Information processing device and method

Abstract

By using an extension application that is installed along with the local printer driver and is capable of communicating with cloud printing services, a printing system that works in conjunction with cloud printing services is provided. [Solution] The information processing device is connected via a communication network to a cloud print service that holds received print jobs and to a printer. The information processing device obtains first device identification information for coordinating with the cloud print service from the cloud print service. Based on the first device identification information, it installs a program that sends print jobs output by the printer driver corresponding to the printer to the cloud print service.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a mechanism for realizing a printing system in cooperation with a cloud printing service, and particularly to an information processing apparatus and method.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, a general-purpose printer driver (local printer driver) that directly communicates with an image forming apparatus using an industry standard protocol such as IPP (Internet Printing Protocol) has been considered. The local printer driver can communicate with printers of a plurality of printer vendors. Therefore, by using the local printer driver, a user can transmit a print job to an image forming apparatus without installing a vendor-specific printer driver.

[0003] Furthermore, printing using a cloud printing service has been considered. In a cloud printing service, a printer driver for a cloud printing service (cloud printer driver) is installed in an information processing apparatus. In the cloud printing service, the information processing apparatus uses the cloud printer driver to transmit a print job to the cloud printing service, and the cloud printing service transmits the print job to an image forming apparatus to execute printing.

[0004] In printing using a cloud printer driver, it becomes possible to output printed matter with a high degree of freedom. For example, a company A tenant of a cloud printing service used by company A registers employees working for company A as users and registers and uses the image forming apparatuses of company A. As a result, registered users of company A can freely print from any registered image forming apparatus owned by company A when executing printing from an in-house terminal.

[0005] The above-mentioned local printer driver handles print jobs printed by image forming machines from various vendors, and therefore has limitations on the items and functions that can be set as print settings. Therefore, as described in Patent Document 1, it is conceivable to install an extended application using printer identification information to extend the print queue associated with the printer driver. This would enable the implementation of a user interface (UI) for vendor-specific print settings and print job editing functions.

[0006] As described in Patent Document 2, when a printer driver receives a print command, it sends the print job to a pre-established listening port on a print server. The print server monitors the listening port, and when the printer driver has finished sending the print job, it transfers the print job from the listening port to the print server. This enables the transfer of print jobs from the local printer driver to the print server. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-124791 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2016-118983 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0008] In this context, cloud printing services sometimes offer features that allow users to control available print settings or limit the number of pages that can be printed within a certain period. The settings for at least one of these features are managed by the cloud printing service tenant. Therefore, it is difficult for local printer drivers to implement the various controls provided by the cloud printing service based on the settings managed by the cloud printing service.

[0009] Furthermore, current operating systems do not provide a mechanism for installing and using extension applications for cloud printing services. This is because extension applications are installed in the operating system by being linked to model identification information, including the hardware ID (HWID), obtained from the printer. Currently, there is no mechanism provided to obtain something like the model identification information of the cloud printing service itself.

[0010] Furthermore, in Patent Document 2, the user is required to separately install a special application that acts as a virtual printer on the client terminal, which is extremely cumbersome.

[0011] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a printing system that can upload print jobs to a cloud print service even when printing using a local printer driver, and that can create print jobs suitable for the vendor's own cloud print service. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] To achieve the above objective, the present invention has the following configuration. That is, according to one aspect of the present invention, an information processing device is connected by a communication network to a cloud print service that holds print jobs received from the information processing device and to a printer, An acquisition means for acquiring first device identification information for linking with the cloud printing service from the cloud printing service, The system includes an installation means for installing a program that, based on the first device identification information, sends print jobs output by the printer driver corresponding to the printer to the cloud print service. An information processing device characterized by the above is provided.

[0013] Furthermore, according to another aspect of the present invention, a program is executed on a computer connected via a communication network to a cloud print service that holds received print jobs and a printer, A receiving means for receiving print jobs output by a printer driver corresponding to the aforementioned printer, A transmission means that, upon receiving the print job, transmits the received print job to the cloud print service. A program is provided to make the computer function. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present invention, even when printing using a local printer driver, print jobs can be uploaded to a cloud print service. Furthermore, it is possible to create print jobs that are suitable for a vendor's own cloud print service.

[0015] This makes it possible to print documents suitable for the cloud printing service from any multifunction printer registered with the cloud printing service. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0016] [Figure 1] Network configuration diagram in Embodiment 1. [Figure 2] System configuration diagram for cloud printing in Embodiment 1 [Figure 3] Block diagram showing an example of hardware configuration in Embodiment 1 [Figure 4A] Sequence diagram of the procedure for installing the local printer driver and the print setting extension app in Embodiment 1 [Figure 4B] Sequence diagram of the procedure for installing the local printer driver and the print setting extension app in Embodiment 1 [Figure 5] Figure showing an example of the printer addition wizard start screen in Embodiment 1 [Figure 6] Figure explaining the options for the device type on the screen of FIG. 5 in Embodiment 1 [Figure 7] Figure showing an example of the screen for adding a printer in Embodiment 1 [Figure 8] Sequence diagram of the procedure for uploading print data to the cloud print server in Embodiment 1 [Figure 9] Sequence diagram of the procedure for outputting print data from the cloud - compatible printer in Embodiment 1

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although a plurality of features are described in the embodiments, not all of these plurality of features are essential to the invention, and the plurality of features may be arbitrarily combined. Further, in the accompanying drawings, the same or similar configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations are omitted.

[0018] [Embodiment 1] In Embodiment 1, a method for installing a print setting extension app dedicated to the cloud print service in the local printer driver will be described.

[0019] Figure 1 shows the configuration diagram of the printing system in this embodiment. The client terminal 101 and the printer 104 are connected to the cloud print system 102 and the network 107, respectively. Furthermore, the client terminal 101 is connected to the application management server 103 and the online support server 105, respectively, via the network 107.

[0020] Printer 104 is equipped with the functionality to work with the cloud print system 102 and is compatible with the print services provided by the cloud print system 102. The cloud print system 102 refers to the server device for providing the cloud print service. This server device is called the cloud print server, and the cloud print service, including the hardware that provides the cloud print service, is sometimes referred to as the cloud print service itself.

[0021] Next, the hardware configuration of the system in this embodiment will be described using Figure 2.

[0022] Figure 2(a) is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the client terminal 101. The client terminal 101 is also called a terminal device or information processing device.

[0023] The client terminal 101 includes a display unit 216, an operation unit 217, a storage unit 214, a control unit 211, and a network communication unit 215.

[0024] The memory unit 214 refers to a non-volatile storage device such as a hard disk or SSD, which is capable of storing and rewriting digital data.

[0025] The control unit 211 includes the CPU 212 and memory 213, and controls the overall operation of the client terminal 101. The CPU 212 loads programs stored in the storage unit 214 into memory 213 and executes them. Memory 213 is the main memory of the CPU 212 and is used as a work area and a temporary storage area for deploying various programs.

[0026] The network communication unit 215 is a device that communicates with an external network (communication network) and performs input / output or transmission / reception of digital data with servers, client terminals, etc.

[0027] The display unit 216 is a device for displaying visual information to the user in real time, such as a liquid crystal display. The operation unit 217 is a device for receiving input from the user via a keyboard, mouse, or the like. A device that combines the functions of both the display unit 216 and the operation unit 217, such as a touch panel, may also be used.

[0028] The application management server 103 and the online support server 105 may also be implemented with the same hardware configuration as the client terminal 101. However, the application management server 103 and the online support server 105 do not need to have a display unit 216 and an operation unit 217.

[0029] Figure 2(b) is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the cloud print system 102. The cloud print system 102 comprises a storage unit 224, a control unit 221, and a network communication unit 225. The functions and control of the cloud print system 102 are provided by the CPU 222 executing a program loaded into the memory 223.

[0030] The descriptions of the memory unit 224, control unit 221, and network communication unit 225 are the same as those for the client terminal 101 and will therefore be omitted.

[0031] Although the cloud print system 102 is described as consisting of a single information processing device having the hardware configuration shown in Figure 2(b), the cloud print system 102 may also be composed of multiple information processing devices as shown in Figure 2(b).

[0032] Figure 2(c) is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of printer 104. Printer 104 comprises a display unit 236, an operation unit 237, a storage unit 234, a control unit 231, a network communication unit 235, and a printing unit 238. The functions of printer 104 are provided by the CPU 232 executing a program loaded into memory 233.

[0033] The display unit 236 is a device that displays information to the user in real time, such as a touch panel or LEDs attached to the printer 104.

[0034] The operation unit 237 is a device for receiving input from the user and may include a touch panel as well as hard keys such as a numeric keypad. The storage unit 234 and control unit 231 are equivalent to those of the client terminal 101, so their explanation is omitted.

[0035] The network communication unit 235 is a device that communicates with an external network and is primarily responsible for receiving print data and transmitting information about the printer 104's status, such as errors, to an external server.

[0036] The printing unit 238 is a device that performs printing processing by carrying out a series of operations including paper feeding, printing, and paper ejection on paper prepared in a cassette or tray. The printing method is not particularly limited and can be electrophotographic or inkjet. Finishing devices such as a duplex unit, stapling, and punching used during paper ejection are also included in the printing unit 238.

[0037] In this embodiment, a single-function printer that only performs printing functions is described as an example of printer 104, but a multi-function printer (multifunction device) that also has scanning and faxing functions may also be used.

[0038] ●Software module configuration Next, Figure 3 will be used to illustrate the module configuration diagram of the printing system in this embodiment of cloud printing. The client terminal 101 is connected to the cloud printing system 102, the application management server 103, and the online support server 105 via the network 107. The printer 104 is connected to the cloud printing system 102 via the network 107.

[0039] Figure 3 shows one client terminal 101 and one printer 104, but there may be multiple client terminals 101 and printers 104.

[0040] Furthermore, the cloud print system 102, the application management server 103, and the online support server 105 may be server systems composed of multiple information processing devices. By making each server a server system composed of multiple information processing devices, the load can be distributed among multiple information processing devices.

[0041] Furthermore, the cloud print system 102, the application management server 103, and the online support server 105 may be virtually configured within a single information processing device.

[0042] Network 107 is assumed to be a wide area network (WAN), such as the Internet, connecting the client terminal 101 and printer 104 to the server. However, network 107 may also be a closed network environment such as a company LAN.

[0043] The client terminal 101 is an information processing device such as a PC, tablet, or smartphone, and is a terminal that is directly operated by the user. The client terminal 101's operating system 313 can run any application software. Programs such as the local printer driver 311 and the print settings extension application 312 run on this operating system 313. Hereafter, the operating system 313 will be abbreviated as OS313.

[0044] To reiterate, in this embodiment, the local printer driver is a printer driver that communicates directly with the image forming apparatus (printer) using an industry-standard protocol such as IPP. The local printer driver may be a general-purpose printer driver that is included as standard in the Windows® operating system, for example, and is compatible with printers from various printer vendors. The local printer driver 311 may also be included in the operating system (OS) 313 as a program that provides some of the functions of the OS 313. The print settings extension application 312 is sometimes called an extension application because it extends the functions of the OS 313.

[0045] The printer 104 is a device that actually prints onto a recording medium such as paper, and is an image forming apparatus that converts print data received via the network 107 into image data and prints it.

[0046] The printer 104 can receive print data from the client terminal 101 via the cloud print system 102, or it can receive print data directly from the client terminal 101 without going through the cloud print system 102. However, this embodiment will describe the case in which the printer 104 receives print data via the cloud print system 102. Printer 104 receives print data generated by the local printer driver 311 of the client terminal 101 and transferred to the cloud print system 102 via the print settings extension application 312 and OS 313, via the network 107. In this embodiment, print data and print job data both include data representing objects such as images and characters to be printed, and are not particularly distinguished.

[0047] The cloud print system 102 receives print commands and print data from external sources. Furthermore, the cloud print system 102 transmits the received print data to a designated printer 104. The designated printer 104 may be any printer registered with the cloud print system 102. The cloud print service 102 also holds the received print data and may transmit the held print data to the printer 104 upon request. A cloud print service 312 exists on the cloud print system 102. The cloud print service is sometimes referred to as CPS.

[0048] The cloud print system 102 receives print job data via the network 107 through the print settings extension application 312 and the OS 313 when printing is performed using the local printer driver 311. The printer management service 322 registers the printer 104. Furthermore, the user management service 323 manages which users have sent print job data and associates it with cloud print-compatible printers that users can use to print.

[0049] The application management server 103 holds and manages various applications. The application management server 103 receives application identification information and download requests from client terminals 101, and sends the application identified based on the received identification information to the client terminals 101. The application management service 331 on the application management server 103 distributes the applications to the client terminals 101. One of the applications distributed to the client terminals 101 is the print settings extension application 312.

[0050] The online support server 105 is a server device that provides the online support service 351. The online support service 351 is a server device that provides the client terminal 101 with a file containing information to extend the functionality of the client terminal 101.

[0051] ●Installation procedure for the print settings extension application Next, using Figures 4A and 4B, we will describe an example of the procedure for installing the local printer driver and the print settings extension application in this embodiment, as well as the sequence between each software and print service. Unless otherwise specified, this procedure is performed by OS313. This process begins when the user selects and executes the "Add a printer using an IP address or hostname" method in the printer addition wizard to manually add a printer. The printer addition wizard screen is explained using Figure 5, so please refer to it. In Figures 4A and 4B, the processing for printer 104 is performed by its CPU 232, and the processing for cloud print service 321 is performed by the CPU 222 of cloud print system 102. Although the processing for client terminal 101 is shown to be performed by OS313, the execution entity is CPU 212. The application management service 331 and the online support service 351 are implemented by the CPUs of the application management server 130 and online support server 105 executing programs, respectively. That is, these CPUs execute the illustrated procedure.

[0052] When a user selects method 502, "Add a printer using an IP address or hostname," on the printer addition wizard screen 501 and clicks the "Next" button 503, the process shown in Figure 4A begins accordingly.

[0053] In S4001, OS313 displays a screen 601 on the display unit 216 for inputting a hostname or IP address, as shown in Figure 6. The hostname or IP address input screen 601 allows input of a device type 602 and a hostname or IP address 603. When a device type 602 is selected, a pull-down menu is displayed. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 6, the options are automatic detection 611, TCP / IP device 612, Web service device 613, Web service secure printing device 614, IPP cloud server 615, and IPP device 616. Furthermore, this embodiment assumes that the user selects and executes IPP cloud server 615 from these options. When IPP cloud server 615 is selected, as shown in Figure 7, the hostname or IP address 603 corresponding to the IPP cloud server can be entered. The hostname or IP address entered here may, for example, be the URL of the cloud print service 321.

[0054] If you select IPP Cloud Server 615 as Device Type 602 and press the Next button 604, OS313 in S4002 will attempt to log in to Cloud Print Server 102 using the URL entered in Hostname or IP Address 603.

[0055] In S4003, the cloud print server 102 performs user authentication. If authentication is successful, in S4004, the cloud print server 102 returns a user token to the client terminal 101. The client terminal 101 can access the cloud print server 102 using the user token, but the user token will be omitted in the following explanation. If user authentication fails in S4003, a response indicating the failure is returned. In this case, the client terminal 101 can retry logging in.

[0056] In S4005, OS313, having received the user token, requests a hardware ID (HWID) for integration from the cloud print server 102 in order to install a printer driver extension application for cloud print service integration. Here, the printer driver extension application refers to the print settings extension application 312.

[0057] In S4006, the cloud print server 102, upon receiving the request, treats itself as a virtual printer and returns the HWID for collaboration as its device identification information to the OS 313 of the client terminal 101. This HWID for collaboration is also called the cloud print service collaboration device identification information or the collaboration device identification information. In S4007, the OS 313, having received the HWID for collaboration, requests configuration information for forming the local printer driver 311 from the cloud print server 102. In S4008, the cloud print server 102, upon receiving the request, treats itself as a virtual printer, similar to S4006, and returns the virtual printer configuration information (also called capability information). The virtual printer configuration information may, for example, be stored in advance on the cloud print server 102. That is, the cloud print server 102, upon receiving the request for configuration information, only needs to send the pre-prepared configuration information as a response.

[0058] In S4009, OS313 starts installing the local printer driver 311 based on the device identification information, printer name, and configuration information of the printer selected by the user. In this example, the selected printer is a virtual printer provided by the cloud print server 102, its device identification information is the HWID received by S4006, and its configuration information is the configuration information received by S4008. The local printer driver 311 to be installed can be one that OS313 has as standard, or a printer driver suitable for printer 104, for example, a printer vendor-dependent printer driver. If there is no such driver, a vendor-independent general-purpose printer driver is acceptable.

[0059] In S4009, OS313 first generates a print queue for the local printer driver 311, which contains basic device capability information included with OS313. Device capability information refers to definition information necessary to generate the printer driver's print setting capability information, such as information written in XML, like PrintDeviceCapabilities. Then, OS313 updates the device capability information that makes up the local printer driver 311 using the configuration information (i.e., capability information) obtained from the cloud print service 321 of the cloud print server 102. With this, the installation of the local print driver 311 corresponding to the selected printer, i.e., the IPP cloud server (or the virtual printer provided by it) in this example, is completed.

[0060] Subsequently, OS313 starts the installation process of an application (i.e., a print settings extension application 312) that is associated with the virtual printer and extends the local print driver 311. Refer to Figure 4B from here. First, OS313 performs a process of adding identification supplement information to the device identification information. This is a necessary process when obtaining the extended setup information file (also called Exinf) from the online support service 351 of the online support server 105, and it is sufficient if it is a different string from the normal device identification information. Device identification information to which identification supplement information has been added is also called extended device identification information.

[0061] In S4010, OS313 sends a request to the online support service 351 to search for an extended setup information file that contains or is linked to the extended device identification information, along with the extended device identification information itself. If device identification information for printer 104 without additional identification information is sent, the search result will either return a setup information file containing that device identification information, or no search result will be found. In that case, the printer driver provided by the printer 104 vendor, which is included in the returned setup information file, will be installed. Furthermore, because the device identification information does not have additional identification information, it becomes impossible to identify the extended setup information file, and therefore it becomes impossible to extract the application ID of the print settings extended application 312 contained within it.

[0062] On the other hand, by using the extended device identification information to which additional identification information has been added, the target extended setup information file can be identified, and the application ID of the print setting extended application 312 can be extracted from it.

[0063] When online support service 351 receives a request to search for an extended setup information file, it determines whether it possesses an extended setup information file containing the target extended device identification information. In S4011, if online support service 351 possesses an extended setup information file containing the device identification information received along with the Exinf search request, it returns the extended setup information file to OS 313.

[0064] In S4012, OS313 receives the extended setup information file and writes its contents to the registry. At the same time, OS313 installs the extended setup information based on the acquired extended setup information file. In S4013, OS313 extracts the application ID from the installed extended setup information.

[0065] On the other hand, online support service 351 will not return a response if it does not possess the extended setup information file containing the device identification information received along with the Exinf discovery request. In this case, OS313 in S4014 will abort the application installation process, leaving the local printer driver installation complete, for example, due to a timeout. Instead of a timeout, online support service 351 may return a response indicating that the relevant extended setup information file does not exist, and OS313 on client terminal 101 may abort the process accordingly.

[0066] In S4015, OS313 requests the application management service 331 to send an application that matches the extracted application ID. To do this, for example, the application ID can be sent along with the application request. In response to this request, the application management service 331 determines whether it has a program that matches the requested application ID, such as the print settings extension application 312. If it does, in S4016, the application management service 331 sends the print settings extension application 312 that matches the requested application ID to the client terminal 101 as a response.

[0067] In S4017, OS313 installs the acquired print settings extension application 312, associating it with the client-side print queue. Specifically, for example, the installation of the print settings extension application 312 saves the application ID as print queue information in the OS313 registry. When the generated print queue is called, OS313 uses this information to launch the installed print settings extension application 312. Since the print queue is associated with the printer driver, the association with the print queue can also be considered an association with the printer driver.

[0068] On the other hand, if the application management service 331 does not have a print settings extension application that matches the requested application ID, it will not return a response and a timeout will occur. As a result, OS313 on S4018 will complete the installation of the local printer driver but will abort the application installation process. At this point, the application management service 331 will return a response indicating that the corresponding extension application does not exist, and OS313 on client terminal 101 may abort the process accordingly.

[0069] ●Example of the printer addition wizard Figures 5, 6, and 7 show examples of the printer addition wizard start screen when a user manually adds a printer, particularly in the case of S4001 in Figure 4. In this embodiment, a screen commonly used in the Windows OS is used, but it is not limited to this. The manual printer addition screen 501 offers various methods for adding a printer, from "searching for slightly older printers" to "adding a local printer or network printer with manual settings." In this embodiment, the method of "adding a printer using an IP address or hostname" is described. This is as explained in Figure 4.

[0070] ● Procedure for printing Next, using Figure 8, we will explain the procedure for a user to upload print data to a cloud print server in this embodiment, as well as the sequence between each software and print service.

[0071] In the procedure shown in Figure 8, steps S8001 to S8007 are performed when the print settings extension application 312 is first installed on the client terminal 101. However, this is the case when a user is associated with the client terminal; if there is a possibility that different users may use the terminal, the process may be executed from S8003 each time a user logs in. Also, the processes from S8008 onwards can be executed if S8005 has already been executed. Therefore, if these steps have been performed once and the print settings extension application 312 holds the tenant URL of the cloud print service 321, the steps from S8001 to S8007 may be skipped. Also, similar to Figures 4A and 4B, in Figure 8, the processing of the client terminal 101 and the cloud print system 102 is performed by their respective CPUs executing programs. Furthermore, the processes from S8008 onwards may be started, for example, when a print process is selected in response to user operation from an application running on the client terminal 101 and the print settings are called.

[0072] In the S8001, the print settings extension application 312 requests the IP address or hostname (URL) of the cloud print service 321 from the local printer driver 311 installed on the client terminal 101. This IP address or hostname (URL) refers to the IP address specified as the connection port for the local printer driver 311. This IP address or hostname (URL) can also be referred to as the destination.

[0073] In S8002, the local printer driver 311 sends the hostname or IP address of the cloud print-compatible printer 104 that the printer driver itself holds (or is associated with). Here, it may send the value set in the hostname or IP address 603 in Figure 7. In S8003, the print settings extension application 312 uses the hostname (URL) received in S8002 to send a login request to the cloud print service 321 along with the user's identification information. Here, the user's identification information may be the identification information of the user who logged into the client terminal 101 and performed the print command operation.

[0074] In S8004, the cloud print service 321 checks the registration status of the user requesting the login. If it is confirmed that the user is registered with the cloud print service 321, in S8005, the cloud print service 321 issues a token to the print settings extension application 312 and sends the issued token. If it is not confirmed that the user requesting the login is registered with the cloud print service 321, in S8006, the cloud print service 321 sends error information to the print settings extension application 312. In S7006, the print settings extension application 312 receives the error and terminates processing in S8007. This is the procedure performed when the print settings extension application 312 is installed for the first time.

[0075] When a user attempts to print using the local printer driver 311, the following processes are executed: S8008 and below.

[0076] In S8008, the local printer driver 311 requests the print settings extension application 312 for the information necessary to use extended print settings (extended print settings information). After installation, the local printer driver 311 is automatically linked to the print settings extension application 312 by the OS 313. Therefore, it is possible to send requests from the local printer driver 311 to the print settings extension application 312 by calling the OS standard API. This mechanism is provided, for example, by Windows (registered trademark). When the print settings extension application 312 receives a request from S8008, it requests the cloud print service 321 for the setting values ​​held on the tenant to which the logged-in user belongs, based on the token information obtained in S8005. The setting values ​​on the tenant are mainly set by the tenant administrator, and include print setting items that are permitted to be used when printing via the cloud print service 321. These setting values ​​can also be said to be the print setting values ​​of the virtual printer provided by the cloud print service 321. These settings can, for example, allow users to print only in black and white and prohibit color printing, or recommend 2-in-1 printing.

[0077] In S8010, the cloud print service 321 sends the setting values ​​held by the tenant to which the logged-in user belongs to the print settings extension application 312. The setting values ​​held by the tenant to which the logged-in user belongs may be setting values ​​that have been pre-configured for that tenant. In S8011, the print settings extension application 312 sends the extended print settings information necessary for extended print settings to the local printer driver 311 based on the setting values ​​received by S8010. This information may include, for example, a user interface screen for performing print settings, or applicable print setting items based on the setting values ​​acquired by S8010.

[0078] After the user applies the print settings, when the user instructs the local printer driver 311 to execute the print job, the local printer driver 311 sends print job data to the print settings extension application 312 via S8012. At this time, the system may be configured to send information that identifies the user who attempted to execute the print job, such as the logged-in username of the client terminal 101, along with the print job data.

[0079] In S8013, the print settings extension application 312 sends the print job data acquired by S8012 to OS313. At this time, the print settings extension application 312 may convert the print job data to be sent into a format supported by a specific vendor's printer before sending it. Here, since the print settings extension application 312 is linked to the HWID provided by the cloud print service 321, by changing this HWID and the associated print settings extension application 312, it is possible to support a specific vendor. In S8014, OS313 sends the acquired print job data to the cloud print service 321.

[0080] In S8015, the cloud print service 321 saves the print job data linked to the user account configured in S8004 after completing the reception of the print job data in S8014. At this time, if the received print job data is in an intermediate data format such as a PDF file and the printer to be output to is identified, it may be converted to a PDL data format specific to that printer. In S8016, the cloud print service 321 sends a notification to the print settings extension application 312 indicating that the reception of the print job data is complete. At this time, the print settings extension application 312 may display a notification screen on the client terminal 101 indicating that the transmission of the print job is complete.

[0081] Following the above procedure, the print job data sent by the general-purpose local printer driver 311 can be converted by the print settings extension application 312 into print job data in a format supported by the cloud print service 321. Furthermore, the print settings can also be converted (or restricted or extended) to print settings supported by the cloud print service 321.

[0082] ● Printing procedure using a cloud-enabled printer Next, using Figure 9, the procedure for a user in this embodiment to output print job data held in the cloud print service from the cloud-enabled printer 104, as well as the sequence between the printer and the cloud print service, will be explained. The process in Figure 9 is realized by the CPU 232 of the printer 104 executing a program loaded into memory 233.

[0083] In S9001, the CPU 232 of printer 104 accepts a login operation for the cloud print-compatible printer 104 from a user who wants to perform a print job. Note that the printer the user logs into does not necessarily have to be printer 104; any printer registered in the tenant of the cloud print service 321 is acceptable. In S9002, the CPU 232 of the cloud print-compatible printer 104 requests a list of print jobs associated with the logged-in user from the cloud print service 321. To do this, for example, the user identification information (user ID) of the logged-in user (also called the logged-in user) can be sent to the cloud print service 321 along with the request for the list.

[0084] In S9003, the cloud print service 321 creates a list of print jobs associated with the user logged in via S9001. At this time, if, for example, user identification information was sent via S8013, the service may search for jobs associated with the user based on this information. In S9004, the cloud print service 321 sends the list of print jobs created in S9003 to the cloud print-compatible printer 104.

[0085] The printer 104 displays a list of received print jobs on the display unit 236. When the user selects a job they want to print from the displayed job list and commands it to execute, the CPU 232 of the cloud print-compatible printer 104 requests the cloud print service 321 to send the selected print job data via S9005.

[0086] In S9006, the cloud print service 321 sends the print job data requested in S9005 to the cloud print-compatible printer 104.

[0087] In S9007, CPU232 of cloud print-compatible printer 104 performs output processing of the print job data received by S9006, i.e., printing.

[0088] Following the above steps, you can download the print job data of the logged-in user from the print job data stored in the cloud print service 321 to the printer. Then, you can execute the print job and print that print job data.

[0089] ● Effects of this embodiment According to this embodiment, a general-purpose local printer driver that sends print jobs to a vendor's proprietary cloud print service can be installed in accordance with the standard installation method provided by the OS. Furthermore, a print settings extension application that can communicate with the vendor's proprietary cloud print service can also be installed. When sending a print job from the general-purpose printer driver provided by the OS to the cloud print service, the print settings extension application can be used to send a print job that is compatible with the cloud print service. Here, a print job that is compatible with the cloud print service is a print job whose data format and print settings are compatible with the data format and print settings supported by the target cloud print service and the printer using it.

[0090] [Other examples] The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that implements one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or storage medium, and by having one or more processors in the computer of that system or device read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., an ASIC) that implements one or more functions.

[0091] ●Summary of Embodiments The above embodiments can be summarized as follows: (Item 1) An information processing device connected via a communication network to a cloud print service that holds print jobs received from the information processing device and to a printer, An acquisition means for acquiring first device identification information for linking with the cloud printing service from the cloud printing service, The system includes an installation means for installing a program that, based on the first device identification information, sends print jobs output by the printer driver corresponding to the printer to the cloud print service. An information processing device characterized by the following: (Item 2) The information processing device described in item 1, The first device identification information is information obtained by the operating system from the cloud print service based on information for accessing the cloud print service entered via a screen provided by the operating system of the information processing device during the installation of the printer driver. An information processing device characterized by the following: (Item 3) An information processing device as described in item 1 or 2, The acquisition means further acquires the printer name from the cloud print service, The installation means further installs the printer driver corresponding to the first device identification information and the printer name as the printer driver corresponding to the printer, and associates the program with the printer driver. An information processing device characterized by the following: (Item 4) An information processing device described in any one of items 1 to 3, The installation means obtains information associated with the first device identification information from the first server, and obtains the program corresponding to the program identification information contained in the information from the second server and installs it. An information processing device characterized by the following: (Item 5) The information processing device described in item 4, The installation means will not install the program if it cannot obtain the information associated with the first device identification information from the first server. An information processing device characterized by the following: (Item 6) An information processing device described in any one of items 1 to 5, The program is executed, the program receives the print job output by the printer driver, and sends the received print job to the cloud print service. An information processing device characterized by the following: (Item 7) The information processing device described in item 6, The program obtains print settings from the cloud print service and sends the print settings based on the obtained print settings to the cloud print service as the print settings for the print job. An information processing device characterized by the following: (Item 8) An information processing device described in any one of items 1 to 7, The printer driver is a general-purpose printer driver provided by the operating system of the information processing device. An information processing device characterized by the following: (Item 9) A program for causing a computer to function as an information processing device as described in any one of items 1 through 8. (Item 10) A method for installing a program in an information processing device connected via a communication network to a cloud print service that holds print jobs received from the information processing device and a printer, The acquisition means of the information processing device includes an acquisition step of acquiring first device identification information for linking with the cloud print service from the cloud print service, The installation means for the information processing device includes an installation step of installing a program that, based on the first device identification information, sends print jobs output by a printer driver corresponding to the printer to the cloud print service. A method for installing the program characterized by the above.

[0092] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, claims are attached to disclose the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0093] 101 Client terminals, 103 Cloud print systems, 104 Cloud print-compatible printers, 311 Local printer drivers, 312 Print settings extension apps, 313 Operating systems, 321 Cloud print services, 331 Application management services, 351 Online support services

Claims

1. An information processing device connected via a communication network to a cloud print service that holds print jobs received from the information processing device and to a printer, An acquisition means for acquiring first device identification information for linking with the cloud printing service from the cloud printing service, The system includes an installation means for installing a program that, based on the first device identification information, sends print jobs output by the printer driver corresponding to the printer to the cloud print service. An information processing device characterized by the following:

2. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, The first device identification information is information obtained by the operating system from the cloud print service based on information for accessing the cloud print service entered via a screen provided by the operating system of the information processing device during the installation of the printer driver. An information processing device characterized by the following:

3. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, The acquisition means further acquires the printer name from the cloud print service, The installation means further installs the printer driver corresponding to the first device identification information and the printer name as the printer driver corresponding to the printer, and associates the program with the printer driver. An information processing device characterized by the following:

4. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, The installation means obtains information associated with the first device identification information from the first server, and obtains the program corresponding to the program identification information contained in the information from the second server and installs it. An information processing device characterized by the following:

5. An information processing apparatus according to claim 4, The installation means will not install the program if it cannot obtain the information associated with the first device identification information from the first server. An information processing device characterized by the following:

6. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, The program is executed, the program receives the print job output by the printer driver, and sends the received print job to the cloud print service. An information processing device characterized by the following:

7. An information processing apparatus according to claim 6, The program obtains print settings from the cloud print service and sends the print settings based on the obtained print settings to the cloud print service as the print settings for the print job. An information processing device characterized by the following:

8. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, The printer driver is a general-purpose printer driver provided by the operating system of the information processing device. An information processing device characterized by the following:

9. A program for causing a computer to function as an information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A method for installing a program in an information processing device connected via a communication network to a cloud print service that holds print jobs received from the information processing device and a printer, The acquisition means of the information processing device includes an acquisition step of acquiring first device identification information for linking with the cloud print service from the cloud print service, The installation means for the information processing device includes an installation step of installing a program that, based on the first device identification information, sends print jobs output by a printer driver corresponding to the printer to the cloud print service. A method for installing the program characterized by the above.

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