program

Abstract

To provide a program to be used for managing a terminal that uses a printer so as to improve management of print settings on the terminal to be managed.SOLUTION: A PC 1 to be managed has a setting file 24 with print setting distributed thereto. The PC 1 can change a default value in print settings to the print settings in the setting file 24. A management program 22 causes the PC 1 to perform: acquiring, from a memory 12, print settings in the setting file 24 distributed to the PC 1; acquiring, from the PC 1, the default value of the print settings set in the PC 1; determining whether the print settings in the setting file 24 are coincident with the default value in the print settings; and notifying a management apparatus 5 which manages the PC 1 about a mismatch of print settings regarding the PC 1, based on a determined mismatch.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The technical field disclosed in this specification relates to a program used to manage terminals that use printers. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there are known techniques for managing terminals that use printers. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a system that includes a plurality of personal computers (PCs), a printer, and an installation server, in which the installation server distributes a settings file containing print settings to the PCs together with a printer driver installer, starts the installer distributed to the PCs, has the installer read the settings file, and installs the printer driver into the PCs with the print settings written in the settings file as default values. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-213132 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] As described above, in a system in which an administrator prepares a settings file containing print settings and distributes the settings file to terminals that use the printer, and the default print settings on the terminal are automatically changed to the print settings written in the settings file, there is a high possibility that the changed print settings will be used when the printer is used from that terminal. In other words, when the printer is used from that terminal, printing can be expected to be performed using the print settings intended by the administrator. However, even if the default print settings are changed by the settings file, a user can manually change the default print settings, which may result in printing not being performed as intended by the administrator.

[0005] This specification discloses a program used to manage terminals that use printers, and a technology that improves management of print settings in the terminals to be managed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A program made for the purpose of solving this problem is a program executed by an information processing device, in which a setting file in which print settings are written is distributed to a terminal managed by the program, and the managed terminal is capable of changing the default values ​​of the print settings to the print settings written in the setting file, and the information processing device is caused to execute a first acquisition process in which the print settings written in the setting file distributed to the managed terminal are acquired from a storage device, a second acquisition process in which the default values ​​of the print settings set in the managed terminal are acquired from the managed terminal, a first judgment process in which first information corresponding to the print settings acquired in the first acquisition process and second information corresponding to the default values ​​of the print settings acquired in the second acquisition process are identical, and a first notification process in which, based on the determination of an inconsistency in the first judgment process, notifies a management device that manages the managed terminal of the inconsistency in the print settings for the managed terminal.

[0007] The program disclosed in this specification is incorporated into an information processing device and causes the information processing device to compare first information corresponding to print settings written in a settings file distributed to a managed terminal with second information corresponding to default print settings set on the managed terminal to determine whether the two match. If it is determined that the two do not match, the program notifies the management device of the mismatch in print settings. This allows the administrator using the management device to understand that the default print settings on the managed terminal are not what the administrator intended. As a result, it is expected that the administrator will take steps to increase the likelihood that printing will occur as intended by the administrator, such as resetting the default print settings or warning employees not to change the default print settings.

[0008] An information processing device incorporating the program, a computer-readable storage medium storing the program, and a control method for realizing the functions of the program are also novel and useful. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] The technology disclosed in this specification is a program used to manage terminals that use printers, and realizes technology that improves management of print settings in the terminals to be managed. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of a PC. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a setting file. [Figure 3] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for a setting management process. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for a distribution setting acquisition process. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a setting list. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing examples of judgment target items. [Figure 7]10 is a flowchart showing the procedure of an image determination process. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of a management device. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a terminal management process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] A first embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The program of this embodiment is installed in a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as "PC"), which is one of the terminals to be managed.

[0012] As shown in Fig. 1, the PC 1 of this embodiment includes a controller 10 including a CPU 11 and a memory 12. The PC 1 is an example of a terminal to be managed, and an example of an information processing device. The PC 1 also includes a user interface (hereinafter referred to as "user IF") 13 and a communication interface (hereinafter referred to as "communication IF") 14, which are electrically connected to the controller 10. Note that the controller 10 in Fig. 1 is a collective term for hardware and software used to control the PC 1, and does not necessarily represent a single piece of hardware that actually exists in the PC 1.

[0013] The CPU 11 executes various processes in accordance with programs read from the memory 12 and based on user operations. Various programs and various data are stored in the memory 12. The memory 12 is also used as a work area when various processes are executed. The buffer provided in the CPU 11 is also an example of memory. Note that the memory 12 is not limited to a ROM, RAM, HDD, etc. built into the PC 1, but may also be a storage medium readable and writable by the CPU 11, such as a recording medium, such as a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM.

[0014] The user IF 13 includes hardware for displaying a screen for notifying the user of information and hardware for accepting user operations. The user IF 13 may be a combination of a display capable of displaying information and a mouse or keyboard having an input acceptance function, or may include a touch panel having a display function and an input acceptance function.

[0015] The communication IF 14 includes hardware for communicating with external devices. The communication standards of the communication IF 14 include Ethernet (registered trademark), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), USB, etc. The PC 1 may be provided with multiple communication IFs 14 that support multiple communication standards. The PC 1 of this embodiment can be connected to a server 3, a printer 4, and a management device 5 via the communication IFs 14, for example, as shown in FIG. 1. The server 3 may be a local server or a cloud server. The printer 4 is a device that has a function of forming an image based on instructions from the PC 1 or the like. The management device 5 is a device used by an administrator who manages managed terminals such as the PC 1.

[0016] 1, the memory 12 of the PC 1 stores an operating system (hereinafter referred to as "OS") 21, a printer driver 22, and a management program 23. The management program 23 is an example of a program. The OS 21 is, for example, Windows (registered trademark), macOS (registered trademark), Linux (registered trademark), iOS (registered trademark), or Android (registered trademark).

[0017] The printer driver 22 is a program that has the function of generating print data to be printed by the printer 4 based on image data to be printed. The management program 23 is a program that allows the administrator of the PC 1 to manage the usage status of the printer 4 by the PC 1.

[0018] 2, the setting file 24 is a file in which default values ​​for print settings are written, and is created by an administrator who manages the PC 1 and distributed to the PC 1. Based on the distributed setting file 24, the PC 1 can change the default values ​​for the print settings of the printer driver 22 to the print settings written in the setting file 24. For example, the installer for the printer driver 22 can read the setting file 24 when installing the printer driver 22 and set the default values ​​for the print settings of the printer driver 22. The PC 1 may store the distributed setting file 24 in memory and apply it as needed, or may delete it once the default values ​​have been changed.

[0019] The settings file 24 may contain default values ​​for all print setting items that can be set in the printer driver 22, or may contain only the values ​​of some of the items. The settings file 24 may be, for example, a file in which only items whose values ​​are to be changed are written from the default values ​​that the printer driver 22 itself has in advance. Items whose values ​​are to be changed include, for example, color settings, combined printing settings such as 2-in-1, watermark settings, and double-sided printing settings. For example, if an administrator wants to restrict the user of PC1 from printing color images, the administrator distributes to PC1 a settings file 24 in which monochrome printing is written as the default color setting, as shown in FIG. 2.

[0020] When the printer driver 22 is started, the default print settings are set. In other words, if a print execution instruction is received without a user instruction to change the print settings, the printer driver 22 causes the printer 4 to print using the default print settings. However, the printer driver 22 can receive an instruction to change the default values ​​through a user operation. In other words, the default print settings of the printer driver 22 do not necessarily match the print settings written in the distributed settings file 24.

[0021] Although FIG. 1 illustrates only one managed terminal, PC 1, and one printer 4, the management device 5 may manage multiple managed terminals, and each managed terminal may be connected to multiple printers. In this case, the administrator may, for example, create a configuration file for each managed terminal and distribute it to each terminal. In other words, the configuration file may be different for each terminal. Furthermore, if multiple printers are connected to a terminal, multiple printer drivers may be installed in the terminal, and a configuration file may be distributed for each printer driver.

[0022] Next, the procedure for the setting management process by the management program 23 of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart in Figure 3. The management program 23 is started, for example, when the PC 1 is started, resides on the PC 1, and starts executing the setting management process at regular intervals, such as once a day. The setting management process of this embodiment starts without receiving an instruction from the user of the PC 1 to start execution, and is executed in the background so as not to interfere with the operation by the user of the PC 1. The processes and each processing step of the flowchart in the following description basically represent processing by the CPU 11 in accordance with instructions written in a program such as the management program 23.

[0023] Note that the management program 23 of this embodiment is executed after the settings in the distributed setting file 24 are reflected as default values ​​for the print settings of the printer driver 22. The execution of the management program 23 may be instructed by an installer, for example, after the printer driver 22 is installed.

[0024] In the setting management process, the CPU 11 first determines whether or not the confirmation date and time 231 is stored (S101). As will be described later, the confirmation date and time 231 is stored by the management program 23 when it is determined that the default print settings of the printer driver 22 match the print settings written in the distributed setting file 24.

[0025] If it is determined that the confirmation date and time 231 is stored (S101: YES), the CPU 11 determines whether the time elapsed since the written confirmation date and time 231 exceeds a predetermined threshold time (S102). S102 is an example of determining whether the cancellation condition is met. The threshold time may be set by the administrator or may be a fixed value.

[0026] If it is determined that the predetermined threshold time has been exceeded (S102: YES), the CPU 11 deletes (S103) the confirmation date and time 231. After S103, or if it is determined that the confirmation date and time 231 has not been written (S101: NO), the CPU 11 executes a distribution setting acquisition process (S105).

[0027] The procedure for the distribution setting acquisition process will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 4. In the distribution setting acquisition process, the CPU 11 acquires print setting information written in a setting file distributed to the PC 1 from the server 3 (S201). S201 is an example of a third acquisition process. S201 is also an example of a first acquisition process, in which the server 3 is an example of a storage device.

[0028] As shown in Fig. 1, the server 3 stores a setting list 31. As shown in Fig. 5, for example, the setting list 31 is a list that stores setting information, which is information on print settings written in a setting file distributed to each terminal, in association with a terminal ID, which is identification information indicating the terminal to which the setting is to be distributed, and a printer ID, which is identification information indicating the printer corresponding to the printer driver to which the setting is to be made. The setting list 31 is created, for example, by an administrator of the PC 1 or the like, and stored in the server 3. The setting list 31 is an example of a master setting file, and the server 3 is an example of an external device.

[0029] In S201, PC1, for example, transmits a terminal ID indicating PC1 to server 3 and requests setting information associated with that terminal ID. Server 3 transmits the setting information associated with the received terminal ID from a stored setting list 31, along with the printer ID associated with that setting information. Instead of server 3 selecting and transmitting setting information, server 3 may transmit setting list 31 as is, and PC1 may extract the necessary information.

[0030] The CPU 11 determines whether the setting file 24 is stored in the memory 12 of the own device (S202). If it is determined that the setting file 24 is stored (S202: YES), the CPU 11 reads the setting file 24 (S203). In this case, S203 is an example of a first acquisition process, and the memory 12 is an example of a storage device.

[0031] Then, the CPU 11 determines whether the print setting information written in the setting file 24 stored in the memory 12 matches the setting information acquired from the server 3 in S201 (S204). S204 is an example of a second determination process. If it is determined that the print setting in the setting file 24 matches the setting information in the setting list 31 of the server 3 (S204: YES), or if it is determined that the setting file 24 is not stored in the memory 12 (S202: NO), the CPU 11 sets the setting information acquired from the server 3 as the distribution setting (S211).

[0032] On the other hand, if it is determined that the print settings in the setting file 24 do not match the setting information in the setting list 31 of the server 3 (S204: NO), the CPU 11 determines that a distribution error has occurred (S212). If the master setting information stored in the server 3 does not match the print settings in the setting file 24 stored in the PC 1, there is a possibility that there was a problem with the setting file 24 at the time of distribution, such as the distributed setting file 24 being corrupted due to a communication failure or the like during distribution. A distribution error can be detected by comparing the master setting information stored in the server 3 with the print settings in the setting file 24 stored in the PC 1. After S211 or S212, the CPU 11 ends the distribution setting acquisition process and returns to the setting management process.

[0033] If the setting file 24 is configured to be stored in the memory 12, the PC 1 may execute the processes of S201 and S204 only once after receiving the setting file 24 and setting the print setting to the default value. After that, the CPU 11 may set the information obtained by reading in S203 as the distribution setting, for example.

[0034] Returning to the description of the setting management process in Fig. 3, after the distribution setting acquisition process of S105, CPU 11 determines whether or not a distribution error has been determined (S106). If it is determined that a distribution error has been determined (S106: YES), CPU 11 transmits an error notification indicating the distribution error to management device 5 (S107), and ends the setting management process. S107 is an example of a second notification process. CPU 11 transmits, for example, identification information indicating its own device and information indicating the distribution error to management device 5.

[0035] The management device 5 has a resident program for receiving notifications, such as error notifications, from each terminal under management. When the management device 5 receives an error notification, the program causes the management device 5 to display, on its display, a message indicating that a distribution error has been received and information identifying the PC1 that sent the error notification. For example, notifications from each terminal under management may be sent by email, in which case the mailer that receives the email corresponds to the program. Note that instead of displaying the notification on the display of the management device 5, the program of the management device 5 may send an email to the email address of the administrator's smartphone, for example, or may send multiple notifications in parallel.

[0036] If the appropriate setting file 24 has not been distributed, it is highly likely that the default print setting values ​​of the PC 1 have not been changed as intended by the administrator. By notifying the management device 5 of a distribution error, the administrator can know that the appropriate setting file has not been distributed to the PC 1.

[0037] If it is determined that a distribution error has not occurred (S106: NO), the CPU 11 attempts to acquire the default values ​​of the print settings set in the printer driver 22 (S111). S111 is an example of a second acquisition process.

[0038] If the memory location where the default values ​​for the print settings of the printer driver 22 are stored is known, the CPU 11 can simply read the default values ​​from that memory location. On the other hand, if the memory location where the default values ​​for the print settings of the printer driver 22 are stored is unknown, or if the memory location is known but the management program 23 does not have the authority to access that memory location, the CPU 11 can start the printer driver 22, have the printer driver 22 set the default values, and obtain the set default values ​​from the printer driver 22. However, if the printer driver 22 does not have a mechanism for passing default values, the CPU 11 may fail to obtain the default values ​​for the print settings.

[0039] The CPU 11 determines whether the default values ​​of the print settings have been acquired (S112). If it is determined that the default values ​​have been acquired (S112: YES), the CPU 11 compares the distribution settings acquired in the distribution setting acquisition process of S105 with the default values ​​acquired in S111 for each print setting item, and determines whether they match (S113). S113 is an example of a first determination process. In this case, the distribution settings acquired in the distribution setting acquisition process of S105 are an example of first information, and the default values ​​acquired in S111 are an example of second information.

[0040] Note that the management program 23 of this embodiment may be able to select the print setting items to be subjected to the determination in S113. When a selection instruction is received, the management program 23 stores information on the print setting items selected as the determination target, as shown in Fig. 6, for example. In S113, the CPU 11 determines whether the distribution settings and the default print setting values ​​match for the print setting items selected as the determination target among the print setting items included in the distribution settings, and does not perform a determination on items not selected as the determination target.

[0041] By allowing the user to select the items to be judged, the management program 23 can notify the user of the selected items of changes to the default values, but does not compare print settings for items that are not selected. This allows the user of the PC 1, which is the terminal to be managed, some freedom in determining the default values. Note that information about the items to be selected for judgment may be included in the distributed settings file 24, and the management program 23 may obtain the item information from the settings file 24.

[0042] If it is determined that the values ​​match for all the items that were the subject of the determination (S113: YES), the CPU 11 stores the current date and time in the memory 12 as the confirmation date and time 231 (S115). The confirmation date and time 231 is the date and time when it was confirmed that the default values ​​of the print settings were set appropriately. By executing S115 in the current setting management process, the CPU 11 will determine YES in S101 in the next setting management process.

[0043] After S115, or if it is determined that the time elapsed since the confirmation date and time 231 has not exceeded the predetermined threshold time (S102: NO), the CPU 11 ends the setting management process. In other words, if it is determined that the values ​​for all items match, the CPU 11 will not thereafter determine the default values ​​of the print settings until the threshold time is exceeded.

[0044] If the default print settings match the print settings in the distributed settings file 24, it is highly likely that the print settings written in the settings file 24 are being used on that PC 1. Therefore, if the time elapsed since confirmation does not exceed a threshold time, the processing load required for this determination can be reduced by omitting the determination of the default print settings. Note that if the time elapsed since confirmation exceeds the threshold time, for example, another user may have used PC 1 and changed the default print settings, so the print settings can be determined again to check whether they have been changed.

[0045] On the other hand, if it is determined that there is a mismatch (S113: NO), CPU 11 transmits a mismatch notification including information indicating the mismatch to management device 5 (S116), and ends the setting management process. S116 is an example of a first notification process. The mismatch notification is an example of notification information. In S116, CPU 11, for example, associates information indicating the mismatched items and their values ​​with identification information indicating PC1 and passes this information to management device 5. CPU 11 may simply transmit only the information indicating the mismatch. Note that even if it is determined that all items match, CPU 11 may notify management device 5 of this.

[0046] When the program of the management device 5 receives the mismatch notification, for example, it displays a message indicating that the default values ​​of the print settings do not match the print settings written in the distributed settings file on the display of the management device 5, together with information indicating the PC 1 that sent the mismatch notification. Instead of displaying the message on the display, the management device 5 may send an email to the email address of the administrator's smartphone, for example, or may send multiple notifications in parallel.

[0047] If it is determined that the default values ​​of the print settings could not be acquired (S112: NO), the CPU 11 executes image determination processing (S121). The procedure of the image determination processing will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0048] In the image judgment process, the CPU 11 first determines a test image to be used for judgment (S301). For example, the server 3 stores a plurality of test images 321 to 323 (see FIG. 1) according to the settings of the print settings, and the CPU 11 selects a test image suitable for the current judgment based on the distribution settings acquired in the distribution setting acquisition process of S105 of the setting management process or the item selected as the judgment target. For example, if the distribution settings include monochrome printing as a value of the color setting item, the CPU 11 selects the test image 321 including a color image. The setting file 24 may include information indicating the test image to be used as information on the distribution settings.

[0049] The CPU 11 downloads the determined test image from the server 3 (S302). S302 is an example of a download process. Then, the CPU 11 generates print data based on the downloaded test image and using the distribution settings acquired in S105 (S303). S303 is an example of a first generation process. The print data generated in S303 is an example of first information. The management program 23 of this embodiment has a function of rasterizing image data and generating print data.

[0050] Furthermore, the CPU 11 starts the printer driver 22 (S305). If the printer driver 22 has already been started, that is, if a printing process is being executed by the user of the PC 1, the CPU 11 may wait until the process based on the user's instruction is completed and the printer driver 22 is terminated. Then, the CPU 11 passes a test image to the printer driver 22 and causes it to rasterize, thereby causing the printer driver 22 to generate print data (S306). S306 is an example of a second generation process. The print data generated in S306 is an example of second information. In S306, the printer driver 22 generates print data using the print settings at the time of startup, that is, the currently set default print settings.

[0051] The CPU 11 compares the print data generated in S303 with the print data generated in S306 (S311) and determines whether they match (S312). S312 is an example of a first determination process. If it is determined that the print data match (S312: YES), the CPU 11 determines that they match (S313). If it is determined that the print data do not match (S312: NO), the CPU 11 determines that they do not match (S314).

[0052] If the default values ​​of the print settings match the distribution settings, the print data generated in S303 and the print data generated in S306 should match. By comparing the image shown in the print data generated according to the print settings written in the distributed settings file 24 with the image shown in the print data generated by the printer driver 22, CPU 11 can check the default values ​​of the print settings against the distribution settings even if it is not possible to obtain the default values ​​of the print settings set in PC 1.

[0053] After S313 or S314, the CPU 11 deletes all of the test image downloaded in S302, the print data generated in S303, and the print data generated in S306 (S315), ends the image determination process, and returns to the setting management process.

[0054] Returning to the description of the setting management process in Fig. 3, after the image determination process in S121, the CPU 11 determines whether or not the image determination process has determined a match (S122). If it has determined that the image determination process has determined a match (S122: YES), the CPU 11 proceeds to S115 and stores the confirmation date and time 231 in the memory 12. On the other hand, if it has determined that the image determination process has determined a mismatch (S122: NO), the CPU 11 transmits a mismatch notification to the management device 5 (S123) and ends the setting management process. S123 is an example of a first notification process. In S123, it is not possible to notify information about the mismatched items, so the notification may be accompanied by information indicating that the image determination process has resulted in a mismatch.

[0055] The test images are not limited to being stored on the server 3, but may be distributed to each PC in the same way as the setting file 24, or may be stored in the management program 23. However, if the server 3 is provided with a plurality of test images and the PC 1 downloads the test images from the server 3 and deletes them after processing, it is possible to select and use appropriate test images, and the possibility of straining the memory of the PC 1 is small.

[0056] As described above in detail, the management program 23 of the first embodiment is incorporated into PC1, which is a terminal to be managed, and causes PC1 to compare the print settings written in the settings file 24 distributed to PC1 with the default print settings set on PC1 to determine whether they match. If it is determined that the two do not match, the management program 23 notifies the management device 5 of the mismatch in print settings. This allows the administrator using the management device 5 to understand that the default print settings on PC1 are not the values ​​intended by the administrator. As a result, it is expected that the administrator will take steps to increase the likelihood that printing will be performed as intended by the administrator, such as resetting the default print settings on PC1 or warning the user of PC1 not to change the default print settings.

[0057] Next, a second embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The program of this embodiment is installed in a management device 5 used by an administrator, and the device that executes the program is different from that of the first embodiment. The same configurations and processes as those of the first embodiment are assigned the same reference numerals and will not be described again.

[0058] As shown in Fig. 8, the management device 5 of this embodiment includes a controller 50 including a CPU 51 and a memory 52. ​​The management device 5 is an example of an information processing device. The management device 5 also includes a user IF 53 and a communication IF 54, which are electrically connected to the controller 50. Note that the controller 50 in Fig. 8 is a general term for hardware and software used to control the management device 5, and does not necessarily represent a single piece of hardware that actually exists in the management device 5.

[0059] The CPU 51, user IF 53, and communication IF 54 of the management device 5 have the same configuration as the CPU 11, user IF 13, and communication IF 14 of the PC 1 in the first embodiment. The management device 5 in this embodiment can be connected to the managed terminals PC1 and PC2, and the server 3, via the communication IF 54. The PC1 and PC2 are connected to the printer 4 and have a printer driver 22 corresponding to the printer 4 built in. The management device 5 may or may not be connected to the printer 4.

[0060] In this embodiment, as in the first embodiment, a setting file to be applied to each managed terminal is created and distributed to each terminal. Each terminal can change the default print setting values ​​of the printer driver 22 based on the distributed setting file. Note that each terminal may store the distributed setting file, or may delete it after changing the default print setting values.

[0061] The memory 52 of the management device 5 stores an OS 61, a management program 62, and a setting list 63. The management program 62 is an example of a program. The management program 62 of this embodiment is installed in the management device 5, and is not installed in the terminals to be managed, such as PC1 and PC2. The OS 61 may be the same type of OS as the OS 21 of the first embodiment, or may be a different type of OS.

[0062] Similar to the setting list 31 (see FIG. 5) of the first embodiment, the setting list 63 is a list that stores print setting information written in a setting file distributed to each terminal, in association with a terminal ID and a printer ID. The setting list 63 is an example of a master setting file. In this case, the management device 5 is an example of a storage device. The setting list 63 may be stored in the server 3. In that case, the server 3 is an example of a storage device.

[0063] Next, the procedure of the terminal management process by the management program 62 of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 9. The terminal management process of this embodiment is executed by the CPU 51 of the management device 5, for example, when an instruction to start execution is received from an administrator who uses the management device 5.

[0064] In the terminal management process, the CPU 51 first displays, for example, a screen for accepting the selection of a terminal to be managed on the user IF 53, accepts the selection of the administrator, and identifies one terminal to be managed (S401). The terminal identified in S401 is an example of a specified terminal. When the management program 62 accepts the selection of multiple terminals, it identifies them one by one in order as terminals to be managed.

[0065] Then, the CPU 51 determines whether or not the confirmation date and time 621 for the terminal identified in S401 is stored in the memory 52 (S402). In this embodiment, as will be described later, for each terminal to be managed by the management device 5, if the CPU 51 determines that the default print settings of the printer driver 22 of that terminal match the print settings written in the setting file distributed to that terminal, the CPU 51 stores the confirmation date and time 621 in the memory 52 in association with the terminal ID of that terminal.

[0066] If it is determined that the confirmation date and time 621 is stored (S402: YES), the CPU 11 determines whether the time elapsed since the confirmation date and time 621 exceeds a predetermined threshold time (S403). If it is determined that the time elapsed exceeds the predetermined threshold time (S403: YES), the CPU 11 deletes the confirmation date and time 621 (S404).

[0067] After S404, or when it is determined that the confirmation date and time 621 of the identified terminal is not stored (S402: NO), the CPU 51 acquires setting information stored in association with the terminal ID of the identified terminal from the setting list 63 stored in the memory 52 (S411). S411 is an example of a first acquisition process.

[0068] Furthermore, the CPU 51 accesses the identified terminal and attempts to acquire the default values ​​of the print settings of the printer driver 22 of that terminal (S412). S412 is an example of a second acquisition process. For example, if the memory location where the default values ​​of the print settings are stored in the terminal is known, the CPU 51 can access that memory location and acquire the default values. Alternatively, for example, if the printer driver 22 of the terminal has a function for returning the default values ​​of the print settings in response to a request, the CPU 51 can simply send a command to the terminal requesting the default values. Also, for example, a program for causing the terminal to respond with the default values ​​of the print settings may be resident, and the CPU 51 may acquire the default values ​​of the print settings by requesting that program.

[0069] The CPU 51 determines whether or not the default values ​​have been acquired from the terminal (S413). If it is determined that the default values ​​have been acquired (S413: YES), the CPU 51 compares the setting information acquired in S411 with the default values ​​acquired in S412 and determines whether or not they match (S415). Note that the management program 62 may be able to select items to be judged, similar to the management program 23 of the first embodiment. In that case, in S415, the CPU 51 determines whether or not the setting information matches the default values ​​of the print settings for the items selected as the items to be judged, similar to S113 of the setting management process shown in FIG. 3.

[0070] If it is determined that the setting information matches the default values ​​of the print settings (S415: YES), the CPU 51 associates the current date and time with the terminal ID of this terminal as the confirmation date and time 621 and stores the current date and time in the memory 52 (S417). The CPU 51 may also cause the user IF 53 to display information indicating that the setting information matches the default values ​​of the print settings for this terminal.

[0071] On the other hand, if it is determined that there is an item where the setting information does not match the default value of the print setting (S415: NO), the CPU 51 notifies the user IF 53 of the management device 5 of the mismatch in the print setting (S418). S418 is an example of a first notification process. In S418, the CPU 51 causes the user IF 53 to display, for example, a message including information about the terminal and information about the mismatched item.

[0072] After S417, or after S418, or if it is determined that the information on the default values ​​of the print settings of the terminal could not be acquired (S413: NO), or if it is determined that the time elapsed since the confirmation date and time 621 has not exceeded a predetermined threshold time (S403: NO), the CPU 51 determines whether there are any other terminals to be managed (S421). Note that if it is determined that the information on the default values ​​of the print settings of the terminal could not be acquired (S413: NO), the CPU 51 may display information indicating that the information could not be acquired on the user IF 53, or may retry acquiring the information from the terminal.

[0073] If it is determined that there are other terminals to be managed (S421: YES), the CPU 51 returns to S401 and identifies the next terminal to be managed. If it is determined that there are no other terminals to be managed (S421: NO), the CPU 51 ends the terminal management process.

[0074] As described above in detail, the management program 62 of the second embodiment is incorporated into the management device 5, and causes the management device 5 to compare the print settings written in a settings file distributed to a managed terminal with the default print settings set on the managed terminal to determine whether they match. If it is determined that the two do not match, the management program 62 notifies the user IF 53 of the management device 5 of the mismatch in print settings. This allows the administrator using the management device 5 to know that the default print settings intended by the administrator have not been set on the managed terminal. As a result, it is expected that the administrator will take steps to increase the likelihood that printing will be performed as intended by the administrator, such as resetting the default print settings or warning the user of the managed terminal not to change the default print settings.

[0075] In the first embodiment, since the management program is installed in the terminal to be managed, communication is not required to acquire at least the default values ​​of print settings. Furthermore, since the program is executed automatically, such as periodically, there is no need to issue an explicit execution instruction. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, since the management program is installed in the management device 5, there is no need to install the management program in each terminal to be managed, and communication for notification is not required. Furthermore, since the program is executed in response to an instruction from the administrator, it can be executed at a timing desired by the administrator. Note that the second embodiment may also be configured to be executed periodically.

[0076] The first and second embodiments are merely examples and do not limit the present invention in any way. Therefore, the technology disclosed in this specification can be improved and modified in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, the management device and the terminal to be managed may be a PC, a tablet computer, or a smartphone.

[0077] Furthermore, for example, the data configurations shown in each figure are merely examples, and the types and order of the included information are not limited to those shown. For example, while the setting lists 31 and 63 are described as including setting information indicating the print settings written in the distributed setting files, they may also include information indicating the distributed setting files, such as information indicating the path of the setting files. In this case, for example, in the first embodiment, the server 3 may further store each distributed setting file, and in S201 of the distributed setting acquisition process, the CPU 11 may cause the server 3 to read the setting file based on the path and acquire the setting information. Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the management device 5 may store each distributed setting file, and in S411 of the terminal management process, the CPU 51 may read the setting file based on the path.

[0078] Furthermore, in the first and second embodiments, whether or not to include a device in the evaluation is determined based on the amount of time elapsed since the confirmation date and time 231, 621. However, this determination is not limited to this. For example, the management program 23, 62 may determine this based on the number of times the program has been executed since the confirmation date and time 231, 621 was written, or may receive a cancellation instruction from the administrator. Furthermore, the procedure for determining whether or not to include a device in the evaluation based on the confirmation date and time 231, 621 (S102 of the setting management process, S403 of the terminal management process) may not be necessary. In other words, even if the default values ​​of the print settings match the settings file, the device may be included in the evaluation every time thereafter. In this case, there is no need to store the confirmation date and time 231, 621.

[0079] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the management program 23 is installed in a terminal to be managed such as the PC 1, and in the second embodiment, the management program 62 is installed in the management device 5 used by the administrator, but the management program may be installed in a device other than these. In other words, the management program only needs to be able to acquire information on default print settings from the terminal to be managed, acquire information on setting files from the server 3, the management device 5, etc., and send notifications to the management device 5, and the device that executes the management program may be any.

[0080] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the setting list 31 is stored in the server 3, but the storage location of the setting list 31 may be the management device 5 or each managed terminal. Also, if the distributed setting file is configured to be stored in each managed terminal, the setting list 31 does not need to be stored. In other words, there may be no master of the setting file. In that case, the decisions in S201 to S202 and S204 of the distribution setting acquisition process (FIG. 4) may be omitted.

[0081] In the first embodiment, the management program 23 includes both a procedure for acquiring and comparing default values ​​of the terminal's print settings and a procedure for comparing print data resulting from rasterizing a test image. However, it is sufficient to include at least one of these procedures. If only one of these procedures is included, the terminal may notify a mismatch if it is unable to perform the comparison using the procedure, for example, if it is unable to acquire default values ​​of the print settings or if it is unable to acquire a test image. The server that stores the setting list 31 and the server that stores the test image may be separate servers. The management device 5 may also store the test image.

[0082] In addition, although each embodiment describes a printer driver being installed in each managed terminal, this is not a limitation. For example, each terminal may have a so-called driverless configuration in which the OS is pre-installed with a general-purpose printing program and does not use a printer driver. Furthermore, each terminal may have an application program for a specific printer installed in addition to the general-purpose program installed in the OS. In this case, each terminal may set default print settings for that application program based on a distributed settings file. Even with this configuration, the administrator can understand the printer usage status by being notified when the print settings of the application program do not match the print settings of the distributed settings file.

[0083] Furthermore, in any flowchart disclosed in each embodiment, the execution order of multiple processes in any multiple steps can be changed or they can be executed in parallel as long as there is no contradiction in the processing content.

[0084] The processes disclosed in each embodiment may be executed by hardware such as a single CPU, multiple CPUs, or ASIC, or a combination thereof. The processes disclosed in each embodiment may be realized in various ways, such as a recording medium on which a program for executing the processes is recorded, or a method. [Explanation of symbols]

[0085] 1, 2 PCs 3 Server 5 Management device 53 User Interface

Claims

1. A program executed by an information processing device, wherein a setting file in which print settings are written is distributed to a terminal to be managed by the program, and the managed terminal can change default values ​​of the print settings to the print settings written in the setting file; The information processing device includes: a first acquisition process for acquiring, from a storage device, print settings written in the setting file distributed to the terminal to be managed; a second acquisition process for acquiring default values ​​of print settings set in the terminal to be managed from the terminal to be managed; a first determination process for determining whether first information corresponding to the print settings acquired in the first acquisition process and second information corresponding to default values ​​of the print settings acquired in the second acquisition process match; a first notification process for notifying a management device that manages the managed terminal of a mismatch in print settings for the managed terminal based on the determination of a mismatch in the first determination process; Execute A program characterized by:

2. The program according to claim 1, the information processing device is a terminal to be managed, The managed terminal the first acquisition process acquiring, from the storage device, print settings written in the setting file distributed to the device itself; the second acquisition process for acquiring default values ​​of print settings set in the device itself; the first determination process; a first notification process that, based on the determination of a mismatch in the first determination process, transmits notification information indicating a mismatch in print settings for the managed terminal to the management device in association with identification information of the management device, thereby causing the management device to associate the notification information with the managed terminal and issue a notification based on the notification information; Execute A program characterized by:

3. The program according to claim 2, the managed terminal stores the configuration file distributed to the managed terminal in a memory of the managed terminal; In the first acquisition process, The memory of the terminal to be managed is used as the storage device, the setting file distributed to the terminal is read from the memory, and the print setting written in the read setting file is acquired. A program characterized by:

4. The program according to claim 3, a master of the setting file is associated with identification information of the managed terminal to which the setting file is to be distributed, and is stored in an external device different from the managed terminal; The managed terminal a third acquisition process for acquiring, from the external device, print settings written in a master of the setting file associated with the identification information of the terminal to be managed; a second determination process for determining whether the print settings acquired in the first acquisition process and the print settings acquired in the third acquisition process match; a second notification process for notifying the management device of a defect in the configuration file distributed to the managed terminal based on the determination of a mismatch in the second determination process; Execute A program characterized by:

5. The program according to claim 2, a master of the setting file is associated with identification information of the managed terminal to which the setting file is to be distributed, and is stored in an external device different from the managed terminal; In the first acquisition process, The external device is the storage device, and the print settings written in the master of the setting file associated with the identification information of the terminal to be managed are acquired from the external device. A program characterized by:

6. The program according to claim 1, the information processing device is the management device, one or more of the managed terminals are registered in the program, and the management device stores a master of the configuration file in a memory of the management device in association with identification information of the managed terminal to which the configuration file is to be distributed; The management device the first acquisition process acquiring print settings written in the setting file distributed to a specific terminal that is one of the terminals to be managed, based on a master of the setting file; the second acquisition process of acquiring default values ​​of print settings set in the specific terminal from the specific terminal; the first determination process; a first notification process for notifying a user interface of the specific terminal of a mismatch in print settings for the specific terminal based on the determination of a mismatch in the first determination process; Execute A program characterized by:

7. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The information processing device includes: a first generation process for generating print data for printing a test image in accordance with the print settings acquired in the first acquisition process; a second generation process for causing a printer driver installed in the managed terminal to generate print data for printing the test image in accordance with the default values ​​of the print settings acquired in the second acquisition process; Execute In the first determination process, an image shown in the print data generated in the first generation process as the first information, an image shown in the print data generated in the second generation process as the second information, and a determination is made as to whether the first information and the second information match; A program characterized by:

8. The program according to claim 7, A plurality of test images corresponding to the print settings are stored in the server, The information processing device includes: executes a download process for downloading the test image corresponding to the print settings acquired in the first acquisition process from the server; In the first generation process, generating print data for printing the test image downloaded in the download process; In the second generation process, causing a printer driver installed in the managed terminal to generate print data for printing the test image downloaded in the download process, in accordance with the default values ​​of the print settings acquired in the second acquisition process; A program characterized by:

9. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 6, The information processing device includes: If it is determined that the first determination process matches, the first determination process is not executed thereafter until a cancellation condition is met. A program characterized by:

10. 10. The program according to claim 9, The cancellation condition is that the elapsed time from the timing based on which it is determined that the data match in the first determination process exceeds a threshold time. A program characterized by:

11. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 6, The program is capable of selecting an item to be judged in the first judgment process from among the print setting items written in the setting file, In the first determination process, Among the print setting items written in the setting file, for items selected as the determination target, it is determined whether or not the first information and the second information match, and for items not selected as the determination target, it is not determined whether or not the first information and the second information match. A program characterized by:

Images