printer selection field 51, an information display field 52, a basic print setting selection field 53, an advanced settings button 54, and a print button 55. Print setting screen D2 is an example of a first print setting screen.

[0030] The printer selection field 51 is a field for accepting the selection of a device to be used for printing. The information display field 52 is a field for displaying information specified by an auxiliary program corresponding to the device selected in the printer selection field 51. The display contents of the information display field 52 will be described later.

[0031] The basic print settings selection field 53 is a field for accepting basic settings such as the number of copies to be printed and the orientation of the original. The advanced settings button 54 is a button for accepting instructions to make advanced settings that are not included in the basic print settings selection field 53. The print button 55 is a button for accepting instructions to execute printing using the currently selected print settings.

[0032] For example, when a selection instruction to select printer 2 as the device to perform printing is received in printer selection field 51 (A11), or when a print selection in A01 is received with printer 2 selected as the device to perform printing, editing application 43 passes information indicating that printer 2 has been selected to general-purpose printing program 41 (A12). General-purpose printing program 41 starts auxiliary program 42 corresponding to printer 2 and passes information indicating that printer 2 has been selected (A13).

[0033] When the auxiliary program 42 is started in response to the instruction at A13, it acquires the capability information of the printer 2. The auxiliary program 42 first determines whether the capability information of the printer 2 is cached in the memory 12 (A21). If it determines that the capability information is stored in the memory 12 (alt: [Cached]), the auxiliary program 42 reads the stored capability information from the memory 12 (A22).

[0034] If it is determined that the capability information is not stored in the memory 12 (alt: [no cache]), the auxiliary program 42 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 (A23). 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 (A24). The general-purpose printing program 41 passes the acquired capability information to the auxiliary program 42 (A25). This allows the auxiliary program 42 to acquire the capability information of the printer 2 (A26).

[0035] In A24, the general-purpose printing program 41 communicates with the printer 2 via the OS 21, for example, using IPP (Internet Printing Protocol) communications. Instead of making a request to the general-purpose printing program 41, the auxiliary program 42 may obtain capability information directly from the printer 2, for example, using MIB (Management Information Base).

[0036] The capability information acquired from the printer 2 includes information on setting items that can be set as print settings and parameters that can be set for each setting item. Furthermore, the capability information includes, for example, information on items related to the paper feed trays and output trays available for the printer 2, such as information indicating selectable paper feed trays and output trays, and paper information such as the size and type of paper loaded in each paper feed tray. The capability information may also include information on print resolutions that the printer 2 can support, information on image processing functions that the printer 2 can execute, information indicating the status of the printer 2 such as remaining amounts of consumables, information indicating exclusion settings and how to resolve them, and information indicating default print settings. The capability information is used, for example, by the general-purpose printing program 41 or the editing application 43 when displaying a print setting screen or determining an exclusion error in the print settings.

[0037] The auxiliary program 42 stores the acquired capability information in the memory 12 (A31). The auxiliary program 42 may store the capability information that can be used by the general-purpose printing program 41 and the editing application 43 in an area used by the general-purpose printing program 41 and the editing application 43, thereby sharing the information.

[0038] After A22 or A31, the auxiliary program 42 generates display data (A32) that indicates the content to be displayed in the information display field 52 of the print setting screen D2 and the content to be displayed in the basic print setting selection field 53, based on the capability information acquired in A22 or A26. A32 is an example of a generation process. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the auxiliary program 42 generates display data for displaying an update button 521 in the information display field 52. The update button 521 is a button that accepts an operation for updating the capability information of the printer 2, and is an example of a first operator.

[0039] Furthermore, the auxiliary program 42 passes the acquired capability information and the generated display data to the general-purpose printing program 41 (A33). The general-purpose printing program 41 stores the passed capability information in the memory 12 (A34). The general-purpose printing program 41 may share the capability information passed from the auxiliary program 42 with the editing application 43, for example, by storing it in a common area of the memory 12. Furthermore, the general-purpose printing program 41 passes the display data to the editing application 43 (A35). Note that the auxiliary program 42 may pass the display data directly to the editing application 43.

[0040] The editing application 43 reflects the new capability information and the passed display data on the print setting screen D2 displayed in A03 (A36). The editing application 43 may, for example, refer to print setting information shared with the general-purpose printing program 41 to display the print setting screen D2. The editing application 43 also displays information generated by the auxiliary program 42 based on the display data in the information display field 52. As a result, the information display field 52 including an update button 521 is displayed on the print setting screen D2, as shown in FIG.

[0041] In A03, the editing application 43 displays the print setting screen D2 based on information held by the general-purpose printing program 41 and the editing application 43. Then, in A35, the general-purpose printing program 41 and the editing application 43 update and display the print setting screen D2 based on information passed from the auxiliary program 42 in A33. For example, when capability information indicating that an additional tray has been newly installed in the printer 2 is received, the editing application 43 updates the basic print setting selection field 53 so that the additional tray is included in the options, and displays the print setting screen D2.

[0042] The capability information stored in memory 12 by A31 and the capability information passed to the general-purpose printing program 41 or editing application 43 by A33 may be information including all of the capability information acquired from the printer 2, or may be information including only part of the capability information acquired from the printer 2. For example, the capability information passed to the general-purpose printing program 41 or editing application 43 may be information only related to print settings that the general-purpose printing program 41 or editing application 43 can accept.

[0043] Then, editing application 43 becomes able to accept a user operation on print setting screen D2 being displayed. An update operation acceptance procedure, which is a procedure when an operation on update button 521 is accepted as a user operation on print setting screen D2, will be described with reference to the sequence diagram of FIG.

[0044] When the editing application 43 receives an operation on the update button 521 of the information display field 52 as a user operation on the print setting screen D2 (B01), the editing application 43 passes operation information, which is information on the received operation, to the auxiliary program 42 (B02). B01 is an example of the reception process.

[0045] In response to receiving operation information indicating an operation on the update button 521, the auxiliary program 42 outputs a capacity update instruction to the general-purpose printing program 41 (B11). Upon receiving the capacity update instruction, the general-purpose printing program 41 outputs a capacity update request to the auxiliary program 42 (B12). The capacity update request is an instruction from the general-purpose printing program 41 to the auxiliary program 42 requesting information for updating the capacity information held in the general-purpose printing program 41. By outputting a capacity update instruction to the general-purpose printing program 41, the auxiliary program 42 can receive a capacity update request from the general-purpose printing program 41.

[0046] Upon receiving the capability update request, the auxiliary program 42 acquires current capability information from the printer 2 (B13). The auxiliary program 42 may acquire the capability information by making a direct request to the printer 2, or may acquire the capability information via the general-purpose printing program 41 by making a request to the general-purpose printing program 41, as in A23 to A25 of FIG. 2. Furthermore, the auxiliary program 42 stores the acquired capability information in the memory 12 (B14). B14 is a process similar to A31 of FIG. 2, and is a process for updating the information stored in A31. B14 is an example of an update process.

[0047] The auxiliary program 42 generates new display data indicating the content to be displayed on the print setting screen D2 based on the capability information acquired in B13 (B15). B15 is an example of a generation process. Furthermore, the auxiliary program 42 passes the acquired capability information and the generated display data to the general-purpose printing program 41 (B21). As a result, the general-purpose printing program 41 updates the information stored in the memory 12 based on the capability information received from the auxiliary program 42 in B21 (B23). B21 is an example of an update process.

[0048] Furthermore, the general-purpose printing program 41 passes the display data to the editing application 43 (B25). As a result, the editing application 43 reflects the new display data and displays the print setting screen D2 on the user IF 13 (B26).

[0049] For example, if the paper loaded in the paper tray is changed after print setting screen D2 based on printer 2 capability information is displayed in A35 in Figure 2, the selectable parameters in basic print setting selection field 53 may change. Also, for example, if colorant for color printing runs out and color printing becomes impossible, printer 2 will only be able to accept print instructions where the color setting is set to monochrome printing. Because auxiliary program 42 passes the updated capability information to general-purpose printing program 41, print setting screen D2 is displayed, including selectable parameters as options, in response to changes in printer 2 capability.

[0050] The auxiliary program 42 can display an information display field 52 including an update button 521 on the print setting screen D2 displayed by the editing application 43, and can accept an instruction to update the capability information by a user's operation on the update button 521. Therefore, the user can update the capability information at any time while the print setting screen D2 is displayed. Furthermore, when the capability information is updated by a user's operation on the update button 521, the auxiliary program 42 causes the editing application 43 to update the display content of the print setting screen D2, thereby enabling a display that corresponds to changes in the capability of the printer 2.

[0051] Note that the auxiliary program 42 may skip B15 if the difference between the acquired capability information and the previous capability information is small enough that it is not necessary to change the display data. In this case, the auxiliary program 42 may pass only the capability information to the general-purpose printing program 41 in B21. As a result, both B25 and B26 may be skipped.

[0052] The editing application 43 can also accept an operation on the advanced settings button 54 as a user operation on the currently displayed print settings screen D2. The advanced settings procedure, which is the procedure when an operation on the advanced settings button 54 is accepted, will be described with reference to the sequence diagram of FIG.

[0053] When an instruction for detailed print settings is received by operating the detailed settings button 54 (C01), the editing application 43 outputs the instruction for detailed settings, i.e., an instruction to display a settings screen for receiving detailed print settings, to the general-purpose printing program 41 (C02). The general-purpose printing program 41 starts the auxiliary program 42 corresponding to the printer 2 and passes an instruction to start receiving the detailed print settings (C03). In C03, the general-purpose printing program 41 passes information on the print settings that are currently being received to the auxiliary program 42.

[0054] When the auxiliary program 42 is started based on an instruction for detailed print settings, it displays a detailed settings screen 60 on the user IF 13 (C05), as shown in FIG. 6, and becomes able to accept user operations. C05 is an example of a display process. The detailed settings screen 60 is an example of a print settings screen and an example of a second print settings screen. The instruction in C01 is also an instruction to display the detailed settings screen 60.

[0055] The advanced settings screen 60 displayed by the auxiliary program 42 includes, for example, an update button 61 that accepts an instruction to update the capability information, an "OK" button 62, and a "Cancel" button 63. The auxiliary program 42 can also display parameters that can be set for each print setting item as options for that item based on the capability information of the printer 2. Note that, since there are many print setting items that can be accepted on the advanced settings screen 60, the auxiliary program 42 may be able to accept an instruction to switch between items to be selected, for example, using multiple tabs.

[0056] The auxiliary program 42 accepts user operations on the detailed setting screen 60 displayed in C05. For example, when the auxiliary program 42 accepts an operation on each item of the print settings, it changes and displays the parameters selected for that item based on the user operation. The auxiliary program 42 copies the print setting information received in C03 and changes the copied information based on the user operation.

[0057] When the auxiliary program 42 receives a user operation on a specific item, or when it determines that the elapsed time since the detailed setting screen 60 was displayed exceeds a predetermined threshold time (opt: [operation on a specific item, or predetermined time has elapsed]), it causes the user IF13 to display an update selection screen (C11).

[0058] Specific items are items for which selectable print setting parameters may change as the capabilities of printer 2 change. As described above, for example, if a user changes the paper loaded in the paper feed tray attached to printer 2, the selectable parameters for the paper information items change. Specific items include, for example, the paper feed tray, output tray, paper size, paper type, and color settings. On the other hand, for items such as the number of copies and print orientation, the configurable parameters do not change even if the capabilities of printer 2 change. Items for which the configurable parameters do not change even if the capabilities of printer 2 change are not specific items.

[0059] For example, when the auxiliary program 42 receives a user operation on an item related to a paper feed tray, specifically, when it receives an operation on any of the items paper type, paper size, and paper feed tray on the detailed setting screen 60 shown in FIG. 6, it performs processing in C11. In C11, the auxiliary program 42 displays an update selection screen 70, as shown in FIG. 7, that inquires whether the capabilities of the printer 2 have been changed and whether to update the capability information of the printer 2, and receives a user selection. The update selection screen 70 includes, for example, a "Change" button 71 that receives an instruction to change the capabilities, and a "Don't Change" button 72 that receives an instruction not to change the capabilities. C11, which is performed when a user operation on a specific item is received, is an example of a first selection process.

[0060] Furthermore, the auxiliary program 42 compares the elapsed time, for example, after displaying the detailed settings screen 60 in C05, or after updating and displaying the detailed settings screen 60 in a procedure described below, with a predetermined threshold time. If the time that exceeds the predetermined threshold time has passed since the previous acquisition of the capabilities information, it is possible that the capabilities of the printer 2 have changed. In this case, the auxiliary program 42 also displays a screen similar to that shown in FIG. 7 in C11 to inquire whether or not to change the capabilities of the printer 2. C11, which is performed when it is determined that the time that has elapsed since the detailed settings screen 60 was displayed has exceeded the predetermined threshold time, is an example of a second selection process.

[0061] When the auxiliary program 42 receives an operation on the "Change" button 71 on the currently displayed update selection screen 70 (opt: [Update], C12), it executes a capability update procedure (C15). The capability update procedure will be described with reference to the sequence diagram of FIG.

[0062] In the capacity update procedure, the auxiliary program 42 outputs a capacity update instruction to the general-purpose printing program 41 (D01). When the general-purpose printing program 41 receives the capacity update instruction, it outputs a capacity update request to the auxiliary program 42 (D02). The capacity update request is an instruction from the general-purpose printing program 41 to the auxiliary program 42 requesting information for updating the capacity information held in the general-purpose printing program 41. By outputting a capacity update instruction to the general-purpose printing program 41, the auxiliary program 42 can receive a capacity update request from the general-purpose printing program 41.

[0063] Upon receiving the capability update request, the auxiliary program 42 acquires current capability information from the printer 2 (D03). The auxiliary program 42 may acquire the capability information by making a direct request to the printer 2, or may acquire the capability information via the general-purpose printing program 41 by making a request to the general-purpose printing program 41. The auxiliary program 42 updates and stores the capability information stored in the memory 12 (D04). D04 is an example of an update process.

[0064] Then, the auxiliary program 42 passes the capability information to the general-purpose printing program 41 based on the information acquired in D03 (D05). As a result, the general-purpose printing program 41 updates the capability information indicating the capability of the printer 2, i.e., the information stored in the memory 12 in A34 of Fig. 2 or B23 of Fig. 4 (D06). D05 is an example of the update process.

[0065] The auxiliary program 42 acquires from the general-purpose printing program 41 information on the print settings set by the general-purpose printing program 41 based on the updated capability information (D11). The auxiliary program 42 updates and displays the detailed settings screen 60 displayed in C05 of FIG. 5 based on the acquired print setting information (D12). D12 is an example of a first screen update process. The auxiliary program 42 updates the detailed settings screen 60 based on the updated capability information, so that selectable parameters can be displayed as options in response to changes in the capabilities of the printer 2. Note that the auxiliary program 42 may update the detailed settings screen 60 based on the capability information acquired in D03 without performing D11.

[0066] That is, when the auxiliary program 42 receives a change operation to a specific item on the detailed setting screen 60 displayed by the auxiliary program 42, the auxiliary program 42 displays the update selection screen 70 to receive the user's operation. Furthermore, when a long time has elapsed since the last update, the auxiliary program 42 displays the update selection screen 70 to receive the user's operation. Then, when the auxiliary program 42 receives the user's selection to update, it executes a capability update procedure. Therefore, the user can update the capability information when the detailed setting screen 60 is displayed.

[0067] Furthermore, when the capability information is updated as a result of selecting to update the capability information, the auxiliary program 42 updates the display content of the detailed setting screen 60, for example, the selectable parameters. This allows the user to select parameters appropriate for the updated capability information. For example, if a parameter selected before the update becomes unselectable due to an update of the capability information, the auxiliary program 42 may automatically change the parameter to a selectable parameter and display it, or may display a message prompting the user to change the parameter. This increases the likelihood that changes in the printer's capabilities can be accommodated even while the detailed setting screen 60 is displayed and detailed print settings are being accepted.

[0068] Returning to the explanation of the detailed setting procedure in Fig. 5, the auxiliary program 42 does not execute the capability update procedure when it accepts an operation on the "Do Not Change" button 72 on the currently displayed update selection screen 70. The auxiliary program 42 may provide a check box on the update selection screen 70 that does not display the check box from the next time onwards. When the check box is operated, the auxiliary program 42 may consider the same selection to have been made without accepting any further selections.

[0069] Furthermore, even when the auxiliary program 42 receives a user operation for a specific item, if the time that has elapsed since the last update of the capability information is short, the auxiliary program 42 may not display the update selection screen 70 or execute the capability update procedure. Furthermore, for example, if the user operation for a specific item only displays a list of parameters and does not involve an instruction to change the parameters, the auxiliary program 42 may not display the update selection screen 70 or execute the capability update procedure. If the time that has elapsed is short or if the parameters are only displayed, it is unlikely that the capabilities of the printer 2 have changed, and therefore, by not receiving the update selection, the user's effort and the processing load for updating can be reduced.

[0070] When the auxiliary program 42 receives an operation on the update button 61 on the displayed detailed setting screen 60 (opt: [operation of update button]), it executes the capability update procedure shown in Fig. 8 (C22), similar to C15. The update button 61 is an example of a second operator. The capability update procedure D12 executed in C22 is an example of a second screen update process.

[0071] The auxiliary program 42 displays the detailed settings screen 60 including the update button 61, and executes a capability update procedure when an operation on the update button 61 is accepted. Therefore, the user can update the capability information at any timing while the detailed settings screen 60 is displayed. Furthermore, when the capability information is updated as a result of selecting to update the capability information, the auxiliary program 42 also updates the display contents of the detailed settings screen 60. Therefore, it is highly likely that changes in the printer capabilities can be accommodated even while the detailed settings screen 60 is displayed and detailed print settings are being accepted.

[0072] Furthermore, when the auxiliary program 42 receives an instruction to end the print settings on the detailed settings screen 60 (opt:[end instruction], C31), it passes the print setting information to the general-purpose printing program 41 and notifies the general-purpose printing program 41 of the end of the detailed settings (C32). When the auxiliary program 42 receives an operation on the "OK" button 62 on the detailed settings screen 60, it passes the information on the print settings being displayed to the general-purpose printing program 41. On the other hand, when it receives an operation on the "Cancel" button 63, the auxiliary program 42 does not pass the print setting information received on the detailed settings screen 60 to the general-purpose printing program 41, and returns to the print settings before the detailed settings screen 60 was displayed.

[0073] The general-purpose printing program 41 notifies the editing application 43 of the completion of the detailed settings (C33). As a result, even if the capabilities of the printer 2 change after the printer 2 is selected, the general-purpose printing program 41 and the editing application 43 can reflect the changed capabilities of the printer 2 in the print setting screen displayed in A35. Then, when the editing application 43 receives a print instruction from the user, it passes image data indicating the image to be printed to the general-purpose printing program 41 and instructs it to print on the printer 2. Therefore, the general-purpose printing program 41 and the auxiliary program 42 can execute the process for printing with print settings suited to the capabilities of the printer 2.

[0074] As described above in detail, the auxiliary program 42 of this embodiment causes the CPU 11 of the PC 1 to accept an operation to update the capability information via the user IF 13. Then, in response to accepting the operation, the auxiliary program 42 causes the CPU 11 to acquire the capability information from the printer 2 and update the capability information stored in the memory 12. Therefore, after accepting the operation, the CPU 11 can use print settings that reflect the capability information of the printer 2 at that time. As a result, even after the printer 2 has been selected, accepting the operation by the user makes it highly likely that changes in the capability of the printer 2 can be accommodated.

[0075] 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 naturally be improved and modified in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, the printer connected to PC1 is not limited to a single-function printer, but may be any device with a printing function, such as a multifunction printer, copier, or fax machine. Furthermore, the number of printers connected to PC1 is not limited to the illustrated example, and may be two or more.

[0076] Furthermore, for example, the examples of screens displayed on the user IF 13 are all merely examples and are not limited to the examples shown in the drawings. Furthermore, the wording, object shapes, backgrounds, etc. displayed on each of the illustrated screens may be any. Furthermore, for example, while FIG. 3 shows the print setting screen D2 including one information display field 52, the arrangement, shape, size, number, etc. of the information display field 52 are not limited to the example shown in this figure. Furthermore, the information display field 52 may not be necessary. Furthermore, instead of providing the update button 521 in the information display field 52, a button for accepting an update instruction may be provided in the basic print setting selection field 53.

[0077] Although the embodiment has been described with reference to an example in which an instruction to update capability information is received through a plurality of steps by a user, the auxiliary program 42 may receive an instruction to update capability information through at least one step. Specifically, the auxiliary program 42 may display at least one of the update button 521 on the print setting screen D2, the "Change" button 71 on the update selection screen 70, and the update button 61 on the detailed setting screen 60, and receive a user's operation.

[0078] 2, the auxiliary program 42 determines whether or not a cache exists at A21 when started at A13, and if no cache exists, acquires the capability information of the printer 2. However, the timing of determining whether or not a cache exists and the timing of acquiring the capability information are not limited to this. For example, the auxiliary program 42 may also determine whether or not a cache exists when started at C05.

[0079] Furthermore, if the user changes the default printer from another printer to printer 2 via the OS 21 after the print setting screen D2 is displayed by the general-purpose print program 41, the general-purpose print program 41 may also start the auxiliary program 42. Furthermore, the auxiliary program 42 may be started not only when printing is selected, but also when printer 2 is selected as device settings, for example. Even in these cases, the auxiliary program 42 may display a setting screen including an operator for receiving an instruction to update the capability information.

[0080] In the 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 as well. The program that executes the processing of this embodiment is not limited to the auxiliary program 42, and may be any program that receives instructions from the OS 21 or the general-purpose print program 41 when printing 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.

[0081] Furthermore, the execution timing of the auxiliary program 42 is not limited to that of the embodiment. For example, the auxiliary program 42 may be executed in response to a direct execution instruction from the OS 21, or may be a resident auxiliary program 42. If the auxiliary program 42 is resident, it may simply receive an execution command and perform the above-described operation.

[0082] Furthermore, in any flowchart disclosed in the embodiments, the execution order of multiple processes in any multiple steps can be changed or they can be executed in parallel as long as no contradiction occurs in the processing content.

[0083] The processes disclosed in the embodiments may be executed by hardware such as a single CPU, multiple CPUs, or ASIC, or a combination thereof. The processes disclosed in the embodiments may be realized in various ways, such as a recording medium on which a program for executing the processes is recorded, or a method. [Explanation of symbols]

[0084] 1 PC 2. Printer 11 CPU 12 Memory 13 User Interface

Claims

1. A support program that can be executed by a computer of an information processing device, corresponds to a printer connected to the information processing device, and supports a general-purpose printing program included in an operating system of the information processing device, At least one of the general-purpose printing program and the support program causes the computer to acquire capability information indicating the capability of the printer by communicating with the printer, and stores the acquired capability information in a memory of the information processing device; the general-purpose printing program and the support program can cause the computer to accept print settings for causing the printer to execute printing based on the capability information stored in the memory; The support program is installed on the computer. executing a reception process for receiving an operation for updating the capability information via a user interface of the information processing device; The support program further includes: In response to the operation being accepted in the acceptance process, executing an update process for acquiring the capability information from the printer and updating the capability information stored in the memory; A support program configured to:

2. 2. The support program according to claim 1, The support program is installed on the computer. In response to the reception of the operation in the reception process, an instruction to update the capability information is given to the general-purpose printing program, and the update process is executed in response to the instruction. A support program configured to:

3. 2. The support program according to claim 1, The support program is installed on the computer. a generation process for generating display data to be displayed on a first print setting screen can be executed, the first print setting screen is a print setting screen that can be displayed by an editing application program incorporated in the information processing device, the first print setting screen includes a first operator that accepts an operation for updating the capability information, and the generated display data is passed to the editing application program via the general-purpose print program, thereby displaying the first print setting screen in accordance with the display data; In the reception process, an operation on the first operator included in the first print setting screen is received via the user interface of the information processing device as the operation for updating the capability information. A support program configured to:

4. 4. The support program according to claim 3, The support program is installed on the computer. when the update process is executed in response to the acceptance of the operation on the first operator in the acceptance process, the generation process is executed to generate display data for displaying the first print setting screen reflecting the capability information updated in the update process, and the generated display data is passed to the editing application program via the general-purpose print program, thereby updating the displayed first print setting screen. A support program configured to:

5. 2. The support program according to claim 1, The support program is installed on the computer. When a display instruction to display a second print setting screen, which is a print setting screen included in the support program, is given, a display process is executed to display the second print setting screen using the user interface of the information processing device; The support program further includes: executes a first selection process for accepting, via the user interface of the information processing device, a selection of whether or not to update the capability information when a change operation is performed on a specific item corresponding to the capability of the printer that may be changed among the setting items included in the second print setting screen; In the reception process, the selection of updating the capability information in the first selection process is received via the user interface of the information processing device as the operation for updating the capability information. A support program configured to:

6. 6. The support program according to claim 5, The support program is installed on the computer. When the selection to update the capability information is accepted in the acceptance process and the update process is executed, a first screen update process is executed to update the second print setting screen based on the capability information updated in the update process. A support program configured to:

7. 2. The support program according to claim 1, The support program is installed on the computer. When a display instruction to display a second print setting screen, which is a print setting screen included in the support program, is given, a display process is executed to display the second print setting screen using the user interface of the information processing device; The support program further includes: executes a second selection process of accepting, via the user interface of the information processing device, a selection of whether or not to update the capability information when the elapsed time since the previous execution of the update process exceeds a threshold time; In the reception process, as the operation for updating the capability information, the selection of updating the capability information in the second selection process is received via the user interface of the information processing device. A support program configured to:

8. 2. The support program according to claim 1, The support program is installed on the computer. when a display instruction to display a second print setting screen, which is a print setting screen included in the support program, is given, a display process is executed to display the second print setting screen using the user interface of the information processing device, and the second print setting screen includes a second operator that accepts an operation to update the capability information; In the reception process, an operation on the second operator included in the second print setting screen is received via the user interface of the information processing device as the operation for updating the capability information. A support program configured to:

9. 9. The support program according to claim 8, The support program is installed on the computer. When the operation on the second operator is accepted in the accepting process and the update process is executed, a second screen update process is executed to update the second print setting screen based on the capability information updated in the update process. A support program configured to:

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