1310 results about "Print processor" patented technology

This invention provides an automatic authentication method and system in a print process, which can obviate the need for user's input operations of the user ID and password and can improve security since authentication is automatically done based on print information embedded in a file or information from an application program without any user's input.In a print process that requires user authentication, a printer driver extracts information related to an application and / or a document for the print process as attribute information, and user authentication is made by comparing the attribute information with information stored in a user registration information database of a server. If user authentication has succeeded, the printer driver controls a printer to print, and the server manages and stores accounting information and the like for respective departments in a department management information database.

A data processing system and method are described for permitting a portable computer to automatically detect the presence of a printer within a remote area, and responsive to the detection, automatically establishing a communications link with the printer. The portable computer is physically disconnected from the printer. The portable computer transmits a wireless query signal to the remote area. In response to a printer physically located within the remote area receiving the wireless query signal, the printer transmits a wireless reply signal to the remote area. In response to the portable computer receiving the wireless reply signal, the computer automatically establishes a communications link with the printer so that the computer may utilize the printer to print information. The communications link may be established with a printer for which the computer does not include a printer driver necessary for communicating with the printer.

A method of operating a printer coupled to a computer, the method comprising associating one or more permissions of a printer driver resident on the computer with an operating system managed object and, when an attempt is made to print on said print device or a User Interface of the printer driver opened, setting the status of said permissions according to one or more security settings of the operating system managed object.

A system is provided for supporting multiple platforms with common personal preferences for printer drivers. The set preferences for the printer driver are therefore reusable and may be moved from one driver to another. The system involves the provision of a common format for printer driver preferences. When a new printer is brought to a system or a user moves to a station that uses a different printer, the preferences are readily moved to that location. Further, an MIS department may provide a corporate wide printer preference solution, for example for printing a particular page or printing in a particular style. The preferences may not be identical for each printer due to differences in the capabilities of various platforms. The printer preferences overwrite a default value in printers with preferences, to the extent that each printer has the options available. To the extent that these options are not available, the printer reverts to its default setting.

A communication device includes a structural, external interface (e.g., a USB interface) for connecting to a computing device, a wireless interface for making a wireless connection to a second computing device, and a memory or storage component for storing and embedding software for a variety of applications. The communication device provides wireless printing without the need to install a device specific printer driver each time at each new printer and without compromising security or privacy. The communication device also enables transferring of files and data wirelessly from one device to another.

According to this invention, an information processing apparatus which customizes a device driver for controlling an image forming apparatus includes an issuing unit which issues identification information for specifying a customized driver, and a storage unit which stores, in association with the customized driver, the identification information issued by the issuing unit.

In a redirect-on-error print system of this invention, when an error notification is acquired, only printer drivers having the same function as that of the printer driver which has output the data to the printer with the print error are listed up from registered printer drivers, and the user is caused to select a redirect-on-error print destination from them so that any inappropriate print output can reliably be avoided. In the redirect-on-error print system, a print job is transmitted to one of a plurality of printers connected to a network. When a print error has occurred in the printer, processing is executed to cause another printer to execute redirect-on-error printing of the print job. In the redirect-on-error print system, the error in the printer which is processing the print job is detected, and the user is notified of it. Of the plurality of printers connected to the network, the printer driver of a redirect-on-error enable printer which can process the print job in behalf of the printer with the error is detected. The user is notified of the detected printer driver as a redirect-on-error destination candidate.

A system is configured to calculate an evaluation index of sample ink amount data from a color difference evaluation index and an image quality evaluation index and create a profile on the basis of a sample with a high rating value. When the image quality evaluation index is predicted, the image quality evaluation index corresponding to any sample ink amount data is estimated based on a profile produced on the basis on actual evaluation. A printer driver is configured to create a plurality of profiles by using different indices in this system and to perform color conversion by using the plurality of profiles. The plurality of profiles are appropriately selected according to the user's needs, printing conditions, and type of printing object image.

A computer-based printing system, comprised a client computing device, optionally one or more server computing devices, a virtual printer driver, one or more printer drivers, a print processor, print spooler, and one or more printers, means for initiating a print job(s), all or in part, or one or more copies of a document(s), in a local, network or remote, single or multi-user, printing environment, and a means to select the best fit printer based on printer capabilities, print quality and printer availability, without manually enumeration of each printer driver and printer status monitor.

A universal output control system and method for outputting an output job at a target output location wherein a universal user interface facilitates access to and control of a plurality of output devices located on a network or at an output center such that specific details of each output device are encapsulated. The universal user interface provides searches of available output devices in a network, wherein printer drivers are automatically installed as needed. Alternatively, an output management application service stores an output job until output job data is generated for controlling the output of the output job on the selected output device, at which time the output job is output on the selected output device per the output job data. If the target output location is an output device on a network, an output device database service captures and generates the output job data. If the target output location is an output device at an output center, an output center interface is launched for capturing and generating the output job data.

Medical data provided by a physiological parameter sensor is stored on a patient's hand held device used for management of the patient's medical condition. The hand held device is programmed to upload the stored medical data in batch to a remote server at a time during which connection and data transfer services are less expensive. In another aspect, a docking station is used for interacting with the hand held device and uploading the data in batch. In another aspect, the hand held device is programmed to select and organize stored medical data into one of a plurality of report formats, apply a selected printer driver to the report, and output the processed medical data to an appropriate printer for printing a hard copy report for review by a health care provider at a patient's examination. In other aspects, a cradle or removable memory device are used for the purpose.

Method and apparatus for producing images by printing a print data are provided. The print data is a data produced, for example, by a printer driver of a computer and is described in a PDL. The image producing apparatus analyzes commands described in the print data to determine the type of an object depicted by the print data, and to determine attributes other than the type of the object as determined. An image processing pattern consisting of a group of one or more image processing parameters is set depending on the type of the object as determined and the results of the determinations on the attributes. The print data is provided with image processing based on the image processing parameters determined by the image processing pattern.

A system for printing photos, or images generally, includes a server computer that stores data representing a plurality of images in a photo database. A server web interface enables communication over the Internet, and the server computer includes an image print application that enables images to be printed using a client computer connected to the server web interface over said Internet. The server computer also includes an image enhancement module that enhances an image for printing. In response to a print request (over the Internet) from the client computer, the server computer sends image data and the image enhancement module to the client computer. The server computer activates the image print application to create print commands for a printer driver, and to create enhanced image data in the client computer with the image enhancement module prior to printing. The enhanced image data is removed from the client computer immediately following printing.

A virtual printer driver or proxy printer driver executed by a virtual machine communicates with a real printer driver executed by a host computer to enable application programs executed by the virtual machine to print data on printers that are accessible by the host computer.

An object-oriented printing system includes objects that provide query, data transfer, and control methods. The inventive object-oriented printing system communicates with the remainder of the operating system by means of a standard interface such as a grafport and printer drivers are provided for each printer type within the operating system. Thus, an application not only need not worry about the particular printer / computer combination with which it is to operate, but also need not have a built in document formatting capability. The printing system includes objects that provide queries for device identification, optimized imaging, and printer status. Other objects are also provided for data transfer to bracket connections prior to sending and receiving information. Still other objects are provided for cancelling a print job, pausing a job, and clearing out a job. Finally, an object is also provided for supporting multiple streams of communication to an imaging task.

A method for dynamically augmenting printer drivers, by providing a GUI for selecting plug-in modules, and dynamically adding the selected plug-in modules. Addition and deletion of plug-in modules do not require uninstallation and reinstallation of the currently installed printer driver. Plug-in modules implement optional or model-specific functionalities, including feature sets, Page Description Languages (PDLs), and Renders. Settings for plug-in modules are stored in heap-allocated private devmode structures, which may be deallocated when plug-in modules are removed. Methods include copying DLL files to a printer system folder, checking compatibility of the plug-in DLL files, adding registry entries, plug-in module installing itself, adding GUI tabs, and downloading plug-in modules stored at a remote storage over the network. In an embodiment, registry entries are checked for any plug-in modules, and the corresponding DLL files are copied from a server to a client.

A system and method are provided for a network-connected printer to supply printer driver software to a network-connected computer workstation. The method comprises: receiving a request addressed to a first IP address from a network-connected computer workstation; supplying a web page from an embedded web server; in response to accessing the web server, causing printer driver software to be supplied to the computer workstation; receiving documents from the computer workstation in accordance with the supplied printer driver software; and, processing the received documents. The method further comprises: supplying updated printer driver software. Typically, the printer receives updated printer software in communications with an external server / web server. The printer automatically supplies updated printer driver software to the computer workstation, or supplies the updated software in response to prompts supplied to the computer workstation.

A method of configuring a computer connected to a printer via a network by transmitting commands, such as SNMP commands, to the printer in order to retrieve the available options of the printer. In response to the transmitted commands, the printer transmits its available options to the computer, and the printer driver resident on the computer is then updated without manually selecting individual printer options to include the retrieved options. The present invention also provides a computer program product and corresponding GUI to configure a computer to include the available printer options. The GUI according to the present invention includes a plurality of pop-up menus having various display controls to operate the computer program, and is updated by the printer driver to reflect the available printer options.

a printer driver including: a user interface acquisition section for acquiring from an external print control device a user interface for allowing a user to make provisional print settings; a set value transmission section for transmitting to the print control device the provisional print settings using the user interface; and a print data generation section for acquiring ultimate print settings prepared on the basis of the provisional print settings transmitted to and in the print control device and for generating print data on the basis of the acquired ultimate print settings to transmit the print data to the print control device.

A method and system for data loss prevention controls and protects sensitive data from being printed in an unauthorized manner. A method for controlling printing activities implemented in a computer system comprises intercepting a print job comprising print data intended for a printer driver, delaying performance of the print job, analyzing content of the print data to determine whether to allow or cancel the print job based on a security policy, and resuming or canceling the print job based on the analysis of the content of the print data.

An apparatus includes a first graphics processing unit and a second graphics processing unit for converting graphics data from applications to print data capable of being processed by printer drivers. The apparatus determines whether a first printer driver is suitable for an application, and enables selection of a second printer driver, if it is determined that the first printer driver is not suitable for the application.

A method is provided for optimizing a printer for driver settings and color profile in order to optimally print an image on a selected media. Data is stored in an index file for various combinations of printers, printer drivers, printer media and color profiles. The printer driver that is currently used on the user's machine for the selected printer is determined and the printer media selected for the printer is identified, e.g., by a simple query of the user. One set of steps involves choosing an appropriate stored color profile for the selected printer-media combination, and applying the chosen color profile to the image data, thereby generating transformed image data. Another set of steps involves retrieving printer settings for the selected printer-media combination and modifying the settings of the driver in use for the selected media.

Improved techniques which enable a user of an information terminal to select a printer for printing a print job are provided. Such techniques may be embodied in a printer driver installed on the information terminal, or a printing application provided through a network to the information terminal. The information terminal configured by the printer driver or printing application includes a printer information obtaining part and a user interface. The printer information obtaining part searches for printers on a network, and communicates with the printers on the network to obtain printer properties information from the printers. The user interface presents in a single view the printer properties information obtained from the printers, for selection by the user. A printing system and a method for printing over a network having similar features are also provided.

A rasterizer generates bitmap images of RGB on the basis of object data inputted from a printer driver and stores the result in an image memory. The rasterizer brings attribute information representing attributes of the input object data into correspondence with each pixel of the generated bitmap images to store in an attribute map memory. An image processing unit converts RGB bitmap images stored in the image memory into binary bitmap data for each of YMCK colors which can be processed by an image forming unit. The contents of conversion processing such as dither matrix for binarization processing are switched on the basis of the attribute information retained in the attribute map memory.

In a printer driver that transmits a print data to a printer connected via a network to make a print request, a document password processing unit prompts a user to input a document password for decrypting a PDF document data encrypted by a predetermined application. A print data creating unit creates a print data including the PDF document data encrypted and the document password. The created print data is transmitted to the printer via the network by a host I / F controller and a host I / F.

A program checks for installed printers, asks the users to select printers to be tested, and then proceeds to test for communications with the printer, print spooling and driver integrity as well as the driver's appropriateness for the operating system and for language and also whether newer and more current drivers are available. A report is then presented to the user indicating the status of the printer and, if appropriate, offering the user one click installation of a repaired, more appropriate, or updated driver.