Printer Capability Extension for Vendor-Specific Print Settings
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Solution Overview
Problem
General-purpose printer drivers lack the ability to provide comprehensive print setting options due to their limited functionality when handling print jobs from various vendors, restricting the customization and functionality available to users.
Innovation Solution
A system that integrates a print setting extension application, which utilizes a cloud print service to retrieve and install vendor-specific print setting capabilities, enhancing the standard printer driver with additional features and options through a print setting extension application and online support service.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a general-purpose printer driver is used to communicate with printers of multiple vendors, then compatibility across different printer vendors is improved, but the print setting options and functionality are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a print setting extension application that provides vendor-specific print settings within a general-purpose printer driver framework. The extension application acts as a universal solution that can be applied to different printer vendors while maintaining the base driver's multi-vendor compatibility, thus achieving both universality and vendor-specific functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the printer driver functionality into a base general-purpose driver and a separate vendor-specific extension application. This segmentation allows the base driver to maintain broad compatibility while the extension module provides enhanced vendor-specific print settings, resolving the contradiction between compatibility and functionality
2Ease of operation
If a vendor-specific printer driver is installed to access comprehensive print settings, then print setting options and functionality are improved, but compatibility with multiple printer vendors is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the advantages of vendor-specific drivers (comprehensive print settings) with the advantages of general-purpose drivers (multi-vendor compatibility) by integrating a vendor-specific extension application into the general-purpose driver architecture. This combination allows users to access both broad compatibility and detailed vendor-specific functionality
3Adaptability or versatility
If print setting extension applications are integrated into the print queue, then vendor-specific functions are made accessible, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a print setting extension application as an intermediary component between the general-purpose printer driver and the print queue. This intermediary layer provides vendor-specific functionality without requiring fundamental changes to the base driver architecture, thus managing complexity while enhancing adaptability
Data Source
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Figure 2A~2E
Figure 3a
AI summary
An information processing apparatus includes an acquisition unit configured to acquire capability information about a printer configured to receive print data generated by a predetermined printer driver, and a display unit configured to display an object configured to accept a print setting based on the capability information acquired by the acquisition unit. The acquisition unit is configured to acquire second capability information based on a predetermined user operation accepted after completion of acquisition of first capability information of the capability information.