PROGRAM, METHOD FOR CONTROLLING INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS AND INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS

Abstract

To acquire information regarding model-specific functions of a peripheral apparatus, the acquisition failing to be enabled by the formulated standards, in a general-purpose device driver, and provide a mechanism that can reduce device-dependent portions of system software.SOLUTION: A printer capability acquiring unit 304 of a general-purpose printer driver 1053 acquires, from a printer 201, definition information (definition for acquisition of apparatus-specific information) for information acquisition specific to the printer 201, using definition information for information acquisition (definition for acquisition of apparatus-common information) commonly usable for various printers and independent of vendors or models (S1002, S1003), acquires, from the printer 201, configuration information specific to the printer 201, using the definition for acquisition of apparatus-specific information (S1005-S1007), and saves the configuration information in an extended information storage unit 3032 for each printer (S1007). The general-purpose printer driver 1053 controls the printer 201 using the configuration information for the printer 201 saved in the extended information storage unit 3032.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to control of a process for acquiring information from a peripheral device such as a printing device. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, environments have emerged in which users are no longer stationed in a specific location, such as the trend toward mobile information processing devices and the existence of free address systems in business environments where users do not sit in a specific location during work. As a result, there are an increasing number of cases in which users want to print using printing devices of various vendors and models according to the location they move to, rather than just using a fixed printing device as in the past.

[0003] Here, a printer driver called a universal printer driver is known as a printer driver for controlling a plurality of types of printing devices with different functions (Patent Document 1).

[0004] It is also being considered to make it possible to send print data to a printing device without using a printer driver provided by the printing device vendor. For example, Ubuntu(R) 17.04 comes equipped with a mechanism for sending print data to a printing device that supports IPP Everyware(R) as a default OS function. IPP Everyware is a series of standards that enable printing using printing devices from various vendors and brands, and industry groups are formulating and promoting the standards.

[0005] Generally, universal printer drivers such as those described above are provided by each vendor. Therefore, one universal printer driver can be used to support multiple types of printing devices with different functions sold by the same vendor. However, it has been difficult to use one universal printer driver to support printing devices from different vendors. This is because each vendor uses a different communication method, PDL (page description language) or JDL (job description language), to exchange print data, making it difficult to unify them. Another reason is that each vendor applies its own extensions to the PDL and JDL, making it difficult to unify the operation.

[0006] Incidentally, if a mechanism could be provided that allows printing to be performed in an execution environment such as Windows (registered trademark) without having to separately install a V3 or V4 format printer driver provided by the vendor, it is expected that convenience for users can be increased. In order to realize such a mechanism, it is conceivable to make a print service using a mechanism compliant with IPP available in a Windows environment (Non-Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] JP 2011-243067 A [Non-patent literature]

[0008] [Non-Patent Document 1] http: / / ug.oipsrv.net / USRMA-0672-zz-PS-jaJP / contents / PS850_network725_printernosetuzokuhouhouippipps.html Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] A generic printer driver that is not dependent on a vendor or model (hereafter referred to as a "generic printer driver") allows printing on printing devices sold by various vendors. However, conventional generic printer drivers cannot support device-specific functions.

[0010] For example, with a conventional generic printer driver, when obtaining configuration information (capability information) of a printing device, it was possible to obtain general functions by performing device configuration information acquisition processing that complies with IPP. However, with a conventional generic printer driver, it was not possible to obtain information about device-specific functions or new functions by performing device configuration information acquisition processing that complies with IPP.

[0011] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems. It is an object of the present invention to provide a mechanism for enabling a general-purpose device driver to obtain information on model-specific functions of a peripheral device that cannot be handled by established standards. Another object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism for reducing device-dependent portions of system software. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] The present invention provides an application program, Information processing device having a display unit Generate print data that can be printed on multiple printers from different vendors death In response to a predetermined operation being performed on a first print setting screen provided by printing software that transmits the print data to the plurality of printers, 、 Second Print Settings Screen is displayed on the display unit. A setting value that cannot be set on the first print setting screen and is acquired from a printer using communication according to the Internet Printing Protocol (IPP). Included in ability information The set value Via the second print setting screen configurable and , A print job in which setting values ​​are set via at least the second print setting screen is transmitted from the information processing device to the printer. It is characterized by: Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to obtain information about model-specific functions of peripheral devices that cannot be handled by established standards in a general-purpose device driver. According to another aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a mechanism for reducing device-dependent portions of system software. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a system including an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a software configuration of a client computer. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a standard print setting screen of an OS. [Figure 5A] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a print setting screen of a vendor-specific print extension application. [Figure 5B] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a print setting screen of a vendor-specific print extension application. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a vendor-specific tile application screen. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a definition of device-common (device-independent) information acquisition. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an extended definition when acquiring information via USB. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a definition of device-specific (device-dependent) information acquisition. [Figure 10] 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a configuration information acquisition process in the first embodiment. [Figure 11] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for acquiring a definition of device-specific information acquisition in the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. [First embodiment] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a client computer 100 is an information processing device of this embodiment, and is configured using a general-purpose computer. The CPU 101 controls the entire computer 100 in accordance with a program stored in the ROM 1021 or RAM 1022 of the main storage device 102 or in the auxiliary storage device 105 .

[0016] The RAM 1022 is also used as a work area when the CPU 101 performs various processes. The auxiliary storage device 105 stores various programs such as an application (app) 1051, a device application (device app) 1052, a generic printer driver 1053, and an operating system (OS) 1054. A printer driver is an example of a device driver. The present invention is applicable to device drivers and is not limited to printer drivers. Device drivers include device drivers for various peripheral devices (peripheral equipment), such as a scanner driver and a fax driver.

[0017] Input devices such as a keyboard 1031 and a pointing device 1032 typified by a mouse, a touch panel, a touch pad, etc. are connected to the computer 100 via an input interface (I / F) 103. The computer 100 accepts operations for a program from a user via these input devices.

[0018] An output device such as a monitor 1041 is connected to the output I / F 104, and the UI is displayed on the monitor according to instructions from the program. Note that, for some terminals such as smartphones and tablet terminals, the pointing device 1032 and the monitor 1041 are integrated, but here they are simply separated according to their roles and are described, and of course they can be thought of as interchangeable.

[0019] The communication I / F 106 is connected to a network 1061 and a Universal Serial Bus (USB) 1062, and is capable of communicating with external devices of the computer 100, such as the computer 202 and printer 201 in FIG.

[0020] The above-mentioned modules are connected by a system bus 107, and data can be exchanged between the modules. Programs (1051 to 1054, etc.) for implementing the functions of this embodiment can be added to the auxiliary storage device 105 via a CD-ROM, USB memory, etc. (not shown). Furthermore, these programs can also be added to the auxiliary storage device 105 via a network 1061. It goes without saying that the present invention can be applied to any device configuration, unless otherwise specified, as long as the functions of the present invention are executed. The device may be a single device, a system made up of multiple devices, or a system in which processing is performed by connecting via a local network.

[0021] The environment of the network 1061 will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a system including the information processing device of this embodiment. In the system of this embodiment, printing devices (also called image forming devices) such as computers 100 / 202 that create documents and images to be printed are connected to a single network or multiple networks. Furthermore, a printer 201 may be connected to a single network or multiple networks, or may be connected to the computer 100 / 202 via a USB 1062. An example of a peripheral device is an image forming device. Examples of image forming devices include the printer 201, a scanner, a facsimile machine, and a combination machine of these.

[0022] The above networks include small to large networks such as Personal Area Networks (PANs) and LANs, and these devices are connected to all of the networks. Note that servers and printers may be connected via the Internet, such as to the cloud. The communication method used here is not particularly limited, and may include wireless LAN communication conforming to the IEEE802.11 standard, Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication, and communication including mobile phone lines conforming to the IMT-2000 standard. IMT-2000 stands for "International Mobile Telecommunication 2000." As for USB, in addition to direct connection, it may also be relayed by something like a USB hub or switchboard.

[0023] Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the software configuration of the client computer 100. In this embodiment, the application 1051 and the generic printer driver 1053 will be described in detail. In particular, a print extension application 10511 included in the application 1051, and a configuration module 10531 and a graphics filter 10532 which are components of the generic printer driver 1053 will be described in detail. Each software module shown in Fig. 3 is realized and functions by the CPU 101 loading a program stored in the auxiliary storage device 105 or the like into the RAM 1022 and executing it.

[0024] The application 1051 is a general application such as a word processor or a browser. The application 1051 displays a UI on the monitor 1041 and accepts a print request from the user via an input device such as a pointing device 1032 or a keyboard 1031. In response to the user's print request, the application 1051 issues a print request to a print system (not shown), which is a subsystem of the OS 1054. The print system is located between the application 1051 and the generic printer driver 1053, and executes common processes in the print process. Specifically, the execution process involves selecting a printer to be printed and converting the print command into a print command that can be interpreted by the printer 201 using the selected generic printer driver 1053.

[0025] The print extension application 10511 includes a tile application unit 301 and a detailed information setting UI unit 302 . The tile application unit 301 is a UI unit that is executed in response to a user operation to start the print extension application 10511. The tile application unit 301 displays a list of registered printers as shown in FIG. 6, and provides functions such as displaying the printer status. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a vendor-specific tile application screen. An information acquisition button 601 shown in FIG. 6 is used to acquire the status of the printer.

[0026] The detailed information setting UI unit 302 is a UI unit that is executed by receiving a detailed print setting event executed by the OS 1054. Specifically, by clicking a link 401 to a detailed setting screen that exists in the OS standard print setting screen shown in Fig. 4, the detailed information setting UI unit 302 displays the UI of a print extension application 10511 as shown in Figs. 5A and 5B. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a standard print setting screen of the OS. 5A and 5B are diagrams showing an example of a print setting screen of a vendor-specific print extension application, the details of which will be described later.

[0027] Generally, a printer driver is a module that handles processes that depend on the printer that is the print output destination. However, the generic printer driver 1053 of this embodiment is compliant with standard specifications that enable communication and printing independent of the printer vendor or model. The generic printer driver 1053 is a printer driver that can be commonly used for multiple printers of different vendors and models. The generic printer driver 1053 can be expanded with additional functions and detailed setting screens by introducing a print extension application 10511.

[0028] The configuration module 10531 includes a data storage unit 303 and a printer capability acquisition unit 304 . The data storage unit 303 corresponds to a storage area that stores data used by the generic printer driver 1053. In this case, this includes not only the file system and registry on the auxiliary storage device 105, but also data that is temporarily stored in the RAM 1022 as volatile data.

[0029] The data storage unit 303 includes a basic information storage unit 3031 and an extended information storage unit 3032 . The basic information storage unit 3031 is an area for storing information and definitions related to settings and specifications that are common to each vendor and are used commonly within a vendor, which are defined when the generic printer driver 1053 is installed. Specifically, the information includes definitions related to the capabilities and print settings required for printing, such as corresponding paper sizes and color settings, definitions related to prohibited rules, such as "stapling is not possible with A3 size," and definitions related to information acquired during communication (definitions for acquiring information common to devices). In addition, the basic information storage unit 3031 may store definitions of data conversion tables and conversion logic for resolving common dependencies shared by the printers of the vendor. In this way, the basic information storage unit 3031 stores information that can be commonly used by multiple printers of different vendors and models.

[0030] On the other hand, the extension information storage unit 3032 stores data defined for the purpose of extending functions after the installation of the generic printer driver 1053. This data corresponds to, for example, definitions related to device-specific functions such as support information for special paper and definitions related to functions using device-specific finishers, and information for controlling post-installation settings such as customization of default values ​​and favorite settings. In addition to print settings, this data may also be information used internally, such as image quality correction, such as calibration. In this way, the basic information storage unit 3031 stores information that can be commonly used by multiple printing devices of different vendors and models (for example, definition information for acquiring device-common information). The extended information storage unit 3032 stores information specific to the device (for example, definition information for acquiring device-specific information). The data holding unit 303 is provided for each printer.

[0031] A printer capability acquisition unit 304 acquires device configuration information, information set by the user, and the like from the printer 201. The communication used here is intended to be communication that uses standard protocols such as the Internet Printing Protocol (IPP) and Web Service on Devices (WSD), and refers to communication that can be executed by the OS 1054.

[0032] It is assumed that applications such as the print extension application 10511 may independently call the processing of the printer capability acquisition unit 304. Here, an example will be described in which IPP is used. The printer capability acquisition unit 304 acquires capability information stored in the basic information storage unit 3031 using a printer attribute request operation (Get-Printer-Attributes Operations) defined in "RFC2911". The printer capability acquisition unit 304 also transmits a Get-Printer-Attributes Request to the printer 201. As a response to the request, attribute information of the printer 201 is obtained. The printer capability information acquired by the printer attribute request operation is, for example, capability information of standard print settings, such as whether "double-sided" or "color printing" is possible.

[0033] The graphics filter 10532 receives standard document data including setting information that can be generally interpreted by a printer from the application 1051 via the print system, and analyzes the standard document data in the standard document data analysis unit 305. The graphics filter 10532 then converts the standard document data into standard document data that reflects the print settings, using the output data generation unit 306. The converted standard document data is passed to a system spooler 10541, which is a subsystem of the OS 1054, and transmitted to the printer 201.

[0034] In this case, standard document data refers to standard Page Description Language (PDL) such as XPS, PDF, or Post Script (PS), or to PDL that has been expanded by adding additional data. XPS stands for "XML Paper Specification." PDF stands for "Portable Document Format."

[0035] The process of this embodiment will be outlined below. In this embodiment, configuration information is acquired from the printer 201, but the generic printer driver 1053 does not depend on the vendor or the model. For this reason, in the conventional method, it was not possible to acquire model-dependent information, including model-specific functions. For example, since the "stapling" capability is a general capability, it can be defined as information common to vendors and models, and can be acquired by a standard configuration information acquisition process. However, since the capability of the "stapleless binding" function, which fastens without using metal staples, is only available to a specific model, the information cannot be acquired by standard configuration information acquisition. For this reason, in this embodiment, first, a model-common information acquisition definition (which can be commonly used for multiple printers with different vendors and models) is used to inquire the printer 201 about a model-specific information acquisition definition. Then, by using the acquired device-specific (model-dependent) information acquisition definition, model-specific capability information is acquired from the printer 201.

[0036] The above process will be explained with reference to the flow chart in FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of configuration information acquisition processing in the first embodiment. In this embodiment, a device-dependent definition is acquired from the printer when acquiring configuration information, and model-specific information is acquired from the printer using the model-dependent definition. The processing of this flowchart is realized by the CPU 101 of the client computer 100 loading a program stored in the auxiliary storage device 105 or the like into the RAM 1022 and executing it. Note that, unless otherwise specified, the processing shown in this flowchart is executed by the printer capability acquisition unit 304 of the generic printer driver 1053 called from the OS 1054. Here, the printer 201 is used as an example for explanation.

[0037] The execution timing of the process shown in this flowchart is appropriately called by an event generated by the OS 1054, an event generated by the printer 201, and an event generated by a user operation. First, an event generated by the OS 1054 refers to an event generated when the generic printer driver 1053 is installed and initialized, an event generated when the OS 1054 is connected to the network or the connection state is changed, and the like. Also, an event may be generated at a certain time reserved by the system or at a specific time. Also, an event generated by the printer 201 refers to an event generated when the settings are updated on the printer 201 side, when the printer 201 is started, when an option such as a finisher is attached (removed), and the like. Also, an event generated by the printer 201 includes an event generated when the status of the printer 201 is updated, and the like. Also, an event generated by a user operation refers to an event generated when the print extension application 10511 linked to the generic printer driver 1053 is operated. For example, the operation of the information acquisition button 601 in the tile application section 301 and the information acquisition button 501 in the detailed information setting UI section 302 corresponds to an event generated by a user operation. In addition, when the print extension application 10511 is started or ended by the user, it is also considered to be an event generated by a user operation.

[0038] First, in S1001, the printer capability acquisition unit 304 determines whether a definition for model-specific information acquisition exists. Specifically, the printer capability acquisition unit 304 determines whether a definition for model-specific information acquisition exists in the extended information storage unit 3032 of the data holding unit 303 corresponding to the printer 201. At this time, the condition for the determination may be that information similar to the definition for model-specific information acquisition has been loaded onto the RAM 1022 of the system, or a flag indicating that the definition for model-specific information acquisition has been acquired may be set as the condition for the determination.

[0039] In S1001 above, if it is determined that there is no definition for acquiring information specific to the model (No in S1001), the printer capability acquisition unit 304 advances processing to S1002 and controls the printer 201 to acquire a definition for acquiring information specific to the device.

[0040] In S1002, the printer capability acquisition unit 304 reads the definition of information acquisition common to all devices. As described above, the definition of information acquisition common to all devices is stored as model-independent data in the basic information storage unit 3031 of the data retention unit 303 corresponding to the printer 201, and is, for example, as shown in FIG.

[0041] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a definition of device-common (device-independent) information acquisition. A capability information acquisition definition 701 is request information for acquiring a model-specific information acquisition definition from the printer 201, and making this request makes it possible to acquire a device-specific information acquisition definition as shown in Fig. 9 from the printer 201. The request in this embodiment is assumed to acquire the definition as a character string, but data may be acquired in a separate binary format, or data may be acquired in another data format such as JSON instead of XML as in this example, and then converted separately before use. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a definition of device-specific (device-dependent) information acquisition.

[0042] Next, in S1003, the printer capability acquisition unit 304 acquires a definition of device-specific (device-dependent) information acquisition from the printer 201 based on the information (definition of device-common (device-independent) information acquisition) read in S1002 above. The acquired information is read into the RAM 1022 of the system. At this time, processes such as establishing a connection and retransmission processing when acquiring data are controlled by the OS 1054 side. In addition, even if the connection is a USB connection, it is basically the same as when connected to a network. However, if the data used by the printer 201 for communication is vendor-specific or requires special processing, an executable script such as that shown in FIG. 8 may be loaded and processed. This script is loaded when the printer 201 is subjected to a print process or when information is acquired, and a function with a reserved name according to the processing content is executed.

[0043] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of an extended definition when acquiring information via USB. For example, when acquiring information, the getSchemas function in FIG. 8 is called, and the process described therein is called. In this example, the getSchemas function is called, but in the case of an IPP connection, for example, a process associated with the GetPrinterAttibute function is called. In addition, as for the content of the process, when the data returned from the printer side is vendor-specific binary data or data in a specified format, the data is converted. In addition, it is also possible to perform processes such as branching the process for each device, such as switching the conversion process depending on the device, waiting for the process with the printer 201 during communication, and ensuring the consistency of communication data when information acquisition and printing process run in parallel. By converting the data using this script, it is possible to perform the process in the same way as communication on a normal network.

[0044] Next, in S1004, the printer capability acquisition unit 304 saves the data acquired in S1003 (definition of device-specific information acquisition) in the extended information storage unit 3032 of the data holding unit 303 corresponding to the printer 201, and proceeds to S1005.

[0045] Furthermore, in S1001 above, if it is determined that a definition for acquiring model-specific information exists (Yes in S1001), the printer capability acquisition unit 304 advances the process to S1005.

[0046] In S1005, the printer capability acquisition unit 304 performs a process to apply the definition of device-specific information acquisition. Here, it is assumed that the process replaces the device-common definition as shown in Fig. 7 with the definition as shown in Fig. 9, but if there is no conflict between the device-common definition and the device-specific definition, a method of reading both may be used, or the two files may be merged.

[0047] Next, in S1006, the printer capability acquisition unit 304 performs processing to apply the information updated in the processing in S1005 above. This processing corresponds to the reloading of settings and the calling of application processing, but may also call system initialization processing. Also, if necessary, the system spooler 10541 managed by the OS 1054 is also restarted. Note that, if necessary at the time of restart, a method such as having one's own process re-executed using a task scheduler or an external process may be taken.

[0048] Next, in S1007, the printer capability acquisition unit 304 acquires device-specific (device-dependent) information from the printer 201 based on the definition of device-specific information acquisition applied in S1006 above. In this embodiment, information is acquired using a definition of device-specific information acquisition as shown in FIG. 9. For example, a device-common definition 901 is a definition of information acquisition for a device-common setting such as whether stapling is possible. Also, a device-specific definition 902 is a definition of device-specific information acquisition such as "punch or stapleless binding". In this step, information is acquired according to such definitions. The printer capability acquisition unit 304 saves the configuration information acquired here in the extended information storage unit 3032 of the data holding unit 303 corresponding to the printer 201, and ends the processing of this flowchart.

[0049] Next, an example of a setting screen displayed based on the acquired information will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5A shows an example of a setting screen displayed when device-specific information has not been acquired. Fig. 5B shows an example of a setting screen displayed when device-specific information has been acquired.

[0050] 5A or 5B is displayed when the OS 1054 detects a user operation for making print settings and calls a print extension application 10511 corresponding to the printer to be used for printing. The print extension application 10511 started by the OS 1054 acquires function information corresponding to the printer to be used for printing, which is stored in the data storage unit 303 of the generic printer driver 1053. Then, the detailed information setting UI unit 302 of the print extension application 10511 displays a setting screen such as that shown in FIG. 5A or 5B based on the acquired information.

[0051] For example, in response to a user operation of the information acquisition button 501 on the setting screen of FIG. 5A, the process of FIG. 10 described above is executed. Then, when an event is received from the OS 1054, the detailed information setting UI unit 302 updates the display of the detailed setting screen using the device-specific (device-dependent) configuration information acquired in the process of FIG. 10. This makes it possible to switch from the setting screen before acquiring the device information as in FIG. 5A to a setting screen as in FIG. 5B including device-specific settings. Then, the generic printer driver 1053 controls the printer 201 using the print settings set on the setting screen as in FIG. 5B. For example, a print job based on the print settings set on the setting screen as in FIG. 5B is transmitted to the printer 201. As described above, it becomes possible to obtain information about model-specific functions that cannot be handled by established standards in a generic printer driver.

[0052] Second Embodiment In the second embodiment, a case where a definition for acquiring device-specific information exists on a server will be described. In the first embodiment, a configuration in which the printer is queried for a definition for acquiring device-specific information is described, but in the second embodiment, a configuration in which the definition is acquired from a server will be described.

[0053] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for acquiring a definition of device-specific information acquisition in the second embodiment, which is executed in place of S1002 and S1003 in FIG. The processing of this flowchart is realized by the CPU 101 of the client computer 100 loading a program stored in the auxiliary storage device 105 or the like into the RAM 1022 and executing it. Unless otherwise specified, the processing shown in this flowchart is executed by the printer capability acquisition unit 304 of the generic printer driver 1053 called from the OS 1054.

[0054] In S1101, the printer capability acquisition unit 304 acquires the storage location of the device-specific information acquisition definition. This information on the storage location may be defined in advance on the generic printer driver 1053, or a file reference may be described on a definition common to all devices. If the above storage location differs depending on the vendor or model, the storage location may be acquired using information on the vendor or model of the printer 201. The storage location of the file of the device-specific information acquisition definition may be located on the Internet, uploaded to a server as a shared file, or located in local storage. The file may also be stored using a file sharing mechanism provided on the printer 201.

[0055] Next, in S1102, the printer capability acquisition unit 304 performs authentication processing for the storage location of the device-specific information acquisition definition acquired in S1101 above. Next, in step S1103, the printer capability acquisition unit 304 acquires a file of the device-specific information acquisition definition from the storage location of the device-specific information acquisition definition acquired in step S1101. Note that when acquiring the file, if information such as the vendor and model of the printer 201 is required, the information is acquired using the information. By carrying out the above process, a device-specific information acquisition definition file located on a server or the like can be acquired.

[0056] As described above, according to each embodiment, it is possible to obtain information about model-specific functions of a printing device that cannot be handled by established standards in a vendor- and model-independent generic printer driver that can be used by a variety of printers.

[0057] The configurations and contents of the various data described above are not limited to those described above, and the data may have various configurations and contents depending on the application and purpose. Although one embodiment has been described above, the present invention can be embodied, for example, as a system, an apparatus, a method, a program, a storage medium, etc. Specifically, the present invention may be applied to a system composed of multiple devices, or may be applied to an apparatus composed of a single device. Furthermore, any combination of the above-described embodiments is also included in the present invention.

[0058] (Other embodiments) The present invention can also be realized by a process in which a program for implementing one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that implements one or more of the functions. Furthermore, the present invention may be applied to a system made up of a plurality of devices, or to an apparatus made up of a single device. The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and various modifications (including organic combinations of the embodiments) are possible based on the spirit of the present invention, and are not excluded from the scope of the present invention. In other words, the present invention includes all configurations that combine the above-mentioned embodiments and their modifications. [Explanation of symbols]

[0059] 100 client computers 201 Printer 302 Detailed information setting UI section 303 Data storage unit 304 Printer Capability Acquisition Department 1053 Generic Printer Driver 1054 Operating System (OS) 10511 Print extension app

Claims

1. An information processing device having a display unit, displaying a second print setting screen on the display unit in response to a predetermined operation being performed on a first print setting screen provided by printing software that generates print data printable by a plurality of printers of different vendors and transmits the print data to the plurality of printers; A setting value that cannot be set on the first print setting screen and is included in capability information acquired from a printer using communication in accordance with the Internet Printing Protocol (IPP) can be set via the second print setting screen; An application program for transmitting a print job, in which setting values ​​have been set via at least the second print setting screen, from the information processing device to the printer.

2. An application program as described in Claim 1, wherein information regarding setting values ​​that can be set on the first print setting screen included in the capability information is obtained from the printer using communication according to IPP.

3. The application program according to claim 2 , wherein the capability information is acquired using a Get-Printer-Attribute Operation.

4. The application program according to claim 1 , wherein the setting value that cannot be set is stapleless binding.

5. The application program according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined operation is a user operation of a predetermined button on the first print setting screen.

6. The application program according to claim 2 , wherein the setting value is obtained from a printer when the application program is started by a user.

7. The application program according to claim 2 , wherein the setting value is acquired from the printer when information specific to the printer model has not been acquired.

8. The application program according to claim 1 , wherein the print data is a PDF.

9. An application program as described in claim 1, wherein setting value information included in the capability information is stored in a memory unit of the information processing device and updated based on the acquired capability information.

10. A method for controlling an information processing device having a display unit on which an application program is installed, comprising the steps of: a display step of displaying, on the display unit, a second print setting screen in response to a predetermined operation being performed on a first print setting screen provided by printing software that generates print data printable by a plurality of printers of different vendors and transmits the print data to the plurality of printers; a setting value that cannot be set on the first print setting screen in the display step and is included in capability information acquired from the printer using communication in accordance with IPP can be set via the second print setting screen; A method for controlling an information processing apparatus, comprising the steps of: transmitting a print job, the print job having settings set via at least the second print setting screen, from the information processing apparatus to the printer;

11. The control method of an information processing device as described in Claim 10, wherein the setting values ​​that can be set on the first print setting screen included in the capability information are obtained from the printer using communication according to IPP.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the capability information is acquired by using a Get-Printer-Attribute Operation.

13. The method for controlling an information processing device according to claim 10, wherein the setting value that cannot be set is stapleless binding.

14. The method of controlling an information processing apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the predetermined operation is a user's operation of a predetermined button on the first print setting screen.

15. The method of controlling an information processing apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the setting value is obtained from a printer when the application program is started by a user.

16. The method of controlling an information processing apparatus according to claim 11 , further comprising the step of acquiring the setting value from a printer when information specific to the printer model has not been acquired.

17. The method of controlling an information processing apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the print data is a PDF.

18. A control method for an information processing device as described in claim 10, wherein setting value information included in the capability information is stored in a memory unit of the information processing device and updated based on the acquired capability information.

19. An information processing device having a display unit on which an application program is installed, a display unit that displays a second print setting screen on the display unit in response to a predetermined operation being performed on a first print setting screen provided by printing software that generates print data printable by multiple printers of different vendors and transmits the print data to the multiple printers; A setting value that cannot be set on the first print setting screen and is included in capability information acquired from a printer using communication according to IPP can be set via the second print setting screen, a print job in which a setting value is set via at least the second print setting screen is transmitted from the information processing device to the printer; 23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

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