Print Setting Conflict Elimination Using Prohibition Information
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing software for controlling image forming apparatuses relies on general printer drivers provided by operating systems, which limits the ability to incorporate prohibition information specific to printer vendors or models, leading to potential conflicts and inconsistencies in print settings.
Innovation Solution
An information processing apparatus, such as a client computer, executes a printer driver based on instructions from an application operating in an operating system. The apparatus includes an eliminating unit that resolves conflicts in print settings using conflict eliminating information, such as prohibition information, and an input unit that updates the print settings accordingly before inputting them to the printer driver.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a general printer driver is used to ensure cross-platform compatibility, then adaptability is improved, but the ability to incorporate vendor-specific prohibition information deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a general print application as an intermediary layer between the user and the printer driver. This application receives print settings from the user, applies vendor-specific prohibition information as constraints, and then inputs the processed settings to the printer driver. This mediator approach allows the system to maintain cross-platform compatibility through the OS-provided driver while enforcing vendor-specific prohibitions through the application layer.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the print processing function into separate components: a general print application for user interaction and setting collection, and a printer driver for actual printing operations. By separating these functions, the system can apply prohibition information in the application layer without requiring modifications to the driver itself, thus maintaining compatibility while ensuring reliable prohibition enforcement.
2Reliability
If prohibition information is incorporated only in vendor-provided drivers, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the prohibition information enforcement functionality from the printer driver and relocates it to the general print application. This extraction allows the driver to remain simple and platform-agnostic while the application handles the complex task of applying vendor-specific prohibitions to print settings, thereby reducing driver complexity while maintaining reliable prohibition enforcement.
3Reliability
If conflict eliminating information is processed before driver input, then reliability is improved, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by processing conflict eliminating information and applying prohibition constraints before the actual printing operation. The general print application validates and processes print settings in advance, eliminating potential conflicts before they reach the printer driver. This preliminary processing ensures reliable print setting correctness while the processing time is minimized through efficient validation algorithms.
Data Source
AI summary
An information processing apparatus generates print data by executing a printer driver based on an instruction issued by an application operating in an operating system. The information processing apparatus includes an eliminating unit configured to eliminate conflict or inconsistency of a print setting based on conflict eliminating information for eliminating conflict of a setting to be input to the printer driver under control of an application which processes the print setting, and an input unit configured to input a print setting obtained after conflict is eliminated by the eliminating unit to the printer driver using the application.