Support program, information processing apparatus, and printing method

Abstract

To provide a technique for allowing, in an information processing apparatus in which an OS-standard general-use printing program is implemented, a user to easily obtain information concerning processes that are based on a print instruction.SOLUTION: When a general-use printing program 41 receives a print instruction to cause a printer 2 to execute printing of an image, a supporting program 42 obtains status information of the printer 2 from the printer 2, determines, on the basis of the status information obtained, whether or not a display condition to output a message based on the status information is satisfied, and, upon determining that the display condition is satisfied, displays the massage on a UI 20 of a PC 1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] As a technology for controlling a printer from an information processing device such as a personal computer, a configuration is widely known in which a printer driver is installed in the information processing device, print data is generated by the printer driver, and the print data is transmitted to the printer (for example, Patent Document 1). The printer driver is provided by the printer manufacturer and corresponds to various functions of the printer, and the printer can be fully utilized.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0002]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0003] In recent years, a technology for controlling a printer by a general-purpose printing program incorporated as a standard in an operating system (OS) without using the above-described printer driver has been put into practical use. In this technology, when the OS detects the printer, it associates with the general-purpose printing program standard of the OS, and thereafter, when a print instruction for the printer is received, printing can be performed by the general-purpose printing program standard of the OS without using the printer driver.

[0004] Even in printing by the above-described general-purpose printing program standard of the OS, similar to printing by the printer driver, the processing for the print instruction is completed by accumulating the print data in the print queue of the OS. When the user obtains information regarding the subsequent print data, it is necessary to operate the user interface of the OS, which is troublesome for the user.

[0005] This specification discloses a technique that enables a user to easily obtain information regarding processing based on a print instruction in an information processing apparatus in which a general-purpose print program compliant with an OS standard is incorporated.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] One aspect of a support program made for the purpose of solving the above-described problems is a support program executable by a computer of an information processing apparatus and corresponding to a printer connected to the information processing apparatus. The computer is caused to execute an acquisition process, a determination process, and a display process based on a print instruction to cause the general-purpose print program pre-incorporated in the operating system of the information processing apparatus to perform image printing on the printer. In the acquisition process, the printer is queried via a communication interface of the information processing apparatus to acquire information of the printer. In the determination process, it is determined whether or not a display condition for outputting a message based on the information is satisfied based on the information of the printer acquired in the acquisition process. In the display process, when it is determined in the determination process that the display condition is satisfied, the message is displayed on a display device of the information processing apparatus. This is the gist.

[0007] When the support program acquires information of the printer from the printer and satisfies the display condition, the support program displays a message based on the acquired information on a display device. According to such a support program, the user can easily obtain information regarding a print job by the user confirming the message without operating the user interface of the OS.

[0008] A control method, a computer program, and a computer-readable storage medium storing the computer program for realizing the functions of the above apparatus are also novel and useful. are.

Advantages of the Invention

[0009] According to the technology disclosed in this specification, in an information processing apparatus incorporating a general-purpose printing program conforming to the OS standard, technology is realized that enables a user to easily obtain information regarding processing based on a print instruction. In an information processing apparatus incorporating a general-purpose printing program conforming to the OS standard, technology is realized that enables a user to easily obtain information regarding processing based on a print instruction. Technology is realized.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, a printing system using the program of the embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. This embodiment discloses an embodiment that embodies a printing system including a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as "PC") and a printer. This embodiment discloses an embodiment that embodies a printing system including a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as "PC") and a printer.

[0012] An example of the configuration of a printing system in which the program of this embodiment is executed is shown in FIG. 1. The system shown in FIG. 1 includes a PC1, a printer 2, and a printer 3. PC1 is an example of an information processing apparatus. Printers 2 and 3 are devices having a printing function and can communicate with PC1 via local communication or network communication. Note that The system shown in FIG. 1 includes a PC1, a printer 2, and a printer 3. PC1 is an example of an information processing apparatus. Printers 2 and 3 are devices having a printing function and can communicate with PC1 via local communication or network communication. Note that processing apparatus. Printers 2 and 3 are devices having a printing function and can communicate with PC1 via local communication or network communication. Note that local communication or network communication. Note that Multiple printers 2 may be connected.

[0013] The PC 1 includes, for example, as shown in FIG. 1, a controller 10, a user interface ( hereinafter referred to as "UI") 20, and a communication interface (hereinafter referred to as "communication IF") 30 and is electrically connected to the controller 10.

[0014] The UI 20 includes hardware that performs various displays and receives user instruction inputs. The UI 20 may be a touch panel having both a display function and an input reception function, or may be a combination of a display having a display function and a keyboard, a mouse, etc. having an input reception function.

[0015] The communication IF 30 includes hardware for communicating with the printer 2 and the printer 3, and hardware for accessing the Internet. The communication IF 30 may include a plurality of interfaces with different communication methods. Examples of the communication method include network communication and USB communication. Also, it may be wired communication or wireless communication.

[0016] The controller 10 includes a CPU 11 and a memory 12. The CPU 11 is an example of a computer. The memory 12 includes a ROM, a RAM, a non-volatile memory, and a buffer for the CPU 11, and stores programs such as various application programs (hereinafter referred to as "apps") and various data. In this specification, the details of the memory are not distinguished. The CPU 11 follows the program read from the memory 12 and also the user ​​​​​​​​​Based on the instructions of the "ZA", various processes are executed. Note that the controller 10 in FIG. 1 is a general term for the hardware and software used for the control of PC 1, and does not necessarily represent a single piece of hardware actually existing in PC1 .

[0017] An example of the memory 12 may be a computer-readable storage medium. A computer-readable storage medium is a non-transitory medium. Non-transitory media include, in addition to the above examples, recording media such as CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs. Also, non-transitory media are tangible media. On the other hand, an electrical signal that conveys a program downloaded from a server on the Internet, etc., is a computer-readable signal medium, which is a type of computer-readable medium, but is not included in non-transitory computer-readable storage media.

[0018] In the memory 12, for example, as shown in FIG. 1, an operating system (hereinafter referred to as "OS") 21 including a general-purpose printing program 41, an auxiliary program 42, and an editing application 43 are stored. The auxiliary program 42 is an example of a support program. The auxiliary program 42 is, for example, a hardware support application (abbreviation, HSA) created by a printer vendor based on the specifications published by Microsoft. The OS 21 is, for example, Microsoft Windows (registered trademark), MacOS (registered trademark), Linux (registered trademark). Note that in addition to what is shown in the figure, the memory 12 stores various data including information on connected printers and various programs such as browsers.

[0019] The general-purpose printing program 41 is an application for executing printing on various printers such as the printer 2 from the PC 1, and is a printing program standard to the OS 21 that is incorporated in advance. The general-purpose printing program 41 of this form is a program that generates print data that the printer can handle based on the image data to be printed.

[0020] The general-purpose printing program 41 is a general-purpose application applicable to printers of multiple models provided by the vendor of each printer, and is a program that causes each printer to perform operations common to each model. Alternatively, the general-purpose printing program 41 may be a program provided by the vendor of each printer to the vendor of the OS 21 for pre-incorporation into the OS 21, for example, a type of printer driver provided for pre-incorporation into the OS 21.

[0021] The auxiliary program 42 is a program that executes processing based on an instruction from the OS 21 accompanying the activation of the general-purpose printing program 41, and is an application that supports the control of the target hardware, for example, the printer 2 or the like. The auxiliary program 42 is activated from the general-purpose printing program 41, for example. The auxiliary program 42 is a program prepared for each type of printer by the vendor of the printer 2 or the like. For example, an auxiliary program 42 for an inkjet printer and an auxiliary program 42 for a laser printer are prepared. There may be an auxiliary program 42 prepared not only for each type of printer but also for each model of printer or for each series of printer models.

[0022] The vendor of the printer registers the auxiliary program 42 in the platform provided by the vendor of the OS 21 according to the procedure specified by the vendor of the OS 21. When a new printer 2 is connected to the PC 1 and the auxiliary program 42 corresponding to the printer 2 is registered in the platform, the OS 21 downloads the auxiliary program 42 from the server storing the auxiliary program 42 and incorporates it into the PC 1.

[0023] Then, the OS 21 stores the identification information of the incorporated auxiliary program 42 in the memory 12 in association with the printer information of the newly connected printer. In the PC 1 to which printers of a plurality of models are connected, respective auxiliary programs corresponding to the types of the respective models are incorporated, and information for associating each printer with each auxiliary program is stored in the memory 12 That is, in the memory 12, as the printer information of each printer connected to the PC 1 along with the model information and access information of the printer, the information of the corresponding auxiliary program 42 is stored.

[0024] The editing application 43 is, for example, an application for creating and editing image data or document data The editing application 43 is, for example, Microsoft Word (registered trademark), PowerPoint (registered trademark). Also, it may be an application provided by the vendor of the printer 2 or the printer 3 The editing application 43 receives a user operation including an instruction to cause the printer 2 to perform a predetermined operation. Specifically, the editing application 43 receives, via the UI 20, for example, a print instruction to cause the printer 2 to execute printing.

[0025] Note that each process in the embodiment basically shows the process of the CPU 11 according to the instructions described in a program such as the auxiliary program 42. That is, the "judgment", "extraction", "selection", "calculation", "decision", "specification", "acquisition", "reception", "control", etc. in the following description represent the process of the CPU 11. The process by the CPU 11 includes hardware control using the API of the OS 21. In this specification, the detailed description of the OS 21 is omitted and the operations of each program are described. That is, in the following description, "Program B performs the ha rdware control using the API of the OS 21. In this specification, the detailed description of the OS 21 is omitted and the operations of each program are described. That is, in the following description, "Program B performs the ha The description to the effect of "controlling hardware C" may refer to "program B controlling hardware C by using the API of OS21". Also, the processing of CPU 11 according to the instructions described in the program may be described in an abbreviated statement. For example, the program may be abbreviated as described like "performed by CPU 11". Also, the processing of CPU 11 according to the instructions described in the program may be described in an abbreviated statement omitting the CPU, like "performed by program A". Note that "acquisition" is used in a concept that does not require a request. That is, the process of receiving data without CPU 11 making a request is also included in the concept of "CPU 11 acquiring data". Also, the "data" in this specification is represented by a bit string readable by a computer. And data with the same substantial meaning content but different formats shall be treated as the same data. The same applies to the "information" in this specification. Also, "request" and "instruct" indicate the concept of outputting to the other party the information indicating what is being requested or what is being instructed. Also, the information indicating what is being requested or what is being instructed is simply referred to as "request" or "instruct". Also, the process of CPU 11 judging whether information A indicates that matter B is the case may be conceptually described as "judging from information A whether matter B is the case". The process of CPU 11 judging whether information A indicates that matter B is the case or whether it indicates that matter C is the case may be conceptually described as "judging from information A whether matter B or matter C is the case".

[0026]

[0027] ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

[0028] Next, an example of the printing procedure including the configuration of the auxiliary program 42 of this embodiment and the operation of the auxiliary program 42 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 6. Note that the same reference numerals are used for the common processes among FIGS. 2, 5, and 6.

[0029] The auxiliary program 42 is a program that is executed from the general-purpose printing program 41 when a printing instruction to print using the general-purpose printing program 41 is received in a state where a printer corresponding to the auxiliary program 42 is specified via an editing application 43 or the like. Hereinafter,

[0030]

[0031] a case will be described where the PC 1 receives an instruction to execute printing on the printer 2 via the general-purpose printing program 41 in a state where image data to be printed is specified in the editing application 43, for example, via the UI 20, and an auxiliary program 42 corresponding to the type of the model of the printer 2 is incorporated in the PC 1.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 2, first, the editing application 43 receives, via the UI 20, the designation of an image to be printed and the input of an instruction to execute printing (arrow A). The image displayed by the editing application 43 is an example of the image to be printed. The editing application 43 displays, as an image, for example, a document edited in the editing application 43 or a photograph read in the editing application 43. Then, the editing application 43 that has received the printing instruction passes a printing execution notification indicating the content of the received printing instruction to the OS 21. Note that in FIG. 2 and FIGS. 5 and 6 described later, the operation of the OS 21 is shown omitting it.

[0031] When OS21 receives a print execution notification that uses the general-purpose printing program 41, it causes the general-purpose printing program 41 to execute and passes the print execution notification to the general-purpose printing program 41 (arrow B). The general-purpose printing program 41 can obtain various types of information included in the print instruction from the print execution notification, such as information indicating the printer to be printed, information indicating the print parameters set in the application, information indicating the image data to be printed, and information identifying the user who gave the print instruction. As will be described later, these pieces of information can also be used by the auxiliary program 42.

[0032] The general-purpose printing program 41 generates intermediate image data by converting the format of the image data included in the print execution notification into the format of intermediate image data, and generates a print job including the intermediate image data (arrow C). The image data included in the editing application 43 is of various types, and the general-purpose printing program 41 converts the received image data into intermediate image data suitable for generating print data. If the image data included in the print execution notification is data suitable for generating print data, the generation of intermediate image data may be omitted and it may be used as intermediate image data as it is. The intermediate image data is, for example, XPS data.

[0033] Furthermore, the general-purpose printing program 41 identifies the printer specified as the device to execute the print based on the information included in the print execution notification. For example, when printer 2 is specified, the general-purpose printing program 41 identifies the model of printer 2 based on the model information of the printer included in the printer information stored in the memory 12. Since the auxiliary program 42 corresponding to printer 2, which is the printer specified in the print instruction, is stored in the memory 12, the general-purpose printing program 41 outputs an execution instruction for the processing of the auxiliary program 42 and operates the auxiliary program 42 before starting the generation of print data by the general-purpose printing program 41 (arrow D). Note that the general-purpose printing program 41 may operate the auxiliary program 42 after generating the print data by the general-purpose printing program 41.

[0034] The auxiliary program 42 determines whether there is a specific setting in the print parameters according to the execution instruction (arrow E). Arrow E is an example of a determination process, and the determination condition of arrow E is an example of a display condition. The print parameters may be the print parameters obtained by the general-purpose print program 41 from the editing application 43 and attached to the execution instruction, or may be the print parameters received by the auxiliary program 42 by displaying, for example, a print parameter editing screen.

[0035] The types of print parameters include general-purpose parameters that the general-purpose print program 41 can handle, such as paper size, and specific parameters that are unique to the printer, such as paper type, and that the general-purpose print program 41 cannot handle. When the editing application 43 is not an application provided by the vendor of the printer 2, only the general-purpose parameters are attached to the execution instruction. However, when the editing application 43 is an application provided by the vendor of the printer 2, both general-purpose parameters and the specific parameters of the printer 2 may be attached to the execution instruction. Even when only general-purpose parameters are attached to the execution instruction, the auxiliary program 42 may add specific parameters and process the print parameters.

[0036] Among the print parameters, there may be cases where it is preferable to confirm the execution of printing with the user before printing, such as when the paper type is high-quality paper such as a postcard. Therefore, the auxiliary program 42 designates a specific setting for confirming the execution of printing before printing among the configurable print parameters.

[0037] For example, when the auxiliary program 42 designates "postcard", which is one of the paper type settings, as a specific setting, it determines whether the setting value of the paper type in the print parameters is "postcard". When the setting value of the paper type is "postcard", the auxiliary program 42 determines that the print parameters include a specific setting and displays a message (arrow F). Arrow F is an example of a display process. ​​​​​​​​

[0038] Specifically, for example, the auxiliary program 42 causes the dialog 110 shown in FIG. 4(a) to be displayed on the UI 20. A confirmation message 114 for confirming printing on the postcard is displayed in the dialog 110. In addition, a print continue button 111 for instructing continuation of printing and a cancel button 112 for instructing cancellation of printing are shown in the dialog 110.

[0039] When the user operates the cancel button 112 (arrow G), the auxiliary program 42 outputs a cancel notification to the general-purpose printing program 41 (arrow H). The general-purpose printing program 4 1 stops printing in response to the cancel notification (arrow I) and outputs a print cancellation notification to the editing application 43 (arrow J). By displaying the confirmation message 114, it can be expected that a user who has noticed that a specific setting has been made will change the setting value and instruct printing again.

[0040] Note that the auxiliary program 42 may accept the change of the setting value, or the editing application 43 may accept it. Also, similar to the dialog 120 in FIG. 4(b) described later, a reset button 123 is provided in the dialog 110, and based on the operation of the reset button 123, the same processing as arrows R to T and D in FIG. 5 described later may be performed.

[0041] On the other hand, when the user operates the print continue button 111 (arrow G), the auxiliary program 42 performs an editing process of editing the intermediate image data attached to the execution instruction based on the print parameters (arrow K) and passes an end notification to the general-purpose printing program 41 (arrow L). The general-purpose printing pro gram 41 ​​​​​​The program 41 generates print data based on the intermediate image data included in the end notification output from the auxiliary program 42 (arrow M). That is, the general-purpose printing program 41 generates print data with the setting value of the paper type remaining as "postcard". Note that the intermediate image data may be the intermediate image data generated by the general-purpose printing program 41. The print data generated by the general-purpose printing program 41 is print data in a format that can be used for printing by various printers. The print data is, for example, PWGRaster data or PDF data. Based on this, it generates print data (arrow M). That is, the general-purpose printing program 41 generates print data with the setting value of the paper type remaining as "postcard". Note that the intermediate image data may be the intermediate image data generated by the general-purpose printing program 41. The print data generated by the general-purpose printing program 41 is print data in a format that can be used for printing by various printers. The print data generated by the general-purpose printing program 41 is print data in a format that can be used for printing by various printers. The print data generated by the general-purpose printing program 41 is print data in a format that can be used for printing by various printers. The print data is, for example, PWGRaster data or PDF data.

[0042] Note that the auxiliary program 42 erases the dialog 110 and ends the display of the message in response to the operation of the print continuation button 111 or the cancel button 112. Note that the auxiliary program 42 may also end the display of the message and continue printing when a predetermined time has elapsed without displaying the print continuation button 111 or the cancel button 112 in the dialog 110. Note that the auxiliary program 42 may also end the display of the message and continue printing when a predetermined time has elapsed without displaying the print continuation button 111 or the cancel button 112 in the dialog 110. Note that the auxiliary program 42 may also end the display of the message and continue printing when a predetermined time has elapsed without displaying the print continuation button 111 or the cancel button 112 in the dialog 110. It may be like this.

[0043] After generating the print data, the general-purpose printing program 41 sends a print command including the generated print data to the printer 2 (arrow N). Note that the auxiliary program 42 may have a function of processing the print data, such as adding a command for executing a function specific to the printer 2 to the print data. In this case, the general-purpose printing program 41 may send the processed print data to the printer 2. The print data includes, for example, printer identification information for identifying the printer that executes the print job, print image data of the image to be printed, and print parameters, as shown in FIG. 3(a). After generating the print data, the general-purpose printing program 41 sends a print command including the generated print data to the printer 2 (arrow N). Note that the auxiliary program 42 may have a function of processing the print data, such as adding a command for executing a function specific to the printer 2 to the print data. In this case, the general-purpose printing program 41 may send the processed print data to the printer 2. The print data includes, for example, printer identification information for identifying the printer that executes the print job, print image data of the image to be printed, and print parameters, as shown in FIG. 3(a).

[0044] In the printer 2 that has received the print command, printing of the image of the print data is executed based on the print data attached to the print command. When the printer 2 receives print data with a command added, when executing the printing, it performs the operation indicated by the command. Note that after the completion of the process of editing the print data, the auxiliary program 42 may send a print command to the printer 2 via the communication IF 30 without going through the general-purpose print program 41.

[0045] The processes of the above-described arrows E and F need to be performed only once for one print job. The timing of performing the processes of arrows E and F is not limited to the above, and may be, for example, after the editing process, before the print data is generated, or after the print data is generated, as long as it is before the print data is sent to the printer 2. However, by executing it before the editing process, it is possible to avoid unnecessary processes that are not related to printing.

[0046] Also, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, after receiving the print parameters corresponding to the print instruction, the auxiliary program 42 inquires about the current status information, which is the information of the printer 2, and acquires the current status information (arrow O). Arrow O is an example of the acquisition process. The reception of the print parameters may be performed by receiving the print parameters attached to the execution instruction, or may be performed by receiving the setting of the print parameters in the editing process of the intermediate image data. Note that the auxiliary program 42 acquires the identification information of the printer indicated by the execution instruction output from the general-purpose print program 41, and inquires about the current status information from the printer indicated by the acquired identification information.

[0047] The current status information includes a number of information such as status information and setting information, for example, as shown in FIG. 3(b).

[0048] The status information is information indicating the state of the printer 2 that executes the print job. The status information includes, for example, information indicating the free state of the memory for the accumulated jobs that accumulate the print jobs, job information indicating the progress state of the print job, the remaining amount of the coloring agent, the presence or absence of a finisher, the presence or absence of stapler pins, and the like.

[0049] The job information includes any one of "Printing in progress" indicating that the printing of the print job is in progress, "Printing completed" indicating that the printing of the print job has ended, "Printing paused" indicating that the printing of the print job has stopped, and "Standby" indicating that it is waiting for the completion of the printing of another print job. The printer 2 can accept a cancel operation to cancel the printing via the operation unit. When the printer 2 accepts the cancel operation, the job information includes information indicating "Printing completed" and "Cancel operation: Yes". On the other hand, when the printer 2 finishes printing without accepting the cancel operation, the job information does not include "Cancel operation: Yes" but includes "Printing completed".

[0050] Information on "Printing paused" is appended with information indicating the type of error such as paper jam, out of paper, or out of coloring agent. When the printer 2 receives a plurality of print data, it processes the print data stored in the internal memory in order. Therefore, the states of the print jobs executed by the printer 2 include the state of printing in progress, the state of printing completed, and the state of standby. Also, the states of the print jobs include states where printing has been terminated due to errors such as out of paper or paper jam, or due to a cancel operation. The printer 2 detects the state of its own device in response to an inquiry from the PC1 and returns the current status information.

[0051] Note that "Printing paused" is an example of status information indicating a status in which the print job corresponding to the print instruction cannot be executed. "Printing completed" is an example of status information indicating a status in which the print job corresponding to the print instruction can be executed.

[0052] When the auxiliary program 42 can receive the current status information from the printer 2, that is, when communication with the printer 2 is possible, it stores in the memory 12 the current status information including "Online", which is information indicating that the printer 2 can communicate with the PC1, in the status information. ​​​In addition, when communication with the printer 2 becomes impossible due to a communication error or power-off, the auxiliary program 42 stores status information including information indicating "printing paused" and information indicating "offline" in the memory 12. When communication with the printer 2 becomes impossible due to a communication error or power-off, the auxiliary program 42 stores status information including information indicating "printing paused" and information indicating "offline" in the memory 12. When communication with the printer 2 becomes impossible due to a communication error or power-off, the auxiliary program 42 stores status information including information indicating "printing paused" and information indicating "offline" in the memory 12.

[0053] The memory for stored jobs is a storage area for stored printing in the printer 2. Information indicating the free state of the memory for stored jobs includes, for example, "memory full" when the memory for stored jobs is not free, and the degree of freedom when it is free. The memory for stored jobs is a storage area for stored printing in the printer 2. Information indicating the free state of the memory for stored jobs includes, for example, "memory full" when the memory for stored jobs is not free, and the degree of freedom when it is free. The memory for stored jobs is a storage area for stored printing in the printer 2. Information indicating the free state of the memory for stored jobs includes, for example, "memory full" when the memory for stored jobs is not free, and the degree of freedom when it is free.

[0054] The setting information is information including the setting values set in the printer 2. The printer 2 has an operation unit for receiving input of various settings. The printer 2 has a function of receiving, via the operation unit, for example, setting values of the paper size and paper type of the paper set in each tray, and setting values of color / monochrome printing, and storing them in the internal memory. When the printer 2 returns the setting values of the paper size and paper type in response to an inquiry from the PC1, it may return the paper size and paper type set in the internal memory to the PC1, or if it has a function of detecting the paper size and paper type, it may return the detection result to the PC1. The setting information is information including the setting values set in the printer 2. The printer 2 has an operation unit for receiving input of various settings. The printer 2 has a function of receiving, via the operation unit, for example, setting values of the paper size and paper type of the paper set in each tray, and setting values of color / monochrome printing, and storing them in the internal memory. When the printer 2 returns the setting values of the paper size and paper type in response to an inquiry from the PC1, it may return the paper size and paper type set in the internal memory to the PC1, or if it has a function of detecting the paper size and paper type, it may return the detection result to the PC1. The setting information is information including the setting values set in the printer 2. The printer 2 has an operation unit for receiving input of various settings. The printer 2 has a function of receiving, via the operation unit, for example, setting values of the paper size and paper type of the paper set in each tray, and setting values of color / monochrome printing, and storing them in the internal memory. When the printer 2 returns the setting values of the paper size and paper type in response to an inquiry from the PC1, it may return the paper size and paper type set in the internal memory to the PC1, or if it has a function of detecting the paper size and paper type, it may return the detection result to the PC1. The setting information is information including the setting values set in the printer 2. The printer 2 has an operation unit for receiving input of various settings. The printer 2 has a function of receiving, via the operation unit, for example, setting values of the paper size and paper type of the paper set in each tray, and setting values of color / monochrome printing, and storing them in the internal memory. When the printer 2 returns the setting values of the paper size and paper type in response to an inquiry from the PC1, it may return the paper size and paper type set in the internal memory to the PC1, or if it has a function of detecting the paper size and paper type, it may return the detection result to the PC1. The setting information is information including the setting values set in the printer 2. The printer 2 has an operation unit for receiving input of various settings. The printer 2 has a function of receiving, via the operation unit, for example, setting values of the paper size and paper type of the paper set in each tray, and setting values of color / monochrome printing, and storing them in the internal memory. When the printer 2 returns the setting values of the paper size and paper type in response to an inquiry from the PC1, it may return the paper size and paper type set in the internal memory to the PC1, or if it has a function of detecting the paper size and paper type, it may return the detection result to the PC1. The setting information is information including the setting values set in the printer 2. The printer 2 has an operation unit for receiving input of various settings. The printer 2 has a function of receiving, via the operation unit, for example, setting values of the paper size and paper type of the paper set in each tray, and setting values of color / monochrome printing, and storing them in the internal memory. When the printer 2 returns the setting values of the paper size and paper type in response to an inquiry from the PC1, it may return the paper size and paper type set in the internal memory to the PC1, or if it has a function of detecting the paper size and paper type, it may return the detection result to the PC1. The setting information is information including the setting values set in the printer 2. The printer 2 has an operation unit for receiving input of various settings. The printer 2 has a function of receiving, via the operation unit, for example, setting values of the paper size and paper type of the paper set in each tray, and setting values of color / monochrome printing, and storing them in the internal memory. When the printer 2 returns the setting values of the paper size and paper type in response to an inquiry from the PC1, it may return the paper size and paper type set in the internal memory to the PC1, or if it has a function of detecting the paper size and paper type, it may return the detection result to the PC1.

[0055] Note that the types of the above current situation information include unique information and general-purpose information. The unique information is information that the general-purpose printing program 41 does not support, that is, status information or setting information unique to the printer 2. For example, information regarding option units such as the presence or absence of a finisher, the presence or absence of stapler pins, and the success or failure of stapling included in the status information, information regarding the memory for stored jobs such as memory full, information regarding the cancel operation on the printer 2 side, and setting information Note that the types of the above current situation information include unique information and general-purpose information. The unique information is information that the general-purpose printing program 41 does not support, that is, status information or setting information unique to the printer 2. For example, information regarding option units such as the presence or absence of a finisher, the presence or absence of stapler pins, and the success or failure of stapling included in the status information, information regarding the memory for stored jobs such as memory full, information regarding the cancel operation on the printer 2 side, and setting information Note that the types of the above current situation information include unique information and general-purpose information. The unique information is information that the general-purpose printing program 41 does not support, that is, status information or setting information unique to the printer 2. For example, information regarding option units such as the presence or absence of a finisher, the presence or absence of stapler pins, and the success or failure of stapling included in the status information, information regarding the memory for stored jobs such as memory full, information regarding the cancel operation on the printer 2 side, and setting information Note that the types of the above current situation information include unique information and general-purpose information. The unique information is information that the general-purpose printing program 41 does not support, that is, status information or setting information unique to the printer 2. For example, information regarding option units such as the presence or absence of a finisher, the presence or absence of stapler pins, and the success or failure of stapling included in the status information, information regarding the memory for stored jobs such as memory full, information regarding the cancel operation on the printer 2 side, and setting information Note that the types of the above current situation information include unique information and general-purpose information. The unique information is information that the general-purpose printing program 41 does not support, that is, status information or setting information unique to the printer 2. For example, information regarding option units such as the presence or absence of a finisher, the presence or absence of stapler pins, and the success or failure of stapling included in the status information, information regarding the memory for stored jobs such as memory full, information regarding the cancel operation on the printer 2 side, and setting information The set values of the paper types included in it, etc. are an example of the proprietary information.

[0056] On the other hand, the general-purpose information is general information and corresponds to the general-purpose printing program 41, that is, the general information that the OS 21 can understand. For example, the status of the print job included in the status information, errors, communication status, remaining amount of the coloring agent, paper size included in the installation information, set values of color / monochrome printing, etc. are an example of the general-purpose information. Note that the proprietary information is an example of the first information, and the general-purpose information is an example of the second information.

[0057] Returning to FIG. 5, the auxiliary program 42 stores the current situation information acquired from the printer 2 in the memory 12, and then determines whether or not the value of the print parameter of the print job corresponding to the print instruction matches the value indicated by the setting information corresponding to the print parameter included in the current situation information acquired from the printer 2 (arrow P). Note that the arrow P is an example of the determination process, and the determination condition of the arrow P is an example of the display condition.

[0058] For example, the auxiliary program 42 compares the value of the print parameter with the set value indicated by the setting information included in the current situation information. For example, if the set value of the paper type of the print parameter is "glossy paper" and the set value of the paper type included in the current situation information acquired from the printer 2 is "plain paper", the auxiliary program 42 determines that the value of the print parameter does not match the set value of the setting information, and displays a message on the UI 20 (arrow Q). The arrow Q is an example of the display process.

[0059] ​​Specifically, for example, the auxiliary program 42 causes the UI 20 to display the dialog 120 shown in FIG. 4(b). The dialog 120 displays a message 124 notifying that the paper type setting does not correspond to the printer 2. Further, the dialog 120 displays a print continuation button 121 for instructing continuation of printing, a cancel button 122 for instructing cancellation of printing, and a reset button 123 for instructing change of print settings.

[0060] For example, as shown in FIG. 5, when the user operates the reset button 123 via the UI 20 (arrow R), the auxiliary program 42 outputs a return notification to the general-purpose print program 41 (arrow S). In response to the return notification, the general-purpose print program 41 re-outputs an execution instruction (arrows T, D). For example, in the editing process of the auxiliary program 42, by displaying a setting screen for setting print parameters, the paper type of the print parameters is likely to be changed from "glossy paper" to "plain paper", so that the printer 2 is suppressed from performing unintended printing.

[0061] When the user operates the print continuation button 121 via the UI 20 (arrow R), the auxiliary program 42 performs an editing process (arrow K) and continues printing (arrows K to arrow N). Since the user has intentionally permitted printing on plain paper through the dialog 120, the possibility of reprinting is low. That is, reprinting is suppressed.

[0062] When the user operates the cancel button 122 via the UI 20 (arrow R), the auxiliary program 42 outputs a cancel notification to the general-purpose print program 41 (arrow H). In response to the cancel notification, the general-purpose print program 41 cancels printing (arrow I) and outputs a print cancellation notification to the editing application 43 (arrow J). Thereby, unintended printed materials are suppressed.

[0063] Note that the processes of arrows P and Q may be performed only once each time the printing parameter settings are received. Also, the timing for executing the processes of arrows P and Q is not limited to the above, and may be, for example, after the editing process, before generating the print data, or after generating the print data.

[0064] As shown in FIG. 6, when the general-purpose printing program 41 generates print data in response to the end notification of the auxiliary program 42 and transmits the print data to the printer 2 (arrow N), the printer 2 stores the print data in the internal memory and executes printing (arrow V). After the auxiliary program 42 outputs an end notification to the general-purpose printing program 41 (arrow L in FIG. 5), it periodically inquires the printer 2 about the status information and receives the status information returned from the printer 2 (arrow U). The auxiliary program 42 lists the received status information and stores it in the memory 12.

[0065] Based on the status information from the printer 2, the auxiliary program 42 determines whether or not the display conditions are met, for example, whether it is "printing paused" or "printing completed" (arrow W), and displays a message when the display conditions are met (arrow X). Note that arrow U is an example of an acquisition process, arrow W is an example of a determination process, and arrow X is an example of a display process. The determination condition of arrow U is an example of the display condition.

[0066] By periodically acquiring and updating the status information, the auxiliary program 42 can display a message based on the latest status information. Note that for the setting information, for example, the auxiliary program 42 may acquire it from the printer 2 only once when the general-purpose printing program 41 transmits the print data to the printer 2 and display a message, and acquire and display the other status information periodically. According to this, the communication load when periodically acquiring the status information can be reduced.

[0067] The auxiliary program 42, for example, as shown in FIG. 3(b), "printing paused", "paper out" When the status information of "」 is received from the printer 2, a message is displayed (arrow X).

[0068] Specifically, for example, the auxiliary program 42 causes the dialog 130 shown in Fig. 4(c) to be displayed on the U I20. The dialog 130 displays an error message 134 notifying the information that the printer 2 has stopped printing, the error content, and the error resolution measures. Also, information 135 indicating the progress status of the print job is displayed in the dialog 130. Note that the error message 134 may not include the error content and error countermeasures. Also, information 133 may not be displayed.

[0069] When the paper is replenished, the printer 2 resumes printing. When the printer 2 resumes printing, in response to an inquiry from the PC1, it returns status information including "printing in progress" to the PC1 . The auxiliary program 42 determines that the error has been resolved because the status information has changed from "printing stopped" to "printing in progress", and ends the display of the dialog 130. Note that after displaying the dialog 130, the auxiliary program 42 may end the display of the dialog 130 when a predetermined time has elapsed.

[0070] When the printing of the printer 2 is completed and the status information of the current situation includes "printing completed", the auxiliary program 42 displays a message (arrow X), ends the monitoring process of the current situation information (repetition of arrows W~ X), and after a predetermined time has elapsed, ends the display of the message.

[0071] Specifically, for example, the auxiliary program 42 causes the dialog 140 shown in Fig. 4(d) to be displayed on the U I20. The dialog 140 displays a print completion message 1 ​​​44 and information 145 indicating the progress status are displayed. Note that information 145 may not be displayed. After the auxiliary program 42 displays the dialog 140, when a predetermined time elapses , the display of the dialog 140 ends. Note that the message regarding the end of printing may be displayed not only when the printing ends normally but also, for example, when the printing ends in an abnormal state such as forcing the end of printing using the operation unit of the printer 2.

[0072] In the display process of the arrow F in FIG. 2, the arrow Q in FIG. 5, and the arrow X in FIG. 6, a message may be displayed based on both the specific information and the general information, or only the message based on the specific information may be displayed and the message based on the general information may not be displayed. The specific information tends to be highly important in executing the print job, and thus there is a high necessity to display the message. from this.

[0073] Also, when ending the display of the error message or the print end message due to the elapse of a predetermined time, the predetermined time may be changed according to the display conditions. For example, when giving a warning-level notification such as notifying that the print job cannot be executed due to out of paper or paper jam, it may be displayed for a long time or until the error is resolved. However, when giving a caution-level notification such as a notice that the printing will soon become impossible due to insufficient colorant even though the print job can be executed, the display may be stopped in a short time.

[0074] Also, the auxiliary program 42 may start the periodic repetition of the inquiry of the current situation information (corresponding to the arrow O in FIG. 5 and the arrow U in FIG. 6) when there is a print instruction to cause the general-purpose print program 41 to execute printing on the printer 2 (arrow A in FIGS. 2, 5, and 6), or​​​​​​ Upon receiving an execution instruction from the general-purpose printing program 41 (arrow D in FIGS. 2, 5, and 6), it may start. In this case, the auxiliary program 42 may make the determinations of arrow P in FIG. 5 and arrow W in FIG. 6 based on the results of the started periodic inquiries. Also, in this case, the auxiliary program 42 may end the repetition of the inquiry of the current status information upon cancellation (triggered by arrow H in FIGS. 2 and 5) or upon the printer finishing printing (triggered by arrow X in FIG. 6). As described above, when the auxiliary program 42 acquires the current status information of the printer 2 from the printer 2 and satisfies the display conditions, the auxiliary program 42 displays a message based on the acquired current status information on the UI 20. According to such an auxiliary program 42, the user can easily obtain the current status information regarding the print job by the user confirming the message without the user operating the UI 20 of the OS 21. Note that this embodiment is merely an example and does not limit the present invention in any way. Therefore, the present invention can naturally be variously improved and modified without departing from its gist. For example, the device connected to the PC 1 may be not limited to a printer, but any device having a printing function such as a multifunction machine, a copier, a FAX device, etc. Also, the printer connected to the PC 1 is not limited to the illustrated example, and may be one or three or more.

[0075] Further, the module that executes each process of this embodiment is not limited to the auxiliary program 42, and may be any program that receives an instruction from the OS 21 when performing printing with the general-purpose printing program 41 of the OS 21. For example, it may be a print workflow app (Print workflow) whose specifications are disclosed by Microsoft.

[0076] Note that this embodiment is merely an example and does not limit the present invention in any way. Therefore, the present invention can naturally be variously improved and modified without departing from its gist. For example, the device connected to the PC 1 may be not limited to a printer, but any device having a printing function such as a multifunction machine, a copier, a FAX device, etc. Also, the printer connected to the PC 1 is not limited to the illustrated example, and may be one or three or more.

[0077] Further, the module that executes each process of this embodiment is not limited to the auxiliary program 42, and may be any program that receives an instruction from the OS 21 when performing printing with the general-purpose printing program 41 of the OS 21. For example, it may be a print workflow app (Print workflow) whose specifications are disclosed by Microsoft.

[0078] Also, the auxiliary program 42 may erase the message indicated by the arrow X in FIG. 6 in response to an operation via the UI 20. Further, after the auxiliary program 42 displays a message with the arrow X in FIG. 6, if the regular repetition of the inquiry of the current status information (arrow W in FIG. 6) continues and status information different from "printing stopped" is received from the printer, for example, when status information indicating "printing in progress" or "idle" is received, the message may be automatically erased. Thereby, since information with low display necessity is automatically erased, it is possible to suppress giving trouble to the user.

[0079] In the arrow X of FIG. 6, it is not necessary to display a message indicating the end of printing. However, by displaying a print end message, it becomes easier for the user to recognize useful matters such as the end of printing.

[0080] A cancel button may be provided in (c) of FIG. 4 so that the user can cancel printing when an error occurs. In this case, it becomes possible to execute a subsequent print job, and the usability is good. Further, the information 135 and 145 shown in FIG. 4 may be continuously displayed from when a print instruction is given until the print job corresponding to the print instruction ends.

[0081] Also, in any of the sequence diagrams disclosed in the embodiments, the plurality of processes in any plurality of steps can be arbitrarily changed in the execution order or executed in parallel within a range where no contradiction occurs in the processing content.

[0082] Also, the processes disclosed in the embodiments may be executed by a single CPU, a plurality of CPUs, hardware such as an ASIC, or a combination thereof. Further, the processes disclosed in the embodiments can be realized in various forms such as a recording medium recording a program for executing the processes or a method.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0083] 1 PC 2 Printer 11 CPU 20 UI 21 OS 30 Communication IF 41 General printing program 42 Auxiliary program

Claims

1. A support application executable by a computer of an information processing device and corresponding to a printer connected to the information processing device, The computer includes: When a print instruction is given to a general-purpose print program preinstalled in an operating system of the information processing device to cause the printer to print an image, an intermediate data acquisition process for acquiring intermediate data from the general-purpose printing program; a print data handling process for editing the intermediate data acquired in the intermediate data acquisition process, causing the general-purpose print program to generate print data based on the edited intermediate data, and passing the edited intermediate data to the general-purpose print program so that the generated print data is transmitted to the printer; a current status information acquisition process for acquiring current status information from the printer via a communication interface of the information processing device; a display process for displaying, before the print data handling process is completed, a message screen including a message corresponding to the current status information acquired by the current status information acquisition process on a display device of the information processing device, and a cancel button for accepting an operation to cancel a print job corresponding to the print instruction; a cancellation acceptance process for accepting cancellation of the print job by operating the cancel button; a cancellation execution process for canceling the print job by issuing a cancellation notification to the general-purpose printing program when the cancellation of the print job is accepted in the cancellation acceptance process; Execute the A support app configured to:

2. The support app according to claim 1, The message includes the error content and a solution to the error. A support app configured to:

3. The support app according to claim 1, the message screen includes a print continue button for accepting an operation to continue printing of the print job corresponding to the print instruction, The computer includes: executing a print continuation acceptance process for accepting continuation of printing of the print job by operating the print continuation button; When the continuation of printing of the print job is accepted in the print continuation acceptance process after the display process, the print data handling process is continued. A support app configured to:

4. The support app according to claim 1, In the display process, the message screen is displayed when the type of paper set in the printer is different from the setting. A support app configured to:

5. An information processing apparatus including a communication interface, a display device, and a computer, the operating system of the information processing device has a general-purpose printing program that is a pre-installed program; a support application corresponding to a printer connected to the information processing device is installed in the information processing device; The support app includes: When a print instruction is given to the general-purpose print program to cause the printer to print an image, an intermediate data acquisition process for acquiring intermediate data from the general-purpose printing program; a print data handling process for editing the intermediate data acquired in the intermediate data acquisition process, causing the general-purpose print program to generate print data based on the edited intermediate data, and passing the edited intermediate data to the general-purpose print program so that the generated print data is transmitted to the printer; a current status information acquisition process for acquiring current status information from the printer via a communication interface of the information processing device; a display process for displaying, before the print data handling process is completed, a message screen including a message corresponding to the current status information acquired by the current status information acquisition process on a display device of the information processing device, and a cancel button for accepting an operation to cancel a print job corresponding to the print instruction; a cancellation acceptance process for accepting cancellation of the print job by operating the cancel button; a cancellation execution process for canceling the print job by issuing a cancellation notification to the general-purpose printing program when the cancellation of the print job is accepted in the cancellation acceptance process; Execute the 23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

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