Virtual printer management program

Abstract

The present invention enables a user to execute unique print settings by means of a virtual printer corresponding to a desired printer without processing by the virtual printer.　A launcher 106 causes a processor 110 of a terminal device 100 to execute: a step S20 for outputting display data for displaying, on a display unit 140 of the terminal device 100, a dialog box DB1 in which a plurality of printers 200 corresponding to a plurality of printer applications 170 can be selected; a step S400 for receiving a selection operation for one printer 200 among the plurality of printers 200 in the displayed dialog box DB1; and a step S420 for performing processing for causing the display unit 140 of the terminal device 100 to display a print setting screen of the selected one printer 200 in one printer application 170 corresponding to the one printer 200 that was selected in step S400 among the plurality of printer applications 170.

Description

Virtual Printer Management Program

[0001] The present invention relates to a virtual printer management program executed by an information processing device capable of communicating with a printing device.

[0002] Conventionally, there is known an application program that operates as if it were a single virtual printer based on the sum of the capability information of multiple printing devices, as described in Patent Document 1. This conventional program accepts print settings specific to the printing device to be used for printing, and when a print instruction is received, it selects one of the multiple printing devices that is best suited to the accepted print settings, and sends the print data to that printing device.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-160905

[0004] In the above-described conventional technology, a user can set print settings specific to a printing device for a virtual printer without being aware of which of multiple printing devices the user will use to print. However, the correspondence between the virtual printer and the printing device is not clear to the user, and printing may be performed on a printing device other than the one the user desired.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a management program that enables a user to execute unique print settings for a virtual printer corresponding to a desired printing device without having to perform processing according to the virtual printer.

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the information processing program of the present invention is a virtual printer management program that can be executed by a calculation unit of an information processing device that can be connected to multiple printing devices, wherein the information processing device has OS standard printing software that is installed as standard in an operating system and is capable of performing driverless printing without using a driver provided by a printer vendor, and multiple information processing programs that are registered in the OS standard printing software as virtual printers corresponding to the multiple printing devices, and the virtual printer management program is configured to cause the calculation unit of the information processing device to execute a selection screen display process that outputs selection screen display data that causes a selection screen on a display unit of the information processing device that allows the selection of the multiple printing devices corresponding to the multiple information processing programs to be displayed, a selection acceptance process that accepts a selection operation for one printing device among the multiple printing devices on the displayed selection screen, and a setting screen startup process that causes one information processing program out of the multiple information processing programs that corresponds to the one printing device accepted in the selection acceptance process to display, on the display unit of the information processing device, a print setting screen for the one printing device accepted in the selection acceptance process.

[0007] When the virtual printer management program of the present invention is executed on a computing unit, a selection screen display process, a selection acceptance process, and a setting screen launch process are executed. In the selection screen display process, selection screen display data is output to display a selection screen on the display unit of the information processing device, allowing a user to select multiple printing devices corresponding to multiple information processing programs. In the selection acceptance process, a selection operation for one of the multiple printing devices is accepted on the displayed selection screen. In the setting screen launch process, a process is executed to cause one of the multiple information processing programs corresponding to the single printing device accepted in the selection acceptance process to display a print setting screen for the single printing device accepted in the selection acceptance process on the display unit of the information processing device. According to the present invention, a user can select a desired printing device on the selection screen, causing the print setting screen for the selected printing device to be displayed on the display unit of the information processing device. This allows the user to configure print settings without, for example, entering a port number or URL in a browser to access an information processing program corresponding to the desired printing device. Therefore, unique print settings for the virtual printer corresponding to the desired printing device can be executed without the user having to perform processing specific to the virtual printer.

[0008] According to the present invention, a unique print setting can be made by a virtual printer corresponding to a desired printing device without the user having to perform processing according to the virtual printer.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration of a printing system and a functional configuration of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a specific example of a printing system in which a plurality of printer applications are installed in a terminal device. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a dialog box displayed by a launcher on the display unit of a terminal device when a first printer application is installed in the terminal device. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a dialog box displayed by a launcher on the display unit of a terminal device when a second printer application is installed in the terminal device. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a dialog box displayed by a launcher on the display unit of a terminal device when a first printer in printer group 1 is registered in the first printer application. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a dialog box displayed by a launcher on the display unit of a terminal device when a second printer in printer group 2 is registered in the second printer application. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a dialog box displayed by a launcher on the display unit of a terminal device when a user selects a desired printer and displays a print setting screen. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a control procedure executed when a launcher is started. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a control procedure executed by a launcher when step S100, which is a click event of the install button, occurs. 1 is a flowchart showing an example of a control procedure executed by a launcher when step S200, which is a button selection event of a printer application, occurs; FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of a control procedure executed by a launcher when step S300, which is a button selection event of a printer application, occurs; FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a control procedure executed by a launcher in processing for a printer application to be processed in step S310; FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a control procedure executed by a launcher when step S400, which is a click event of a printer button, occurs; and FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a terminal device and a printer.

[0010] <Embodiment> An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] <Outline of Printing System> Fig. 1 shows an example of the system configuration of a printing system 1 according to this embodiment. In Fig. 1, the printing system 1 has a terminal device 100 and a printer 200. The terminal device 100 and the printer 200 are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via, for example, the Internet, a wired LAN, or a wireless LAN. The terminal device 100 is an example of an information processing device, and the printer 200 is an example of a printing device.

[0012] <Functional Configuration of Terminal Device> The terminal device 100 transmits print data to the printer 200 to execute printing. The terminal device 100 is, for example, a desktop PC, a notebook PC, or a tablet computer, but may also be a mobile terminal such as a smartphone. As will be described in detail later, the terminal device 100 has a processor 110 and a storage device 115 that stores various print processing programs (see FIG. 15 described later). When the processor 110 executes the various print processing programs, the terminal device 100 has the functional configuration shown in FIG. 1. Note that in the following description, it may be stated that a program does ***, but this means that the process of *** is executed when the program is executed by the processor 110.

[0013] 1, the terminal device 100 has an OS (Operating System) 101, an application 102 corresponding to the printing function of the OS, a printer application 170, a browser 104, a launcher 106, and a database 107. The OS 101 has a so-called driverless printing function that prints according to a predetermined printing standard without using a printer driver provided by a printer vendor.

[0014] The OS 101 includes, for example, a modularized printing system for the OS, CUPS (Common Unix Printing System) 160. The OS 101 is an example of an operating system, and the CUPS 160 is an example of OS standard printing software.

[0015] <CUPS> The CUPS 160 includes an HTTP server 161 , a CUPSPnP management unit 162 , an IPP client 163 , and a print data scheduler and spooler 164 .

[0016] The HTTP server 161 is server software that runs on the CUPS 160. The HTTP server 161 obtains information and functions using the HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) via the browser 104, or provides information and functions to them. The CUPS PnP management unit 162 has a PnP (Plag and Play) function that registers printers (including virtual printing devices) detected using protocols such as mDNS / SD in the CUPS 160 and creates a print queue.

[0017] The settings of the CUPS PnP management unit 162 are changed by a script executed when the printer application 170 is installed so that the search address for PnP is limited to the internal network of the terminal device 100 (usually IP address 127.0.0.1). As a result, the CUPS 160 cannot directly recognize the printer 200, and recognizes the printer application 170 as the printer. The printer application 170 is not an actual printer, but rather a so-called virtual printer that behaves as a printer to the CUPS 160. The printer application 170 mediates between the CUPS 160 and the printer 200, thereby enabling printing using the CUPS 160 and the printer 200. The printer application 170 is an example of a virtual printer.

[0018] The IPP client 163 uses the IPP protocol to send and receive print data or attributes to and from an IPP / mDNS server 173 (described later). The print data scheduler & spooler 164 manages print jobs sent from the application 102, etc., and also manages multiple print jobs that are generated simultaneously by temporarily blocking them and processing them sequentially before handing them over to the IPP client 163.

[0019] <Printer Application> The printer application 170 can be registered in the CUPS 160 as a virtual printer corresponding to the connected printer 200. The CUPS 160 treats the printer application 170 as a virtual printer and executes various processes related to printing. These processes include, for example, a capability information acquisition process and a print data transmission process. The printer application 170 includes a printer communication unit 171, an attribute / mDNS conversion unit 172, an IPP / mDNS server 173, a print data conversion unit 174, and a print setting storage unit 175. The printer application 170 is an example of an information processing program.

[0020] The printer communication unit 171 communicates with the printer 200. The printer communication unit 171 receives capability information from the printer 200 and transmits print data to the printer 200. Communication between this printer communication unit and the printer is performed via a network, USB, or the like. In the case of a network, protocols such as IPP and LPD are used. Furthermore, in the case of the IPP protocol, IPP attributes are used as capability information, and in the case of other interfaces or protocols such as USB, PJL information is used.

[0021] Attribute / mDNS conversion unit 172 acquires capability information indicating the capabilities of printer 200 via printer communication unit 171. Attribute / mDNS conversion unit 172 converts the capability information acquired from printer 200 into IPP attributes corresponding to printing functions that can be handled by CUPS 160. IPP attribute / mDNS conversion unit 172 may convert the attributes based on print setting information read from print setting storage unit 175.

[0022] The attribute / mDNS conversion unit 172 has the functionality of an mDNS (multicast Domain Name System). mDNS simultaneously distributes DNS queries within a local network using IP (Internet Protocol) multicast, simultaneously querying all devices on the same network. Devices that receive queries respond by transmitting their own IP addresses.

[0023] The print setting storage unit 175 stores print setting information for the printer 200 corresponding to the printer application 170. This print setting information includes, for example, the size of the paper to be printed, the type of paper to be printed, and the storage location of the paper to be printed (see FIG. 8B, described later). The print setting information is set in the terminal device 100. For example, the print setting information is set on a print setting screen displayed on the display unit 140 (see FIG. 15, described later) by the launcher 106 or via the browser 104. The HTTP server 176 of the printer application 170 acquires the print setting information set on the print setting screen and stores it in the print setting storage unit 175. The print setting storage unit 175 is, for example, a partial area of ​​the data storage area 132 of the non-volatile storage device 130 of the storage device 115 of the terminal device 100 (see FIG. 15, described later). The print settings may be set not only in the terminal device 100 but also in an external terminal, or pre-set contents may be installed in the printer application 170.

[0024] In response to the capability information acquisition process of CUPS 160, IPP / mDNS server 173 outputs the attribute converted by attribute / mDNS conversion unit 172 to CUPS 160. CUPS 160 outputs print data corresponding to the attribute converted by IPP client 163. In response to the print data transmission process of CUPS 160, IPP / mDNS server 173 acquires print data corresponding to the converted attribute output from CUPS 160 and outputs it to print data conversion unit 174. Note that IPP / mDNS server 173 has an mDNS function similar to attribute / mDNS conversion unit 172.

[0025] Print data conversion unit 174 acquires print data from CUPS 160 via IPP / mDNS server 173. Print data conversion unit 174 converts the print data acquired from CUPS 160 into print data that corresponds to the printing function of printer 200. Print data conversion unit 174 may convert the print data based on print setting information read from print setting storage unit 175. Print data conversion unit 174 outputs the converted print data to printer communication unit 171. Printer communication unit 171 transmits the print data output from print data conversion unit 174 to printer 200.

[0026] The launcher 106 is a program that manages the printer application 170 as a virtual printer. The launcher 106 accepts user operations and executes various processes. The various processes include, for example, installing the printer application 170 on the terminal device 100, registering the printer 200 in the printer application 170, displaying a print setting screen for the printer 200, and setting print settings on the print setting screen. The database 107 stores various information used by the launcher 106 when executing the various processes. The various information includes, for example, the port number of the HTTP server 176 of each printer application 170, the URL of the print setting screen of the printer 200 registered in each printer application 170, and the like. The launcher 106 is an example of a virtual printer management program.

[0027] <Features of this embodiment> A single printer application 170 can register not only one printer 200 but also multiple printers 200. For example, if a user uses multiple types of printers depending on the purpose, such as a color inkjet printer 200 and a monochrome laser printer 200, a single printer application 170 may not be able to cover the functions of those printers. In such a case, multiple printer applications 170 will be installed on one terminal device 100.

[0028] The user interface of the printer application 170 is provided by the HTTP protocol via the HTTP server 176, and the user accesses the print setting screen of the corresponding printer 200 using the browser 104. Normally, access is achieved using a URI (URL), for example, http: / / localhost:8000. However, if multiple printer applications 170 are installed as described above, they can be accessed individually by changing the port number, for example, http: / / localhost:8001. In this case, the user must manage multiple port numbers.

[0029] Furthermore, when multiple printer applications 170 are installed as described above, the print setting screen for each printer 200 is accessed via the corresponding printer application 170. In this case, the user must manage which printer 200 is registered with which printer application 170. In addition, the user must check which port each printer application is assigned to before accessing the printer. This can result in the user having to perform cumbersome management work.

[0030] In this embodiment, by implementing the launcher 106, the user can access the print setting screen of the desired printer 200 without managing port numbers or being aware of which printer application 170 each printer 200 is registered to. This will be described in detail below. In the following description, it is assumed that two printer application installation packages (printer_group1.deb, printer_group2.deb) are pre-stored in a directory ( / home / XXXX).

[0031] <Screen Display by Launcher> Fig. 2 shows a specific example of the printing system 1 when multiple printer applications 170 are installed in the terminal device 100. Note that in Fig. 2, the same components as in Fig. 1 are assigned the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted. In the example shown in Fig. 2, a first printer application 170A and a second printer application 170B are installed in the terminal device 100. The first printer application 170A manages one printer, the first printer 200A. The first printer 200A constitutes printer group 1. The second printer application 170B manages two printers, the second printer 200B and the third printer 200C. The second printer 200B and the third printer 200C constitute printer group 2.

[0032] 3A to 3C show examples of dialog boxes displayed by the launcher 106 on the display unit 140 of the terminal device 100 when installing the first printer application 170A in the terminal device 100. Fig. 3A shows a state in which no printer application 170 has yet been installed, and only the Install button B1 is displayed in the dialog box DB1. When the Install button B1 is operated in Fig. 3A, the screen transitions to Fig. 3B.

[0033] In FIG. 3B, a package dialog box DB2 is displayed on the dialog box DB1, displaying a selectable package for the printer application 170. The package dialog box DB2 displays a directory designation section (shown as / home / XXXX in FIG. 3B) in which the directory in which the package is located can be designated, and the installable packages in that directory, along with a selection button B2 for selecting a package. In the example shown in FIG. 3B, "printer_group1.deb" corresponding to printer group 1 is displayed as the package. When a package is selected in FIG. 3B and the selection button B2 is operated, the first printer application 170A is installed on the terminal device 100 and launched. This launches the HTTP server 176 of the printer application 170A, enabling communication with localhost:8000. The launcher 106 monitors the address of localhost, and when the launcher recognizes that the HTTP server 176 has newly opened port localhost:8000 and that communication is now possible, the process proceeds to Fig. 3C. At this time, the port number of the HTTP server 176 of the installed first printer application 170A is obtained and stored.

[0034] In Fig. 3C, a PA object OB1 representing information about the installed first printer application 170A is displayed in the dialog box DB1. In the example shown in Fig. 3C, "printer group1 PA link" indicating that it is the first printer application 170A is displayed in the PA object OB1. The URL (http: / / localhost:8000) of the additional setting screen for the corresponding printer is linked to the PA object OB1 as a link destination, and when the PA object OB1 is operated, the additional setting screen for the corresponding printer is displayed (see Fig. 5 described below).

[0035] 4(a) to 4(c) show examples of dialog boxes displayed by the launcher 106 on the display unit 140 of the terminal device 100 when the second printer application 170B is installed on the terminal device 100. Fig. 4(a) shows a state in which the first printer application 170A has already been installed but the second printer application 170B has not yet been installed, with a PA object OB1 displayed in the dialog box DB1. When the install button B1 is operated in Fig. 4(a), the screen transitions to Fig. 4(b).

[0036] In Fig. 4(b), a package dialog box DB2 is displayed on the dialog box DB1, displaying a selectable package of the printer application 170. In the example shown in Fig. 4(b), "printer_group2.deb" corresponding to printer group 2 is displayed as the package. When a package is selected in Fig. 4(b) and the select button B2 is operated, the second printer application 170B is installed in the terminal device 100, and the same processing as for the first printer application 170A is performed, and the process proceeds to Fig. 4(c). At this time, the port number of the HTTP server 176 of the installed second printer application 170B is obtained and stored.

[0037] In Fig. 4C, a PA object OB2 representing information about the installed second printer application 170B is displayed in addition to the PA object OB1 in the dialog box DB1. In the example shown in Fig. 4C, a "printer group2 PA link" indicating that it is the second printer application 170B is displayed in the PA object OB2. The URL (http: / / localhost:8001) of the corresponding printer additional setting screen is linked to the PA object OB2 as a link destination, and when the PA object OB2 is operated, the corresponding printer additional setting screen is displayed (see Figs. 6 and 7 described below).

[0038] 5(a) to 5(d) show examples of dialog boxes displayed by the launcher 106 on the display unit 140 of the terminal device 100 when registering the first printer 200A of printer group 1 in the first printer application 170A. Fig. 5(a) is the same screen as Fig. 4(c), with PA objects OB1 and OB2 displayed in the dialog box DB1. When PA object OB1 is operated in Fig. 5(a), the browser 104 is launched, and the display screen of Fig. 5(b) is newly displayed based on the linked URL.

[0039] FIG. 5B shows a screen displayed via the browser 104. The data constituting the content displayed via the browser 104 is generated by the HTTP server 176 of the printer application 170A, and includes a UI for registering a printer. FIGS. 5B and 5C show screens displayed via the browser 104 by the HTTP server 176, and processing corresponding to screen operations is performed by the printer application 170A. FIG. 5B displays a dialog box DB3, which is a printer addition setting screen for the first printer application 170A. In the example shown in FIG. 5B, the URL of the dialog box DB3 is, for example, http: / / localhost:8000. The "8000" in the URL represents the port number of the HTTP server 176 of the first printer application 170A. The dialog box DB3 displays a printer display PI1 for selecting an addable first printer 200A and an Add button B3 for registering the first printer 200A. The printer display PI1 displays the printers searched for by the first printer application 170A using mDNS. When the first printer 200A is selected and the install button B3 is operated in Fig. 5B, the screen transitions to Fig. 5C.

[0040] FIG. 5C is also a screen displayed via the browser 104. In FIG. 5C, a dialog box DB4, which is an installation screen for the first printer 200A, is displayed. In the example shown in FIG. 5C, the URL of the dialog box DB4 is, for example, http: / / localhost:8000 / addprinter. The dialog box DB4 displays a message for executing processing to add the first printer 200A to the first printer application 170A, and an OK button B4. When the printer application 170A performs processing to add the first printer 200A, the HTTP server 176 makes localhost:8000 / printer1 accessible. When the OK button B4 is operated in FIG. 5C, the browser 104 is terminated. The launcher 106 monitors localhost:8000 / , and when it recognizes that localhost:8000 / printer1 has become available, the display screen of the launcher 106 changes to the display screen of FIG. 5(d).

[0041] In FIG. 5D, PA objects OB1 and OB2 are displayed in the dialog box DB1, and a printer object PB1 for selecting the first printer 200A is displayed associated with the PA object OB1. In the example shown in FIG. 5D, the printer object PB1 is displayed hierarchically, positioned below the PA object OB1, thereby representing that the first printer 200A is managed by the first printer application 170A that manages printer group 1. The printer object PB1 is linked to the URL (localhost:8000 / printer1) of the corresponding print setting screen, so that when the printer object PB1 is operated, the browser 104 is launched and the print setting screen for the first printer 200A generated by the HTTP server 176 is displayed. Note that the printer object PB1 is an example of a selection object, and the URL of the print setting screen is an example of a setting screen address.

[0042] 6(a) to 6(d) show examples of dialog boxes displayed by the launcher 106 on the display unit 140 of the terminal device 100 when registering the second printer 200B of printer group 2 in the second printer application 170B. Fig. 6(a) is the same screen as Fig. 5(d), and displays PA objects OB1 and OB2 and a printer object PB1 in the dialog box DB1. When PA object OB2 is operated in Fig. 6(a), the browser 104 is launched, and the display screen of Fig. 6(b) is newly displayed based on the linked URL.

[0043] FIG. 6B shows a screen displayed via the browser 104. In FIG. 6B, a dialog box DB3, which is a printer addition setting screen for the second printer application 170B, is displayed on the browser 104. In the example shown in FIG. 6B, the URL of the dialog box DB3 is, for example, http: / / localhost:8001. The "8001" in the URL represents the port number of the HTTP server 176 of the second printer application 170B. The dialog box DB3 is displayed by the HTTP server 176 via the browser 104, and displays a printer display PI2 for selecting the second printer 200B that can be added, a printer display PI3 for selecting the third printer 200C that can be added, and an Add button B3. The printer displays PI2 and PI3 display printers searched for by the second printer application 170B via mDNS. When the second printer 200B is selected and the install button B3 is operated in FIG. 6B, the screen shifts to FIG. 6C.

[0044] FIG. 6C is also a screen displayed by the HTTP server 176 via the browser 104. In FIG. 6C, a dialog box DB4, which is an installation screen for the second printer 200B, is displayed. In the example shown in FIG. 6C, the URL of the dialog box DB4 is, for example, http: / / localhost:8001 / addprinter. The dialog box DB4 displays a message for executing processing to add the second printer 200B to the second printer application 170B, and an OK button B4. When the OK button B4 is operated in FIG. 6C, the browser 104 is closed, and the launcher 106 newly displays the display screen of FIG. 6D.

[0045] In Fig. 6(d), PA objects OB1 and OB2 are displayed in the dialog box DB1, and a printer object PB2 for selecting the second printer 200B is displayed associated with the PB object OB2. In the example shown in Fig. 6(d), the printer object PB2 is displayed hierarchically, positioned below the PA object OB2, thereby representing that the second printer 200B is managed by the second printer application 170B that manages printer group 2. The printer object PB2 is linked to the URL of the corresponding print setting screen, so that operating the printer object PB2 displays the print setting screen for the second printer 200B (see Fig. 8, described below). Note that the printer object PB2 is an example of a selection object, and the URL of the print setting screen is an example of a setting screen address.

[0046] 7(a) to 7(d) show examples of dialog boxes displayed on the display unit 140 of the terminal device 100 when registering the third printer 200C of printer group 2 in the second printer application 170B. Fig. 7(a) is the same screen as Fig. 6(d), and PA objects OB1 and OB2 and printer objects PB1 and PB2 are displayed in the dialog box DB1 by the launcher 106. When PA object OB2 is operated in Fig. 7(a), the browser 104 is launched, and the display screen of Fig. 7(b) is displayed by the HTTP server 176 via the browser 104 based on the linked URL.

[0047] 7B, a dialog box DB3 is displayed, which is a printer addition setting screen for the second printer application 170B. Dialog box DB3 displays a printer display PI2 representing the added second printer 200B, a printer display PI3 for selecting an addable third printer 200C, and an Add button B3. The printer display PI3 displays the printers searched for by the second printer application 170B via mDNS. The printer displays PI2 and PI3 are displayed in different formats so that it is possible to distinguish whether installation is complete or incomplete. When the third printer 200C is selected and the Install button B3 is operated in FIG. 7B, the screen transitions to FIG. 7C.

[0048] Figure 7(c) is also a screen displayed by the HTTP server 176 via the browser 104. In Figure 7(c), a dialog box DB4 is displayed, which is an installation screen for the third printer 200C. The dialog box DB4 displays a message for executing additional processing for the third printer 200C to the second printer application 170B, and an OK button B4. When the OK button B4 is operated in Figure 7(c), the browser 104 is closed, and the display screen of Figure 7(d) is displayed by the launcher 106.

[0049] In Fig. 7(d), PA objects OB1 and OB2 are displayed in dialog box DB1, and a printer object PB3 for selecting the third printer 200C is displayed associated with PB object OB2. In the example shown in Fig. 7(d), printer object PB3 is displayed hierarchically, positioned below PA object OB2, thereby indicating that the third printer 200C is managed by second printer application 170B, which manages printer group 2. The URL of the corresponding print setting screen is linked to printer object PB3 as a link destination, so that when printer object PB3 is operated, the print setting screen for the third printer 200C by printer application 170B is displayed via browser 104. Note that printer object PB3 is an example of a selection object, and the URL of the print setting screen is an example of a setting screen address.

[0050] 8(a) and 8(b) show examples of dialog boxes displayed on the display unit 140 of the terminal device 100 when a user selects a desired printer 200 and displays a print setting screen. FIG. 8(a) is the same screen as FIG. 7(d), and PA objects OB1 and OB2 and printer objects PB1, PB2, and PB3 are displayed in dialog box DB1 by the launcher 106. In the dialog box DB1, the user can select one of the printer objects PB1, PB2, or PB3 by operating one of the printer objects PB1, PB2, or PB3. The dialog box DB1 is an example of a selection screen. When the printer object PB2 in FIG. 8(a) is operated, the browser 104 is launched, and the display screen of FIG. 8(b) is displayed by the HTTP server 176 based on the linked URL.

[0051] FIG. 8B shows a screen displayed via the browser 104. In FIG. 8B, a dialog box DB5 is displayed, which is a print setting screen for the second printer 200B generated by the printer application 170B. In the example shown in FIG. 8B, the URL of the dialog box DB5 is, for example, http: / / localhost:8001 / Printer2. The "8001" in the URL represents the port number of the HTTP server 176 of the second printer application 170B. The dialog box DB5 displays, as print settings for the second printer 200B, a list box LB1 in which the size of the printable paper can be selected, a list box LB2 in which the type of printable paper can be selected, and a list box LB3 in which the storage location of the printable paper can be selected. In the example shown in FIG. 8B, the size of the printable paper is set to A4, the type of printable paper is set to recycled paper, and the storage location of the printable paper is set to tray 1. Note that items other than those listed above may also be set on the print setting screen.

[0052] Once the installation of the printer applications 170 and the registration of the printers 200 in each printer application 170 are complete, the dialog box DB1 shown in Fig. 8A is displayed when the launcher 106 is started. The user can open the print setting screen of the desired printer 200 simply by operating the printer objects PB1, PB2, and PB3 corresponding to the corresponding printer 200 in the dialog box DB1. This eliminates the need for the user to manage port numbers, and allows the user to access the print setting screen of the desired printer 200 without being aware of which printer application 170 manages each printer 200.

[0053] <Control Procedure> The control procedure executed by the launcher 106 to realize the above-described screen display will be described with reference to the flowcharts of Figures 9 to 14. Figure 9 shows an example of the control procedure executed when the launcher 106 is started.

[0054] 9, in step S10, the launcher 106 checks the target port (8000 or later) of the address (usually localhost) of the target terminal device 100 to read information related to the printer application 170 installed in the terminal device 100. The information to be read includes, for example, identification information of the installed printer application 170, the port number of the HTTP server 176 of each printer application 170, the URL of the print setting screen of the printer 200 registered in each printer application 170, etc.

[0055] In step S20, the launcher 106 displays a dialog box DB1 on the display unit 140 of the terminal device 100, displaying link buttons for the installed printer applications 170 and the printers 200, based on the information read in step S10. When no printer applications have been installed, the dialog box DB1 is displayed as shown in FIG. 3A. When the launcher 106 is relaunched after the above series of processes have been completed, the dialog box DB1 is displayed as shown in FIG. 6D. The same display is also possible when the printer application 170 is installed independently without using the launcher 106. The link buttons are, for example, the PA objects OB1 and OB2 and the printer objects PB1, PB2, and PB3. In other words, in step S20, selection screen display data for displaying the dialog box DB1 on the display unit 140 of the terminal device 100, from which multiple printers 200 corresponding to multiple printer applications 170 can be selected, is output from the launcher 106 to the display unit 140. Step S20 is an example of selection screen display processing.

[0056] In step S30, the launcher 106 acquires the event that has occurred, which corresponds to each of steps S100, S200, S300, and S400, which will be described later.

[0057] In step S40, the launcher 106 executes processing corresponding to the event acquired in step S30. Then, the process returns to step S10. In this manner, steps S10 to S40 are repeated.

[0058] FIG. 10 shows an example of a control procedure executed by the launcher 106 when step S100, which is a click event of the install button B1, occurs as the event.

[0059] 10 , in step S110, the launcher 106 displays a package dialog box DB2 for package installation on the display unit 140 of the terminal device 100. The package dialog box DB2 displays a selectable package for each of the multiple printer applications 170 based on the operation of the install button B1 in the dialog box DB1 described above. Note that the operation of the install button B1 is an example of a predetermined operation on the display unit 140, and step S110 is an example of package display processing.

[0060] In step S120, the launcher 106 accepts the selection of a package in the package dialog box DB2 displayed in step S110, and executes installation of the selected package of the printer application 170. In steps S110 and S120, installation is accepted for each of the multiple printer applications 170. Steps S110 and S120 are an example of an installation acceptance process.

[0061] In step S130, the launcher 106 updates the information related to the installed printer application 170 stored in the database 107.

[0062] In step S140, the launcher 106 acquires the port number of the HTTP server 176, which is the web server of the added printer application 170, and stores it in the database 107. The port number is an example of port information, and step S140 is an example of port information storage processing. Note that if the package specified in step S120 is not for the printer application 170, the package is uninstalled as an error exception processing, and the event response processing is terminated (not shown).

[0063] In step S150, the launcher 106 updates the dialog box DB1 displaying the link button for the installed printer application 170. That is, the dialog box DB1 is updated so that the link button for the printer application 170 installed in step S120 is added. This completes the process of this flowchart.

[0064] 11 shows an example of a control procedure executed by the launcher 106 when step S200 occurs, which is a button selection event of the printer application 170. The button of the printer application 170 in step S200 is, for example, the PA objects OB1 and OB2 described above.

[0065] In step S210, the launcher 106 reads and acquires the port number of the HTTP server 176 of the printer application 170 corresponding to the selected button from the database 107. The port number of the printer application 170 was stored in the database 107 in the above-mentioned step S140 when the printer application 170 was installed. Step S210 is an example of port information acquisition processing.

[0066] In step S220, the launcher 106 launches the browser 104 and displays an additional setting screen for adding the specified printer 200 to the printer application 170 on the display unit 140 of the terminal device 100 based on the URL including the port number acquired in step S210. In step S220, display data for displaying the additional setting screen is output from the launcher 106 to the browser 104. The URL is, for example, http: / / localhost:****. The "****" portion is the port number acquired in step S210. In other words, in step S220, a transition is made to the additional setting screen for the printer 200 to be associated with the printer application 170, which corresponds to the port number acquired in step S210. Step S220 is an example of a printer addition screen transition process. This concludes this flowchart.

[0067] FIG. 12 shows a timer event process executed by a timer at regular intervals (for example, one second).

[0068] In step S310, the launcher 106 executes the process corresponding to the selected button for the target printer application 170. Details of the process in step S310 will be described later.

[0069] In step S320, the launcher 106 determines whether or not the execution of step S310 has been completed for all printer applications 170 installed in the terminal device 100. If the execution of step S310 has not been completed for all printer applications 170 (step S320: No), the launcher 106 returns to step S310. On the other hand, if the execution of step S310 has been completed for all printer applications 170 (step S320: Yes), the launcher 106 ends this flowchart.

[0070] FIG. 13 shows an example of a control procedure executed by the launcher 106 in the process for the printer application 170 to be processed in step S310.

[0071] In step S311, the launcher 106 reads and acquires the port number of the HTTP server 176 of the printer application 170 to be processed from the database 107. Next, the launcher 106 accesses the printer application 170 to be processed via the HTTP protocol based on a URL including the acquired port number. Step S311 is an example of information processing program access processing.

[0072] In step S312, the launcher 106 acquires information about the managed printer and the URL of the print setting screen of the managed printer from the printer application 170 accessed in step S311. The information about the managed printer and the URL of the print setting screen of the managed printer are examples of printing device information about the printing device, the URL is an example of a setting screen address for the print setting screen, and step S312 is an example of printing device information acquisition processing.

[0073] In step S313, the launcher 106 updates (adds or deletes) the printer button corresponding to the information related to the managed printer acquired in step S312 in the dialog box DB1 that displays the link buttons of the installed printer application 170. The printer button is linked to the URL acquired in step S312 as a link destination. The printer button in step S313 is, for example, the printer objects PB1, PB2, and PB3 mentioned above. This completes the flow chart.

[0074] In other words, when the user clicks a button on the printer application 170, the operation screen of the printer application 170 is displayed via the browser 104, and if the user adds or deletes the printer 200 on that screen, the screen displayed by the launcher 106 will be updated in step S313 of the timer event that occurs thereafter.

[0075] 14 shows an example of a control procedure executed by the launcher 106 when step S400, which is a click event of a printer button, occurs as the event. The printer button in step S400 is, for example, the printer objects PB1, PB2, and PB3 described above. Note that the click event of the printer button accepts a selection operation of one of the multiple printers 200 in the displayed dialog box DB1. Specifically, the dialog box DB1 displayed in step S20 described above includes multiple printer objects PB1, PB2, and PB3 for selecting each of the multiple printers 200. URLs to corresponding print setting screens are linked to the multiple printer objects PB1, PB2, and PB3, respectively, as link destinations (localhost:8000 / printer1, localhost:8000 / printer2, and localhost:8000 / printer3). In step S400, a selection operation of one printer 200 is accepted by operating one of the printer objects PB1, PB2, and PB3. Step S400 is an example of a selection acceptance process.

[0076] In step S410, the launcher 106 reads out and acquires from the database 107 the URL of the print setting screen of the printer 200 that corresponds to the clicked button.

[0077] In step S420, the launcher 106 launches the browser 104 and displays a print setting screen for the printer 200 corresponding to the clicked printer button on the display unit 140 of the terminal device 100 based on the URL acquired in step S410. In step S420, display data for displaying the print setting screen is output from the printer application 170 to the browser 104. In step S420, processing is performed for the printer application 170 corresponding to the clicked printer 200 to display the print setting screen for the clicked printer 200 on the display unit 140 of the terminal device 100. Specifically, the print setting screen is displayed on the browser 104 of the terminal device 100 using the URL of the printer application 170 corresponding to the printer 200 that received the click. The URL is, for example, http: / / localhost:8001 and the directory printer2 indicating the printer 200. Therefore, step S420 can also be said to be processing based on the port number corresponding to one printer application 170 corresponding to one printer 200 that accepted the click. On this screen, the user can instruct the printer application 170 to individually configure the target printer 200. Step S420 is an example of a settings screen startup process. This concludes this flowchart.

[0078] As described above, the second printer application 170B corresponds to the second printer 200B and the third printer 200C among the multiple printers 200. Therefore, when the button corresponding to the second printer 200B is clicked, in step S420, the launcher 106 performs processing to cause the second printer application 170B to display a print setting screen for the second printer 200B on the display unit 140. Also, when the button corresponding to the third printer 200C is clicked, in step S420, the launcher 106 performs processing to cause the second printer application 170B to display a print setting screen for the third printer 200C on the display unit 140. The second printer 200B is an example of a first printing device, and the third printer 200C is an example of a second printing device.

[0079] Effects of the Embodiment In the printing system 1 of the present embodiment, when the launcher 106 is launched in the terminal device 100, steps S20, S400, and S420 are executed. In step S20, a dialog box DB1 from which a plurality of printers 200 corresponding to a plurality of printer applications 170 can be selected is displayed on the display unit 140 of the terminal device 100. In step S400, a selection operation of one printer 200 among the plurality of printers 200 is accepted in the displayed dialog box DB1. In step S420, processing is executed to cause one printer application 170 corresponding to the one printer 200 accepted in step S400, among the plurality of printer applications 170, to display a print setting screen of the one printer 200 for which the selection operation was accepted, on the display unit 140 of the terminal device 100.

[0080] According to this embodiment, the user can select a desired printer 200 in the dialog box DB1, thereby displaying the print setting screen for that printer 200 on the display unit 140 of the terminal device 100. This allows the user to make print settings without having to access the printer application 170 corresponding to the desired printer 200 by entering a port number, URL, or the like in the browser 104, for example. Therefore, the unique print settings of the printer application 170 corresponding to the desired printer 200 can be made without the user having to perform processing according to the printer application 170.

[0081] In particular, in this embodiment, in step S420, the print setting screen is displayed via the browser 104 using the URL of one printer application 170 corresponding to one printer 200 accepted in step S400. This saves the user the trouble of having to input a URL into the browser 104 to access the print setting screen, thereby improving user convenience.

[0082] Furthermore, particularly in this embodiment, the user can simply select one printer object from the multiple printer objects PB1, PB2, and PB3 displayed in the dialog box DB1, and have the print setting screen for the printer 200 corresponding to the selected printer object displayed on the display unit 140 of the terminal device 100. This improves user operability.

[0083] In particular, in this embodiment, the launcher 106 executes steps S110, S120, and S140. In steps S110 and S120, installation of each of the multiple printer applications 170 is accepted. In step S140, multiple port numbers corresponding to the multiple printer applications 170 are stored when the multiple printer applications 170 accepted in steps S110 and S120 are installed. As a result, in step S420, by reading the port number corresponding to one printer application 170 corresponding to one printer 200 for which a selection operation has been accepted, it is possible to display the print setting screen of the desired printer 200 based on a URL including the port number. Furthermore, because the corresponding port number is automatically stored when the printer application 170 is installed, the user does not need to manage port numbers, thereby improving convenience.

[0084] Particularly in this embodiment, step S110 is executed in response to a predetermined operation by the user on the display unit 140 of the terminal device 100, and a package is displayed selectably for each of the multiple printer applications 170 on the display unit 140. This allows the user to select an appropriate package from the displayed packages, thereby selecting and installing the printer application 170 corresponding to the printer 200 with which the user wishes to print.

[0085] In particular, in this embodiment, as described above, the port number stored in the database 107 is read in step S210, and then step S220 is executed using the read port number, thereby smoothly transitioning to the additional setting screen for the corresponding printer 200.

[0086] In this embodiment, in particular, the target printer application 170 is accessed in step S311 using the port number obtained as described above. Then, in step S312, information and a URL related to the managed printer associated with the printer 200 associated with the accessed printer application 170 are obtained. The obtained information includes a URL to a print setting screen. As a result, in step S313, printer objects PB1, PB2, and PB3 for selecting the printer 200 can be smoothly generated and displayed so as to correspond to the obtained URL.

[0087] In particular, in this embodiment, one printer application 170 can support multiple printers 200. When any of the multiple printers 200 is selected, the corresponding printer application 170 executes processing to display the print setting screen for the selected printer 200. This allows the user to select the desired printer 200 without being aware of which printer 200 is compatible with which printer application 170.

[0088] <Modifications> The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the spirit and technical concept of the present invention.

[0089] For example, in the above embodiment, printer objects are displayed hierarchically in the dialog box DB1, positioned below PA objects, but this is not limited to this. Since the user does not need to care which printer application 170 corresponds to which printer 200, it is not necessary to display the corresponding printer 200 for each printer application 170. For example, only the printer objects may be displayed side by side without displaying the PA objects. However, regardless of the display, the launcher 106 manages the correspondence between the printer applications 170 and the printers 200.

[0090] In the above embodiment, the launcher 106 directly displays the dialog boxes DB1 and DB2 on the display unit 140, and the printer application 170 displays the dialog boxes DB3, DB4, and DB5 on the display unit 140 via the browser 104. However, this is not limiting. For example, the printer application 170 may directly display the dialog boxes DB3, DB4, and DB5 on the display unit 140 without the browser 104. The launcher 106 may also display the dialog boxes DB1 and DB2 on the display unit 140 via the browser 104. The distinction between the dialog boxes directly displayed on the display unit 140 and the dialog boxes via the browser 104 may be different from the above.

[0091] In the above embodiment, the reading of the installed printer application 170 in step S10 is limited to the terminal device 100 itself, but the reading of the printer application 170 installed in other terminal devices may also be targeted. Information about the printer application 170 installed in other terminal devices can be obtained using a function such as mDNS / SD.

[0092] It should be noted that the flowcharts shown in Figures 9 to 14 do not limit the present invention to the procedures shown in the above flows, and steps may be added, deleted, or the order may be changed within the scope that does not deviate from the spirit and technical concept of the invention.

[0093] In addition to the above, the methods according to the above embodiments and modifications may be used in appropriate combination.

[0094] Although not specifically illustrated, the present invention can be implemented with various modifications within the scope of the invention.

[0095] <Hardware Configuration of Terminal Device and Printer> An example of the hardware configuration of the terminal device 100 and the printer 200 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0096] 15, the terminal device 100 has a processor 110, a storage device 115, a display unit 140, an operation unit 150, and a communication interface 190. The processor 110, the storage device 115, the display unit 140, the operation unit 150, and the communication interface 190 are connected via a bus 105 so as to be able to transmit and receive data to and from each other.

[0097] The storage device 115 includes a volatile storage device 120 and a non-volatile storage device 130. The volatile storage device 120 is, for example, a DRAM, and stores various programs and data to be processed. The non-volatile storage device 130 is, for example, a hard disk drive or a solid state drive, and includes a program storage area 131 and a data storage area 132.

[0098] Various programs are stored in the program storage area 131. The various programs include the printer application 170 and print processing program based on the flowcharts of Figures 9 to 14. The data storage area 132 stores data necessary for executing the various programs.

[0099] The processor 110 is a device that performs data processing, such as a CPU, and executes various programs stored in the program storage area 131. The processor 110 performs various processes including data communication with the printer 200 connected to the network NT. The processor 110 and the programs stored in the program storage area 131 are an example of a calculation unit and a control unit.

[0100] The display unit 140 is, for example, a liquid crystal display and is capable of displaying various types of information. The operation unit 150 is, for example, a mouse, a keyboard, etc. and accepts operations by a user. The user can input various instructions to the terminal device 100 by operating the operation unit 150.

[0101] The communication interface 190 is an interface for communicating with other devices, and is connected to the network NT. The communication interface 190 is an example of a communication I / F.

[0102] The storage device 115 is not limited to the configuration of the device elements described above, and may be configured, for example, by RAM, ROM, EEPROM, HDD, portable recording medium such as a USB memory detachable from the terminal device 100, a buffer provided in the processor 110, or a combination thereof. The storage device 115 may be a computer-readable storage medium. A computer-readable storage medium is a non-transitory medium. In addition to the above examples, non-transitory media also include recording media such as CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs. A non-transitory medium is also a tangible medium. The same applies to the storage device 215 of the printer 200 described below.

[0103] 15, the printer 200 has a processor 210, a storage device 215, a display unit 240, an operation unit 250, a communication interface 270, and a printing unit 290. The processor 210, the storage device 215, the display unit 240, the operation unit 250, the communication interface 270, and the printing unit 290 are connected via a bus 205 so as to be able to transmit and receive data to and from each other.

[0104] The storage device 215 includes a volatile storage device 220 and a non-volatile storage device 230. The volatile storage device 220 is, for example, a DRAM, and includes an image data storage area 222 that stores image data to be printed. The non-volatile storage device 230 is, for example, an NVRAM, a flash memory, or the like, and includes a program storage area 231 and a data storage area 232. Various programs are stored in the program storage area 231. The various programs include firmware such as a print processing program. The data storage area 232 stores various data and the like for executing the various programs.

[0105] The processor 210 is a device that performs data processing, such as a CPU, and executes various programs stored in the program storage area 231.

[0106] The display unit 240 is, for example, a liquid crystal display, and is capable of displaying various types of information. The operation unit 250 is a device that accepts operations by the user. The user can input various instructions to the printer 200 by operating the operation unit 250. The communication interface 270 is a wired or wireless network interface for communicating with other devices, and is connected to the network NT.

[0107] The printing unit 290 prints an image on the label tape 201 being transported by the transport device 265. The printing unit 290 prints an image on the label tape 201 based on print data transmitted from the terminal device 100 or print data generated by the printing unit 290 itself based on an operation on the operation unit 250.

[0108] 1 Printing system 100 Terminal device (an example of an information processing device) 101 OS (an example of an operating system) 106 Launcher (an example of a virtual printer management program) 107 Database 110 Processor 160 CUPS (an example of OS standard printing software) 170 Printer application (an example of an information processing program) 200 Printer (an example of a printing device)

Claims

1. A virtual printer management program executable by the processing unit of an information processing device connectable to multiple printing devices, the information processing device having OS standard printing software that is installed as standard in an operating system and is capable of driverless printing without using a driver provided by a printer vendor, and multiple information processing programs registered in the OS standard printing software as virtual printers corresponding to the multiple printing devices, the virtual printer management program being configured to cause the processing unit of the information processing device to execute: a selection screen display process that outputs selection screen display data for displaying a selection screen on the display unit of the information processing device from which the multiple printing devices corresponding to the multiple information processing programs can be selected; a selection acceptance process that accepts the selection operation of one printing device from among the multiple printing devices on the displayed selection screen; and a setting screen startup process that causes one information processing program out of the multiple information processing programs that corresponds to the one printing device accepted in the selection acceptance process to display on the display unit of the information processing device the print setting screen of the one printing device accepted in the selection acceptance process.

2. The virtual printer management program of claim 1, wherein the setting screen launch process is configured to display the print setting screen in the browser of the information processing device using the address for the setting screen of the one information processing program corresponding to the one printing device accepted in the selection acceptance process.

3. The virtual printer management program of claim 2, wherein the selection screen displayed in the selection screen display process includes a plurality of selection objects for selecting each of the plurality of printing devices, and each of the plurality of selection objects is linked to a setting screen address for a corresponding print setting screen as a link destination, and the selection acceptance process accepts a selection operation for the one printing device by operating one of the plurality of selection objects.

4. The virtual printer management program of claim 2 or 3, further configured to cause the calculation unit to execute an installation reception process that receives installation of each of the plurality of information processing programs, and a port information storage process that stores a plurality of port information corresponding to the plurality of information processing programs when each of the plurality of information processing programs received by the installation reception process is installed, and wherein the setting screen launch process is a process based on one of the plurality of port information corresponding to one information processing program corresponding to the one printing device for which a selection operation was received in the selection reception process.

5. The virtual printer management program according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of pieces of port information corresponding to the plurality of information processing programs are information in a URI format.

6. The virtual printer management program of claim 4, wherein the installation reception process executes a package display process that displays a package for each of the plurality of information processing programs in a selectable manner based on a predetermined operation on the display unit, and the installation reception process is configured to accept the selection of the package displayed in the package display process.

7. A virtual printer management program as described in claim 4, further configured to cause the calculation unit to execute a port information acquisition process that reads and acquires the port information stored in the port information storage process, and a printer addition screen transition process that transitions to an additional setting screen of the printing device that corresponds to the information processing program and that corresponds to the port information acquired in the port information acquisition process.

8. The virtual printer management program of claim 7, further configured to cause the calculation unit to execute an information processing program access process that accesses the information processing program to be processed based on the port information acquired in the port information acquisition process, and a printing device information acquisition process that acquires printing device information related to the printing device associated with the information processing program accessed in the information processing program access process, wherein the printing device information includes a setting screen address for the print setting screen.

9. A virtual printer management program as described in claim 1, wherein one information processing program among the plurality of information processing programs is compatible with a first printing device and a second printing device among the plurality of printing devices, and the setting screen startup process is configured as follows: when a selection operation for the first printing device corresponding to the one information processing program is received, the one information processing program performs processing to display the print setting screen of the first printing device on the display unit of the information processing device, and when a selection operation for the second printing device corresponding to the one information processing program is received, the one information processing program performs processing to display the print setting screen of the second printing device on the display unit of the information processing device.

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