Print control program, information processing device, notification method
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2025025684
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-02-20
- Publication Date
- 2026-09-01
Smart Images

Figure 2026139195000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
[Technical Field]
[0001] The present invention relates to a print control program, an information processing apparatus, and a notification method. [Background Art]
[0002] Patent Document 1 describes that communication with a printer is performed in accordance with an OS standard protocol. [Prior Art Documents] [Patent Documents]
[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2021-22166 [Summary of the Invention] [Problems to be Solved by the Invention]
[0004] With an OS-standard printer driver, it is impossible to obtain information on functions unique to the printer vendor or model other than information on standard functions of the printer. Therefore, an improvement measure has been desired. [Means for Solving the Problems]
[0005] A print control program for solving the above problem is a print control program that causes a computer to function as: an information acquisition unit that acquires both first information and second information relating to printing by a printer; and a notification instruction unit that causes an OS to issue a notification based on the first information and the second information. The first information is information that can be acquired by a general-purpose printer driver and can also be acquired by the information acquisition unit, and the second information is information that cannot be acquired by the general-purpose printer driver but can be acquired by the information acquisition unit.
[0006] The information processing device for solving the above problem comprises an information acquisition unit that acquires both first and second information regarding printing on a printer, and a notification instruction unit that causes the OS to issue a notification based on the first and second information, wherein the first information is information that can be acquired by a general-purpose printer driver and can also be acquired by the information acquisition unit, and the second information is information that cannot be acquired by a general-purpose printer driver but can be acquired by the information acquisition unit.
[0007] The notification method to solve the above problem includes an information acquisition unit acquiring both first and second information regarding printing on the printer, and a notification instruction unit causing the OS to send a notification based on the first and second information, wherein the first information is information that can be acquired by a general-purpose printer driver and can also be acquired by the information acquisition unit, and the second information is information that cannot be acquired by a general-purpose printer driver but can be acquired by the information acquisition unit. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0008] [Figure 1] A block diagram showing the configuration of an information processing device. [Figure 2] A flowchart illustrating the status monitoring process after sending print data. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of a toast notification displaying an error. [Figure 4] A diagram showing an example of the details screen display. [Figure 5] A flowchart illustrating the process of monitoring the progress of printing. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of a toast notification displaying the printing progress. [Figure 7] A flowchart illustrating the status monitoring process while an auxiliary application is running. [Modes for carrying out the invention]
[0009] Here, embodiments of the present invention will be described in the following order. (1) First embodiment: (1-1) Overall structure: (1-1-1) Printer configuration: (1-1-2) Configuration of the information processing device: (1-2) Status monitoring process after sending print data: (2) Second embodiment: (2-1) Print progress monitoring process: (3) Other embodiments:
[0010] (1) First embodiment: (1-1) Overall structure: Figure 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration including an information processing device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the information processing device 100 is a PC (Personal Computer) and is a device used by a user requesting printing. The information processing device 100 can communicate with a printer 300 via a network N such as a LAN or the Internet. When a user operates the information processing device 100 to request that the printer 300 print the data to be printed 121, the information processing device 100 sends print data D1, which is the data to be printed 121 converted into a format suitable for printing on the printer 300, to the printer 300. The printer 300 performs printing based on the print data D1.
[0011] (1-1-1) Printer configuration: The printer 300 comprises a processor 310, a storage medium 320, a communication unit 330, a UI unit 340, and a printing unit 350. The processor 310 includes a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc. (not shown), and controls each part of the printer 300 by executing a control program stored in the storage medium 320. The processor 310 may consist of a single chip, multiple chips, or be configured as an SoC together with various functional blocks that operate the printer 300. Furthermore, an ASIC may be used instead of a CPU, or a configuration in which a CPU and an ASIC cooperate may be used. When each device in this embodiment is equipped with a processor, that processor can be realized in various forms, similar to the processor 310.
[0012] The storage medium 320 stores various programs and control data executed by the processor 310. It also stores print data D1 transmitted from the information processing device 100. The communication unit 330 includes circuits used for communication with other devices according to various wired or wireless communication protocols. In this embodiment, the printer 300 can communicate with the information processing device 100 via the communication unit 330. The UI unit 340 displays various information to the user and includes a touch panel display, keys, etc., for inputting user operations.
[0013] The printing unit 350 is equipped with actuators, drive components, mechanical components, and various sensors for detecting the status of the printer 300, for ejecting ink onto the printing medium and performing printing. For example, the sensors include a sensor for detecting the remaining amount of printing medium, a sensor for detecting blockages in the transport path of the printing medium, a sensor for detecting the remaining amount of ink for each ink color, and a sensor for detecting the open / closed state of each cover provided in each part. In this embodiment, multiple sensors for detecting blockages in the printing medium are provided in the transport path, and the processor 310 can determine the location where the printing medium is blocked based on the output signals of the sensors.
[0014] When the processor 310 receives print data D1 from the information processing device 100 via the communication unit 330, it controls the printing unit 350 based on the print data D1 and performs printing. In this embodiment, the printing unit 350 is assumed to perform printing using an inkjet method, but the printing method is not limited to this.
[0015] Further, the processor 310 can transmit information indicating the status of a print job being executed and information indicating the status of the printer 300 to the information processing apparatus 100 in response to an inquiry from the information processing apparatus 100 via the communication unit 330. The information indicating the status of the print job includes information indicating whether printing of the print job requested by the information processing apparatus 100 to the printer 300 has been completed up to the last page. Further, the information indicating the status of the print job includes information such as the name of the file requested to be printed and the number of pages.
[0016] The information indicating the status of the printer 300 is, for example, information detectable by various sensors included in the printer 300. More specifically, it includes information such as that the remaining amount of print medium is exhausted, that the remaining amount of ink is exhausted, that a print medium is jammed and the jammed position, that a cover is in an open state, and identification information of the open cover, and the like.
[0017] (1-1-2) Configuration of Information Processing Apparatus: The information processing apparatus 100 is a computer including a processor 110, a storage medium 120, a communication unit 130, and a UI unit 140. The processor 110 can execute an OS (Operating System) stored in the storage medium 120, programs such as a general-purpose printer driver 112 and an auxiliary App (Application) 113, and various other application programs including an application 111.
[0018] The storage medium 120 is a storage device implemented by a hard disk drive, a solid-state drive, or another memory. Various programs including the OS, the general-purpose printer driver 112, the auxiliary App 113, and the application 111 are stored in the storage medium 120. Further, various files that can be displayed, edited, and the like via the application 111 or the like are stored in the storage medium 120. These various files can serve as print target data 121.
[0019] The communication unit 130 includes a communication interface for communicating with other devices according to various wired or wireless protocols. In this embodiment, the information processing device 100 can communicate with the printer 300 via the communication unit 130. The UI unit 140 includes a display, keys, etc. A device such as a mouse may also be connected via the communication unit 130. The display may also be a touchscreen display. The processor 110 displays various information on the display and accepts operations performed using input units such as keys, a mouse, and a touchscreen.
[0020] The generic printer driver 112 is an OS-standard printer driver provided by the OS vendor. For example, the generic printer driver 112 is the OS-standard printer driver for Windows (registered trademark). The generic printer driver 112 is a program that can perform printing for various types of printers.
[0021] The auxiliary App 113, acting as a print control program, assists the generic printer driver 112 and is an application program that causes the processor 110 to execute print control appropriate to the performance of the target printer or to implement vendor-specific functions of that printer. The auxiliary App 113 is provided by the printer vendor, etc. The auxiliary App 113 is also called a Print Support Application (PSA).
[0022] The processor 110 functions as an information acquisition unit 113a, a notification instruction unit 113b, and a detailed information display unit 113c by executing the auxiliary app 113. The print data generation unit 113d will be described in the second embodiment.
[0023] The information acquisition unit 113a allows the processor 110 to acquire both first and second information regarding printing on the printer 300. The first information is information that can be acquired by the general-purpose printer driver 112 but can also be acquired by the information acquisition unit 113a. The second information is information that cannot be acquired by the general-purpose printer driver 112 but can be acquired by the information acquisition unit 113a. For example, the first information is information that shows the printer status in a common manner independent of the vendor or model, while the second information is information that shows the details of the printer status in a manner dependent on the vendor or model.
[0024] Specifically, for example, the processor 110 can obtain information indicating a print media jam as first information through the general-purpose printer driver 112. The processor 110 can also obtain information indicating a print media jam by executing the auxiliary application 113. More detailed information indicating the location of the print media jam cannot be obtained by the processor 110 through the general-purpose printer driver 112, but it can be obtained by executing the auxiliary application 133. Such information, for example, indicating the specific location of the print media jam, corresponds to second information. The form of such detailed information (e.g., error number, error code) may vary depending on the vendor and model.
[0025] Furthermore, for example, the processor 110 cannot obtain information about the hardware status related to functions other than those predetermined as standard functions of the printer using a generic printer driver. Therefore, information indicating such hardware status corresponds to second-level information.
[0026] The notification instruction unit 113b functions to cause the processor 110 to send a notification to the OS based on the first information and the second information. That is, the processor 110 uses the OS's notification function to send a notification based on the first information and the second information. In this embodiment, the processor 110 uses toast notifications as such notifications. Toast notifications are notifications that pop up and are displayed at the edge of the display screen of the UI unit 140 of the information processing device 100.
[0027] If, for example, the first information is obtained from the printer 300 by the processing of the general-purpose printer driver 112, and the second information is obtained from the printer 300 by the processing of the auxiliary app 113, the state of the printer 300 will be obtained in two separate steps. Therefore, for example, the state of the printer 300 at the time the first information is obtained may change from the state of the printer 300 at the time the second information is obtained, which could lead to inconsistencies. According to the information processing device 100 of this embodiment, the processor 110 obtains both the first and second information using the information acquisition unit 113a of the auxiliary app 113, thus reducing the possibility of such a situation occurring.
[0028] If the first or second piece of information includes information indicating an error that occurred in the printer 300, the notification instruction unit 113b causes the processor 110 to display a toast notification indicating the occurrence of the error. With this configuration, when the information acquisition unit 113a detects that an error has occurred in the printer 300 based on the information acquired from the printer 300, the processor 110 can use the OS's toast notification function to notify the user that an error has occurred.
[0029] The detailed information display unit 113c allows the processor 110 to display a detailed screen showing the details of an error when a predetermined operation is performed in response to a toast notification indicating the occurrence of an error. The error details include information based on second information that cannot be obtained by the general-purpose printer driver 112. With this configuration, according to this embodiment, detailed information about the error that occurred and how to deal with the error can be provided to the user.
[0030] (1-2) Status monitoring process after sending print data: Figure 2 is a flowchart showing the status monitoring process after print data transmission. The status monitoring process after print data transmission begins after the processor 110 sends the print data D1 of the first page included in the print job to the printer 300. When the process in Figure 2 begins, the processor 110 acquires information from the printer 300 using the functions of the information acquisition unit 113a (step S100). That is, the processor 110 acquires information from the printer 300 indicating the status of the print job and information indicating the status of the printer 300.
[0031] Next, the processor 110 analyzes the information acquired in step S100 using the functions of the information acquisition unit 113a (step S105). That is, the processor 110 analyzes the information indicating the status of the print job and the information indicating the status of the printer 300, as described above, and identifies their contents. The information indicating the status of the print job includes, for example, information indicating the file name, total number of pages, and whether or not the print job has been completed. The processor 110 identifies these contents. The information indicating the status of the printer 300 includes, for example, information indicating the remaining amount of printing media, whether or not there is a jam in the printing media, the remaining amount of each ink, and the open / closed status of the cover. The processor 110 identifies these contents.
[0032] Next, the processor 110 determines whether or not the printing of the print job has been completed. That is, the processor 110 determines whether or not the information obtained as a result of step S105 indicates that the printing of the print job has been completed. If it is determined in step S110 that it has been completed, the processor 110 terminates the process shown in Figure 2.
[0033] If the process is not determined to be complete in step S110, the processor 110 determines whether or not there is an error using the function of the notification instruction unit 113b (step S115). That is, the processor 110 determines whether or not the information obtained as a result of step S105 indicates that an error has occurred. For example, it determines whether or not there is no remaining print medium, the print medium is jammed, there is no ink left, the cover is open, etc.
[0034] If an error is detected in step S115, the processor 110 instructs the OS to send a toast notification using the function of the notification instruction unit 113b (step S120). In other words, the processor 110 causes the OS to send a toast notification indicating that an error has occurred.
[0035] Figure 3 shows an example of a toast notification indicating an error. In the example shown in Figure 3, the notification indicates that the printing medium has run out and provides instructions to view the details screen. The toast notification also includes a "Close" button, which the user can click to dismiss the notification.
[0036] If no error is detected in step S115, or if step S120 is executed, the processor 110 waits for a certain period of time (step S125), and after that period of time has elapsed, it resumes processing from step S100 onwards.
[0037] Furthermore, when the processor 110 detects that the user has performed a predetermined operation, such as clicking, in response to the toast notification for the error shown in Figure 3, the detailed information display unit 113c displays a detailed screen to notify the user of the details of the error. Figure 4 shows an example of a detailed screen. The detailed screen may show, for example, the details of the error and how to deal with the error. Alternatively, the detailed screen may include a button to direct the user to the printer vendor's website where the error resolution method is published. In addition, the detailed screen may include various pieces of information indicating the status of the printer 300, regardless of whether or not they are related to the error currently occurring. For example, the example in Figure 4 shows that the ink level is notified.
[0038] (2) Second embodiment: The second embodiment is configured to notify the user of the progress of generating print data D1 in the form of a toast notification. Furthermore, if an error in the printer 300 is detected during the process of monitoring the progress of generating print data D1, a toast notification indicating the occurrence of the error is issued.
[0039] The print data generation unit 113d enables the processor 110 to generate print data D1 for printing on the printer 300 based on the print target data 121. Specifically, when a user opens a file indicating the print target data 121 in application 111 and instructs the printer 300 to print from the application 111's menu, the processor 110 converts the print target data 121 indicated by the file opened in application 111 into print data D1 in a format suitable for printing on the printer 300. The processor 110 then sends the thus generated print data D1 to the printer 300. Note that some of the processing from generating print data D1 from the print target data 121 and sending it to the printer 300 may be performed by the general-purpose printer driver 112.
[0040] The information acquisition unit 113a allows the processor 110 to acquire information indicating the progress of the generation of print data D1 by the print data generation unit 113d. The notification instruction unit 113b allows the processor 110 to display a toast notification indicating the progress based on the information indicating the progress. For example, in a single print job, the processor 110 acquires the number of pages for which the generation of print data has been completed as information indicating the progress. Then, the notification instruction unit 113b causes the processor 110 to execute a toast notification indicating the progress based on the information indicating the progress. With this configuration, the processor 110 can easily make the user aware of the progress of print data generation through automatically displayed toast notifications.
[0041] Furthermore, the processor 110 periodically acquires progress information through the functions of the information acquisition unit 113a. The processor 110 periodically updates progress toast notifications based on the progress information through the functions of the notification instruction unit 113b. With this configuration, the processor 110 can make the user aware of the latest progress at regular intervals.
[0042] Furthermore, the processor 110 terminates the toast notification when it determines, based on the information acquired from the printer 300 by the information acquisition unit 113a, that the print job has been completed, using the function of the notification instruction unit 113b. This configuration prevents the toast notification from continuing to be displayed after printing is complete.
[0043] (2-1) Print progress monitoring process: Figure 5 is a flowchart of the print progress monitoring process performed by the auxiliary app 113. The process shown in Figure 5 is initiated when the user gives an instruction to print the print target data 121 on the printer 300. In the process shown in Figure 5, the progress of the generation of the print data D1 and the status of the printer 300 are monitored periodically at regular intervals.
[0044] When the print progress monitoring process begins, the processor 110 acquires print job information using the information acquisition unit 113a (step S200). That is, the processor 110 acquires print job information from the print data generation unit 113d. The processor 110 acquires this information by referring to the print job information being processed by the print data generation unit 113d using the information acquisition unit 113a. Specifically, for example, the print job information includes the file name of the data to be printed 121, the number of pages to be printed, and so on.
[0045] Next, the processor 110 instructs the OS to display a toast notification using the function of the notification instruction unit 113b (step S205). That is, the processor 110 causes the OS to display a toast notification showing the print progress (initial state). Figure 6 shows an example of a toast notification showing the print progress. The toast notification showing the progress includes the printer name, the file name of the print target data 121, a progress bar showing the progress, the page number of the print data being generated (or the page number that has been generated) and the number of pages to be printed. The toast notification showing the progress may also include a button to cancel printing or a button to guide to a site for purchasing consumables. Note that Figure 6 shows an example where the generation of print data has been completed up to page 5 out of 10 pages, but if no pages have been generated when step S205 is executed, the progress bar will show, for example, 0 pages out of 10 pages.
[0046] Next, the processor 110 acquires the progress of the generation of print data D1 using the functions of the information acquisition unit 113a (step S210). Specifically, the processor 110 uses the information acquisition unit 113a to refer to the processing data of the print data generation unit 113d and acquires information such as the page number of the page being generated by the print data generation unit 113d and the page number of the page that has been completed.
[0047] Next, the processor 110 acquires information from the printer 300 using the functions of the information acquisition unit 113a (step S215), and analyzes the acquired information (step S220). The processing in steps S215 and S220 is the same as the processing in steps S100 and S105 in Figure 2.
[0048] Next, the processor 110 determines whether or not an error has occurred based on the function of the notification instruction unit 113b (step S225). That is, the processor 110 determines whether or not the information obtained in step S220 indicates that an error has occurred in the printer 300.
[0049] If no error is detected in step S225, the processor 110 issues a toast update instruction to the OS using the function of the notification instruction unit 113b (step S235). That is, the processor 110 updates the length of the progress bar according to the page number shown in Figure 6 and the proportion of the total number of pages to be printed, based on the information obtained from the print data generation unit 113d in step S210.
[0050] If an error is detected in step S225, the processor 110, using the function of the notification instruction unit 113b, issues a toast update instruction to the OS (step S230). That is, the processor 110 instructs the OS to update the content of the toast notification to indicate that an error has occurred. The toast notification indicating that an error has occurred is displayed in the manner shown in Figure 3, for example.
[0051] After executing step S230 or step S235, the processor 110 determines whether the print job is complete (step S240). That is, the processor 110 determines whether the information obtained in step S220 indicates that the print job is complete. If it is determined in step S240 that the print job is complete, the processor 110 instructs the OS to terminate the toast notification (step S245). As a result, the display of the toast notification ends.
[0052] If the print job is not determined to be complete in step S240, the processor 110 waits for a certain period of time (step S250) and returns to the process in step S210. In other words, the processes from steps S210 to S240 are executed at regular intervals. Therefore, if no errors occur in the printer 300, the toast notification indicating the progress in step S235 is updated periodically.
[0053] (3) Other embodiments: The embodiments described above are merely examples for carrying out the present invention, and various other embodiments can be adopted. For example, the information processing device may take the form of a tablet or smartphone in addition to a PC. The operating system of the information processing device is not limited to a PC OS. A printer can be any device that has communication and printing capabilities, but it may also be a multifunction device that has other functions such as scanning, copying, and facsimile.
[0054] Notifications based on the first and second pieces of information may vary in form depending on the type and version of the OS. Furthermore, they are not limited to notifications specifically named "toast notifications."
[0055] In the above embodiment, a configuration is provided in which a detailed screen showing the details of an error is displayed when a predetermined operation is performed in response to a toast notification indicating the occurrence of an error. However, at least some of the information showing the details of the error may be displayed in the toast notification indicating the occurrence of an error. For example, if a jam occurs in the printing medium, the toast notification may include information indicating the location of the jam. The detailed screen may then display a method for resolving the jam.
[0056] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 2 and 5, the monitoring of the printer 300's status is not limited to occurring after the printer 300 starts printing or after the generation of print data D1 begins. The printer 300's status may be monitored as long as the auxiliary app 113 is running, regardless of whether print data D1 is being generated or printing based on print data D1 is in progress. Alternatively, the printer 300's status may be monitored continuously if the user instructs the auxiliary app 113 to start monitoring the printer 300's status while the auxiliary app 113 is running.
[0057] Figure 7 shows the status monitoring process performed while the auxiliary application 113 is running. The process shown in Figure 7 is started, for example, when the auxiliary application 113 is selected from the application list of the information processing device 100. The process shown in Figure 7 is the same as the process shown in Figure 2, but with step S110 removed. That is, while the auxiliary application 113 is running, the processor 110 repeatedly executes the processes from steps S100 to S120 at regular intervals. If an error is detected based on information obtained from the printer 300, the processor 110 causes the OS to send a toast notification to inform the OS of the error, as shown in step S120.
[0058] Note that the process shown in Figure 7 terminates when the auxiliary app 113 closes. If a toast notification is displayed, the processor 110 also terminates the display of the toast notification when the auxiliary app 113 closes.
[0059] In the above embodiment, the information acquisition unit was configured to acquire and notify the progress of print data generation as the progress of printing. However, it may also be configured to update the printing progress of the printer based on information acquired from the printer. For example, it may be configured to acquire the number of pages (or page numbers) that have been printed from the printer and notify information indicating the printing progress based on this information.
[0060] Furthermore, the present invention is also applicable to programs executed by computers and notification methods. Moreover, such systems, programs, and methods may be implemented as a single device or by utilizing components from multiple devices, encompassing various embodiments. They can also be modified as appropriate, such as being partly software and partly hardware. Furthermore, the invention also functions as a recording medium for programs that control a system. Of course, the recording medium for such programs may be a magnetic recording medium, a semiconductor memory, or any recording medium developed in the future can be considered in exactly the same way. [Explanation of Symbols]
[0061] 100... Information processing device, 110... Processor, 111... Application, 112... General-purpose printer driver, 113... Auxiliary App (print control program), 113a... Information acquisition unit, 113b... Notification instruction unit, 113c... Detailed information display unit, 113d... Print data generation unit, 120... Storage medium, 121... Print target data, 130... Communication unit, 140... UI unit, 300... Printer, 310... Processor, 320... Storage medium, 330... Communication unit, 340... UI unit, 350... Print unit, D1... Print data, N... Network
Claims
1. Computers Information acquisition unit that acquires both first and second information regarding printing on the printer. A notification instruction unit that causes the OS to issue a notification based on the first information and the second information, A print control program that functions as such, The first information is information that can be obtained by a general-purpose printer driver and can also be obtained by the information acquisition unit. The second piece of information described above is information that cannot be obtained by the general-purpose printer driver but can be obtained by the information acquisition unit. Print control program.
2. The aforementioned print control program is a Print Support Application. The print control program according to claim 1.
3. If the first information or the second information includes information indicating an error that occurred in the printer, The notification instruction unit causes the OS to issue a toast notification indicating the occurrence of the error. The print control program according to claim 1.
4. The aforementioned computer, If a predetermined operation is performed in response to the toast notification, the unit further functions as a detailed information display unit that displays a detailed screen showing the details of the error. The print control program according to claim 3.
5. The information acquisition unit acquires information indicating the progress of generating print data for printing the data to be printed using the printer, The notification instruction unit causes the OS to issue a toast notification indicating the progress based on the information indicating the progress. The print control program according to claim 1.
6. The information acquisition unit periodically acquires the information indicating the progress, The notification instruction unit periodically updates the toast notification indicating the progress based on the information indicating the progress. The print control program according to claim 5.
7. The notification instruction unit terminates the progress notification when it determines, based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit from the printer, that the printing of the print job has been completed. The print control program according to claim 6.
8. An information acquisition unit that acquires both first and second information regarding printing on the printer, A notification instruction unit that causes the OS to issue a notification based on the first information and the second information, Equipped with, The first information is information that can be obtained by a general-purpose printer driver and can also be obtained by the information acquisition unit. The second piece of information described above is information that cannot be obtained by the general-purpose printer driver but can be obtained by the information acquisition unit. Information processing device.
9. The information acquisition unit acquires both the first and second pieces of information related to printing on the printer. The notification instruction unit includes causing the OS to issue a notification based on the first information and the second information, The first information is information that can be obtained by a general-purpose printer driver and can also be obtained by the information acquisition unit. The second piece of information described above is information that cannot be obtained by the general-purpose printer driver but can be obtained by the information acquisition unit. Notification method.
Citation Information
Patent Citations
Information processing apparatus, control method, and program
JP2021022166A