Image processing method and image processing device

Abstract

To provide an image processing method and an image processing apparatus for printing a plurality of pages in a document in a variable number of copies.SOLUTION: A method for printing a plurality of pages of a document in a variable number of copies, comprises: receiving, from a user, user input including the number of copies of the plurality of pages to be printed; analyzing the user input to determine the plurality of pages to be printed and the number of copies of each of the plurality of pages to be printed; acquiring a content of each of the plurality of pages from a temporary file or a memory associated with a printer driver unit; and printing the acquired content with a printer apparatus for the determined number of copies.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3A

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The subject matter of this application relates generally to multifunction printers (MFPs) and, although not limited to, to techniques for printing multiple pages within a document in variable copies. [Background technology]

[0002] A printer is an output device that receives textual and graphical information from a computer and transfers that information to physical paper. Typically, a printer is associated with a printing application through which the printer receives information to be printed from the computer. When printing information using a printing application, a user interface (UI) associated with the printer allows the user to input or select various printing options, such as printer selection, page selection, page orientation, etc.

[0003] Furthermore, when a user wants to print multiple copies of multiple pages from a document, the print UI provides the option to select a page or range of pages and the number of copies of the selected pages. However, with existing print mechanisms, the number of copies entered by the user applies to all pages selected by the user. For example, if a user selects pages 1-4, 6, and 8 and enters the desired number of copies as "3," three copies of pages 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8 will all be printed. In other words, existing print mechanisms do not provide the option to print different sets of pages with different numbers of copies within a single print operation. For example, existing print mechanisms do not provide the option to print three copies of pages 1-4, two copies of page 6, and five copies of page 8. Therefore, to achieve this, the user must perform three separate print operations. That is, in the above example, the user must: (1) Print three copies of pages 1-4. (2) Print two copies of 6 pages. (3) Print 5 copies of 8 pages, In this way, existing printing mechanisms consume a lot of time and resources to print multiple pages with a variable number of copies, which creates serious limitations when printing a large number of pages.

[0004] It would therefore be advantageous to have a printing mechanism that allows different pages to be printed in different copies in a single printing operation.

[0005] It should be understood that the information disclosed in this Background section is intended to enhance understanding of the general background of the present invention and is not an admission or in any way a suggestion that this information forms prior art already known to those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Disclosed herein is a method for printing a variable number of copies of a plurality of pages in a document. The method includes receiving, by a printer driver unit, user input including a number of copies of the plurality of pages to be printed. The method further includes analyzing the user input to determine the plurality of pages to be printed and the number of copies of each of the plurality of pages to be printed. The method includes, after determining the plurality of pages and the number of copies, the printer driver unit obtaining content for each of the determined plurality of pages. Thereafter, the method includes printing the determined number of copies of the obtained content.

[0007] The present disclosure further relates to a printer driver unit for printing a variable number of copies of multiple pages in a document. The printer driver unit is associated with a processor and a memory communicatively connected to the processor. The memory stores processor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to receive user input including a number of copies of the multiple pages to be printed. The instructions further cause the processor to analyze the user input to determine the multiple pages to be printed and the number of copies of each of the multiple pages to be printed. The instructions then cause the processor to retrieve content for each of the determined multiple pages. Finally, the instructions cause the processor to print the determined number of copies of the retrieved content.

[0008] The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the exemplary aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this disclosure, illustrate exemplary embodiments and, together with the description, explain the disclosed principles. In the drawings, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number refers to the figure in which the reference number first appears. Like numbers are used throughout the figures to refer to like features and components. Several embodiments of systems and / or methods according to embodiments of the present subject matter are illustrated, by way of example only, in the accompanying drawings. [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary environment for printing multiple pages of a document in variable copies, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 2A] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary architecture of various components involved in a printing process, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 2B] FIG. 2 is a detailed block diagram of a printer driver unit according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 3A] 1 is an exemplary illustration of a user interface (UI) used to receive user input, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 3B] 1 is an exemplary illustration of a user interface (UI) used to receive user input, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 3C] 1 is an exemplary illustration of a user interface (UI) used to receive user input, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method for printing multiple pages of a document in variable copies according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary computer system for implementing embodiments according to the present disclosure.

[0010] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that any block diagrams herein represent conceptual views of illustrative systems embodying the principles of the present subject matter. Similarly, any flowcharts, flow diagrams, state transition diagrams, and pseudocode may be substantially represented on a computer-readable medium and represent various operations that may be performed by a computer or processor, whether or not such a computer or processor is explicitly shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] The word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any embodiment or implementation of the subject matter described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.

[0012] While the present disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific exemplary embodiments are shown in the drawings and are described in detail below. It is to be understood, however, that the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed, but rather, the disclosure is intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0013] Words such as "comprise," "include," or other variations thereof imply open-ended inclusion, such that a composition, apparatus, or method comprising a set of components or steps may include not only those components or steps, but also other components or steps not expressly listed or inherent in such composition, apparatus, or method. In other words, the use of "comprises" to describe a "system or apparatus that 'includes' one or more elements" does not, without further constraints, preclude the presence of other or additional elements in the system or apparatus.

[0014] The present disclosure relates to a method and printer driver unit for printing multiple pages in a document with a variable number of copies. In one embodiment, the disclosed method provides a user with the option to input different numbers of copies for different pages for printing. That is, according to the present disclosure, a user can input a "character string" that specifies the pages to be printed and the corresponding number of copies. For example, to print three copies of pages 1-4, two copies of page 6, and five copies of page 8, the user would input the character string "1-4*3,6*2,8*5." Here, "*" is a specifier, the number immediately after "*" indicates the number of copies to be printed, and the number before "*" is a selected page range selected for printing, which includes at least one page. Furthermore, "," is a delimiter that separates the set of the selected page range, the specifier, and the number of copies to be printed. Note that a printing method may be specified individually for each selected page range. For example, the printing method may be specified based on an alphabetical character indicating the printing method input after the number of copies to be printed. Such printing methods include double-sided printing, printing multiple pages per sheet of paper, stapling, punching, etc.

[0015] In this way, in the present disclosure, it is not necessary to issue three separate print instructions, and the desired number of copies for each page can be obtained with a single print operation.

[0016] In the following detailed description of embodiments according to the present disclosure, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and which show, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in which the present disclosure may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the present disclosure, and it should be understood that other embodiments may be used and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the following description should not be taken in a limiting sense.

[0017] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary environment 100 for printing multiple pages of a document in variable copies in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0018] In one embodiment, environment 100 may include, without limitation, a user 101, a printer driver unit 105, and a multifunction printer (MFP) 107. In one embodiment, user 101 may be an operator of MFP 107. In one embodiment, printer driver unit 105 may be a computing unit configured with a printer driver application that can examine documents and convert content or data to be printed into a format understandable by MFP 107. In one embodiment, printer driver unit 105 may be a standalone computing unit that can connect to MFP 107 as an external plug-in. Alternatively, printer driver unit 105 may be configured internal to MFP 107. In one embodiment, printer driver unit 105 may be associated with a user interface (UI) for receiving user input 103 from user 101. By way of example, the UI may include, without limitation, a display screen, a touch panel, a touchpad, a keypad, etc. In one embodiment, if printer driver unit 105 is configured within MFP 107 , printer driver unit 105 may use the UI of MFP 107 to receive user input 103 from user 101 .

[0019] In one embodiment, user input 103 may include a string of numbers indicating a number of pages to be printed from a document and the number of copies of each of the number of pages to be printed.

[0020] In one embodiment, MFP 107 may be a machine designed to perform multiple functions, including, but not limited to, scanning documents, copying documents, printing documents, etc. For various embodiments of the present disclosure, the printing functionality of MFP 107 may be considered.

[0021] In one embodiment, after receiving user input 103 from user 101, printer driver unit 105 may process and / or parse user input 103 to identify pages to print and the number of copies of each page to print. For example, if user 101 enters user input 103 as "1*4, 5-7*3," printer driver unit 105 may process user input 103 to identify that user 101 has selected pages 1 and 5-7 for printing. Further, printer driver unit 105 may determine that user 101 intends to print four copies of page 1 and three copies of pages 5-7.

[0022] In one embodiment, after fully parsing user input 103, printer driver unit 105 may pass the parsed information to MFP 107. MFP 107 may then print the required number of copies of the selected pages onto physical paper (illustrated as printed pages 109). The various processes involved in parsing user input 103 and printing a variable number of copies of the selected pages are described in the following paragraphs with reference to Figures 2A and 2B.

[0023] FIG. 2A illustrates an example architecture of various components involved in a printing process according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0024] 2A, user 101 may use printer application 201 to initiate printing of a document. Printer application 201 may be a utility that allows user 101 to perform actions such as, but not limited to, sending a document for printing and selecting a printer to print the document. In one embodiment, printer application 201 may be installed on an external computing system used by user 101, and using it, user 101 may select MFP 107 to print the desired pages of the document.

[0025] In one embodiment, after receiving the above information from user 101, printer application 201 may call a Graphics Device Interface (GDI) 203. GDI 203 may be an Application Programming Interface (API) or a core operating system associated with MFP 107. GDI 203 may be responsible for converting the document to be printed into image objects or image content and sending this information to print unit 213 of MFP 107.

[0026] In one embodiment, GDI 203 may be operatively interfaced with printer driver unit 105. In one embodiment, after user 101 initiates printing through printer application 201, printer driver unit 105 may prompt user 101 to enter user input 103 through a driver UI (driver user interface) 209 associated with printer driver unit 105. Here, user 101 may enter user input 103 to select multiple pages to print from a document and indicate the number of copies to print of each of the multiple pages. Printer driver unit 105 may then analyze user input 103 and send information related to the selected pages and number of copies to GDI 203.

[0027] After identifying the pages to print and the number of copies of each page, the GDI 203 may pass the content to be printed to a client-side print spooler 211. The print spooler 211 may copy the content from the GDI 203 and pass it to a printing unit 213. The printing unit 213 may then print the content onto physical paper according to the pages and number of copies of each page selected by the user 101.

[0028] In one embodiment, the printer driver unit 105 may process the user input 103 and pass the selected pages for printing using one of the following two approaches.

[0029] Approach 1: Render each page's data multiple times in the printer driver unit In this approach, the printer driver unit 105 may display a driver UI 209 that provides the user 101 with options for inputting page selections, as shown in FIG. 3A, for example. The printer driver unit 105 may then parse the input string to identify the pages to print and the number of copies of each page. A predetermined constraint in this case may be that all pages of the document to be printed in the printer application 201 be sent. Thus, for each page selected by the user 101, the printer driver unit 105 retrieves the content of the selected page and stores it in a temporary file 217. The content of all other pages not selected by the user 101 may be excluded from printing. After the content of all selected pages has been copied to the temporary file 217, the printer driver unit 105 may read the content of each page from the temporary file 217 and send it to the printing unit 213 (via the print spooler 211) as many times as selected by the user 101. That is, if the user 101 requires "three copies" of a particular page, the printer driver unit 105 may send the contents of that page to the printing unit 213 "three times."

[0030] Approach 2: Process multiple copies using PJL (Printer Job Language) commands In this approach, certain modifications may be made to the printer driver unit 105 and the printing unit 213 (or MFP 107). In a typical scenario, the PJL command corresponding to the selection of the number of copies applies to all pages in a document. Therefore, a new PJL command format may be identified that allows different numbers of copies to be selected for different pages for printing. Also, the printing unit 213 or the MFP 107 may be modified to understand the new PJL command. Therefore, in this scenario, instead of sending the content multiple times, the printer driver unit 105 may directly send new PJL commands indicating the selected pages and the number of copies of each selected page to the printing unit 213. The printing unit 213 may then interpret the PJL commands issued by the printer driver unit 105 and print the specified number of copies of each page selected by the user 101.

[0031] In one embodiment, a predetermined condition for both of these approaches is that printer application 201 needs to send the entire document (i.e., all pages of the document) to GDI 203. Because page selections made by user 101 in the UI of printer application 201 are not communicated to printer driver unit 105, user 101 needs to select "all pages" in the UI of printer application 201 so that the contents of the entire document can be retrieved by printer driver unit 105 for subsequent rendering of the contents as requested by user 101.

[0032] FIG. 2B is a detailed block diagram of printer driver unit 105 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0033] In some implementations, printer driver unit 105 may include a processor 205, a memory 207, and a driver user interface (UI) 209. In one embodiment, processor 205 may be configured to perform one or more functions of printer driver unit 105 for printing multiple pages in a document in a variable number of copies using data 215 and one or more modules 221 associated with printer driver unit 105. Memory 207 may be communicatively coupled to processor 205 and may store data 215 and one or more modules 221. Driver UI 209 may be used to receive user input 103 from user 101.

[0034] In one embodiment, data 215 stored in memory 207 may include, but is not limited to, user input 103 received from user 101, temporary files 217, and other data 219. In some embodiments, data 215 may be stored in memory 207 in the form of various data structures. Furthermore, data 215 may be organized using a data model such as a relational data model or a hierarchical data model. Other data 219 may include various temporary data and files generated by one or more modules 221 while performing various functions of printer driver unit 105. By way of example, other data 219 may include, but is not limited to, temporarily stored user input 103 and buffer information generated when printing a document.

[0035] In one embodiment, the user input 103 may be a string of numbers entered by the user 101. The user input 103 represents the pages that the user 101 has selected to print and the number of copies of each selected page. The user input 103 may be received via a driver UI 209 associated with the printer driver unit 105.

[0036] In one embodiment, temporary file 217 may be used to temporarily store the content or data of a page selected for printing by user 101. Temporary file 217 may be managed by printer driver unit 105, which uses temporary file 217 as a buffer memory for storing the content of the selected page before passing it to print spooler 211 or printing unit 213.

[0037] In one embodiment, data 215 may be processed by one or more modules 221 of printer driver unit 105. In some embodiments, one or more modules 221 may be hardware units communicatively coupled to processor 205 to perform one or more functions of printer driver unit 105. In one embodiment, one or more modules 221 may include, without limitation, a receiving module 223, an input parser 225, a page acquisition module 227, and other modules 229.

[0038] As used herein, the term "module" may refer to an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), electronic circuitry, hardware processors and memory (shared, dedicated, or clustered) executing one or more software or firmware programs, combinatorial logic circuitry, and / or other suitable components that provide the described functionality. In one embodiment, each of one or more modules 221 may be configured as a standalone hardware computing unit. In one embodiment, other modules 229 may be used to perform various functions of printer driver unit 105. It should be understood that such one or more modules 221 may be a single module or a combination of different modules.

[0039] In one embodiment, the receiving module 223 may be configured to receive user input 103 from the user 101 via a driver UI 209 associated with the printer driver unit 105. In one embodiment, the input parser 225 may be configured to parse or process the user input 103 received from the user 101 to identify pages to print and the number of copies of each page to print. The page acquisition module 227 may be configured to obtain content or data for each page selected for printing from the digital document provided by the user 101.

[0040] 3A-3C provide exemplary illustrations of a user interface (UI) used to receive user input 103 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0041] 3A illustrates an exemplary UI provided to user 101, through which user 101 may enter user input 103 into printer driver unit 105. As shown in the UI, user input 103 may be a string of numbers corresponding to the number of pages of a document to be printed. For example, if a document has 10 pages and user 101 wishes to print three copies of page 1 and two copies of pages 4-7, user 101 may enter the string "1*3;4-7*2" into a text field provided in the UI. In one embodiment, each page and the number of copies of each page may be separated by an operator such as, but not limited to, "," or ";" depending on the preferences of user 101.

[0042] In one embodiment, after entering the user input 103, if the user 101 wishes to modify the already entered user input 103, they may select a "Change Selection" option on the UI, or may use a "Print" option to send the user input 103 to the input parser 225 for further processing.

[0043] 3B and 3C are diagrams showing different examples of user input 103 entered by user 101. As an example, if user 101 wishes to print only one copy of all selected pages, user 101 may simply enter the page number selected for printing, as shown in FIG. 3B. That is, if only one copy of all pages is to be printed, user 101 does not need to specify the number of copies to be printed. Similarly, if one copy of a ten-page document needs to be printed, user 101 may simply enter "1-10" as user input 103, as shown in FIG. 3C. In this way, the proposed method allows user 101 to print multiple pages in a variable number of copies in a simple and convenient manner.

[0044] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for printing multiple pages of a document in variable copies according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0045] As shown in Figure 4, method 400 may include one or more blocks illustrating a method for printing multiple pages from a document in variable copies using printer driver unit 105 shown in Figure 1. Method 400 may be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions. Generally, computer-executable instructions may include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, procedures, modules, and functions that perform particular functions or implement particular abstract data types.

[0046] The order in which method 400 is described should not be construed as limiting the order, and any numbered method blocks described may be combined in any order when implementing the method. Furthermore, individual blocks may be deleted from the method without departing from the spirit and scope of the subject matter described herein. Furthermore, the method may be implemented in any suitable hardware, software, firmware, or combination thereof.

[0047] The method 400 includes, at block 401, receiving user input 103 by the printer driver unit 105 from a user 101 of a printer or multifunction printer (MFP) 107 associated with the printer driver unit 105. In one embodiment, the user input 103 may indicate a number of pages to be printed from a document and the number of copies of each of the number of pages to be printed. In one embodiment, the user input 103 may be received via a driver UI 209 associated with the printer driver unit 105.

[0048] The method 400 includes, at block 403, analyzing the user input 103 by the printer driver unit 105 to determine a number of pages to print and a number of copies of each of the number of pages to print.

[0049] At block 405, the method 400 includes retrieving, by the printer driver unit 105, the content of each of the plurality of pages determined from the user input 103 from a digital file and / or storage of an external computer connected to the printer driver unit 105. After retrieval, the content of each of the plurality of pages may be temporarily stored in a memory of the printer driver unit 105.

[0050] At block 407, method 400 includes printing the determined number of copies of the retrieved content by printer driver unit 105. In one embodiment, printing the required number of copies may include sending the stored content to a spooler associated with printer driver unit 105 for printing a number of times equal to the determined number of copies.

[0051] Computer Systems FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an exemplary computer system 500 for implementing embodiments consistent with the present disclosure. In one embodiment, computer system 500 may be printer driver unit 105 shown in FIG. 1, which may be used to print multiple pages from a document in variable copies. In another embodiment, computer system 500 may be multifunction printer (MFP) 107 configured with printer driver unit 105. Computer system 500 may include a central processing unit (“CPU” or “processor”) 502. Processor 502 may include at least one data processor for executing program components for executing user- or system-generated business processes. User 101 may include any person, application, or tool that directly or indirectly operates computer system 500. Processor 502 may include dedicated processing units such as an integrated system (bus) controller, memory management control unit, floating-point unit, image processing unit, digital signal processing unit, etc.

[0052] The processor 502 may be configured to communicate with one or more input / output (I / O) devices (511 and 512) via an I / O interface 501. The I / O interface 501 may use a communication protocol or method, such as, but not limited to, audio, analog, digital, stereo, IEEE®-1394, serial bus, universal serial bus (USB), infrared, PS / 2, BNC, coaxial, component, composite, digital visual interface (DVI), high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI), radio frequency (RF), S-Video, Video Graphics Array (VGA), IEEE 802.n / b / g / n / x, Bluetooth, or cellular (e.g., Code-Division Multiple Access (CDMA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA+), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Long Term Evolution (LTE), WiMax, etc.). Using I / O interface 501 , computer system 500 may communicate with one or more I / O devices 511 and 512 .

[0053] In some embodiments, the processor 502 may be configured to communicate with a communications network 509 via a network interface 503. The network interface 503 may communicate with the communications network 509. The network interface 503 may use a connection protocol including, but not limited to, Direct Connect, Ethernet (e.g., twisted pair 10 / 100 / 1000 base T), TCP / IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol), Token Ring, IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / x, etc. The computer system 500 may connect to the MFP 107 and / or any other computing devices associated with the user 101 using the network interface 503 and the communications network 509 to receive user input 103 and / or transmit the content of selected pages for printing.

[0054] In one embodiment, communication network 509 may be implemented as one of several types of networks within an organization, such as an intranet or a local area network (LAN). Communication network 509 may be either a dedicated network or a shared network, and may be a collection of multiple types of networks that communicate with each other using various protocols, such as Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP), Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), etc. Furthermore, communication network 509 may include various network devices, including routers, bridges, servers, computing devices, storage devices, etc.

[0055] In some embodiments, the processor 502 may be configured to communicate with memory 505 (e.g., RAM 513, ROM 514, etc., as shown in FIG. 5 ) via a storage interface 504. The storage interface 504 may be connected to memory 505, such as, but not limited to, a memory drive, a removable disk drive, etc., using a connection protocol such as Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA), Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE), IEEE-1394, Universal Serial Bus (USB), Fibre Channel, or Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI). The memory drive may further include a drum, magnetic disk drive, magneto-optical drive, optical drive, Redundant Array of Independent Discs (RAID), solid-state memory device, SSD, etc.

[0056] Memory 505 may store a collection of program or database components, including, but not limited to, a user interface 506, an operating system 507, a web browser 508, etc. In some embodiments, computer system 500 may store user / application data 506, such as data, variables, records, etc., as described herein. Such a database may be implemented as a fault-tolerant, relational, scalable, secure database, such as Oracle or Sybase.

[0057] Operating system 507 may facilitate resource management and operation of computer system 500. Examples of operating systems include, but are not limited to, APPLE® MACINTOSH® OSX®, UNIX®, UNIX-like system distributions (e.g., BERKELEY SOFTWARE DISTRIBUTION (BSD), FREEBSD, NETBSD, OPENBSD, etc.), LINUX® distributions (e.g., RED HAT, UBUNTU®, KUBUNTU, etc.), IBM® OS / 2, MICROSOFT® WINDOWS® (XP, VISTA / 7 / 8, 10, etc.), APPLE iOS®, GOOGLE® ANDROID®, BLACKBERRY® OS, etc.

[0058] User interface 506 may facilitate the display, execution, interaction, manipulation, or operation of program components through textual or graphical features. User interface 506 may provide computer interaction interface elements, such as cursors, icons, check boxes, menus, scrollers, windows, widgets, and the like, on a display system operatively connected to computer system 500. Additionally, graphical user interfaces (GUIs) may be used, including, but not limited to, the APPLE MACINTOSH operating system Aqua, IBM OS / 2, MICROSOFT WINDOWS (e.g., Aero, Metro, etc.), web interface libraries (e.g., ActiveX, JAVA, JAVASCRIPT, AJAX, HTML, ADOBE FLASH, etc.), and the like.

[0059] The web browser 508 may be a hypertext browsing application. Secure web browsing may be provided using HTTPS (Secure Hypertext Transport Protocol), SSL (Secure Sockets Layer), TLS (Transport Layer Security), etc. The web browser 508 may use features such as AJAX, DHTML, ADOBE FLASH (registered trademark), JAVASCRIPT, JAVA, and APIs (Application Programming Interfaces). Furthermore, the computer system 500 may implement a program component that includes a mail server. The mail server may use features such as ASP, ACTIVEX, ANSI C++ / C#, MICROSOFT, .NET, CGI SCRIPTS, JAVA, JAVASCRIPT, PERL (registered trademark), PHP (registered trademark), PYTHON (registered trademark), and WEBOBJECTS (registered trademark). The mail server may use a communication protocol such as Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP), Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI), Microsoft Exchange, Post Office Protocol (POP), or Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP). In some embodiments, computer system 500 may implement a program component that stores a mail client. The mail client may be a mail viewing application such as APPLE MAIL, MICROSOFT ENTOURAGE®, MICROSOFT OUTLOOK®, or MOZILLA THUNDERBIRD®.

[0060] Furthermore, one or more computer-readable storage media may be used in implementing embodiments in accordance with the present invention. A computer-readable storage medium refers to any type of physical memory capable of storing information or data readable by a processor. Thus, a computer-readable storage medium may store instructions for execution by one or more processors, including instructions for causing the processor to perform steps or stages in accordance with embodiments described herein. The term "computer-readable storage medium" should be understood to exclude carrier waves or transient signals and include tangible, i.e., non-transitory, storage media. Examples include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), volatile memory, non-volatile memory, hard drives, compact discs (CDs) ROMs, digital video discs (DVDs), flash drives, disks, and other known physical storage media.

[0061] Advantages of embodiments of the present disclosure include:

[0062] In one embodiment, the present disclosure provides a method and / or mechanism that allows a user to print multiple selected pages in different numbers of copies in a "single" print operation.

[0063] In one embodiment, by allowing a user to print a variable number of copies of a page in a single "print" operation, the present disclosure allows a user to avoid having to issue multiple repetitive print commands, which in turn helps to increase the speed of printing. Also, because the number of print commands is reduced, the present disclosure allows for optimal use of resources (printer time, power, etc.).

[0064] In one embodiment, the present disclosure improves the overall user experience with printing by allowing a user to set the number of copies that need to be printed for multiple pages.

[0065] With respect to the technical advances provided by the disclosed method and printer driver unit, as noted above, the steps presented herein provide the aforementioned solutions to technical problems existing in the prior art, but are not typical, conventional, or known aspects of the art. Furthermore, because the steps presented herein provide technical solutions to technical problems, it is apparent that they will result in improvements to the functionality of MFPs, printers, and / or other related devices.

[0066] The terms "embodiment," "one embodiment," "one embodiment," "the embodiment," "one or more embodiments," and "some embodiments" mean "one or more, but not all, embodiments of the invention," unless expressly stated otherwise.

[0067] The terms "including," "consisting of," "comprising," and variations thereof mean "including, but not limited to," unless expressly stated otherwise.

[0068] The listing of items does not imply that some or all of the items are mutually exclusive unless expressly stated otherwise. The terms "a," "an," and "the" mean "one or more" unless expressly stated otherwise.

[0069] A description of an embodiment having several components in communication with each other does not imply that all such components are required, but rather describes various optional components to illustrate the wide variety of possible embodiments of the present invention.

[0070] Where a single apparatus or article is described herein, it is clear that two or more apparatuses or articles (whether or not they cooperate) may be used in place of the single apparatus or article. Similarly, where two or more devices or articles are described herein (whether or not they cooperate), it is clear that one apparatus or article may be used in place of two or more apparatuses or articles, or that a different number of apparatuses or articles may be used in place of the number of apparatuses or programs shown. The functions and / or features of a given apparatus may be substituted for one or more other apparatuses not explicitly described as having such functions and / or features. Thus, other embodiments of the invention may not include the apparatus itself.

[0071] Finally, the language used herein has been selected primarily for readability and descriptive purposes, and may not have been selected to delineate the subject matter of the invention or to limit its scope. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is not intended to be limited by this description, but rather by the claims that issue in any application based thereon. Accordingly, the disclosure of embodiments of the invention is intended to illustrate, but not limit, the scope of the invention, which is set forth in the following claims.

[0072] While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative and not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0073] 100 Environment 101 users 103 User Input 105 Printer driver unit 107 Multifunction Printer (MFP) 109 printed pages 201 Printer Application 203 GDI 205 processors 207 Memory 209 Driver User Interface 211 Print Spooler 213 Printing Unit 215 Data 217 Temporary Files 219 Other Data 221 modules 223 Receiver Module 225 Input Parser 227 Page Acquisition Module 229 Other Modules 500 Exemplary Computer System 501 I / O Interfaces of an Exemplary Computer System 502 Processor of an Exemplary Computer System 503 Network Interface 504 Storage Interface 505 Memory of an Exemplary Computer System 506 users / applications 507 Operating Systems 508 Web Browser 509 Communication Network 511 Input Devices 512 output devices 513 RAM 514 ROM

Claims

1. An image processing method for causing a printer to print a print object including multiple pages, comprising: The computer acquire a user input including a plurality of selected page ranges selected from the plurality of pages, each including at least one or more pages; a set number of copies set separately for each of the plurality of selected page ranges, the set number including at least one or more first specifiers assigned to at least one or more selected page ranges among the plurality of selected page ranges and numerical values ​​assigned to each of the at least one or more first specifiers; and a second specifier indicating a printing method for each of the plurality of selected page ranges; an image processing method for causing the printer to print each page of the plurality of selected page ranges for the acquired set number of copies using the printing method indicated by the second designator;

2. The image processing method described in Claim 1, characterized in that the computer is built into the printer.

3. An image processing device that prints a print object including multiple pages, an acquisition unit that acquires user input including a plurality of selected page ranges selected from the plurality of pages, each including at least one or more pages; a set number of copies that is set separately for each of the plurality of selected page ranges, the set number including at least one or more first specifiers assigned to at least one or more selected page ranges among the plurality of selected page ranges and numerical values ​​assigned to each of the at least one or more first specifiers; and a second specifier that indicates a printing method for each page of the plurality of selected page ranges; a printing unit that prints each page of the plurality of selected page ranges of the acquired set number of copies using a printing method indicated by the second designator; An image processing device comprising:

Images