Information processing apparatus, control method for information processing apparatus, and application

Abstract

To solve a problem that upon printing with a reference driver, it is impossible for a vendor of a printer to customize a content notified in response to an event caused during printing.SOLUTION: An application described in the present application is an application stored in an information processing apparatus and characterized by causing the information processing apparatus to execute an acquiring step at which a general-purpose printing function provided by the information processing apparatus acquires notification received from a printer, and a display control step of causing a general-purpose notification function provided by the information processing apparatus to display the information set based on the content of the acquired notification.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, a control method for an information processing apparatus, and an application.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, a standard class driver (hereinafter also referred to as a "standard driver") that can be commonly used for printing apparatuses provided by a plurality of vendors has been provided. Such a standard driver is incorporated in a package of an operating system (hereinafter referred to as an "OS"). The standard driver is configured to be able to specify a printing function according to printing capability information generated based on information acquired from the connected printing apparatus. Thereby, a user who uses the standard driver can specify a printing function according to the capabilities of the connected printing apparatus. An application for function expansion (hereinafter also referred to as an "expansion application") can be associated with the standard driver. The expansion application is provided by the vendor that provides the printing apparatus. By providing the expansion application, the vendor can provide functions (expansion functions) that cannot be realized only by the standard driver. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique of notifying a user based on a printing setting by the user using an expansion application.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When an event (e.g., ink - less warning or paper - less error) occurs in a printing device during printing, a status application for communicating the detailed description and importance of the occurred event to the user is generally known. On the other hand, when printing is performed using a standard driver, a means for appropriately notifying the user of the detailed description and importance of the occurred event is not known. Therefore, when printing is performed using a standard driver, the vendor of the printing device cannot customize the content to be notified in response to events occurring during printing.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0005] In view of the above problems, the application described in this embodiment is an application stored in an information processing device, and the information processing device The operating system acquires a notification received from a printing device by a printing function provided therein in an acquisition step, and A determination step of determining whether another application is installed in the information processing apparatus, a display control step of causing the notification function to display information set based on the content of the acquired notification, and is characterized in that the information processing device is caused to execute the steps. And the result of the determination Of the operating system

Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to the present invention, when printing is performed using a standard driver, it becomes possible for the vendor of the printing device to customize the content to be notified in response to events occurring during printing.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the present disclosure, and not all combinations of the features described in these embodiments are essential for the solution means of the present disclosure.

[0009] <<First Embodiment>> FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the printing system according to this embodiment. The printing system includes a host computer 101, and in FIG. 1, mainly shows the block configuration of the host computer. The host computer 101 is an example of an information processing device. The host computer 101 has an input interface 110, a CPU 111, a ROM 112, a RAM 113, an external storage device 114, an output interface 115, an input / output interface 116, and a network interface (NETIF) 120. Input devices such as a keyboard 118 and a pointing device 117 are connected to the input interface 110, and a display device such as a display unit 119 is connected to the output interface 115. The NETIF 120 controls data transfer with external devices via the network. Note that in the example of FIG. 1, the display unit 119, the pointing device 117, and the keyboard 118 are described as examples of devices separate from the host computer 101, but these may be included in the host computer 101. Further, the display unit 119 may be a touch panel display having the function of an input / output device.

[0010] An initialization program is stored in the ROM 112. The external storage device 114 stores an application program group, an operating system (OS), printing data generation software, and various other data. The RAM 113 is used as a work memory or the like when executing various programs stored in the external storage device 114, thereby enabling various programs to operate within the host computer 101.

[0011] In this embodiment, the CPU 111 executes the functions and processes described below in the host computer 101 by performing processing according to the procedures of the programs stored in the ROM 112.

[0012] The printing device 102, which is an output device, is connected to the host computer 101 via the input / output interface 116. Note that the printing device 102 will be described by taking an inkjet printing device that prints by ejecting ink onto paper as an example, but printing may be executed by other methods (for example, an electrophotographic method). Further, although the printing device 102 is described by taking a physically existing device as an example, it may be a virtual printing device existing on the cloud. For example, when the printing support system receives an event from the printing device 102, a notification is made by the pop-up notification function. On the other hand, when the printing support system receives an event from the server system, it may not make a notification by the pop-up notification function. Also, the host computer 101 may be a desktop personal computer, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a notebook personal computer. The input / output interface 116 may be wired or wireless. Also, the host computer 101 and the printing device 102 may be connected via a WAN such as a LAN or the Internet.

[0013] FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of the printing system. FIG. 2(a) is a diagram showing a general configuration when the extended application 204 is not associated with the print data generation software 202 and the printing device 102. That is, it is a diagram showing the configuration of the printing system in which the extended application 204 is not used.

[0014] On the other hand, FIG. 2(b) is a diagram showing the configuration of the printing system of this embodiment in which the extended application 204 is associated with the print data generation software 202 and the printing device 102.

[0015] First, an example of a printing system with a general configuration will be described using FIG. 2(a). A printing system with a general configuration includes a drawing application 201 and printing data generation software 202. Also, printing function information 203 is stored in the RAM 113 or the external storage device 114. The drawing application 201 and the printing data generation software 202 are programs operable on the host computer 101. The drawing application 201 is software for creating content (drawing data) to be printed. Examples of the drawing application 201 include various applications operated by the user, such as a document creation application or a spreadsheet application.

[0016] The printing support system 211 is a component provided by the OS and mediates various instructions and information transmissions exchanged between the drawing application 201, the printing data generation software 202, the printing device 102, and the extension application 204. The printing support system 211 is a general printing-related function provided by the OS of the host computer 101.

[0017] Also, the printing data generation software 202 can refer to the printing function information 203 via the printing support system 211. The printing data generation software 202 is software provided by the vendor (manufacturer) that provides the OS of the host computer 101. The printing data generation software 202 is software capable of generating image data and printing setting information to be transmitted to the printing device 102 according to the Internet Printing Protocol.

[0018] The drawing application 201 can display a printing setting screen provided by any one of the printing data generation software 202, the OS, and the drawing application 201 in order to set the printing setting information.

[0019] The print settings screen includes setting items (hereinafter also referred to as "control items") indicating printable functions that can be set, and control items indicating the set values thereof. On the print settings screen, control items are displayed according to the capability information (information that can be set as print settings) provided from the print data generation software 202.

[0020] The print data generation software 202 determines the capability information based on the print function information 203. The print function information 203 is data indicating all printable functions that can be set, their set values, and printable functions indicating the exclusive relationship between the set values.

[0021] The print function information 203 is dynamically generated by the print data generation software 202. Specifically, the print data generation software 202 or the OS can be configured to acquire the attribute data of the printing device from the printing device 102 and generate the print function information 203 according to the attribute information in the acquired attribute data. When the print function information 203 is dynamically generated, the generated print function information 203 is editable. Note that the attribute data of the printing device acquired from the printing device 102 is the response data obtained by issuing the IPP's Get-Printer-Attributes operation to the printing device. IPP stands for Internet Print Protocol. The response includes attribute information indicating functions (capabilities of the printing device) that can be specified by the printing device 102 and set values related to the attribute information. This response data is stored in the RAM 113.

[0022] With this configuration, the print data generation software 202 can be configured so that the user can specify the printable functions available on each connected printing device 102 according to the connected printing device 102. That is, even when printing devices with different functions or printing devices developed by different vendors are connected, the print data generation software 202 can be configured so that the user can specify the printable functions available according to the connected printing device.

[0023] Here, a configuration using an IPP standard driver as the print data generation software 202 will be described. The IPP standard driver is a printer device driver that executes print processing in accordance with the specifications of a standard print protocol called IPP. The IPP standard driver is not a proprietary printer device driver corresponding to the model of the printer device 102, but a standard class driver that can be commonly used for a plurality of printer devices. Further, the IPP standard driver acquires the attribute information of the connected printer device 102 so that the user can specify the print functions supported by the connected printer device 102, and generates print function information 203 based on that information. In this way, the IPP standard driver, which is the print data generation software 202, can dynamically generate the print function information 203.

[0024] When the drawing application 201 receives a print request from the user, it issues a print instruction to the print support system 211. The print instruction includes print setting information for instructing the operations of the print data generation software 202 and the printer device 102.

[0025] The print setting information specified through the print setting screen displayed based on the ability information based on such print function information 203 is included in the print instruction output from the drawing application 201. Note that the print instruction output from the drawing application 201 includes, in addition to the print setting information, the data to be drawn. The OS generates intermediate data (also called input data) based on the print instruction output from the drawing application 201 and passes it to the print data generation software 202. Note that examples of the data output by the drawing application 201 for printing include data in the GDI (Graphic Device Interface) format or data in the XPS (XML Paper Specification) format.

[0026] When using the IPP standard driver as the print data generation software 202, if the data output by the drawing application 201 is in GDI format, the OS performs data format conversion. That is, the OS converts the GDI format data output from the drawing application 201 into XPS format data. Then, the converted XPS format data is passed to the print data generation software 202 as intermediate data. On the other hand, if the data output by the drawing application 201 is in XPS format, the OS passes the XPS format data to the print data generation software 202 as intermediate data. Note that the intermediate data includes drawing data, which is information about the image to be formed on the paper, and print setting information set by the user.

[0027] The print data generation software 202 converts the acquired intermediate data into print data interpretable by the printing device 102 and transmits it to the printing device 102. Note that the print data includes drawing data, which is information about the image to be formed on the paper, and print setting attribute information (attribute information specifying the print settings) generated based on the print setting information set by the user. The print setting attribute information includes attribute information indicating functions (capabilities of the printing device) that can be specified by the printing device 102 and setting values related to the attribute information.

[0028] The printing device 102 performs printing on the paper based on the print data sent from the print data generation software 202. At this time, the printing device 102 forms the drawing data included in the print data on the paper by operating according to the print setting attribute information included in the print data. The print setting attribute information includes print quality (such as quality priority or speed priority), and attribute information and its setting values for specifying double-sided printing, etc. For example, when the print setting attribute information includes attribute information specifying double-sided printing, the printing device 102 executes double-sided printing.

[0029] FIG. 2(b) is a diagram showing the configuration of the present embodiment when the extended application 204 is associated with the print data generation software 202 and the printing apparatus 102. Note that configurations and processes not particularly mentioned below are equivalent to those in FIG. 2(a).

[0030] The extended application 204 is software for extending the functions of the print data generation software 202 and is not pre-included (not bundled) in the OS. Therefore, the user operates the host computer 101 to download the extended application 204 from the server via the Internet and install it on the host computer 101. Alternatively, based on the connection of the printing apparatus 102 to the host computer 101, the extended application 204 may be automatically installed on the host computer 101. Specifically, when the printing apparatus 102 is connected to the host computer 101, the OS acquires device identification information from the printing apparatus 102. The OS may download the extended application 204 corresponding to the acquired device identification information from the server via the Internet and install it on the host computer 101. Thus, the print data generation software 202 and the extended application 204 are held on the host computer 101 as separate files.

[0031] Note that the print data generation software 202 and the extended application 204 may be updated and version-updated, but this update process is also performed at different timings. That is, the timing at which the print data generation software 202 is acquired by the host computer 101 is different from the timing at which the extended application 204 is acquired.

[0032] Also, the trigger for the host computer 101 to acquire the print data generation software 202 is different from the trigger for the extended application 204 to be acquired. When the extended application 204 is installed, the OS associates the extended application 204 with the print data generation software 202 and the corresponding printing device 102.

[0033] The extended application 204 described in this embodiment includes a print setting screen extension unit 205, a skip control unit 206, a print function extension unit 207, a print data editing unit 208, and a notification unit 209. The extended application 204 also includes shared information 210 that can be commonly accessed from each unit. The entity of the shared information 210 is a file stored in the external storage device 114 or information stored on the RAM 113.

[0034] The extended application 204 writes and reads information to and from the shared information 210 by using the API (Application Program Interface) provided by the OS. The extended application 204 may end its operation each time the processing of each unit is completed. In that case, the OS will start the extended application 204 each time a request to use each unit is received. Another form is also conceivable. For example, when the processing of the print setting screen extension unit 205 is completed, the OS ends the operation of the extended application 204, but the OS may keep the extended application 204 running even when the processing of the skip control unit 206 is completed. Furthermore, the extended application 204 may cancel the processing during the processing of each unit. When the extended application 204 cancels the processing, the job being processed on the print queue is deleted by the OS.

[0035] When the drawing application 201 receives a printing request from the user, it issues a printing instruction to the print support system 211. The printing instruction includes printing setting information, similar to the configuration in Fig. 2(a). Even under the configuration in Fig. 2(b), similar to the configuration in Fig. 2(a), the drawing application 201 can display a printing setting screen for specifying the printing setting information. Under the configuration in Fig. 2(b), the printing setting screen provided by the extension application 204 can also be displayed. Specifically, the printing setting screen provided by the printing setting screen extension unit 205 included in the extension application 204 is displayed. That is, the display control of the printing setting screen is performed by the printing setting screen extension unit 205. Whether the printing setting screen provided by the printing setting screen extension unit 205 is displayed depends on the user's operation. For example, based on the selection of a predetermined object on the printing setting screen provided by the drawing application 201, the printing setting screen provided by the extension application 204 is displayed.

[0036] Also, the printing setting screen extension unit 205 can expand the display items of the printing setting screen provided by the OS from the information acquired from the printing device 102 and the information regarding the drawing application 201. This function will be described later with reference to Fig. 3. When the drawing application 201 receives a printing request from the user and the printing instruction is issued to the print support system 211, the print support system 211 activates the skip control unit 206.

[0037] The skip control unit 206 performs control processing on whether to perform a skip process that skips the processing of the print data generation software 202. The skip control unit 206 cannot acquire the intermediate data and the printing setting information. The processing of the print data generation software 202 is the processing of converting the intermediate data in the XPS format into the PDF or PWG-Raster format.

[0038] After the skip control process of the skip control unit 206, the print support system 211 generates intermediate data based on the print instruction output from the drawing application 201 and passes the intermediate data to the print data generation software 202.

[0039] Here, when the skip process is not performed by the skip control unit 206, the intermediate data is processed by the print data generation software 202 into print data interpretable by the printing device 102 and passed to the print data editing unit 208. Print data interpretable by the printing device 102 is, for example, data in PDF or PWG-Raster format. Also, the print data generation software 202 converts the setting values interpretable by the print data generation software 202 among the print setting information into print setting attribute information.

[0040] On the other hand, when the skip process of the print data generation software 202 is performed, the intermediate data is not processed by the print data generation software 202 and is passed to the print data editing unit 208. Thereby, it becomes possible to process the intermediate data by the print data editing unit 208. Note that even when the skip process is performed, the print data generation software 202 converts the setting values interpretable by the print data generation software 202 among the print setting information into print setting attribute information.

[0041] As a preferable example of skipping the processing of the print data generation software 202, there is a case where it is desired to perform the enlargement / reduction processing in the print data editing unit 208. The intermediate data can hold data in vector format. Compared with raster format data, vector format data has less degradation during enlargement / reduction. Therefore, in a form where the print data generation software 202 outputs an image in raster format, it is generally preferable to skip the processing of the print data generation software 202 and process the intermediate data in the print data editing unit 208. The print data editing unit 208 edits the intermediate data passed from the print data generation software 202 via the print support system 211 or the print data processed by the print data generation software 202. Taking collated printing as an example of the editing content, the print data editing unit 208 changes the layout of the intermediate data or the print data based on the print setting information of the collated printing received from the OS. Collated printing is, for example, printing by allocating data for N pages to 1 page, and is called Nin1 or N-up (where N indicates the number of pages).

[0042] Also, the print data editing unit 208 can display a UI screen on the display unit 119 and can display the layout result of the intermediate data or the print data as a preview screen. After the print data editing unit 208 edits the print data, the print data is passed to the printing device 102 via the print support system 211.

[0043] The printing device 102 performs printing on the paper surface based on the received print data. In the case where the print data generation software 202 is skipped by the skip control unit 206, the print data editing unit 208 may convert the received intermediate data into print data interpretable by the printing device 102.

[0044] In addition, the extended application 204 has a printing function extension unit 207. The printing function extension unit 207 can edit the printing function information 203 generated by the printing data generation software 202 or the OS.

[0045] In this way, the extended application 204 has an editing function for the printing function information 203. The printing function extension unit 207 can add functions provided by the extended application 204. In addition, the printing function extension unit 207 can also add functions that the printing device 102 supports but the printing data generation software 202 does not support, and add exclusive relationships between the setting values of the printing functions. Examples of functions that the printing device 102 supports but the printing data generation software 202 does not support include, for example, the function of binding paper by pressure bonding without using needles, such as needleless binding.

[0046] The OS activates the printing function extension unit 207 when the extended application 204 is first associated with the printing device 102 and the printing data generation software 202. Furthermore, the OS may activate the printing function extension unit 207 at other arbitrary timings, such as when the OS is started. Thereby, in a case where an optional device (for example, a finisher, etc.) is added to the printing device 102 later and the functions related to printing are extended, the printing function extension unit 207 can detect the extended function and add it to the printing function information 203.

[0047] In addition, the extended application 204 has a notification unit 209. The notification unit 209 can display a notification to the user in response to an error occurrence in the printing device 102. For example, when a paperless error occurs in the printing device 102, the printing support system 211 detects the error. Then, the printing support system 211 uses the pop-up notification function, which is a function of the OS, to display a message on the display unit 119. When the user presses this pop-up notification, the notification unit 209 of the extended application 204 is called by the OS, and the UI screen of the notification unit 209 is displayed. The pop-up notification function is a commonly used notification function. In this embodiment, the extended application 204 uses the pop-up notification function via the printing support system 211. The pop-up notification function can be used by an application operating on the host computer 101, not just an application related to printing.

[0048] On the UI screen of the notification unit 209, for example, a detailed message about the paperless error or a paper filling method can be displayed. Note that pressing includes not only click operations such as those using a mouse but also touch or tap operations on a touch panel display.

[0049] Note that the configuration of the extended application 204 for realizing this embodiment is not limited to having all of the above-described functions (units), and it may have only some of the functions or may have other functions. Also, the extended application 204 may sometimes be simply called printing software.

[0050] As described above, the extended application 204 has at least one of the following functions. Each function is a function of displaying a print settings screen (print settings screen extension unit 205), a function of controlling whether to skip the processing of the print data generation software 202 (skip control unit 206). Also, a function of editing the print data input to the printing apparatus (print data editing unit 208), a function of extending the functions that can be specified by the print data generation software 202 (print function extension unit 207). Also, it is a function of displaying a screen in response to an error occurrence in the printing apparatus 102 (notification unit 209).

[0051] Figure 3 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of the determination process of the notification screen display items in the notification unit 209 in the present embodiment. Here, it is assumed that the drawing application 201 does not have a function of providing a print settings screen, and the print settings screen provided by the print support system 211 is displayed.

[0052] First, the drawing application 201 starts processing upon receiving an instruction from the user (S301). Next, the drawing application 201 accepts a specification of a file to be printed from the user (S302). The drawing application 201 displays the content of the selected file to the user by drawing the specified file on the application screen (S303). Subsequently, the drawing application 201 accepts a print settings screen display instruction from the user in order to print the file displayed in S303 (S304). Following S304, the drawing application 201 issues an instruction to the OS's print support system 211 provided by the OS to display the OS's print settings screen (S305). Furthermore, the print support system 211 also has the role of adding display items to the OS's print settings screen based on the screen definition information notified from the print settings screen extension unit 205. Thereafter, the print support system 211 executes the display item determination process of the print settings screen extension unit 205 (S306). The display item determination process is a process in which the print settings screen extension unit 205 determines the items to be displayed on the OS's print settings screen. The print settings screen extension unit 205 that has received the instruction in S306 determines the items to be displayed on the OS's print settings screen (S307). Thereafter, the print settings screen extension unit 205 generates screen definition information based on the display items determined in S307 (S308), and notifies the generated screen definition information to the print support system 211 (S309). The print support system 211 that has been notified of the screen definition information in S309 adds display items to the OS's print settings screen according to the notified information, and displays the print settings screen to the user (S310).

[0053] The user performs print setting operations on the print settings screen displayed by the print support system 211 in order to obtain a desired print result (S311). Note that, instead of the print settings screen displayed by the print support system 211, the print settings screen provided by the print settings screen extension unit 205 of the extended application 204 may be displayed to perform print settings.

[0054] Examples of operations include changing the paper size or paper type. When S311 is completed, the user issues a print execution instruction to the print support system 211 (S312).

[0055] Upon receiving the print execution instruction, the print support system 211 instructs the print data generation software 202 to generate print data based on the print instruction received from the drawing application 201. Here, skip control is effective, and it is described as if the data output from the drawing application 201 is input to the print data editing unit 208 in the form of intermediate data, which is XPS.

[0056] The print data editing unit 208 executes print data editing processing on the print data generated by the print data generation software 202 (S313).

[0057] The print data editing unit 208 edits the intermediate data based on the print settings specified by the user in S311 (S314). The print data editing unit 208 inputs the edited intermediate data to the print support system 211 (S315). The print data editing unit 208 specifies the format to which the intermediate data is to be converted and inputs it to the print support system 211. The print support system 211 converts the intermediate data into the format specified by the print data editing unit 208, generates print data, and registers it in the print queue.

[0058] Thereafter, the print support system 211 transmits the input print data to the printing device 102 (S316). When starting the transmission of the print data, the print support system 211 transmits a request for acquiring information about the printing device 102 until the printing process of the printing device 102 is completed (S317). Then, the print support system 211 receives the response to the acquisition request (S318). Note that the transmission of the request for acquiring information about the printing device 102 and its response are repeated until printing is completed.

[0059] Here, the information about the printing device 102 obtained by the printing support system 211 includes event information indicating the content of events such as errors and warnings that occurred during the printing process. Until detecting the completion of printing, when the printing support system 211 detects the occurrence of an event such as an error or a warning in the printing device 102, it notifies the generated event information to the notification unit 209 (S319). The notification unit 209, which has been notified of the event information, determines the information to be displayed on the notification screen (S320). Thereafter, the notification unit 209 generates notification definition information based on the display items determined in S320 (S321). The notification unit 209 causes a pop-up notification to be displayed by providing the generated notification definition information to the printing support system (S322). Note that the details of S320 and S321 will be described later with reference to FIG. 4.

[0060] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the details of the notification screen display item determination process (S320, S321) of the notification unit 209. The process described in the flowchart of FIG. 4 is realized by the CPU 111 executing the program of the notification unit 209 stored in the external storage device 114.

[0061] First, the CPU 111 acquires the event information notified from the printing support system 211 (S401).

[0062] Thereafter, the CPU 111 determines whether the event type of the acquired event is a warning (S402). An event is set to either "error" or "warning" according to its importance. In this embodiment, it is considered that "error" has a higher importance than "warning". An example of a specific determination method for S402 will be described below.

[0063] The extended application 204 holds in advance table information that assigns "error" or "warning" to each event, as shown in FIG. 17, for example. Referring to the event information acquired in S401 and the type column of the table information, the CPU 111 determines the event type.

[0064] When it is determined in the determination of S402 that the event information is "error" (an event with a high degree of importance), the CPU 111 generates notification definition information for error display (S403).

[0065] After that, the CPU 111 sets a message according to the type of error for the generated notification definition information (S404). The CPU 111 refers to the text column of the table information shown in FIG. 17 and determines the message to be displayed on the display unit 119.

[0066] Next, the CPU 111 sets an image according to the type of error (S405). The CPU 111 refers to the table information shown in FIG. 17 and sets the image corresponding to the event acquired in S401 as the image to be displayed on the display unit 119. The image is, for example, an image showing the content of the error.

[0067] The CPU 111 sets a link button for the Web manual page according to the type of error. The link is a link for displaying a Web page on which the method for resolving the occurring error is described. The CPU 111 refers to the table information shown in FIG. 17 and sets the URL corresponding to the event acquired in S401 as the URL corresponding to the link button.

[0068] The CPU 111 sets the sound effect at the time of notification display (S407). The sound effect at the time of notification display is, for example, a setting for whether to sound the sound effect when displaying the pop-up notification shown in 602 of FIG. 6 on the display unit 119. The CPU 111 refers to the table information in FIG. 17 and sets whether to sound the sound effect corresponding to the event acquired in S401. In the present embodiment, when the error type is "error", the CPU 111 sets so that the sound effect sounds, and when the error type is "warning", the CPU 111 sets so that the sound effect does not sound. By doing so, it becomes easier for the user to notice the occurrence of an error, which is an event that needs to be resolved when continuing printing.

[0069] The CPU 111 sets the notification display time information (S408). The notification display time information is information regarding the time from when a pop-up notification is displayed on the display unit 119 until it becomes non-displayed. The CPU 111 refers to the display time column of the table information shown in FIG. 17. In the present embodiment, there are two types of display time settings, "long" and "short". Although both are intended to display the pop-up image for a predetermined time, the display time of "long" is longer than that of "short". In the present embodiment, when the error type is "error", "long" is set, and when the error type is "warning", "short" is set. By doing so, it becomes easier for the user to notice the occurrence of an error, which is an event that needs to be resolved when continuing printing.

[0070] Finally, the CPU 111 notifies the print support system 211 of a display instruction for an error notification screen according to the notification definition information in which various information is set (S409). The notification unit 209 notifies the print support system 211 of the information shown in FIG. 5(a). The print support system 211 performs display of a pop-up screen as shown in FIG. 6(a), for example, according to the content notified from the notification unit 209. Note that the size of the pop-up screen displayed by the print support system 211 changes according to the content displayed within the pop-up screen.

[0071] On the other hand, when it is determined in the determination of S402 that the event information acquired in S401 is "warning", the CPU 111 determines whether the generated warning event is a warning to be notified (S410). An example of a specific determination method for S410 is described below. Table information indicating whether or not it is a notification target is held in advance inside the extended application 204 for each event treated as a warning. The CPU 111 determines whether or not it is a notification target by comparing the generated warning event with the table information.

[0072] When it is determined in the determination of S410 that it is a warning to be notified, the CPU 111 generates notification definition information for warning display (S411).

[0073] After that, the CPU 111 sets a message according to the type of warning for the generated notification definition information (S412). Specifically, the CPU 111 refers to the table information shown in FIG. 17, obtains the text corresponding to the event acquired in S401, and sets it as the message to be displayed.

[0074] Finally, the CPU 111 notifies the print support system 211 of an instruction to display a warning notification screen according to the notification definition information in which various information is set (S413).

[0075] On the other hand, if it is determined in the determination of S410 that the warning is not a warning target, the CPU 111 ends the process without performing the processes of S411 to S413. A specific example of the notification definition information generated by the series of processes of S403 to S408 and S411 to S412 will be described later with reference to FIG. 5. In addition, a specific example of the table information referred to by the notification unit 209 in S402 to S408 is illustrated in FIG. 17.

[0076] FIG. 17 is a diagram conceptually explaining the table information referred to by the notification unit 209. In this table information, an event type, text, image, button name, URL to be opened when the button is pressed, presence or absence of a sound effect, and notification display time are defined in association with each event. In S402, the CPU 111 can perform importance determination by acquiring corresponding event type information using the event information notified from the print support system 211 as a key.

[0077] Furthermore, the CPU 111 sets each piece of information using the event information notified from the print support system 211 as a key. Each piece of information is an event type, text to be displayed on the pop-up notification screen, image, button name, URL to be opened when the button is pressed, presence or absence of a sound effect, and notification display time. These pieces of information are set in the notification definition information in S403 to S408.

[0078] Specifically, the text information is set in S404. The image information is set in S405. The URL information and the button name are set in S406. The notification sound information is set in S407. The notification display time information is set in S408.

[0079] Note that an event not registered in the table of FIG. 17 is treated as a non-notification-required event. Also, for items not described in the table of FIG. 17, no setting is made and they are not written into the notification information. For example, when the notified event is an event of "low consumable remaining amount", a pop-up screen including text is displayed, but the pop-up screen does not include an image showing the state of the printing device or a link to the web manual.

[0080] FIG. 5(a) is a diagram for explaining a specific example of the notification definition information generated by the notification unit 209 through a series of processes of S403 to S408.

[0081] The popup element is the root element that defines the notification screen. The content of the notification is defined by the child elements of this element. The duration attribute included in the popup element specifies the display time of the notification, and long represents 5 seconds. The visual element is an element that defines the elements to be displayed on the notification screen. The binding element is an element that specifies the type of the content to be displayed in the notification. In this example, since the attribute template='PopupError' is specified, the notification definition information for when an error occurs is used.

[0082] The notification definition information in this notice is notification definition information that can specify, in addition to images, messages, and actions (buttons) that users can perform, the sound effects used when the notification is displayed. The image element is an element that specifies the image to be displayed in the notification. The src attribute included in the image element is an attribute that specifies the path where the image is held. Also, the text element is an element that specifies the text to be displayed in the notification. In this example, two text elements are used, and the error title and description are specified respectively. The actions element is an element that defines one or more actions that a user can perform on the notification. The content of the specific action is defined by the child elements of this element. In this example, one action is defined. The action element is an element that defines an action. The arguments attribute specifies the URL to be launched when the action is executed, and the content attribute specifies the label of the action. The audio element is an element that specifies the sound effect associated with the notification. The path of the sound effect file is specified with the src attribute. In this example, a sound effect representing the occurrence of an error named SoundType-Error is used when the notification is displayed.

[0083] Figure 5(b) is a diagram for explaining a specific example of the notification definition information generated by the CPU 111 through a series of processes S411 to S412. Note that detailed explanations of elements and attributes overlapping with those in Figure 5(a) are omitted. In this example, the duration attribute included in the popup element specifies short (2 seconds). Also, since the attribute template='PopupWarning' is specified, the notification definition information at the time of warning occurrence is used. The notification definition information in this notice is notification definition information that can specify messages and sound effects used when the notification is displayed. Also, in this example, the sound effect file SoundType-Silent is specified in the src attribute of the audio element. By specifying this file, no sound effect is emitted (silent) when the notification is displayed.

[0084] Figures 6(a) and (b) are diagrams showing specific examples of the notification screens displayed according to the notification definition information described in Figures 5(a) and (b).

[0085] In Fig. 6(a), an image stored in the path specified by the src attribute of the image element in Fig. 5(a) is displayed in 601. The image shows a specific illustration of how to resolve the error. For example, if there is an out-of-paper error, the image shows how to load new paper into the paper feed slot of the printing device 102.

[0086] Also, in 602, the text specified in the text element in Fig. 5(a) is displayed. Furthermore, in 603, a button for opening a URL specified in the arguments attribute of the action element in Fig. 5(a) is arranged. A label specified in the content attribute of the action element is displayed on the button. When the user presses the button 603, the URL is displayed by the default browser. In the first embodiment, selecting the button displays a web manual page related to the error or warning.

[0087] This notification is displayed for 5 seconds, as specified by the duration attribute in Fig. 5(a). When this notification is displayed, a sound effect is played indicating the occurrence of an error, as specified by the audio element in Fig. 5(a). By pressing an area other than button 603 on this notification screen, the UI screen of the notification unit 209 is displayed. In addition to the content displayed on the pop-up screen, the screen displayed by the notification unit 209 displays the remaining amount of recording agent and the name of the job being processed by the printing device.

[0088] In Fig. 6(b), 604 displays the text specified by the text element in Fig. 5(b). The notification is displayed for two seconds, specified by the duration attribute in Fig. 5(b). Furthermore, since a silent sound effect file is specified by the audio element in Fig. 5(a) when the notification is displayed, no sound effect is produced when the notification is displayed. Pressing an area on the notification screen displays the UI screen of the notification unit 209.

[0089] As described above, according to this embodiment, the notification unit 209 generates notification definition information according to the importance level (whether it is an error or not) of the event information notified from the print support system 211, and displays a notification screen according to the information. By doing so, appropriate information corresponding to the importance level of the occurred event is notified to the user. Specifically, when the event occurred in the printing device 102 is an event with a high importance level (error), additional information is added to the text indicating the content of the occurred error and displayed. The additional information is, for example, an image indicating an error or a link button to a Web manual page explaining the error resolution means. Also, it may be controlled to sound an effect sound at the time of notification display expressing the occurrence of an error.

[0090] When the event occurred in the printing device 102 is a warning with a low importance level, a notification is displayed that only shows the text indicating the warning content. Further, in the case of a warning with a low importance level for the user, the display of the notification itself is not performed. Needless to say, the display time of the notification screen may also be set according to the importance level of the occurred event. By performing such control, the user can easily obtain the importance level of the event occurred during printing and the information necessary for error resolution only by checking the display content of the notification. Also, in a uniform notification screen, there is a possibility that the user misses the notification screen when an event occurs, thus missing the opportunity to open the UI screen of the notification unit 209 and not being able to obtain information regarding the occurred event.

[0091] As in this embodiment, by performing control such as setting the effect sound at the time of notification screen display and making the display time longer in the case of an important event, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the user misses the occurrence of an event with a particularly high importance level.

[0092] <<Second Embodiment>> In the first embodiment, a method of setting the content to be pop-up displayed according to the type of event notified from the OS was described. Among the events notified from the OS, there are events in which it is preferable to change the content to be notified according to the type and configuration information of the connected printing device. For example, in an inkjet printer that is often used at home, a warning display can be made when the remaining amount of the recording agent decreases, prompting the user to purchase the recording agent. On the other hand, in an electrophotographic printer that is often used in the office, since the person in charge may purchase the recording agent, it is considered that warnings for each individual are unnecessary. In the second embodiment, in addition to the events notified from the OS, the content to be pop-up displayed is set using information such as the type of the printing device being communicated with, the hardware configuration, and the capability information.

[0093] Note that the basic hardware configuration and software configuration are the same as those described in the first embodiment, so the description is omitted.

[0094] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing details of the processes described in S320 and S321 executed by the notification unit 209 in this embodiment. The process described in FIG. 7 is realized by the CPU 111 executing a program corresponding to the notification unit 209.

[0095] First, the CPU 111 acquires event information notified from the print support system 211 (S701).

[0096] Subsequently, the CPU 111 acquires a communication interface provided by the OS (S702). The communication interface is associated with the printing device 102 and provides the notification unit 209 with a function of transmitting and receiving arbitrary information using the communication protocol (for example, IPP) supported by the printing device 102.

[0097] Thereafter, the CPU 111 acquires capability information from the printing apparatus 102 using the communication interface acquired in S702 (S703). Examples of the capability information to be acquired include image formation method information (e.g., inkjet method or electrophotographic method) of the printing apparatus 102, device configuration information (e.g., presence or absence of a finisher), and device type information (e.g., physical device or virtual device configured on the cloud).

[0098] Subsequently, the CPU 111 determines whether the event acquired in S701 is an event to be notified based on the capability information acquired in S703 (S704).

[0099] As an example of the determination method, there is a method of determining whether the event that has occurred will immediately stop (error) or may stop (warning) the printing process by the printing apparatus 102 based on information such as the image formation method, device configuration, or model type. For example, when the event that has occurred is "DoorOpen" indicating that the door for accessing the consumables attached to the printing apparatus 102 is open, in the configuration of an inkjet printing apparatus, the printing process stops while the door is open. On the other hand, there are also printing apparatuses that can continue the printing process in an electrophotographic printing apparatus. When the event notified from the OS is "DoorOpen", it is determined whether the image formation method of the connected printing apparatus is the inkjet method or the electrophotographic method. When the connected printing apparatus is an inkjet printing apparatus, the CPU 111 determines Yes in S704. On the other hand, when the connected printing apparatus is an electrophotographic printing apparatus, the CPU 111 determines No in S704.

[0100] In addition, the destination printing device may be a virtual device configured on the cloud. If an error or warning occurs in the actual printing device connected to the virtual device, it is conceivable that the status of the virtual device will also become an error or warning. However, even if the status of the virtual device is an error or warning, it is possible to send the print data to the cloud and put the print data into the print queue of the virtual device. Therefore, when a virtual device is selected as the destination printing device, regardless of the type of event notified, the CPU 111 determines No in S704.

[0101] As described above, the extended application 204 according to the second embodiment switches the presence or absence of notification according to the image forming method of the printing device, the device configuration, and whether the printing device is an actual printing device or a virtual device on the cloud.

[0102] When it is determined in S704 that the event is a notification target event, the notification unit 209 sequentially executes the processes of S705 to S712 or S705 to S715. The processes of S705 to S715 are the same as the processes of S402 to S409, and the processes of S713 to S715 are the same as the processes of S411 to S413, so the description is omitted. On the other hand, when it is determined in S704 that the event is not a notification target event, the notification unit 209 ends this process without performing a notification.

[0103] As described above, according to the present embodiment, the notification unit 209 determines whether the event is a notification target event from the event information notified from the print support system 211 and the capability information of the printing device 102, and then notifies the user of appropriate information according to the type of the event. Specifically, even for the same event, the possibility of continuing printing may differ depending on the configuration of the device or the type of the device. Therefore, the display of the notification is limited to events that may interfere with the continuation of printing. As a result, the user can recognize only important events in accordance with the capability information of the model even for the same event.

[0104] In the second embodiment, whether to issue a notification corresponding to the event acquired in S701 is changed according to the information of the connected printing device. Depending on the capability information and configuration information of the connected printing device, even if the event acquired in S701 is the same, the content of the notification may be changed. For example, assume that a toner remaining amount error-free event is acquired in S701. If the image forming method of the connected printing device is an inkjet method, the notification unit 209 generates notification definition information for displaying "Error: Out of Ink Error The ink has run out. Please prepare new ink." On the other hand, if the image forming method of the connected printing device is an electrophotographic method, notification definition information for displaying "Error: Out of Toner Error The toner has run out. Please prepare a new toner cartridge." is generated. By doing so, a message suitable for the connected printing device can be displayed.

[0105] <<Third Embodiment>> In this embodiment, in the notification screen display item determination process of the notification unit 209, a configuration for determining display items according to the type of event and error type that occurred in the printing device 102 will be described. In the first embodiment, regardless of the type of the occurred event, an object for displaying a web manual for resolving the occurred error was displayed in the pop-up notification. In the third embodiment, when a predetermined type of error occurs, a link object to a web page different from the page of the web manual is displayed.

[0106] Note that since the basic hardware configuration and software configuration are the same as those described in the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

[0107] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing details of the notification screen display item determination process (S320, S321) of the notification unit 209 in this embodiment. The flowchart shown in FIG. 8 is realized by the CPU 111 reading and executing the program of the notification unit 209.

[0108] First, the CPU 111 acquires event information notified from the print support system 211 (S801). After that, the CPU 111 determines the importance of the acquired event information (S802). If it is determined in the determination of S802 that the event information is "error" (an event with high importance), the CPU 111 generates notification definition information for error display (S803).

[0109] Subsequently, the CPU 111 sets a message according to the type of error for the generated notification definition information (S804). In S804, the CPU 111 refers to the table shown in FIG. 18 stored in the extended application 204. The CPU 111 sets the information in the text column of the row corresponding to the event acquired in S801 as the message.

[0110] The CPU 111 sets an image according to the type of error (S805). The CPU 111 refers to the table shown in FIG. 18. The CPU 111 sets the image shown in the image column of the row corresponding to the event acquired in S801 as the image to be displayed.

[0111] The CPU 111 sets a sound effect at the time of notification display (S806). The CPU 111 refers to the table shown in FIG. 18 and sets whether to sound a sound effect corresponding to the event acquired in S801.

[0112] Next, the CPU 111 determines whether the error type of the event notified in S801 is a predetermined type (S807). In S807, the CPU 111 refers to the error type column of the table shown in FIG. 18. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the recording agent remaining amount system error is a predetermined error. The recording agent remaining amount system error is an event notified from the printing apparatus to the information processing apparatus when the remaining amount of a recording agent such as ink or toner becomes less than a predetermined value.

[0113] In the determination of S807, when it is determined that the event that has occurred is a recording agent remaining amount system error, the CPU 111 sets a link button to the consumable purchase site for the generated notification definition information (S808). The CPU 111 refers to the URL column in FIG. 18 to obtain the URL to be used. Different URLs may be set according to the color of the recording agent with a reduced remaining amount.

[0114] On the other hand, in the determination of S807, when it is determined that the error is not related to the remaining amount of the recording agent, the CPU 111 sets a link button for the Web manual page according to the type of error for the generated notification definition information (S809).

[0115] After that, the CPU 111 displays a notification screen according to the notification definition information with various information set (S810). Note that a specific example of the table information referred to by the CPU 111 in S802 to S809 is illustrated in FIG. 18. On the other hand, the processing of S811 to S814 when it is determined in the determination of S802 that the event information is "warning" (an event with a low importance) is the same as the processing of S410 to S413, so the description is omitted.

[0116] Note that in S807 of FIG. 8, with reference to the error type column in FIG. 18, it is determined whether the generated error is a recording agent remaining amount system error. In S807, the processing of S808 may be performed when the event acquired by the CPU 111 in S801 is a predetermined event. In this case, in S807, when the event acquired in S801 is not a predetermined event, the CPU 111 executes the processing described in S809.

[0117] FIG. 18 is a diagram conceptually explaining the table information referred to by the notification unit 209. In this table information, the event type, error type, text, image, button name, URL to be opened when the button is pressed, presence or absence of an effect sound, and notification display time are defined in association with each event.

[0118] In S802, the notification unit 209 can perform importance determination by obtaining corresponding event type information using the event information notified from the print support system 211 as a key. Further, the notification unit 209 sets each piece of information using the event information notified from the print support system 211 as a key. Each piece of information includes the event type, the text, image, button name, URL to open when the button is pressed, presence or absence of a notification sound, notification display time, and so on. These pieces of information are set in the notification definition information in S804 to S809.

[0119] Specifically, the text information is set in S804. The image information is set in S805. The notification display time information is set in S806. In S807, the notification unit 209 can perform error type determination by obtaining corresponding error type information using the event information notified from the print support system 211 as a key. When the notified event indicates a recording agent remaining amount system error, the URL information and button name specific to the recording agent remaining amount system error are set in S808. When the notified event indicates something other than a recording agent remaining amount system error, the URL information and button name corresponding to the error type are set in S809.

[0120] FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a specific example of the notification definition information generated by the notification unit 209 through a series of processes from S803 to S808. Since each element and attribute of the notification definition information is the same as the elements and attributes described in FIG. 5, detailed descriptions of each are omitted. In this example, the duration attribute included in the popup element is specified as long (5 seconds). Also, since the attribute template='PopupError' is specified, the notification definition information for when an error occurs is used. Further, in this example, a URL for opening the recording agent purchase page is set in the arguments attribute of the action element. The recording agent information with a reduced remaining amount is added to the URL, and opening this URL displays the purchase page of the recording agent with a reduced remaining amount in the default browser.

[0121] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a specific example of a notification screen displayed according to the notification definition information described in FIG. 9. An image stored at the path specified by the src attribute of the image element in FIG. 9 is displayed at 1001. Also, the text specified by the text element in FIG. 9 is displayed at 1002. Further, a button for opening the URL specified by the arguments attribute of the action element in FIG. 9 is arranged at 1003. A label specified by the content attribute of the action element is displayed on the button. When the user presses the button at 1003, the recording agent purchase page is displayed by the default browser. Also, the time when this notification is displayed is 5 seconds specified by the duration attribute in FIG. 9. Further, when this notification is displayed, a sound effect meaning an error occurrence specified by the audio element in FIG. 9 is emitted.

[0122] As described above, according to the present embodiment, the notification unit 209 generates notification definition information according to the importance level and the type of the event information notified from the print support system 211, and displays a notification screen according to the information. Thereby, appropriate information according to the importance level and the type of the event that has occurred is notified to the user. Specifically, when the event that has occurred in the printing apparatus 102 is an event (error) with a high importance level and corresponds to a recording agent remaining amount system error, an action (button) that can open the recording agent purchase page from the notification screen is displayed. Thereby, it becomes possible to present information specialized for a specific event type to the user on the notification screen.

[0123] <<Fourth Embodiment>> In the present embodiment, in the notification screen display item determination process of the notification unit 209, a configuration will be described in which when the type of the event that has occurred in the printing apparatus 102 indicates a specific value, the notification unit 209 acquires additional information related to the notification display from the printing apparatus 102. Note that since the basic hardware configuration and software configuration are the same as those described in the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted.

[0124] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing details of the notification screen display item determination process (S320, S321) of the notification unit 209 in the present embodiment. The process described in FIG. 11 is realized by the CPU 111 executing the program of the notification unit 209.

[0125] The CPU 111 acquires event information notified from the print support system 211 (S1101).

[0126] Thereafter, the CPU 111 determines whether the type of the acquired event information is a warning (S1102). FIG. 19 is table information stored in the extended application 204 in the present embodiment. The CPU 111 refers to the column of "event type" in the table information shown in FIG. 19. Here, it is assumed that the "error" of the event type is an event with a higher importance than the "warning".

[0127] If it is determined in the determination of S1102 that the event information is an "error", the CPU 111 generates notification definition information for error display (S1103).

[0128] Thereafter, the CPU 111 determines whether the error type of the event acquired in S1102 is a general-purpose error (S1104). The CPU 111 refers to the column of "error type" in the table shown in FIG. 19 and determines whether the occurring error is a general-purpose error. A general-purpose error means an error that is not included in the error types defined inside the print support system 211 (for example, an ink-out error or a paper-out error).

[0129] If it is determined in the determination of S1104 that the occurring event indicates a general-purpose error, the CPU 111 acquires a communication interface provided by the OS (S1105).

[0130] The communication interface is associated with the printing device 102 and provides the notification unit 209 with a function of transmitting and receiving arbitrary information using the communication protocol (for example, IPP) supported by the printing device 102.

[0131] Subsequently, the CPU 111 acquires detailed error information from the printing apparatus 102 using the acquired communication interface (S1106). As an example of the detailed error information to be acquired, there is an identifier (error code) for identifying each error.

[0132] Subsequently, the CPU 111 sets a message including the detailed error information (error code) for the notification definition information (S1107). The CPU 111 acquires the text corresponding to the general error from the table information shown in FIG. 19. Based on the acquired text information and the error code acquired from the printing apparatus, the text to be displayed is set.

[0133] Thereafter, the CPU 111 sets a link button for the Web manual page reflecting the detailed error information for the generated notification definition information (S1108).

[0134] On the other hand, when it is determined that the event that occurred in the determination of S1104 is not a general error, the CPU 111 performs the process described in S1109. Note that the case where the occurred error is not a general error is, for example, the case where the occurred error is a specific error.

[0135] The CPU 111 sets a message according to the type of error for the notification definition information (S1109). The CPU 111 refers to the text column of the table information shown in FIG. 19 and sets the message to be displayed.

[0136] Furthermore, the CPU 111 sets a link button for the Web manual page according to the error type (S1110). The CPU 111 refers to the button name and URL columns in FIG. 19 and sets the button information.

[0137] Subsequent to S1108 or S1110, the CPU 111 sets an image according to the type of error for the notification definition information (S1111).

[0138] Then, the CPU 111 sets the sound effect during notification display (S1112).

[0139] The CPU 111 sets the notification display time (S1113).

[0140] Finally, the CPU 111 notifies the print support system 211 of the notification definition information with various information set (S1114).

[0141] Note that specific examples of the table information referred to by the notification unit 209 in S1102 to S1113 are illustrated in FIG. 19. On the other hand, the processes of S1115 to S1118 when the event information is determined to be "warning" (an event with a low importance level) in the determination of S1102 are the same as the processes of S410 to S413, so the description is omitted.

[0142] FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of the table information referred to by the notification unit 209. In this table information, the event type, error type, text, image, button name, URL to be opened when the button is pressed, presence or absence of a sound effect, and notification display time are defined in association with each event.

[0143] In S1102, the CPU 111 can perform importance determination by obtaining corresponding event type information using the event information notified from the print support system 211 as a key. Also, in S1104, the CPU 111 can perform error type determination by obtaining corresponding error type information using the event information notified from the print support system 211 as a key. Furthermore, the CPU 111 obtains each piece of information using the event information notified from the print support system 211 as a key. Each piece of information includes the event type, text to be displayed on the pop-up notification screen, image, button name, URL to be opened when the button is pressed, presence or absence of a sound effect, notification display time, and so on. Each piece of information is set in the notification definition information in S1106 to S1108. When the notified event indicates a "general error", the text information, URL information, and button name associated with the error type of "general error" are set in S1106 to S1108, respectively. On the other hand, when the error type of the notified event matches "specific error", the text information, URL information, and button name corresponding to the error type are set in S1109 to S1110. In addition, the image information, sound effect information, and display time information corresponding to each error are set in S1111 to S1113, respectively.

[0144] FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining a specific example of the notification definition information generated by the notification unit 209 through a series of processes of S1103 to S1108 and S1111 to S1114. Since each element and attribute of the notification definition information is the same as those described in FIG. 5, detailed explanations thereof are omitted.

[0145] In this example, the duration attribute included in the toast element specifies long (5 seconds). Also, since the attribute template='PopupError' is specified, the notification definition information for when an error occurs is used. Further, the text element is set with a message that reflects the detailed error information (error code) set in S1107. Additionally, the URL set in the arguments attribute of the action element in this example is a value that reflects the error code set in S1108. Since the error code for identifying the error is reflected in the URL, when this URL is opened, a page describing the countermeasures for the corresponding error is displayed by the default browser.

[0146] Figure 13 is a diagram showing a specific example of a notification screen displayed according to the notification definition information described in Figure 12. In Figure 13, an image stored at the path specified by the src attribute of the image element in Figure 12 is displayed at 1301. Also, the text specified by the text element in Figure 12 is displayed at 1302. Further, a button for opening the URL specified by the arguments attribute of the action element in Figure 12 is placed at 1303. On the button, the label specified by the content attribute of the action element is displayed. When the user presses the button at 1303, a page describing the countermeasures for the occurred error is displayed by the default browser. Also, the time for which this notification is displayed is 5 seconds specified by the duration attribute in Figure 12. Further, when this notification is displayed, a sound effect indicating the occurrence of an error specified by the audio element in Figure 12 is emitted.

[0147] As described above, according to the present embodiment, the notification unit 209 generates notification definition information according to the importance of the event information notified from the print support system 211 and the type of the event. At this time, when the event type is a value indicating a general error, the notification unit 209 further acquires detailed error information from the printing device 102. Further, the notification unit 209 reflects the acquired detailed error information in the notification definition information and displays a notification screen according to the information. In the print support system 211, several event types are defined in advance, and event type information that matches the event information generated in the printing device 102 is input to the notification unit 209. On the other hand, when the event generated in the printing device 102 is an event specific to the printing device vendor, since it is an unknown type for the print support system 211, event type information indicating a general error may be input to the notification unit 209. When the event type notified from the print support system 211 indicates a general error, it is difficult to guide the user to an appropriate error handling method because the error that occurred cannot be specified only by that information. Therefore, the notification unit 209 can set a Web manual link reflecting the error code in the notification definition information by acquiring a value (error code) that uniquely identifies the error as detailed error information from the printing device 102. Thereby, even when the error content cannot be specified only by the information notified from the print support system 211, the user can open a Web page indicating the error handling method for the occurred error from the notification screen.

[0148] <<Fifth Embodiment>> In the present embodiment, in the notification screen display item determination process of the notification unit 209, when the type of the event generated in the printing device 102 indicates a specific error, a configuration for starting an application that can guide the specific error in more detail will be described. Note that the basic hardware configuration and software configuration are the same as those described in the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof will be omitted.

[0149] FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing details of the notification screen display item determination process (S320, S321) of the notification unit 209 in the present embodiment. FIG. 14 is realized by the CPU 111 executing a program of the notification unit 209.

[0150] The CPU 111 acquires event information notified from the print support system 211 (S1401).

[0151] The CPU 111 determines whether the event type of the acquired event is a warning (S1402). FIG. 20 shows table information stored in the extended application 204. The CPU 111 refers to the event type of the table information and performs the determination.

[0152] If it is determined in the determination of S1402 that the event type of the event information is a warning, the CPU 111 generates notification definition information for error display (S1403).

[0153] Subsequently, the CPU 111 sets an image according to the type of error (S1404). Further, the CPU 111 sets an effect sound at the time of notification display (S1405). Then, the CPU 111 sets the notification display time (S1406).

[0154] Thereafter, the CPU 111 determines whether the type of error that has occurred is a printing error (S1407). The CPU 111 refers to the error type of the table information shown in FIG. 20. In the present embodiment, "printing error" and "communication error" are shown as error types. A printing error is an error related to the printing process executed by the printing device, for example, an error such as no remaining amount of ink or toner, paper jam, or no paper. On the other hand, a communication error is an error related to communication between the host computer 101 and the printing device 102.

[0155] In the determination of S1407, if it is determined that the event that has occurred is a printing system error associated with the printing process, the CPU 111 executes the process described in S1408. The CPU 111 determines whether a status application capable of providing a detailed explanation of the occurred printing system error is installed on the host computer 101 (S1408).

[0156] The status application is an application provided by the vendor that provides the printing device 102. The status application is installed on the host computer 101 when the user downloads it from the printer vendor's homepage or the application distribution page provided by the OS vendor. Also, the status application may be installed on the host computer 101 using the storage medium included with the printing device 102.

[0157] This application has a function of explaining the printing system error that occurred in the printing device 102 in more detail than the extended application 204.

[0158] In the determination of S1408, if it is determined that the status application is installed, the CPU 111 sets a message when the status application is installed in the notification definition information for each event type (S1409). Then, the CPU 111 sets the launch button of the status application in the notification definition information (S1410).

[0159] On the other hand, in the determination of S1408, if it is determined that the status application is not installed, the CPU 111 sets a message according to the event type (S1411).

[0160] After that, the CPU 111 sets a link button for the Web manual page according to the event type (S1412).

[0161] When it is determined in the determination of S1407 that the event that occurred is a communication error indicating that communication with the printing apparatus 102 has become impossible during printing processing, the CPU 111 executes the following processing. The CPU 111 determines whether a communication restoration application having a function of restoring the communication state is installed in the host computer 101 (S1413).

[0162] The communication restoration application is an application provided by the vendor that provides the printing apparatus 102. This application has a function of restoring to a state where communication can be correctly performed when communication between the printing apparatus 102 and the host computer 101 becomes impossible. When it is determined in the determination of S1413 that it is installed, the CPU 111 sets a message when the communication restoration application is installed in the notification definition information (S1414). Subsequently, the CPU 111 sets a start button for the communication restoration application (S1415). On the other hand, when it is determined in the determination of S1413 that it is not installed, the CPU 111 sets a message according to the event type (S1416). Subsequently, the CPU 111 sets a link button for the Web manual page according to the error type (S1417). Following any of the processes of S1410, S1412, S1415, and S1417, the CPU 111 notifies the print support system 211 of the notification definition information in which various information is set (S1418). Note that a specific example of the table information referred to by the notification unit 209 in S1402 to S1417 is illustrated in FIG. 20. On the other hand, the processes of S1419 to S1422 when it is determined in the determination of S1402 that the event information is "warning" (an event with a low importance) are the same as the processes of S410 to S413, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

[0163] FIG. 20 is a diagram conceptually explaining table information referred to by the notification unit 209. In this table information, for each event, an event type, an error type, text, an image, button names, a URL to be opened when a button is pressed, presence or absence of a notification sound, and a notification display time are defined. In S1402, the notification unit 209 can perform importance determination by acquiring corresponding event type information using the event information notified from the print support system 211 as a key. Also, in S1408, the notification unit 209 can perform error type determination by acquiring corresponding error type information using the event information notified from the print support system 211 as a key. From S1404 to S1406, image information, sound effect information, and display time information associated with each event are set.

[0164] When it is determined that the error type of the notified event indicates "printing error" and the status application is installed, the CPU 111 refers to the columns of text (with app) and URL (with app) in FIG. 20. In S1409, the CPU 111 sets the information of text (with app) in FIG. 20 in the notification setting information. In S1410, the CPU 111 sets the information of URL (with app) in FIG. 20 in the notification setting information.

[0165] On the other hand, when it is determined that the error type of the notified event indicates "printing error" and the status application is not installed, the CPU 111 refers to the columns of text (without app) and URL (without app) in FIG. 20. In S1411, the CPU 111 refers to the column of text (without app) in FIG. 20 and sets the text to be displayed in the notification setting information. In S1412, the CPU 111 refers to the column of URL (without app) in FIG. 20 and sets the URL in the notification setting information.

[0166] When the error type of the notified event indicates "communication error" and it is determined that the communication repair application has been installed, the CPU 111 executes the following processes. In S1414, the CPU 111 refers to the column of the text (with app) of the event associated with the communication error and sets the text in the notification setting information. In S1415, the CPU 111 refers to the column of the URL (with app) of the event and sets the URL in the notification setting information.

[0167] On the other hand, when the error type of the notified event indicates "communication error" and it is determined that the communication repair application has not been installed, the CPU 111 executes the following processes. In S1416, the CPU 111 refers to the column of the text (without app) of the event associated with the communication error and sets the text in the notification setting information. In S1417, the CPU 111 refers to the column of the URL (without app) of the event and sets the URL in the notification setting information.

[0168] FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining a specific example of notification definition information generated by the notification unit 209 through a series of processes from S1403 to S1414. Since each element and attribute of the notification definition information is the same as the elements and attributes described in FIG. 5, detailed explanations thereof are omitted. FIG. 15(a) shows the notification definition information when the start button of the status application is set in S1410. In this example, the duration attribute included in the popup element is specified as long (5 seconds). Also, since the attribute template='PopupError' is specified, the notification definition information for when an error occurs is used. Further, in this example, the URI for starting the status application is set in the arguments attribute of the action element. This URI is a string registered in the host computer 101 when the status application is installed. The OS can start the application associated with the URI when the URI is specified in the arguments attribute. FIG. 15(b) shows the notification definition information when the start button of the communication repair application is set in S1413. In this example, the duration attribute included in the popup element is specified as long (5 seconds). Also, since the attribute template='PopupError' is specified, the notification definition information for when an error occurs is used. Further, in this example, the URI for starting the argumen communication is set.

[0169] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing specific examples of respective notification screens displayed according to the notification definition information described with reference to FIGS. 15(a) and 15(b). In FIG. 16(a), an image stored at the path specified by the src attribute of the image element in FIG. 15(a) is displayed at 1601. Also, the text specified by the text element in FIG. 15(a) is displayed at 1602. Further, a button for opening the status application specified by the arguments attribute of the action element in FIG. 15(a) is arranged at 1603. A label specified by the content attribute of the action element is displayed on the button. When the user presses the button at 1603, the status application is launched. Also, the time for which this notification is displayed is 5 seconds specified by the duration attribute in FIG. 15(a). Further, when this notification is displayed, a sound effect indicating an error occurrence specified by the audio element in FIG. 15(a) is emitted. In FIG. 16(b), an image stored at the path specified by the src attribute of the image element in FIG. 15(b) is displayed at 1604. Also, the text specified by the text element in FIG. 15(b) is displayed at 1605. Further, a button for opening the communication application specified by the arguments attribute of the action element in FIG. 15(b) is arranged at 1606. A label specified by the content attribute of the action element is displayed on the button. When the user presses the button at 1606, the communication application is launched. Also, the time for which this notification is displayed is 5 seconds specified by the duration attribute in FIG. 15(b). Further, when this notification is displayed, a sound effect indicating an error occurrence specified by the audio element in FIG. 15(b) is emitted.

[0170] As described above, according to the present embodiment, the notification unit 209 generates notification definition information according to the importance level of the event information notified from the print support system 211 and the type of the event, and displays a notification screen according to the information.

[0171] At this time, when the event type indicates a value of a printing error, it is determined whether a status application capable of providing a detailed explanation of the printing error is installed. When the status application is installed, information for starting the application is set in the notification definition information. On the other hand, when the event type indicates a value of a communication error, it is determined whether a communication repair application capable of repairing the communication state is installed. When the communication repair application is installed, information for starting the application is set in the notification definition information. As a result, more detailed information can be provided about the event that has occurred in the printing apparatus 102, and if there is an application capable of repairing the problem that has occurred, the user can directly start the application from the notification screen. Note that in this embodiment, the configuration for starting the status application or the communication repair application from the notification screen in FIG. 16(a) or (b) has been described. A configuration may also be employed in which the status application or the communication repair application is directly started according to the event type without going through the notification screen.

[0172] <<Other Embodiments>> The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus via a network or a storage medium and causing one or more processors in a computer of the system or apparatus to read and execute the program. Further, it can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

Claims

1. An application stored in an information processing device, comprising: an acquisition step of acquiring a notification received from a printing device by a printing function provided in an operating system of the information processing device; a determination step of determining whether another application is installed in the information processing device; a display control step of causing the notification function of the operating system to display information set based on the content of the acquired notification and the result of the determination; and an application characterized by causing the information processing device to execute the steps.

2. When the acquired notification is a first type of notification, the application causes the information processing device to display text and an image corresponding to the notification on the printing device in the display control step, and when the acquired notification is a second type of notification, the application causes the information processing device to display text without displaying an image in the display control step. The application according to claim 1.

3. In the display control step, when the acquired notification is a first type of notification, the time for displaying the information is made longer compared to when the acquired notification is a second type of notification. The application according to claim 1.

4. The first type of notification is a notification corresponding to an event in which the printing device stops a printing process. The application according to claim 2 or 3.

5. The first type of notification is a notification indicating an error. The application according to claim 4.

6. The second type of notification is a notification that can be issued by the printing device without stopping a printing process. The application according to claim 2 or 3.

7. The second type of notification is a notification indicating a warning. The application according to claim 6.

8. The display control step causes the notification function to display information set based on the content of the acquired notification and the image forming method of the printing device. The application according to claim 1.

9. The image forming method is an inkjet method or an electrophotographic method. The application according to claim 8.

10. When the notification acquired in the acquisition step is a predetermined notification, cause the information processing apparatus to execute another acquisition step of acquiring information different from the notification from the printing apparatus. The application according to claim 1, wherein in the display control step, a display based on the predetermined notification acquired in the acquisition step and the different information acquired in the other acquisition step is displayed.

11. The application according to claim 10, wherein the different information is more detailed information than the predetermined notification.

12. The application according to claim 1, wherein the application does not execute the display control step when the printing function receives a notification from the server system.

13. When it is determined in the determination step that the other application is installed, display a button for starting the other application in the display control step. The application according to claim 1, wherein when it is determined in the determination step that the other application is not installed, the button is not displayed in the display control step.

14. The application according to claim 1, wherein the other application is an application for providing information about an error occurring in the printing apparatus.

15. The application according to claim 1, wherein the other application has a function of restoring communication to a state where communication is possible when communication between the information processing apparatus and the printing apparatus becomes impossible.

16. An acquisition means for acquiring a notification received from a printing apparatus by a printing function provided by an operating system of an information processing apparatus; A determination step of determining whether a predetermined application is installed in the information processing apparatus; An information processing apparatus, comprising: display control means for displaying information set based on the content of the acquired notification and the result of the determination on a notification function of the operating system.

17. A control method for an information processing apparatus, comprising: An acquisition step of acquiring a notification received from a printing apparatus by a printing function provided by an operating system of the information processing apparatus; A determination step of determining whether a predetermined application is installed in the information processing apparatus; A display control step of causing the notification function of the operating system to display information set based on the content of the acquired notification and the result of the determination. A control method for an information processing apparatus, characterized by comprising the steps.

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