JP4087788B2 - Information processing apparatus, control method therefor, and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus that creates device control information for controlling setting of management information for managing devices, a control method therefor, and a program.

  There is a concept of plug and play in an operating system (hereinafter referred to as OS) of a computer. This is a mechanism that allows the hardware / external device to be used simply by connecting the hardware / external device to the computer. For example, USB devices (devices having a USB interface (for example, printers, scanners, etc.)) corresponding to the plug-and-play standard include hardware information (for example, model information (vendor ID (Vid) and product ID (Pid)) Or individual information (individual ID)) is transmitted to the OS of the computer as unique identification information for specifying the USB device, and the OS manages the USB device based on the unique identification information and makes it usable. In addition, the device driver and device setting information are installed and set.

  In a USB printer, which is a preferred example of a USB device, in Windows (registered trademark), which is an operating system of Microsoft Corporation, hardware acquired by plug-and-play when a printer that has never been connected is connected. The ID is expressed by a name that is easy for the user to understand (hereinafter referred to as a printer name), and a printer object having the printer name is created on a graphic user interface provided by the OS.

  If a printer for which a printer object has already been created is connected again, the corresponding printer object is validated. In this case, when using the printer, the user selects a valid printer object.

  Here, a case is considered where a printer having the same model information as that of a printer in which a printer driver has already been installed, that is, a separate USB printer of the same model that has never been connected is connected. In this case, the OS compares the individual information, and determines that the printer having the same model information as the printer that has already been connected is a different USB printer. As a result, a duplicate of the already installed printer object is created and assigned to the connected printer for management.

Further, in Patent Document 1, a vendor ID (Vid), a product ID (Pid), a device ID, connection path information, and information on a currently connected peripheral device are compared with peripheral devices connected in the past. If the compared information matches, the same port name as that assigned in the past is assigned to the peripheral device. On the other hand, if the compared information does not match, a new port name is created and the connection path information and the generated port name together with the vendor ID and device ID of the currently connected peripheral device are stored in the storage device of the host computer It is described to memorize.
JP 2003-196224 A

  Thus, in a Windows (registered trademark) environment having a plug-and-play function, for example, when a printer having a different individual ID is newly connected to a computer even if it is a printer of the same model, it is already installed. A duplicate of a printer object of the same model is created.

  However, this method may be inconvenient for a user who has the same model information, that is, who owns and uses a plurality of printers of the same model.

  That is, even if there are a plurality of printers of the same model for the user, there is a demand to use the same printer setting information and printer object when using them alternately. For example, when 10 salespeople use 5 mobile printers, each salesman does not use the same mobile printer, but bring any mobile printers that are available on the day they want to use to customers. Then, it may be possible to connect to your notebook computer and print proposal materials.

  In this way, when there are as many printer objects as the number of printers, the user has to switch the printer objects to be used as appropriate, and has the trouble of having to individually reset the print settings. In other words, in the above example, each salesperson has up to five printer objects in his / her notebook personal computer, so that it takes time to check and switch the mobile printer actually connected during printing.

  In addition, when a printer substitute is used when a printer fails, a new printer object corresponding to the substitute machine is created in addition to the printer object for the failed printer by connecting the substitute machine. Become. However, since the created printer object is not displayed separately for the faulty machine and the alternative machine, it is not easy to determine which printer object is for the alternative machine. In addition, although the same model is used, initial settings such as printer settings must be performed again, resulting in trouble.

  In Patent Document 1, a connected peripheral device is identified based on a vendor ID (Vid) and a product ID (Pid). However, when a new peripheral device is connected, a new port is set. There was the same problem as the above example.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problem, and can manage and set management information for managing a device according to an environment to be used, and a control method thereof. The purpose is to provide a program.

In order to achieve the above object, an information processing apparatus according to the present invention comprises the following arrangement. That is,
An information processing apparatus including an operating system that generates a device object for managing a device ,
Device information acquisition means for acquiring device information including vendor identification information and product identification information of a device already installed in the information processing apparatus from a registry area managed by the operating system ;
Therefore, the device information acquired by the device information acquisition unit, when the same type of devices connected to plug-and-play, new to the device object prohibited from being created by the operating system, and the vendor identification information Generating means for generating plug and play control information including the product identification information ;
A registry area that is referred to when the operating system creates a device object in order to prohibit the operating system from newly creating a device object of the device of the same model when a device of the same model is connected in, and setting means for setting a plug-and-play control information generated by said generating means.

Preferably, the apparatus further comprises device name acquisition means for acquiring a device name for specifying a device to be processed,
Device information including the vendor identification information and product identification information is acquired according to the device name acquired by the device name acquisition means.
Preferably, device list information acquisition means for acquiring list information of devices already installed in the information processing apparatus;
Display control means for displaying device list information acquired by the device list information acquisition means;
Selecting means for selecting a device from the list information displayed by the display control means ,
The device name is acquired according to the device selected by the selection means.

In order to achieve the above object, a method for controlling an information processing apparatus according to the present invention comprises the following arrangement. That is,
A method for controlling an information processing apparatus including an operating system for generating a device object for managing a device ,
A device information acquisition step of acquiring device information including vendor identification information and product identification information of a device already installed in the information processing apparatus from a registry area managed by the operating system ;
Therefore, the device information acquired by the device information acquisition step, when the type of the device connected to plug-and-play, new to the device object prohibited from being created by the operating system, and the vendor identification information Generating step of generating plug and play control information including the product identification information ;
A registry area that is referred to when the operating system creates a device object in order to prohibit the operating system from newly creating a device object of the device of the same model when a device of the same model is connected in, and a setting step of setting a plug-and-play control information generated in the generating step.

In order to achieve the above object, a program according to the present invention comprises the following arrangement. That is,
A program for causing a computer to execute control of an information processing apparatus including an operating system that generates a device object for managing a device ,
A device information acquisition step of acquiring device information including vendor identification information and product identification information of a device already installed in the information processing apparatus from a registry area managed by the operating system ;
Therefore, the device information acquired by the device information acquisition step, when the type of the device connected to plug-and-play, new to the device object prohibited from being created by the operating system, and the vendor identification information Generating step of generating plug and play control information including the product identification information ;
A registry area that is referred to when the operating system creates a device object in order to prohibit the operating system from newly creating a device object of the device of the same model when a device of the same model is connected to to execute a setting step of setting a plug-and-play control information generated in the generation step to the computer.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the information processing apparatus which can manage and set suitably the management information for managing a device according to the environment to be used, its control method, and a program can be provided.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

<Embodiment 1>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the printer control system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  This printer control system includes a host computer 100 and a printer A200. The printer B400 is a printer of the same model as the printer A200. The two are connected by a USB cable 300, and the printer A 200 and the printer B 400 are alternately switched and connected.

  In the first embodiment, a case where the printer A 200 and the printer B 400 are alternately switched and connected will be described as an example. However, the present invention also applies to a case where three or more printers of the same model are switched and connected as appropriate. Applicable.

  The host computer 100 includes a central processing unit 101 that controls the operation of the entire host computer 100, a storage unit 102, a printer control unit 103, an interface control unit 104, an input unit 105, and a display display unit 106. ing.

  The printer control unit 103 is realized by an OS or a utility tool (software), and is stored in a storage unit 102 that is a storage medium such as a hard disk or a CD-ROM.

  Here, an example of components of the host computer 100 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing components of the host computer according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 2, the host computer 100 includes, as hardware components, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) 1101, RAM 1102, ROM 1103, LAN adapter 1104, video adapter 1105, mouse 1106, keyboard 1107, hard disk 1108, CD-ROM. A drive 1109 and a USB interface 1110 are included, and these various components are connected to each other via a system bus 1100.

  Here, the system bus 1100 means, for example, a PCI bus, an AGP bus, a memory bus, and the like. In FIG. 2, a chip for connecting between buses, a keyboard interface, and an input / output interface such as so-called SCSI or ATAPI are omitted.

  The central processing unit 1101 implements the central processing unit 101 in FIG. The RAM 1102, the ROM 1103, the hard disk 1108, and the CD-ROM drive 1109 implement the storage unit 102 in FIG. The LAN adapter 1104, the video adapter 1105, and the USB interface 1110 implement the interface control unit 104 in FIG. The mouse 1106 and the keyboard 1107 implement the input unit 105 in FIG.

  The central processing unit 1101 performs various operations such as four arithmetic operations and comparison operations, hardware control, and the like based on an operating system program or application program. The RAM 1102 temporarily stores operating system programs, application programs, and the like read from a storage medium such as a CD-ROM or CD-R mounted in the hard disk 1108 or the CD-ROM drive 1109. It is executed under the control of the arithmetic processing unit 1101.

  The ROM 1103 stores a so-called BIOS that manages input / output to the hard disk 1108 and the like in cooperation with the operating system. The LAN adapter 1104 communicates with the outside via a network in cooperation with an operating system communication program controlled by the central processing unit 1101.

  The video adapter 1105 generates an image signal to be output to the display device. A keyboard 1107 and a mouse 1106 are used to input instructions to the information processing apparatus. The hard disk 1108 stores various programs such as an operating system, application programs, and a utility tool for realizing the printer control unit 103 in FIG.

  The CD-ROM drive 1109 is used to install an application program in the hard disk 1106 by mounting a storage medium such as a CD-ROM, CD-R, or CD-R / W, for example. It goes without saying that various disk drives such as a CD-R drive, a CD-R / W drive, and an MO drive may be used instead of the CD-ROM drive 1109.

  Returning to the description of FIG.

  The printer A 200 includes a firmware unit 201 and manages two identifiers, a model ID 202 (Vid, Pid) and an individual ID 203. A USB interface 204 is also provided. The model ID 202 identifies the model of the printer A200. The individual ID 203 is a unique value that identifies the individual of the printer A200.

  Here, in the model ID, Vid is a vendor ID for identifying the printer vendor, and Pid is a product ID for identifying the printer model.

  The printer B400 is a printer of the same model as the printer A200, includes a firmware unit 401, and manages two identifiers, a model ID 402 and an individual ID 403. A USB interface 404 is also provided. Since the printer B400 is a printer of the same vendor and model as the printer A200, the model ID (Vid, Pid) 202 of the printer A200 and the model ID (Vid, Pid) 402 of the printer B400 are the same. On the other hand, the individual ID 203 and individual ID 403 of each printer are different.

  The individual IDs 203 and 403 may include a USB ID for identifying the USB interface.

  As the printing method of the printer A 200 and the printer B 400, for example, various printing methods such as an ink jet method, a laser beam method, and a thermal transfer method can be used, and a printer for realizing the printing method depending on the printing method to be used. It has an engine, a controller, and a recording unit.

  Here, the hardware configuration of the printer A 200 and the printer B 400 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the printer according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 3, reference numeral 1900 denotes a power supply unit of the printer, and reference numeral 1901 denotes a power switch that realizes a power ON / OFF operation. Reference numeral 1902 denotes a signal line for transmitting an operation signal indicating the operation content of the power switch 1901 to the MPU 1906. Since this operation signal is transmitted to the MPU 1905 as an interrupt signal to the signal 1903, it is preferentially processed in the MPU 1905. A data bus 1904 connects the printer controller 1905, the MPU 1906, and the ROM 1907.

  The ROM 1907 stores a program describing the operation and processing of the MPU 1906. This program is generally called firmware and corresponds to the firmware unit 201 of the printer A 200 and the firmware unit 401 of the printer B 400 shown in FIG. The ROM 1907 stores the model ID 202 and the individual ID 203 for the printer A200, and the model ID 402 and the individual ID 403 for the printer B400.

  A printer controller 1905 has a function of controlling operations of various memories (for example, a ROM 1907, a DRAM 1908, etc.), a printer driving unit, an interface unit, and the like in the printer. The DRAM 1908 is a RAM that provides a storage area for temporarily storing data and the like when the MPU 1906 performs processing.

  Reference numeral 1909 denotes a signal line for transmitting a signal for controlling the head motor 1911 and the feed motor 1912 in the printer driving unit. The head motor 1911 is, for example, a motor that operates a print head 1913 that performs recording on a recording medium by ejecting ink. A feed motor 1912 is a motor for feeding and discharging the recording medium set in the printer and transporting the recording medium accompanying recording by the print head 1913. Reference numeral 1910 denotes a control line for controlling the operation of the print head 1913.

  A data bus 1914 is used for data transmission / reception between the interface controller 1915 and the printer controller 1905 in the interface unit. For example, the data received from the host computer 100 is transferred from the interface controller 1915 to the printer controller via the data bus 1914.

  Reference numeral 1918 denotes a USB interface 1918, which corresponds to the USB interface 204 in the printer A200 and the USB interface 404 in the printer B400.

  Reference numeral 1916 denotes a flash memory, which stores a program for the USB MPU 1919 to control the USB interface 1918.

  A signal line 1917 connects the interface controller 1915, the flash memory 1916, and the USB MPU 1919 to each other.

  Next, a detailed configuration of the printer control unit 103 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a detailed configuration of the printer control unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  The printer control unit 103 includes an operating system 1000, an application 1005 that operates on the operating system 1000, a printer driver 1006, and a utility tool 1007.

  The operating system 1000 manages various information such as a plug and play manager 1001 that realizes plug and play, a spooler 1002 that manages print requests, a user interface (UI) 1003, device driver settings, application settings, and the like. A registry 1004 that is a database is provided.

  The interface control unit 1009 corresponds to the interface control unit 104 in FIG. The USB printer 1010 corresponds to the printer A 200 or the printer B 400 in FIG.

  When the USB printer 1010 is connected, the USB interface which is a part of the interface control unit 1009 acquires printer information about the printer including the model ID and individual ID of the connected printer, and passes the printer information to the plug and play manager 1001.

  When the printer information is acquired, temporary information obtained from the printer information is stored in a storage unit such as the RAM 1102 in FIG. 2 and used by various programs such as the operating system 1000. Further, the temporary information acquired here is other than the two pieces of information described here, which will be described later with reference to FIG.

  Thus, the plug and play manager 1001 recognizes connected hardware.

  The spooler 1002 is a mechanism for temporarily storing print jobs from the USB printer 1010 and sequentially performing print processing. The process of the spooler 1002 is performed for each port of the printer, and is a mechanism provided by the operating system 1000. The port information related to the spooler 1002 is included in the printer information acquired by the plug and play manager 1001 when the USB printer 1010 is connected, and the plug and play manager 1001 performs processing for associating the printer port name with the spooler.

  A UI 1003 is a user interface displayed on the display by the operating system 1000. After recognizing the connected USB printer 1010, the plug and play manager 1001 performs printer object creation processing on the UI 1003.

  Here, an example of printer information registered in the registry 1004 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of printer information according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  The printer information 1201 includes a plurality of types of information, and the contents of each information will be described below.

  First, reference numeral 1202 denotes a printer server name. Reference numeral 1203 denotes a printer name. This printer name becomes the printer object name. Reference numeral 1204 denotes a network shared name, which represents a printer name when the printer is shared on the network. Reference numeral 1204 denotes port information, which includes a port name, a number, and the like.

  Reference numeral 1205 denotes a printer driver name, which represents the name of the printer driver used by the printer corresponding to the printer information 1201. Reference numeral 1207 denotes a comment for the printer. Reference numeral 1208 denotes printer setting information, which will be described in detail later. Reference numeral 1209 denotes a separator page file name, which designates a separator page file name to be injected between print jobs when printing from a printer.

  Reference numeral 1210 denotes a print processor name, which represents the name of the print processor used when the printer performs print processing. Reference numeral 1211 denotes a spool data name. Here, the spool data format includes, for example, RAW data and EMF data format. This name indicates which spool data format is used.

  Reference numeral 1212 denotes a printer parameter representing various parameters given to the printer. Reference numeral 1213 denotes printer security information representing information on users who are permitted to access the printer. Reference numeral 1214 denotes print job priority information. Reference numeral 1215 denotes standard job priority information, which represents default job priority information. Reference numeral 1216 denotes a printable start set time, and 1217 denotes a printable end set time. Reference numeral 1218 denotes status information indicating the status of the printer. Reference numeral 1219 denotes the number of jobs held by the printer. Reference numeral 1220 represents an average printing time of the printer.

  Returning to the description of FIG.

  When the plug and play manager 1001 recognizes the connected USB printer 1010, the plug and play manager 1001 notifies the application 1005 executed on the operating system 1000 to that effect.

  For example, on the Windows (registered trademark) operating system, a specific message called a window message is issued to the activated application 1005 and the utility tool 1007. Upon receiving the message, the application 1005 and the utility tool 1007 can individually recognize the addition of the printer.

  The plug and play manager 1001 also reads an appropriate printer driver 1006 for the connected USB printer 1010.

  The utility tool 1007 installed in the host computer 100 has a mechanism for operating UI 1003 information registered by the plug and play manager 1001 and registry 1004 information. The utility tool 1007 can manipulate the above-described information using, for example, an API (Application Program Interface) function 1008 provided in an operating system called Win32 API.

  Next, plug and play installation executed by the host computer 100 when the printer A 200 is connected to the host computer 100 will be described.

  In FIG. 1, when the printer A 200 is connected to the host computer 100 with the USB cable 300, the interface control unit 104 of the host computer 100 acquires printer information including the model ID 202 and the individual ID 203 of the printer A 200.

  As described above, the printer information is passed to the printer control unit 103 via the interface control unit 104 using a temporary storage area of the storage unit 102 (for example, the registry 1004 and the RAM 1102).

  The plug and play manager 1001 included in the operating system 1000 that is a part of the printer control unit 103 includes printer information acquired from the storage unit 102, a model ID 202 acquired from the firmware unit 401 (for example, the flash memory 1916, the ROM 1907, and the like) Based on the individual ID 203, it is determined whether or not the connected printer A200 is a newly connected printer.

  Based on the determination result, a printer object is created in the printer management screen displayed on the display display unit 106. Also, the printer driver of the printer corresponding to this printer object is installed in the storage unit 102.

  The printer object is management information corresponding to at least one printer, for example, used by a printer driver, and can be displayed as a printer icon. The management information includes the printer information that can specify the type of printer.

  For example, printer objects are managed in the form of a database (registry 1004) called registry information, for example, in Windows (registered trademark). Then, the operating system 1000, which is an example of the display control means stored in the storage unit 102, reads the registry information, thereby controlling processing for displaying the printer object as a printer icon image generated in the printer management screen. can do.

  Next, when the printer A 200 is disconnected and the printer B 400 is connected, the interface control unit 104 of the host computer 100 acquires printer information including the model ID 402 and the individual ID 403 of the printer B 400 from the firmware unit 401.

  The plug and play manager 1001 provided in the operating system 1000 that is a part of the printer control unit 103 is connected to the printer based on the printer information acquired from the storage unit 102 and the model ID 402 and individual ID 403 acquired from the firmware unit 401. It is determined whether B400 is a newly connected printer.

  In this case, the model ID 402 of the printer B 400 is the same as the model ID 202 of the already installed printer A 200, but since the individual ID is different, a new printer object is created and displayed in the printer management screen.

  Actually, the processing of the interface control unit 104 and the printer control unit 103 is realized by software execution in the central processing unit 101. The program is generally implemented as an OS or utility software, but may be realized by dedicated hardware.

  In the first embodiment, an example of implementation in a Windows (registered trademark) environment will be described. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration.

  Moreover, you may process as follows. The utility tool 1007 displays a printer icon (also referred to as a printer object), which is an example of device marker information managed in association with each printer, which is a preferred example of a device, as an example of a display unit. The processing to be displayed on 106 is controlled.

  That is, the utility tool 1007 sends printer information, which is an example of device identification information, to the USB interface 300 in response to the printer being connected to the host computer 100 via the USB interface 300, which is an example of a communication medium. And via the operating system 1000.

  The utility tool 1007 controls processing for registering the acquired printer information in the registry 1004 via the operating system 1000. Then, the operating system 1000 displays the printer icon registered in the registry 1004 on the display display unit 106. That is, the utility tool 1007 controls processing for displaying the printer icon on the display display unit 106.

  In particular, in the first embodiment, the utility tool 1007 adds a new printer object to the registry 1004 when the printer information already registered in the registry 1004 matches the printer information acquired from the newly connected printer. It is possible to set control information that is prohibited from being created.

  With this setting, it is possible to prohibit the creation of a plurality of corresponding printer objects even if any printer of the same model among the various printers connected to the host computer 100 is connected a plurality of times at different timings. It is.

  In other words, when the printer information of a printer for which control information is set is registered by plug and play (PnP) installation, plug and play (PnP) installation of the same printer occurs thereafter. However, it is prohibited to create printer information for the printer. That is, the process executed by the operating system 1000 (plug and play manager 1001) for the plug and play of the printer for which control information is set is controlled.

  With such a configuration, when the existing printer information matches the newly acquired printer, the utility tool 1007 executes control to prohibit display processing for newly displaying the existing device object. In this case, the existing printer object and the settings associated therewith are inherited and can be used for a newly connected printer.

  The printer information includes identification information for identifying the printer such as a model ID and an individual ID acquired from the printer, and information generated (registered) by the operating system 1000 based on the acquired identification information.

  Further, the identification information may be acquired by returning the identification information in response to an inquiry from the operating system 1000 or the utility tool 1007, or the operating system 1000 acquires the identification information based on a message periodically sent by the printer. You may make it do.

  Next, printer object control processing for prohibiting the utility tool 1007 from creating a plurality of printer objects for any printer of the same model among various printers used by the host computer 100 will be described with reference to FIG. I will explain.

  The printer object control process of the first embodiment is executed by the utility tool 1007 provided in the printer control unit 103 described above, but can be controlled as a function of the operating system 1000.

  In addition, this printer object control process can be applied to the printer to be controlled as appropriate at the time required by the user by starting the utility tool 1007 at an arbitrary timing.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing printer object control processing according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  FIG. 6 illustrates an example in which this process is executed after the printer B 400 is connected to the host computer 100, for example, but this process is performed at an arbitrary timing when the printer is not connected to the host computer 100. It is possible to execute.

  First, in step S601, printer list information (installed printer list) information installed in the host computer 100 is acquired. For example, according to the Windows (registered trademark) operating system, EnumPrinters () is executed to acquire printer information of all printers installed in the local memory of the host computer 100. At this time, the host computer 100 develops printer information of all printers as list information in, for example, a memory area of the RAM 1102.

  In step S602, the printer name 1203 (FIG. 5) is acquired from the printer information acquired in step S601, and the printer name list screen is displayed.

  At this time, there may be a plurality of printer information of the same model in the printer information acquired in step S601. However, the printer name 1203 acquired in step S602 is a different printer name (different printer). Corresponding to the driver). Alternatively, even when there are a plurality of pieces of printer information of the same model, setting information such as printer conditions may be different. In such a case, printer information of the same model is acquired.

  Here, the printer name list screen will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the printer name list screen according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  A printer name list screen 700 in FIG. 7 is a screen showing a list of printer names acquired in step S602. In FIG. 7, “printers A to D” and “other printers” are displayed as the printer name list.

  Here, “other printers” indicates that the printer name is unknown when the printer name list screen is displayed. That is, if a printer is connected to the host computer 100 but the printer driver 1006 corresponding to the printer is not installed, the printer information corresponding to the printer cannot be acquired, and the official printer name is set at this time. This is because it cannot be obtained.

  The “other printer” is a display for enabling the user to select a printer to which the printer is not connected or the printer driver is not installed when the user wants to control.

  From the printer name displayed on the printer name list screen 700, the user can designate a printer to be controlled to which display control (plug and play control) of the printer object is applied.

  In particular, FIG. 7 shows a state in which the printer name “printer B” is designated as the printer to be controlled. Then, when the OK button 701 is pressed via the input unit 105 in a state in which the printer to be controlled is designated, the processing after step S603 is executed as processing for the printer to be controlled. When the cancel button 702 is pressed via the input unit 105, the display of the printer name list screen 700 is terminated.

  On the other hand, when there are a plurality of printer information of the same model and the setting information such as printer conditions is different, the printer name list screen 700 can distinguish the printer name for each printer information (for example, printer A (1), printer A (2), and printer A (3)). Accordingly, it is possible to select a printer having printer information having desired setting information as a control target from a plurality of pieces of printer information of the same model.

  Returning to the description of FIG.

  In step S603, it is determined whether a printer to be controlled has been selected. If the printer to be controlled is selected (YES in step S603), the selected printer name is stored in the RAM 1102, and the process proceeds to step S604. On the other hand, if the control target printer is not selected (NO in step S603), the process waits until the control target printer is selected.

  This determination is performed based on an operation on the printer name list screen 700 of FIG. That is, when an OK button 701 is pressed in a state where an arbitrary printer name is selected in the printer name list, it is determined that the selected printer name has been selected as a control target printer.

  In step S604, it is determined whether the printer driver of the selected printer to be controlled has already been installed (that is, the same model or the same printer has been selected in the past). If the printer driver is installed (YES in step S604), the process advances to step S605. On the other hand, if the printer driver is not installed (NO in step S604), for example, if “other printer” is selected as the printer to be controlled on the printer name list screen 700, the process proceeds to step S606.

  In step S605, it is determined whether the printer port of the selected printer to be controlled is USB.

  Whether or not it is USB is determined based on port information 1205 (FIG. 5) in printer information corresponding to the printer to be controlled.

  If the printer port is USB (YES in step S605), the process proceeds to step S608. On the other hand, if the printer port is not USB (NO in step S605), the process ends.

  In step S606, a notification for prompting installation of the printer driver of the selected printer to be controlled is executed. For this notification, for example, a message may be displayed in a dialog, or a screen for downloading a printer driver to be installed may be displayed.

  In step S607, it is determined whether a printer driver has been installed. If the printer driver has been installed (YES in step S607), the process proceeds to step S605. On the other hand, if the printer driver is not installed (NO in step S607), the process waits until the printer driver is installed.

  In step S608, a USB device information storage area (for example, a registry key in the registry 1004) that includes a printer information storage area and is stored in advance in the registry 1004 in the program (for example, the operating system 1000) is acquired.

  The USB device information storage area may be information described in advance on the utility tool 1007 program.

  In step S609, based on the printer name of the control target printer selected in step S603 (in this case, printer B) and the USB device information storage area (including the printer information storage area) acquired in step S608, in step S603. Printer model information indicating the model of the selected printer to be controlled is acquired. After obtaining the printer model information, the printer model information is expanded in the memory area of the RAM 1102.

  For example, according to the Windows (registered trademark) operating system, the control target printer name “printer B” selected in step S603 is the registry key “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SYSTEM \ CurrentControlSet \ Control \ Print \ Printers \ Printer B (printer name)”. Corresponds to “¥ PnPData”. Then, a character string for specifying the printer model information of the printer B is acquired from the value of “DeviceInstanceId” in the registry key.

  Specifically, “DeviceInstanceId” is, for example, a description “USBPRINT ¥ printer B (printer name) ¥ 6 & 12D78F2A & USB0N (N: integer)”, and scans before “& USB0N” at the end of this description. The character string up to “¥” appearing for the first time, that is, “6 & 12D78F2A” is acquired as the character string for specifying the printer model information.

  Thereafter, the data of “ParentIdPrefix” in the child key of the registry key “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SYSTEM \ CurrentControlSet \ Enum \ USB” which is a pre-registered printer information storage area is appropriately acquired, and the previously acquired character string “ 6 & 12D78F2A ".

  If the character strings match as a result of the comparison, the parent key of the key having “ParentIdPrefix” is printer model information (Vid (vendor ID) and Pid (product ID)) of the printer B.

  In step S610, based on the printer model information acquired in step 609, PnP control information for controlling plug-and-play (PnP) ((displaying the display of the printer object) is generated. Windows (registered trademark) operating system Then, the present embodiment can be realized by generating a registry value in the format of name: IgnoHWSerNum “Vid” “Pid” data: 01 (binary) (for example, name: IgnorHWSerNum04a91076 data: 01 (binary)). .

  Note that the PnP control information and the binary data of the PnP control information may be expanded in the RAM 1102 or may be configured to be stored in a predetermined information file.

  In the first embodiment, in particular, as the PnP control information, a port and a printer object for a printer to be controlled are once generated by the first (first) plug and play, and then the same model or the next or later (after the first) At the time of plug and play of the same printer, control information for prohibiting creation of a new port and printer object by the operating system 1000 is generated.

  In other words, control information is generated that prohibits the operating system 1000 from creating a plurality of ports and printer objects for printers of the same model with different individual IDs.

  As described above, the PnP control information generated in the first embodiment controls the creation of the port of the printer to be controlled (when the same model or the same printer is plug-and-play for the first time or later, a plurality of ports for the same model are controlled. In other words, it can be rephrased as port control information that is prohibited from being created. Also, the creation of a printer object is controlled (in the case of plug-and-play after the first time of the same model or the same printer, the creation of a plurality of printer objects is prohibited for the same model). You can also.

  In step S611, the PnP control information generated in step 610 and the binary data of the PnP control information are called from the RAM 1102, for example, and registered in the registry 1004. For example, the function to be registered is RegSetValueEx ().

  In step S612, information on the currently connected printer model is acquired. For the currently connected printer model information, for example, a character string indicating the printer model information of the printer that is currently connected to the USB is acquired as described in “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SYSTEM \ CurrentControlSet \ Services \ usprint \ Enum”. That is possible.

  Actually, the printer model information (Vid and Pid) is acquired by executing the function RegQueryValueEx () in “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SYSTEM \ CurrentControlSet \ Services \ usprint \ Enum”.

  In step S613, the printer model information of the printer to be controlled selected in step S603 is compared with the printer model information acquired in step S612. If they match (YES in step S613), the process proceeds to step S616. On the other hand, if they do not match (NO in step S613), the process proceeds to step S614.

  In step S614, it is notified that the USB connection of the selected printer to be controlled is disconnected. For this notification, for example, a message may be displayed in a dialog.

  In step S615, it is determined whether the USB connection of the printer to be controlled notified in step S614 has been disconnected. If the USB connection is disconnected (YES in step S615), the process proceeds to step S616. On the other hand, if the USB connection cannot be disconnected (NO in step S615), the process waits until the USB connection is disconnected.

  In step S616, the printer object of the printer to be controlled selected in step 603 is deleted. As a function for deleting a printer object, for example, there is DeletePrinter (). If there are already a plurality of printer objects for the printer to be controlled, all these printer objects are deleted.

  Here, the reason why the printer object is deleted in step S616 is that if the PnP control information is registered in step S611, the control target printer selected in step 603 cannot be used.

  In step S617, the USB port information of the printer to be controlled selected in step 603 is deleted. The USB port information is deleted by, for example, deleting a registry key having USB port information with SHDeleteKey (). If a plurality of USB port information for the printer to be controlled already exist, all the USB port information is deleted.

  Here, in step S617, in the case of a USB device, the USB port information is deleted only by deleting the printer object, but the USB port information cannot be deleted, and the port information remains as shown by the port name 11001 in FIG. This is because it is necessary to delete the USB port information from the registry.

  As a result, a plurality of ports are not created for the printers of the same model with different individual IDs, and the processing load on the operating system 1000 can be reduced.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, it is possible to prohibit the operating system 1000 from creating a plurality of printer objects in the printer model designated by the user. Therefore, the user can always use the same printer object even when using different types of printers of the same model with different individual IDs. No need to set.

  In addition, even if a printer of the same model is connected, a port is not created every time. Therefore, a useless port is not created, and the processing load of the operating system 1000 can be reduced.

<Embodiment 2>
In the first embodiment, PnP control information for a printer to be controlled is generated and registered based on the printer model information of a printer already installed in the host computer 100 (or set by prompting installation), and the printer is then registered. When the same model or the same printer is plug-and-play, it is prohibited to create a plurality of ports and printer objects by the operating system 1000.

  On the other hand, in the second embodiment, if the printer model information is registered in the information file in advance for a printer that is not installed in the host computer 100, PnP control information for the printer is generated. A configuration for prohibiting the creation of a plurality of ports and printer objects by the operating system 1000 at the time of plug-and-play of the same model or the same printer as the printer will be described.

  Hereinafter, printer object control processing according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing printer object control processing according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

  Note that steps similar to those in FIG. 6 of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

  First, a printer to be controlled is selected by the processing in steps S601 to S603.

  Next, in step S701, the presence / absence of an information file (FIG. 10) is determined. This information file stores information for generating PnP control information (for example, printer model information (Vid, Pid) and its printer driver name shown in FIG. 10), for example, management of the operating system 1000 The predetermined initial setting file that can be referred to by the utility tool 1007 below exists in the RAM 1102, for example.

  If there is an information file (YES in step S701), the process proceeds to step S702. On the other hand, if there is no information file (NO in step S701), the process proceeds to step S705.

  In step S702, the printer driver name of the selected printer to be controlled is acquired. This is acquired from the printer information (FIG. 5) developed in the RAM 1102 in step S601.

  In step S703, all registered printer model information and printer driver names are acquired from the information file. For example, as a function to be acquired, there is GetPrivateProfileString (). The acquired printer model information and printer driver name are expanded in the RAM 1102, for example.

  The printer model information and printer driver names may be stored for a plurality of models. The information file may be configured to store binary data of printer model information.

  In step S704, it is determined whether the printer driver name of the selected printer to be controlled is the same as the printer driver name of the information file.

  If the printer driver names are the same (YES in step S704), the process advances to step S610. On the other hand, if the printer driver names are not the same (NO in step S704), the process proceeds to step S705.

  If the printer driver names are the same in step S704 (YES in step S704), steps S610 and S611 are executed. As a result, the PnP control information for the printer to be controlled and the binary data of the PnP control information are registered in the registry 1004.

  In step S705, it is determined whether the printer driver of the selected printer to be controlled is installed. If the printer driver is installed (YES in step S705), the process advances to step S706. On the other hand, if the printer driver is not installed (NO in step S705), the process ends.

  In step S706, it is determined whether the printer port of the selected printer to be controlled is USB.

  Whether or not it is USB is determined based on the port and information 1205 (FIG. 5) in the printer information corresponding to the printer to be controlled.

  If the printer port is USB (YES in step S706), the process proceeds to step S612. On the other hand, if the printer port is not USB (NO in step S706), the process ends.

  If the printer port is USB in step S706 (YES in step S706), steps S612 to S617 are executed. As a result, a plurality of ports are not created for the printers of the same model with different individual IDs, and the processing load on the operating system 1000 can be reduced.

  On the other hand, if no information file exists in step S701 (NO in step S701), or if the printer driver names are not the same in step S704 (NO in step S704), steps S705, S706, and steps 608 to 610 are executed. .

  In step S707, the printer model name corresponding to the printer model information acquired in step S609 is registered in the information file. For example, as a function to be registered, there is WritePrivateProfileString ().

  If an information file has already been created, the printer model information and printer driver name may be registered in the information file, and the entire information file may be rewritten (overwritten). May be. On the other hand, if an information file has not been created, a new information file may be created and registered.

  Here, the printer model information and the printer driver name of the printer to be controlled are registered in the information file. However, the information file is limited to the information file as long as the utility tool 1007 can refer to it when executing the process. Alternatively, it is also possible to register an initial setting file under the management of the operating system 1000 or a predetermined storage area or an external storage medium such as a memory card.

  Further, the contents of the information file can be appropriately edited by the user at an arbitrary timing by an application such as a text editor. Thus, even if the printer information for the printer to be controlled is not registered in the host computer 100, the user registers in advance the printer information for the printer to be controlled in the future, and the PnP control information for the printer. It can be created and registered as needed.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, by registering printer information related to a printer to be controlled in the information file in advance, a plurality of printer objects are created in the printer model registered in the information file. Since this setting can be realized, it is possible to manage the printer in a form desired by the user.

  In addition, even if a printer of the same model is connected, a port is not created every time. Therefore, a useless port is not created, and the processing load of the operating system 1000 can be reduced.

  In addition, printer model information for frequently used printers can be created and registered in advance in an information file, so that it is possible to perform efficient settings without the need for user management. .

<Embodiment 3>
In the first and second embodiments, the configuration is such that the user selects a printer to be controlled. However, a configuration may be adopted in which a printer installed immediately before USB connection or a frequently used printer is selected as a control target. In particular, a user who alternately uses a plurality of different solid-state printers of the same model is likely to intend to use the printer under the same settings in many cases. Therefore, with such a configuration, the user is released from the operation itself of selecting the printer to be controlled, and the operation efficiency can be further improved.

  Here, frequently used printers are determined, for example, whether or not the number of printer objects generated each time a printer is connected to the host computer 100 is a predetermined number (for example, three) or more. Judge with.

  A commonly used printer may be a normally used printer (default printer), and a normally used printer may be a control target.

  In the first to third embodiments, for example, a printer is described as an example of a device that can be connected to the host computer 100. However, for devices other than the printer, for example, various devices such as a scanner and a digital camera. Also, the present invention can be applied. In this case, the above-described printer object, printer information (printer model information), and PnP control information (printer control information) include the device object, device information (device model information), and PnP control information (device control information) corresponding to the device to be applied. ) To execute each embodiment.

  Although the embodiments have been described in detail above, the present invention can take an embodiment as, for example, a system, apparatus, method, program, or recording medium, and specifically includes a plurality of devices. The present invention may be applied to a system that is configured, or may be applied to an apparatus that includes a single device.

  In the present invention, a software program (in the embodiment, a program corresponding to the flowchart shown in the figure) that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiment is directly or remotely supplied to the system or apparatus, and the computer of the system or apparatus Is also achieved by reading and executing the supplied program code.

  Accordingly, since the functions of the present invention are implemented by computer, the program code installed in the computer also implements the present invention. In other words, the present invention includes a computer program itself for realizing the functional processing of the present invention.

  In that case, as long as it has the function of a program, it may be in the form of object code, a program executed by an interpreter, script data supplied to the OS, or the like.

  As a recording medium for supplying the program, for example, floppy (registered trademark) disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, MO, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, magnetic tape, nonvolatile memory card ROM, DVD (DVD-ROM, DVD-R) and the like.

  As another program supply method, a client computer browser is used to connect to an Internet homepage, and the computer program of the present invention itself or a compressed file including an automatic installation function is downloaded from the homepage to a recording medium such as a hard disk. Can also be supplied. It can also be realized by dividing the program code constituting the program of the present invention into a plurality of files and downloading each file from a different homepage. That is, a WWW server that allows a plurality of users to download a program file for realizing the functional processing of the present invention on a computer is also included in the present invention.

  In addition, the program of the present invention is encrypted, stored on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM, distributed to users, and key information for decryption is downloaded from a homepage via the Internet to users who have cleared predetermined conditions. It is also possible to execute the encrypted program by using the key information and install the program on a computer.

  In addition to the functions of the above-described embodiments being realized by the computer executing the read program, the OS running on the computer based on the instruction of the program is a part of the actual processing. Alternatively, the functions of the above-described embodiment can be realized by performing all of them and performing the processing.

  Furthermore, after the program read from the recording medium is written in a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, the function expansion board or The CPU or the like provided in the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a printer control system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the component of the host computer of Embodiment 1 of this invention. 1 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a printer according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the detailed structure of the printer control part of Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the printer information of Embodiment 1 of this invention. 3 is a flowchart illustrating printer object control processing according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the printer name list screen of Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the port information of Embodiment 1 of this invention. 10 is a flowchart illustrating printer object control processing according to the second embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the information file of Embodiment 2 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Host computer 101 Central processing part 102 Memory | storage part 103 Printer control part 104 Interface control part 105 Input part 106 Display display part 200 Printer A
201 Firmware part 202 Model ID
203 Individual ID
204 USB interface 400 Printer B
401 Firmware part 402 Model ID
403 Individual ID
404 USB interface

Claims (5)

An information processing apparatus including an operating system that generates a device object for managing a device ,
Device information acquisition means for acquiring device information including vendor identification information and product identification information of a device already installed in the information processing apparatus from a registry area managed by the operating system ;
Therefore, the device information acquired by the device information acquisition unit, when the same type of devices connected to plug-and-play, new to the device object prohibited from being created by the operating system, and the vendor identification information Generating means for generating plug and play control information including the product identification information ;
A registry area that is referred to when the operating system creates a device object in order to prohibit the operating system from newly creating a device object of the device of the same model when a device of the same model is connected the information processing apparatus comprising: a setting means for setting a plug-and-play control information generated by said generating means. Device name acquisition means for acquiring a device name for specifying a device to be processed;
Device information including the vendor identification information and product identification information is acquired according to the device name acquired by the device name acquisition means.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1. Device list information acquisition means for acquiring list information of devices already installed in the information processing apparatus;
Display control means for displaying device list information acquired by the device list information acquisition means;
Selecting means for selecting a device from the list information displayed by the display control means ,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the device name is acquired according to the device selected by the selection unit . A method for controlling an information processing apparatus including an operating system for generating a device object for managing a device ,
A device information acquisition step of acquiring device information including vendor identification information and product identification information of a device already installed in the information processing apparatus from a registry area managed by the operating system ;
Therefore, the device information acquired by the device information acquisition step, when the type of the device connected to plug-and-play, new to the device object prohibited from being created by the operating system, and the vendor identification information Generating step of generating plug and play control information including the product identification information ;
A registry area that is referred to when the operating system creates a device object in order to prohibit the operating system from newly creating a device object of the device of the same model when a device of the same model is connected a method of controlling an information processing apparatus, characterized in that it comprises a setting step of setting a plug-and-play control information generated in the generating step. A program for causing a computer to execute control of an information processing apparatus including an operating system that generates a device object for managing a device ,
A device information acquisition step of acquiring device information including vendor identification information and product identification information of a device already installed in the information processing apparatus from a registry area managed by the operating system ;
Therefore, the device information acquired by the device information acquisition step, when the type of the device connected to plug-and-play, new to the device object prohibited from being created by the operating system, and the vendor identification information Generating step of generating plug and play control information including the product identification information ;
A registry area that is referred to when the operating system creates a device object in order to prohibit the operating system from newly creating a device object of the device of the same model when a device of the same model is connected , the program characterized by executing the setting process of setting the plug-and-play control information generated in the generation step to the computer.

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