Support Program

Abstract

To provide a technique for displaying information on a service to be applied to a printer, in an information processing apparatus with an OS-standard general-purpose printing program.SOLUTION: A general-purpose printing program 41 embedded in advance in an OS 21 of a PC 1 handles data for displaying a print setting screen on a display 13a of the PC 1. The printer 2 stores service information which is information on a service to be applied to the printer 2. An auxiliary program 42 for supporting the general-purpose printing program 41 acquires, when a request for processing is made from the general-purpose printing program 41 in response to selecting the printer 2, service information stored in the printer 2. On the basis of the acquired service information, the auxiliary program generates notification data indicating contents of a notification to be given to a user, and transmits the generated notification data to the general-purpose printing program 41 to display the notification data on the print setting screen.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The technical field disclosed in this specification relates to a support program for supporting the control of printers.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a technique for displaying information on services applied to a printer using a printer driver is known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which a printer driver acquires the position information of a printer, acquires a URL corresponding to the position information, and causes a browser to display a consumable ordering dialog based on the URL.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In recent years, a technique for controlling a printer using a general-purpose printing program incorporated as a standard in an operating system (OS) without using a printer driver has been put into practical use. In this technique, when the OS detects a printer, it associates the printer with the general-purpose printing program standard in the OS, and thereafter, when a print instruction for the printer is received, printing can be performed by the general-purpose printing program standard in the OS without using a printer driver.

[0005] However, in an information processing apparatus using a general-purpose printing program standard in the OS, a configuration for displaying information on services applied to each individual printer such as a printer driver is not known. Therefore, there is room for improvement in the display technology in an environment using a general-purpose printing program standard in the OS.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The support program, which was created for the purpose of solving the above-mentioned problems, is executable by the computer of the information processing device, corresponds to a printer connected to the information processing device, and supports a general-purpose printing program pre-installed in the operating system of the information processing device, wherein the general-purpose printing program is capable of handling data for displaying a print settings screen on the display of the information processing device, the printer stores service information which is information about services applicable to the printer, and the computer is configured to execute, when the general-purpose printing program requests processing because the printer has been selected, an acquisition process to acquire the service information stored in the printer, a generation process to generate notification data indicating the content of a notification to be notified to the user based on the service information acquired in the acquisition process, and a display process to pass the notification data generated in the generation process to the general-purpose printing program and display the notification data on the print settings screen displayed on the display of the information processing device.

[0007] The support program disclosed herein acquires service information for services applicable to the printer, generates notification data based on that service information, passes the generated notification data to the OS standard general-purpose printing program, and has the general-purpose printing program display the notification data on the print settings screen. In other words, an information processing device using the OS standard general-purpose printing program can display information about services applicable to the printer, and as a result, the user can learn about the services applicable to that printer.

[0008] A new and useful information processing device incorporating the above-mentioned support program, a storage medium readable by a computer that stores the support program, a control method for realizing the functions of the support program, and a printing system including the support program and a printer are also novel and useful. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] The technology disclosed herein enables a technology for displaying information about services applicable to a printer in an information processing device that incorporates an OS standard general-purpose printing program. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This block diagram shows an overview of the electrical configuration of a PC. [Figure 2] This is a sequence diagram showing an example of the procedure when printing is selected. [Figure 3] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an information screen. [Figure 4] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a print settings screen. [Figure 5] This is a flowchart showing the procedure for generating notification data. [Figure 6] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a notification image. [Figure 7] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a notification image. [Figure 8] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a notification image. [Figure 9] This is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of the procedure when a change in print settings is accepted. [Figure 10] This is a sequence diagram showing an example of the procedure when a print command is received. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] The personal computer (hereinafter referred to as "PC") that utilizes this support program will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. This specification discloses a support program that runs on a PC.

[0012] As shown in Figure 1, the PC1 in this configuration includes a CPU 11 and a controller 10 which includes memory 12. The PC1 is an example of an information processing device. The CPU 11 is an example of a computer. The PC1 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 Figure 1 is a general term for the hardware and software used to control the PC1, and does not necessarily represent a single piece of hardware actually present in the PC1.

[0013] The CPU 11 executes various processes according to the program read from memory 12 and based on user input. Memory 12 stores various programs and data. Memory 12 is also used as a workspace when various processes are executed. The buffer provided by the CPU 11 is also an example of memory. Note that the example of memory 12 is not limited to ROM, RAM, HDD, etc., built into the PC 1, but may also be a storage medium that the CPU 11 can read and write to, such as a recording medium such as a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM.

[0014] The user interface 13 includes a display 13a, which is hardware that displays a screen for informing the user of information, and hardware that accepts user operations. The user interface 13 may also be a combination of a display 13a capable of displaying information and a mouse or keyboard with input acceptance functionality, or it may be a touch panel equipped with a display 13a and input acceptance functionality.

[0015] The communication interface 14 includes hardware for communicating with external devices such as printer 2. The communication standards for the communication interface 14 include Ethernet (registered trademark), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), and USB. PC1 may be able to connect to the internet 100 via the communication interface 14. Furthermore, PC1 may have multiple communication interfaces 14 that support multiple communication standards.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 1, the memory 12 of the PC1 stores an operating system (hereinafter referred to as "OS") 21 including a general-purpose printing program 41, an auxiliary program 42, and various application programs (hereinafter referred to as "apps"). The OS 21 is, for example, Windows (registered trademark), macOS (registered trademark), Linux (registered trademark), iOS (registered trademark), Android (registered trademark). The auxiliary program 42 is an example of a support program.

[0017] In the PC1 of this embodiment, for example, an information app 43 is incorporated as various apps. The information app 43 is, for example, a map app, a calendar app, a browser, and has a function of displaying various information on the display 13a according to a user's request. The information app 43 is an example of an application program. Note that the information app 43 itself may not have a function of printing the displayed information.

[0018] The general-purpose printing program 41 is an OS-standard program provided together with the OS 21 and has a function of printing the information displayed on the display 13a by the information app 43 or the like on the printer 2 or the like. The general-purpose printing program 41 in this embodiment is a program including a function of generating intermediate image data based on the image data to be printed. The general-purpose printing program 41 supports functions that can be commonly used by a plurality of types of printers models provided by various printer vendors. Different from the printer driver specific to various printers, the general-purpose printing program 41 does not correspond to all the functions specific to various printers, and the supported functions are limited to general ones.

[0019] The auxiliary program 42 is a program or group of programs that performs processing based on instructions from the OS 21 in conjunction with the processing of the general-purpose printing program 41, and is a program that supports the control of the target hardware. In this form, the auxiliary program 42 corresponds to the model of the printer 2 connected to the PC 1, and is launched from the general-purpose printing program 41 when the general-purpose printing program 41 receives an instruction to print to the printer 2. The auxiliary program 42 is called, for example, a print support application (abbreviated as PSA) or a hardware support application (abbreviated as HSA).

[0020] The auxiliary program 42 may be a combination of multiple programs, each accepting an execution command, or it may be a single program capable of executing different processes depending on the command. Furthermore, the auxiliary program may be a program provided by the printer vendor for each type of printer. For example, separate auxiliary programs may be provided for inkjet printers and laser printers. In addition to being limited to each type of printer, auxiliary programs may also be provided for each printer model or series of printer models.

[0021] For example, when a new printer is connected to PC1, the OS21 of PC1 can download the appropriate auxiliary program from a server or other source and install it into PC1, depending on the type and model of the connected printer. The OS21 associates the identification information of the installed auxiliary program with the printer information of the newly connected printer and stores it in memory 12.

[0022] In this configuration, PC1 is connected to printer2, as shown in Figure 1. Printer2 is a device having at least printing and communication functions. Printer2 in this configuration stores service information 31. The service information 31 will be described later. Printer2 is also connectable to the Internet 100 and can communicate with server 200 via the Internet 100.

[0023] Server 200 is, for example, a cloud server operated by the vendor of printer 2, and stores information about various services provided by that vendor. These services include, for example, subscription-based printer usage services for a limited time, prepaid printer usage services with a limited number of prints, and services for various extended functions that are disabled at the factory.

[0024] In this specification, "services" refer to functions that require contracts or other procedures with vendors, etc., at the time of or after the installation of a printer, and cannot be used without such procedures. These services may be paid or free of charge. Furthermore, the types of services applicable to each printer may differ depending on the printer model.

[0025] The information stored in server 200 includes, for example, information on services and consumables applicable to each printer model, information on the service usage conditions for individual printers, and information indicating the procedure for enabling the service. For example, when the procedure for enabling a service is performed for each printer, information about that procedure is sent to server 200. Server 200 stores the information on the enabled service as the service usage conditions, associated with the printer's identification information. If the enabled service has restrictions such as an available period or a maximum number of printable pages, server 200 updates the usage conditions as appropriate upon receiving a usage notification from the printer.

[0026] Furthermore, the server 200 incorporates a procedure application 201 for performing procedures to enable various services. The procedure application 201 is an example of a specific application program. The procedure application 201 is provided in response to requests from PC1, etc., and becomes executable on PC1, etc., after being incorporated into the requesting PC1, etc.

[0027] Next, the printing procedure, including the operation of the auxiliary program 42 in this embodiment, and the procedures performed by each program when printing is selected in the information application 43, will be explained with reference to the sequence diagram in Figure 2. Note that Figure 2 and other sequence diagrams described later show the operation when the auxiliary program 42 corresponding to printer 2 is installed in PC1.

[0028] In this embodiment, each processing step in the flowchart basically represents the processing of the CPU 11 according to instructions written in a program such as the auxiliary program 42. The processing by the CPU 11 also includes hardware control using the OS 21 API. In this specification, a detailed description of OS 21 is omitted and the operation of each program is explained. Also, "acquisition" is used as a concept that does not necessarily require a request.

[0029] At the beginning of the procedure, the user launches the information application 43 (A01). The information application 43 displays an information screen containing various information on the display 13a in response to the user's instructions (A02). If the user wants to print the image of the displayed information screen, the user selects print on the information screen (A03). For example, as shown in Figure 3, the information screen D1 includes a setting button SW1. When the setting button SW1 is pressed by the user, a pull-down menu DL including "Print" is displayed, as shown in Figure 3. When "Print" is selected by the user from the pull-down menu DL, the information application 43 passes the display request and the information screen data to the OS21's general-purpose printing program 41 (A04).

[0030] The general-purpose printing program 41 displays a print settings screen on the display 13a upon request (A06). The print settings screen is a screen that accepts instructions for print settings and instructions to execute printing. For example, as shown in Figure 4, the print settings screen D2 includes a printer selection field 51 for accepting printer selection, a notification field 52 for displaying a notification image, a print settings field 53 for accepting specifications for various print settings, a preview field 54 for showing an image of the information screen to be printed, an advanced settings button SW2 for accepting instructions to perform detailed print settings, and a print button SW3 for accepting instructions to execute printing. The notification image displayed in the notification field 52 is an image showing the content of the notification to be sent to the user. The general-purpose printing program 41 can handle data for displaying the print settings screen D2.

[0031] The user can select a printer by performing an operation on the printer selection field 51 on the currently displayed print settings screen D2 (A07). If the selected printer is printer 2, the general-purpose printing program 41 starts the auxiliary program 42 corresponding to printer 2 and requests the processing corresponding to printer selection (A08). In A08, the general-purpose printing program 41 passes the information of the selected printer and the print settings information that was set when the printer was selected to the auxiliary program 42.

[0032] Furthermore, if printer 2 is set as the printer to be used by default in OS21, the general-purpose printing program 41 will display the print settings screen D2 with printer 2 selected (A06), as shown in Figure 4, and start the auxiliary program 42 (A08). In other words, printer 2 is automatically selected by OS21, and the general-purpose printing program 41 executes A08 based on the information of the selected printer 2. In this case, the user does not need to perform operation A07.

[0033] Alternatively, instead of the general-purpose printing program 41 displaying the print settings screen D2, the information application 43 may display the print settings screen D2. In that case, the information application 43 starts the general-purpose printing program 41 in response to print being selected in A03, obtains the data to be displayed on the print settings screen D2 from the general-purpose printing program 41, and displays the print settings screen D2 on the display 13a. Then, depending on whether printer 2 is selected, or whether printer 2 is selected in A07, the information application 43 passes the information of the selected printer 2 to the general-purpose printing program 41. As a result, the general-purpose printing program 41 starts the auxiliary program 42 corresponding to printer 2 in A08.

[0034] Upon activation, the auxiliary program 42 requests capability information for printer 2 from the OS 21 (A11). Upon receiving the request from the auxiliary program 42, the OS 21 sends an acquisition request to printer 2 to request capability information and acquires the capability information from printer 2 (A12). The OS 21 passes the capability information acquired from printer 2 to the auxiliary program 42 (A13).

[0035] OS21 communicates with printer 2, for example, through communication compliant with IPP (Internet Printing Protocol). Alternatively, auxiliary program 42 may obtain capability information directly from printer 2, for example, using MIB (Management Information Base), instead of requesting it from OS21.

[0036] The capability information obtained from printer 2 includes, in addition to information on parameters that can be set as print settings, status information, remaining consumables information, information on installed trays, paper information for each tray, and information on supported print resolutions. Printer 2 may also have functions to perform image processing based on the received print job and print based on the processed data, such as collated printing like Nin1, composite printing like watermarks, and energy-saving printing that saves on colorants. If printer 2 has image processing functions that it can perform, printer 2 may pass information about those functions to OS21 as capability information.

[0037] Furthermore, in this configuration, printer 2 passes capability information, including service information 31, to OS 21 via A12. The auxiliary program 42 can obtain information about services applicable to printer 2 based on the service information 31 included in the capability information received from OS 21. In this case, A12 and A13 are examples of acquisition processes.

[0038] The service information 31 may be information obtained separately from the capability information. In that case, the auxiliary program 42 may request the OS 21 to obtain the service information 31 separately from A11, or the auxiliary program 42 may directly communicate with the printer 2 to obtain the service information 31.

[0039] Service information 31 includes, for example, information indicating the types of services applicable to printer 2, and information indicating whether each service is currently active. Furthermore, if there are active services, service information 31 includes, for example, information on the start date and time when the service was started, the cumulative number of prints performed using the service, information on limitations such as the period and number of pages for which the service can be used, and remaining information such as the remaining period of the service's validity and the number of remaining printable pages. In addition, service information 31 includes, for example, information corresponding to the amount of consumables used based on the cumulative number of prints and the number of pages printed. Note that if there are no applicable services, printer 2 may store information indicating that there are no services as service information 31.

[0040] The service information 31 may also include information about the printer 2 itself, such as information on the usage status of the printer 2, information on the remaining amount of consumables installed in the printer 2, and information on when and how to replace the consumables. The service information 31 that can be obtained from the printer 2 may include not only information stored in the printer 2, but also information that the printer 2 can obtain by querying the server 200.

[0041] The auxiliary program 42 stores the capability information notified by the OS 21 in A13 in a predetermined area within memory 12 that is available to the auxiliary program 42 (A14). If capability information is already stored in memory 12, the auxiliary program 42 overwrites the stored capability information with the current capability information.

[0042] The auxiliary program 42 executes a notification data generation process (A21) based on the capability information notified in A13. The notification data generation process generates notification data that indicates the notification image to be displayed in the notification section 52 of the print settings screen D2. The notification image to be displayed in the notification section 52 may include, for example, text, still images, videos, objects with embedded URL links, or combinations thereof. The display form of the object may be text, buttons, banners, etc. Details of the notification data generation process will be described later.

[0043] Furthermore, the auxiliary program 42 passes display information, including the generated notification data and print setting values ​​based on capability information, to the general-purpose printing program 41 (A22), and terminates processing. Based on the display information received from the auxiliary program 42, the general-purpose printing program 41 displays a notification image in the notification area 52 of the print setting screen D2 displayed on the display 13a (A23). In A23, in addition to the notification image based on the notification data being displayed in the notification area 52, information based on the capability information of the printer 2 is displayed in the print setting area 53 as the initial value for each print setting. A23 is an example of the display process. Note that in the case where the information application 43 displays the print setting screen D2, the information application 43 receives the notification data and displays the notification image in the notification area 52.

[0044] In the example shown in Figure 4, a print settings screen D2 including one notification field 52 is shown, but the arrangement, shape, size, and number of notification fields 52 are not limited to this example. The auxiliary program 42 may obtain information about the notification fields 52 from the general-purpose print program 41 and determine the notification data to be displayed in the notification fields 52 based on the obtained information. For example, if there are multiple possible arrangements for displaying the notification fields 52 and the auxiliary program 42 can specify the display location, the auxiliary program 42 may pass notification data including information specifying the display location to the general-purpose print program 41. Also, if the size of the notification fields 52 can be selected, the auxiliary program 42 may pass information specifying the size to the general-purpose print program 41.

[0045] Next, the procedure for the notification data generation process performed in A21 will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 5. The notification data generation process is executed on the CPU 11 of PC1 based on the description in auxiliary program 42.

[0046] In the notification data generation process, the CPU 11 first determines whether the printer 2 is a model to which various services can be applied, based on the capability information and service information 31 acquired in A13 of Figure 2 (S101). If it is determined that the model is compatible with the service (S101: Service compatible), the CPU 11 determines whether the compatible service is enabled (S103).

[0047] If the CPU determines that the service is enabled (S103:YES), it determines whether the conditions for displaying the service are met (S111). The conditions for displaying the service are those that determine whether or not to include an enabled notification, which shows information about the enabled service, in the notification content. The conditions for displaying the service are determined, for example, based on the number of times the service has been used to print, the number of times the enabled notification has been displayed, the time elapsed since the last display, and the time elapsed since the service was started. The enabled notification includes information indicating that the service is in use.

[0048] The auxiliary program 42 can obtain information on the number of prints made using each service, based on the service information 31 of the printer 2. If the number of prints for a service to be displayed exceeds a predetermined print limit, the CPU 11 determines in S111 that the conditions for valid display are not met. The print count information included in the service information 31 is an example of the cumulative print count, and the print limit is an example of the first value.

[0049] Furthermore, in S113, described later, the auxiliary program 42 counts and stores the number of times the service information has been displayed. If the number of times the valid notification for the service to be displayed has been displayed exceeds a predetermined limit, the CPU 11 determines in S111 that the valid display condition has not been met. The number of displays is an example of the cumulative number of displays, and the limit number of displays is an example of the second value.

[0050] Furthermore, the auxiliary program 42 stores the display time when it displays service information in S142, as described later. Based on the most recently stored display time, if the elapsed time since the last display of the valid notification does not exceed a predetermined interval, the CPU 11 determines in S111 that the valid display condition is not met. The interval is an example of the first hour. If the display time is not stored, the CPU 11 determines that the elapsed time exceeds the predetermined interval.

[0051] Furthermore, the auxiliary program 42 can obtain information on the start date and time when the service was started, for each type of service, based on the service information 31 of the printer 2. If the number of days elapsed since the start date and time of a service to be displayed exceeds a predetermined initial number of days, the CPU 11 determines in S111 that the conditions for valid display are not met. The initial number of days is an example of the second hour.

[0052] If none of the above conditions apply and the CPU determines that the conditions for displaying the active status are met (S111:YES), the CPU 11 adds an active status notification to the notification content (S112). An active status notification includes, for example, a notification indicating that the service is active and a notification indicating how to use the service. Furthermore, the CPU 11 increments the number of times the active status has been displayed (S113). S113 is an example of the count storage process. If the CPU determines that the conditions for displaying the active status are not met (S111:NO), the CPU 11 skips S112 and S113.

[0053] If a service is enabled, displaying an enabled notification for that service will allow the user to recognize that the service is available. However, even if the information is about an enabled service, displaying it every time printer 2 is selected may cause stress to the user. In this configuration, the auxiliary program 42 decides whether or not to add the enabled notification to the notification content based on the enabled display conditions, so it is unlikely that the same notification will be displayed many times or too frequently. Therefore, the stress on the user caused by the frequent display of enabled service notifications is avoided.

[0054] The CPU 11 then obtains remaining information about the service based on the service information 31 and determines whether the remaining validity period or remaining number of printable pages for the service is low (S115). If it determines that the remaining period is low (S115: YES), the CPU 11 adds upgrade information to the notification content (S116). The upgrade information is a notification that provides information about valid services, such as extension or renewal of the validity period, change of the number of printable pages, or prepaid billing.

[0055] Upgrade information may include, for example, an image containing an object with an embedded link containing the URL of a webpage that accepts these procedures. By displaying an object with an embedded URL link, users can easily access the webpage indicated by that URL by interacting with the displayed object and perform the service procedures based on that webpage.

[0056] Furthermore, if a procedure application 201 (see Figure 1) that accepts procedures such as upgrades for valid services is installed on PC1, the upgrade information added in S116 may be an image containing an object associated with the startup command for procedure application 201. By displaying such an object, the user can easily start procedure application 201 and perform service procedures using procedure application 201.

[0057] After S116, or if it determines that there is a significant amount of time remaining (S115: NO), the CPU 11 adds a notification of usage conditions, including information such as the remaining validity period and the remaining number of printable pages, to the notification content (S118). By notifying the user of the usage conditions for printer 2, the user can, for example, find out how much longer they can use the service on printer 2.

[0058] Figure 6 shows an example of a notification image for a valid notification that includes terms of use and upgrade information. The valid notification in the example in Figure 6 includes an object 61 with a link embedded with the URL of a web page containing upgrade information. By displaying a notification image including the valid notification in the notification section 52 of the print settings screen D2, the user can easily understand the status of printer 2, etc., on the print settings screen D2.

[0059] On the other hand, if it is determined that the printer 2 model is not compatible with any of the services (S101: Service not supported), or if it is determined that the compatible services are not enabled (S103: NO), the CPU 11 determines whether or not the guidance display conditions are met (S121). The guidance display conditions are the conditions for determining whether or not to include a guidance notification indicating a service that is not being used in the notification content. The guidance display conditions are determined, for example, based on the number of times the guidance notification has been displayed and the time elapsed since the last display.

[0060] Similar to the valid display conditions, the auxiliary program 42 stores the number of times the guidance notification has been displayed in S123, which will be described later. If the number of times the guidance notification has been displayed for the service to be displayed exceeds a predetermined display limit, the CPU 11 determines in S121 that the guidance display conditions are not met. In this case as well, the number of displays is an example of the cumulative number of displays, and the display limit is an example of the second value.

[0061] Also, similar to the valid display condition, if the elapsed time since the last display of the guidance notification does not exceed a predetermined interval, the CPU 11 determines in S121 that the guidance display condition is not met. In this case as well, the interval is an example of the first hour.

[0062] If the CPU determines that the conditions for displaying guidance are met (S121: YES), the CPU 11 adds guidance notification to the notification content (S122). Guidance notifications for services that are available on printer 2 but are not yet enabled include, for example, a notification indicating that the service can be enabled by signing a contract, a notification indicating the procedure for enabling the service, and a notification indicating the functions that will be possible by using the service. Guidance notifications when there are no services available on printer 2 include, for example, information on models that support the service and a notification indicating the functions that will be possible by using the service. Furthermore, the CPU 11 increments the number of times the guidance display has been shown (S123). S123 is an example of the count storage process.

[0063] Furthermore, if a webpage containing information for enabling the service is available on server 200 or similar, CPU 11 may add a notification that includes an object with a link embedded with the URL of that webpage.

[0064] Furthermore, if the aforementioned procedure application 201 has the functionality to accept procedures for enabling the service, CPU 11 may add a guidance notification in S122 that includes an object associated with the startup command for procedure application 201. Also, if procedure application 201 is not installed on PC1, CPU 11 may add a guidance notification that includes instructions and a URL for downloading procedure application 201.

[0065] By displaying the object associated with the launch command for a specific procedure application 201 capable of performing service procedures, the user can easily launch procedure application 201 and use it to perform procedures to enable the service. Note that the procedure application that accepts procedures to enable the service and the procedure application that accepts procedures related to the enabled service may be different applications.

[0066] Figure 7 shows an example of a notification image for a notification that includes information about services available on printer 2 but not enabled. The notification in the example in Figure 7 includes information about an extension that can be enabled by procedure, and an object 62 with an embedded link containing the URL of a web page that includes the extension information.

[0067] If a compatible service is not enabled, displaying information about that service allows the user to recognize that the service can be enabled. Displaying a notification image including the information in the notification area 52 of the print settings screen D2 increases the likelihood that the user will consider using the notified extended function. However, if information about compatible services or information about other models is displayed every time printer 2 is selected, it may become stressful for the user. In this configuration, the auxiliary program 42 decides whether or not to add information notifications to the notification content based on the information display conditions, so it is unlikely that the same notification will be displayed many times or too frequently. Therefore, user stress associated with the frequent display of service information notifications is avoided.

[0068] After S118, after S123, or if it is determined that the guidance display conditions are not met (S121: NO), the CPU 11 determines whether or not the consumable display conditions are met (S131). The consumable display conditions are the conditions for determining whether or not to include a consumable notification containing information about the remaining amount of consumables in the notification content. Based on the service information 31 of the printer 2, the auxiliary program 42 can obtain information about the amount used and remaining amount of consumables installed in the printer 2, as well as information about when and how to replace the consumables. For example, if it is determined that the remaining amount of consumables is less than a predetermined amount, the CPU 11 determines that the consumable display conditions are met.

[0069] If the CPU determines that the consumable display conditions are met (S131:YES), it adds a consumable notification to the notification content (S132). The consumable notification includes, for example, a notification of a consumable that is running low, an object with a link embedded that shows the URL of the consumable purchase page, and a notification on how to replace the consumable. By notifying the user when it is time to replace the consumable, the user can know when it is time to replace the consumable. On the other hand, if the CPU determines that the consumable display conditions are not met (S131:NO), it does not add a consumable notification to the notification content.

[0070] Figure 8 shows an example of a notification image for consumables when printer 2 is a model that does not support the service and the ink level is low. The example in Figure 8 shows a notification image that includes a consumables notification, an object 63 with an embedded link to the ink purchase page URL, and a notification that guides users to models that can use the service that is not available on printer 2. By displaying a notification image containing this information in the notification section 52 of the print settings screen D2, users can easily understand information regarding the remaining amount of consumables.

[0071] Furthermore, the auxiliary program 42 may notify information about consumables even if it determines that the remaining amount of consumables is not less than a predetermined amount. For example, the CPU 11 may notify information about consumables if there is no other notification to give. By displaying information based on the amount of consumables used, such as the remaining amount or the number of times they have been used, the user can, for example, estimate when it is time to replace the consumables.

[0072] Next, the CPU 11 generates notification data (S141) that shows an image to be displayed in the notification field 52 based on the added notification content. S141 is an example of the generation process. If multiple notification contents are added, the CPU 11 may, for example, generate notification data that shows a single image with all the added notification contents arranged together, as shown in Figures 6 to 8, or it may generate notification data that shows a video of the notification contents switching sequentially. Also, if there are many notification contents, the CPU 11 may choose not to notify the notification contents with lower priority. Also, if there are no added notification contents, the CPU 11 may generate notification data that leaves the notification field 52 blank, or it may generate notification data that shows a predetermined image such as the vendor's logo or the latest information.

[0073] Furthermore, the auxiliary program 42 may have pre-existing information on various messages and objects indicating the content of the notification, for each type of notification. Alternatively, the auxiliary program 42 may obtain information on messages and objects corresponding to the notification content from the printer 2 or server 200.

[0074] As shown in A22 of Figure 2, CPU 11 passes the notification data generated in S141 to the general-purpose printing program 41. As a result, in A23, a notification image based on the notification data is displayed in the notification field 52 of the print settings screen D2. That is, an image based on the notification data generated by the auxiliary program 42 is displayed on the print settings screen D2. CPU 11 stores the time when it passed the generated notification data to the general-purpose printing program 41 (S142), terminates the notification data generation process, and returns to the process shown in the sequence diagram of Figure 2. S142 is an example of the time storage process.

[0075] Alternatively, instead of generating notification data and passing it to the general-purpose printing program 41, the auxiliary program 42 can display the information itself. However, in that case, a separate screen would be displayed from the print settings screen D2, which could make the display cluttered and stressful for the user. Displaying the information within the print settings screen D2 of the OS21 general-purpose printing program 41 simplifies the display and avoids user stress.

[0076] Next, the procedures performed by each program when a user requests a change in print settings via the print settings field 53 while the print settings screen D2 shown in Figure 4 is displayed will be explained with reference to the sequence diagram in Figure 9. As mentioned above, the print settings screen D2 can accept requests to change print settings via operations in the print settings field 53, as well as requests to execute printing via operations on the print button SW3.

[0077] The general-purpose printing program 41 changes the display content of the print settings field 53 on the print settings screen D2 based on the user's instruction to change the print settings (B01) (B02). Furthermore, if the print settings are changed, the general-purpose printing program 41 also starts the auxiliary program 42 and requests processing corresponding to the change in print settings (B03). In B03, the auxiliary program 42 receives information about the changed print settings from the general-purpose printing program 41.

[0078] The auxiliary program 42 determines whether it is necessary to change the notification data to be displayed in the notification field 52 based on the changed print settings. If it determines that a change is necessary (alt:[Change Required]), the auxiliary program 42 generates the changed notification data and passes it to the general-purpose print program 41 (B05), and then terminates the process.

[0079] For example, if there is a large amount of information to be notified in the notification data generation process executed in A21 of Figure 2, it may not be possible to display it all at once in the notification field 52. In that case, the auxiliary program 42 may pass a portion of the notification to the general-purpose printing program 41 in A22, and pass the notification data, including the remaining portion of the notification, to the general-purpose printing program 41 in B05. If it is determined that no change in display is necessary, the auxiliary program 42 will notify the general-purpose printing program 41 of the completion of the process without executing B05.

[0080] Next, the procedures performed by each program when a user inputs a print command to execute a print job via the print button SW3 while the print settings screen D2 shown in Figure 4 is displayed will be explained with reference to the sequence diagram in Figure 10. Note that the user's print command may be directly input into the general-purpose print program 41, or it may be input into the information application 43 and output from the information application 43 to the general-purpose print program 41.

[0081] The general-purpose printing program 41, based on a user's instruction to execute a print job (C01), starts an auxiliary program 42 and requests processing corresponding to the print job instruction (C02). In C02, the auxiliary program 42 receives information about the print settings that were set when the print job instruction was received from the general-purpose printing program 41. The general-purpose printing program 41 may also pass image data indicating the image to be printed to the auxiliary program 42. The general-purpose printing program 41 also closes the currently displayed print settings screen D2. As a result, the information screen of the information application 43 becomes active.

[0082] The auxiliary program 42 receives a print command and obtains information about the printer 2's capabilities stored in A14 of Figure 2 (C03). Alternatively, in C03, the auxiliary program 42 may communicate with the printer 2 to obtain information about its capabilities from it. This information includes, for example, information about the image processing capabilities that the printer 2 can perform. Based on the acquired information about the printer's capabilities, the auxiliary program 42 verifies the print settings received in C02 (C04). In C04, the auxiliary program 42 verifies, for example, whether there is any discrepancy between the print settings and the printer 2's capabilities. Furthermore, the auxiliary program 42 passes the verified print settings information to the general-purpose print program 41 (C05).

[0083] Furthermore, depending on the results of the check in C04, the auxiliary program 42 may change the print settings and pass them on in C05. For example, if the print settings received in C02 include image processing information that is preferable to be executed by printer 2 rather than by the general-purpose print program 41 or the auxiliary program 42, the auxiliary program 42 may change the print settings to exclude that image processing. In that case, the auxiliary program 42 may store the information of the excluded print settings so that it can be passed to printer 2 in a later step, and in C05, it may pass the information of the changed print settings to the general-purpose print program 41.

[0084] The general-purpose printing program 41 generates intermediate image data by converting the image data format of the image to be printed to an intermediate image data format using the print settings received from the auxiliary program 42, and passes the generated intermediate image data to the auxiliary program 42 (C11). The image data included in the information application 43 is of various types, and the general-purpose printing program 41 converts the image data to be printed into intermediate image data suitable for generating print data. If the image data to be printed is suitable for generating print data, the generation of intermediate image data can be omitted, and it can be used as intermediate image data as is. The intermediate image data is, for example, XPS data.

[0085] The auxiliary program 42 performs rasterization based on the intermediate image data received in C11 and generates print data indicating the image to be printed (C12). The print data generated in C12 is in a format that can be used for printing by printer 2, for example, it is PDL data specific to the printer 2 model.

[0086] Rasterizing the data using the auxiliary program 42, which is compatible with printer 2, offers greater flexibility compared to rasterizing with the general-purpose printing program 41, and is more likely to generate print data suitable for printing on printer 2. Furthermore, the print data generated by the auxiliary program 42 may be in a format that can be used for printing on printers other than printer 2.

[0087] The auxiliary program 42 sends the print data generated in C12 to the printer 2 along with a print command instructing it to execute the print job (C13). C13 is an example of the transmission process. If the auxiliary program 42 has decided in C04 to have the printer 2 perform any image processing, it generates a print command that also includes information about that processing. The auxiliary program 42 may also notify the general-purpose print program 41 that it has finished sending the print data.

[0088] Printer 2, having received the print data and print command, executes the printing of the image data based on the received print command (C15). This generates the printed document.

[0089] Alternatively, instead of the auxiliary program 42 generating the print data, the general-purpose printing program 41 may generate the print data. For example, the auxiliary program 42 may pass the intermediate image data received at C11 and the print execution information to the general-purpose printing program 41, and the general-purpose printing program 41 may rasterize the intermediate image data and generate the print data. In that case, the general-purpose printing program 41 passes the generated print data to the auxiliary program 42. When the auxiliary program 42 receives the print data from the general-purpose printing program 41, it sends the print data received from the general-purpose printing program 41 to the printer 2 along with a print command instructing the execution of printing.

[0090] The print data generated by the general-purpose printing program 41 is in a format that can be used for printing on various printers, such as PWGRaster data or PDF data. If rasterization is performed by the general-purpose printing program 41, the processing required by the auxiliary program 42 is reduced, which is expected to avoid increased processing time, and the program size of the auxiliary program 42 can be kept down.

[0091] The general-purpose printing program 41 may also send print data and print commands to printer 2. In other words, the auxiliary program 42 may pass the generated print data to the general-purpose printing program 41 so that it is sent from PC1 to printer 2. In that case, the general-purpose printing program 41 sends the print data received from the auxiliary program 42 to printer 2. In this case, the process by which the auxiliary program 42 passes the print data to the general-purpose printing program 41 is an example of a transmission process.

[0092] As described in detail above, the auxiliary program 42 in this configuration obtains service information 31, which is information about services applicable to the printer 2, from the printer 2, generates notification data based on the service information 31, and passes it to the general-purpose printing program 41. As a result, the general-purpose printing program 41 displays an image based on the notification data in the notification field 52 of the print settings screen D2. Therefore, the user can find out about the services applicable to the printer 2 on the print settings screen D2.

[0093] Furthermore, this form of auxiliary program 42 decides whether or not to add notifications depending on the valid display conditions and guidance display conditions, so the possibility of the same notification being displayed repeatedly or frequently is low, thus avoiding user stress. In addition, this form of auxiliary program 42 notifies users of information regarding valid services, such as notifications indicating validity, notifications indicating usage conditions such as validity period, and upgrade information, depending on the conditions, so there is a high possibility that users will be notified of the information they need. In addition, this form of auxiliary program 42 notifies users of information regarding inactive services, such as service information and notifications regarding procedures for enabling them, depending on the conditions, so there is a possibility that users will consider introducing the service.

[0094] The embodiments disclosed herein are merely illustrative and do not limit the present invention in any way. Therefore, the technology disclosed herein can naturally be improved and modified in various ways without departing from its essence. For example, the device connected to PC1 is not limited to a printer, but may be a multifunction device, copier, fax machine, or any other device with printing capabilities. Also, the number of printers connected to PC1 is not limited to the illustrated example, and may be two or more.

[0095] Furthermore, for example, the notification images in Figures 6 to 8 are all just examples and are not limited to those shown. Also, the text, object shapes, backgrounds, etc., displayed in the notification images can be anything.

[0096] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the content of additional notifications and whether or not to add notifications are determined based on whether the printer 2 model supports the service, whether the service is enabled, and various other conditions such as the conditions for displaying the service and the conditions for displaying the guidance. However, these conditions are not required. In other words, information about various services may be displayed regardless of the printer 2 model or the status of the service.

[0097] Furthermore, if, after the print settings screen D2 is displayed by the general-purpose printing program 41, the user changes the default printer from another printer to printer 2 via the OS 21, the general-purpose printing program 41 may also start the auxiliary program 42. In this case as well, similar to when printer 2 is selected, the auxiliary program 42 should execute the notification data generation process and pass the notification data to the general-purpose printing program 41.

[0098] Furthermore, although the embodiment describes only the printing operation as the operation of the auxiliary program 42 in detail, the auxiliary program 42 may have other roles as well. Also, the program that executes the processing of this embodiment is not limited to the auxiliary program 42, but can be any program that receives instructions from the OS 21 or the general-purpose printing program 41 when printing using the general-purpose printing program 41. For example, the Print Workflow application whose specifications have been published by Microsoft may also be used.

[0099] Furthermore, the execution timing of the auxiliary program 42 is not limited to the examples of this embodiment. For example, it may be executed by direct execution instruction from the OS 21, or it may be a resident auxiliary program 42. In the case of a resident auxiliary program, the auxiliary program 42 should perform the operations described above upon receiving an execution instruction.

[0100] Furthermore, in any flowchart disclosed in the embodiments, the execution order of any multiple processes in any multiple steps can be arbitrarily changed or executed in parallel, as long as no inconsistencies arise in the processing content.

[0101] Furthermore, the processes disclosed in the embodiments may be executed by a single CPU, multiple CPUs, hardware such as an ASIC, or a combination thereof. Also, the processes disclosed in the embodiments can be implemented in various forms, such as a recording medium or method that stores a program for executing the process. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0102] 1 PC 2 Printer 11 CPU 13a Display

Claims

1. A support program that is executable by the computer of an information processing device, corresponds to a printer connected to the information processing device, and supports a general-purpose printing program pre-installed in the operating system of the information processing device, wherein the general-purpose printing program is capable of handling data for displaying a print settings screen on the display of the information processing device, and the printer stores service information which is information about services applicable to the printer, and the service information stored in the printer includes information indicating whether the service is enabled or not. To the aforementioned computer, When the aforementioned printer is selected and processing is requested from the general-purpose printing program, An acquisition process that obtains the service information stored in the printer by requesting information regarding the printer's print settings from the operating system, Based on the service information obtained in the acquisition process, a generation process is performed to generate notification data indicating the content of the notification to be sent to the user, Display process to pass the notification data generated in the generation process to the general-purpose printing program in order to display the notification data on the print settings screen displayed on the display of the information processing device, Make it run, In the above generation process, If the service information obtained in the acquisition process includes information indicating that the service is active, the notification data is generated, which includes information indicating that the service is in use. If the service information obtained in the acquisition process does not include information indicating that the service is active, notification data is generated that includes a notification about the unused service, and the notification data, which includes a notification about the unused service, is passed to the general-purpose printing program by the display process. A support program configured in this way.

2. In the support program described in claim 1, The service applied to the printer includes usage conditions for the printer, and the service information stored in the printer includes information indicating the usage conditions. In the above generation process, Based on the terms of use included in the service information acquired in the acquisition process, the notification data is generated, which includes the terms of use in the notification content. A support program configured in this way.

3. In the support program described in claim 1 or claim 2, The service information stored in the printer includes the amount of consumables used by the printer. In the above generation process, Based on the amount of consumables used in the service information obtained in the acquisition process, notification data is generated that includes information about the consumables in the notification content. A support program configured in this way.

4. In the support program described in claim 3, In the above generation process, Based on the amount of the consumables used in the service information obtained in the acquisition process, it is determined whether or not to notify the replacement of the consumables. If it is determined that a notification should be made to replace the consumables, notification data is generated that includes the replacement of the consumables in its content. If it is not determined that a notification should be made to replace the consumables, notification data is generated that does not include the replacement of the consumables in its content. A support program configured in this way.

5. In a support program according to any one of claims 1 to 4, In the above generation process, Based on the service information obtained in the acquisition process, notification data is generated that includes a link in the notification content that contains a URL indicating a web page, and the web page contains information regarding the procedures for the service. A support program configured in this way.

6. In a support program according to any one of claims 1 to 4, In the above generation process, Based on the service information acquired in the acquisition process, notification data is generated that includes a startup command for a specific application program incorporated into the information processing device, and the specific application program corresponds to the service and has the function of accepting procedures for the service. A support program configured in this way.

7. In a support program described in any one of claims 1 to 6, The service information stored in the printer includes the cumulative number of print jobs performed. To the aforementioned computer, When the aforementioned printer is selected and processing is requested from the general-purpose printing program, If the cumulative number of prints included in the service information obtained in the acquisition process does not exceed a first value, the generation process and the display process are executed. If the cumulative number of prints included in the service information obtained in the acquisition process exceeds the first value, the generation process and the display process are not executed. A support program configured in this way.

8. In a support program described in any one of claims 1 to 6, To the aforementioned computer, The information processing device executes a count storage process to store the cumulative number of times the notification data has been passed to the general-purpose printing program in order to display the notification data on the print settings screen shown on the display of the information processing device, Furthermore, the computer, When the aforementioned printer is selected and processing is requested from the general-purpose printing program, If the cumulative number of displays stored in the aforementioned count storage process does not exceed the second value, the generation process and the display process are executed. If the cumulative number of displays stored in the count storage process exceeds the second value, the generation process and the display process are not executed. A support program configured in this way.

9. In a support program described in any one of claims 1 to 6, To the aforementioned computer, In order to display the notification data on the print settings screen shown on the display of the information processing device, the device executes a time storage process to store the time when the notification data was passed to the general-purpose printing program, so that the notification data can be displayed by the general-purpose printing program. Furthermore, the computer, When the aforementioned printer is selected and processing is requested from the general-purpose printing program, If the elapsed time from the most recent time stored in the aforementioned time storage process exceeds the first hour, the generation process and the display process are executed. If the elapsed time from the most recent time stored in the aforementioned time storage process does not exceed the first hour, the generation process and the display process are not executed. A support program configured in this way.

10. In a support program according to any one of claims 1 to 9, To the aforementioned computer, A print instruction is output from an application program incorporated in the information processing device, and when the general-purpose printing program receives a print instruction to cause the printer to print an image, the general-purpose printing program requests processing from the general-purpose printing program. The general-purpose printing program obtains image data representing the image, and executes a transmission process to send a print command to the printer based on the image data. A support program configured in this way.

11. A support program that is executable by the computer of an information processing device, corresponds to a printer connected to the information processing device, and supports a general-purpose printing program pre-installed in the operating system of the information processing device, wherein the general-purpose printing program is capable of handling data for displaying a print settings screen on the display of the information processing device, and the printer stores service information which is information about services applicable to the printer, and the service information stored in the printer includes information indicating whether the service is enabled or not. To the aforementioned computer, When the aforementioned printer is selected and processing is requested from the general-purpose printing program, An acquisition process that obtains the service information stored in the printer by requesting information regarding the printer's print settings from the operating system, Based on the service information obtained in the acquisition process, a generation process is performed to generate notification data indicating the content of the notification to be sent to the user, Display process to pass the notification data generated in the generation process to the general-purpose printing program in order to display the notification data on the print settings screen displayed on the display of the information processing device, It is possible to execute this, and furthermore, If the service information obtained in the acquisition process does not include information indicating that the service is valid, the generation process and the display process are executed. In the generation process, notification data is generated in which the notification content includes information about the unused service. The notification data, in which the notification content includes information about the unused service, is passed to the general-purpose printing program by the display process. If the service information obtained in the acquisition process includes information indicating that the service is valid, the generation process and the display process are not executed. A support program configured in this way.

12. A support program that is executable by the computer of an information processing device, corresponds to a printer connected to the information processing device, and supports a general-purpose printing program pre-installed in the operating system of the information processing device, wherein the general-purpose printing program is capable of handling data for displaying a print settings screen on the display of the information processing device, and the printer stores service information which is information about services applicable to the printer, and the service information stored in the printer includes the start date and time when the use of the service began. To the aforementioned computer, When the aforementioned printer is selected and processing is requested from the general-purpose printing program, An acquisition process that obtains the service information stored in the printer by requesting information regarding the printer's print settings from the operating system, Based on the service information obtained in the acquisition process, a generation process is performed to generate notification data indicating the content of the notification to be sent to the user, Display process to pass the notification data generated in the generation process to the general-purpose printing program in order to display the notification data on the print settings screen displayed on the display of the information processing device, It is possible to execute this, and furthermore, If the elapsed time from the start date and time included in the service information obtained in the acquisition process does not exceed two hours, the generation process and the display process are executed. If the elapsed time from the start date and time included in the service information obtained in the acquisition process exceeds the second hour, the generation process and the display process will not be executed. A support program configured in this way.

Images