JPH1153127A - Printing controller, printing control method and storage medium storing program which computer can read - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printing processing environment effective for a regular user who can always execute a printing information processing based on the latest printing control program. SOLUTION: Verification information stored in an NVRAM area secured in a part of RAM 7 in accordance with a request from a computer 1 is informed to the computer 1. The printing control program transferred from the computer 1 is stored in RAM 7 and printing data transferred from the computer 1 based on the stored printing control program is transferred to a printing data recording part 3.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a print control device and a print control method capable of communicating with a data processing device via a predetermined communication medium, and a storage medium storing a computer-readable program.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a printing system including this type of printing control apparatus, a printing control program and character fonts are stored in a non-volatile memory on a main body substrate of the printing apparatus and supplied to the printing apparatus as a unit to a customer. Was.

At the time of a printing operation, the above-described print control program is executed using a volatile memory which is a work storage area.

[0004]

For this reason, if a problem is found in the print control program stored in the non-volatile memory after mass production of the printing apparatus, in the worst case, It required enormous expenses such as full recovery, and it was difficult to deal with it as a practical problem.

Further, since all the print control programs installed in the printing apparatus must be stored in a non-volatile memory on the main body substrate, a memory space is also provided for a print mode control program and a print font which are not frequently used. And the use of the memory area is wasteful.

When the printing control program is transferred from the host to the printing apparatus every time printing is started and the printing sequence is executed, software resources are not managed, and the printer software driver is improperly used. Print requests from unauthorized users cannot be effectively prohibited.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide authentication information and print resource information obtained from a printing device without imposing a memory resource burden on the printing device. By controlling the supply of a useful print control program from the data processing device side to the printing device side while authenticating by comparing with the, the authorized user who can always perform print information processing based on the latest print control program Provided is a print control apparatus, a print control method, and a storage medium storing a computer-readable program that can easily construct a print system capable of maintaining an effective print processing environment and making maximum use of expanded print functions. It is.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a print control apparatus which communicates with a data processing apparatus via a predetermined communication medium to control printing of a printing unit. First storage means for storing authentication information to be notified to the device, and notification means for notifying the data processing device of the authentication information stored in the first storage means in response to a request from the data processing device And a second storage unit for storing a print control program transferred from the data processing device after the notification by the notification unit, and the data processing based on the print control program stored in the second storage unit. Control means for transferring print data transferred from the apparatus to the printing unit.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a print control device capable of communicating with a printing device via a predetermined communication medium, wherein the storage device stores print resource data that can be transferred to the printing device. Input means for inputting user identification information;
An acquisition unit that acquires authentication information from the printing device when a print request is received, and prints corresponding to the set print mode of the printing device by comparing the authentication information acquired by the acquisition unit with the user identification information. An authentication unit for authenticating whether or not the user can transfer the resource data to the printing apparatus; and controlling transfer of the print resource data stored in the storage unit to the printing apparatus based on an authentication result of the authentication unit. And control means for performing the operation.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the print resource data stored in the storage means includes a print control program for processing print data transferred subsequently.

A fourth invention according to the present invention is such that the control means notifies an unauthorized use state when the authentication means authenticates that the user is not a user capable of transferring to the printing apparatus.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the authentication information includes product identification information having different attributes, user identification information, and user identification information writing confirmation information for managing the user identification information in a non-rewritable state. It is a thing.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the first storage means is constituted by a non-volatile memory medium.

In a seventh aspect according to the present invention, the second storage means is constituted by a volatile memory medium.

In an eighth invention according to the present invention, the control means determines whether or not the user identification information writing confirmation information in the authentication information acquired from the printing apparatus is in an unwritten state, and the newly entered user identification information is determined. The information is transferred to the printing device.

In a ninth aspect according to the present invention, the control means registers the user identification information and product identification information to be newly registered transferred from the data processing device in the first storage means, In order to manage the identification information in a non-rewritable state, the user identification information writing confirmation information is set to a writing state.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printing control method for performing printing control of a printing unit by communicating with a data processing device via a predetermined communication medium, wherein the printing control method responds to a request from the data processing device. A notification step of notifying the data processing device of the authentication information stored in the first storage means, and a print control program transferred from the data processing apparatus after the notification of the notification means to the second storage means. And a transfer step of transferring print data transferred from the data processing device to the printing unit based on the print control program written in the second storage means.

An eleventh invention according to the present invention is a storage medium storing a computer-readable program for communicating with a data processing device via a predetermined communication medium and performing printing control of a printing unit. A notification step of notifying the data processing apparatus of the authentication information stored in the first storage means in response to a request from the data processing apparatus; and a print control transferred from the data processing apparatus after the notification of the notification means. A writing step of writing a program in a second storage unit; and a transfer step of transferring print data transferred from the data processing device to the printing unit based on the print control program written in the second storage unit. It has.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a print control method capable of communicating with a printing apparatus via a predetermined communication medium, comprising: an inputting step of inputting user identification information; An acquisition step of acquiring authentication information from an apparatus, and comparing the authentication information and the user identification information acquired by the acquisition step with print resource data corresponding to a print mode set by the printing apparatus to the printing apparatus; An authentication step for authenticating whether or not the user is a transferable user, and a transfer step for transferring print resource data for processing print data based on the authentication result of the authentication step.

A thirteenth invention according to the present invention is a storage medium storing a computer-readable program for performing communication processing by communicating with a printing apparatus via a predetermined communication medium, wherein user identification information is input. An input step to perform, an acquisition step of acquiring authentication information from the printing apparatus when a print request is received, and a print set by the printing apparatus by collating the authentication information acquired by the acquisition step with the user identification information. An authentication step of authenticating whether or not the user can transfer the print resource data corresponding to the mode to the printing apparatus; and transferring the print resource data for processing the print data based on the authentication result of the authentication step. And a transfer step.

[0021]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[First Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a printing system to which a print control device according to a first embodiment of the present invention can be applied.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a computer,
A control board including a U, a ROM, and a RAM is provided, and generally controls various peripheral devices (hard disk, CRT, keyboard, pointing device, network card). A printing apparatus 2 includes a controller 4 and a recording unit 3.

The controller 4 has a function of a volatile memory R
Built-in ROM with AM7 (expandable) and CPU5
By executing the control program stored in the controller 6, a communication process with the computer 1 via the interface 8 and a communication process with the recording unit 3 via the interface 9 are generally controlled.

The built-in ROM 6 stores a start-up processing program and a communication program with the computer 1. The communication program authenticates the print control program of the two printing apparatuses from the computer 1 according to a predetermined protocol. While downloading. Also, RAM
7 is configured to be usable as an NVRAM area.

Hereinafter, a characteristic configuration of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

Print control for communicating with a data processing device (computer 1) via a predetermined communication medium (including a network, an interface, etc.) configured as described above to control printing of a printing unit (recording unit 3). A first storage unit (NVRAM area of a RAM 7) for storing authentication information to be notified to the data processing device; and a first storage unit stored in the first storage unit in response to a request from the data processing device. Notification means for notifying the data processing device of the authentication information (the CPU 5 executes the communication program in the control program stored in the built-in ROM 6 to notify the computer 1); A second storage device storing a print control program transferred from the processing device
Storage means (RAM7) and control means for transferring print data transferred from the data processing apparatus to the printing unit based on the print control program stored in the second storage means (the CPU 5 stores the computer 1 to control the transfer of print data transferred from the computer 1 to the recording unit 3 by executing the print control program downloaded from the storage unit 3, so that the print data is transferred from the data processing device with the minimum memory resources (built-in ROM 6). A print processing environment capable of processing print data received based on a print control program can be freely constructed, and an inexpensive printing system environment can be maintained.

A printing control device capable of communicating with the printing device (printer) 2 via a predetermined communication medium (network, interface), and a storage means for storing print resource data that can be transferred to the printing device 2 (Which may be supplied via a recording medium or network not shown and stored on the hard disk 1a), input means (keyboard not shown) for inputting user identification information, and authentication from the printing apparatus upon receiving a print request. Acquiring means for acquiring information (acquiring the control program stored in the hard disk 1a by executing the control program by the CPU of the control unit); and collating the authentication information acquired by the acquiring means with the user identification information and performing the printing. It is determined whether or not the user can transfer print resource data corresponding to the set print mode of the apparatus to the printing apparatus. Authentication means certifying (hard disk 1
a) by executing the authentication processing program stored in the storage unit by the CPU of the control unit, and controlling the transfer of the print resource data stored in the storage unit to the printing apparatus based on the authentication result of the authentication unit. Control means (hard disk 1
a, the authentication processing program stored in a is executed and controlled by the CPU of the control unit), so that at the time of a print request, it is ensured that the user requesting the print is authenticated as an authorized user of the printing apparatus. It is possible to reliably prevent a situation in which a print control program for processing print data is illegally used, and to freely prepare a print processing environment in which a print request from an unauthorized user can be effectively prohibited.

Further, the CPU of the control unit of the computer 1
When the user is authenticated as a user who is not transferable to the printing apparatus 2, the user is notified of the improper use state, so that the user of the improper use can be clearly indicated.

The authentication information includes product identification information (product ID) and user identification information (user ID) having different attributes.
D), since it includes user identification information write confirmation information (write bit) for managing the user identification information in a non-rewritable state, it is possible to easily authenticate an authorized user based on authentication information unique to the printing apparatus.

Since the NVRAM area of the RAM 7 functions as a nonvolatile memory medium, it is possible to effectively manage the registered authentication information (user ID, product ID).

Further, since the memory area of the RAM 7 other than the NVRAM area functions as a volatile memory, the latest print control program can always be obtained from the data processing apparatus and executed using inexpensive memory resources.

The CPU of the computer 1 determines whether or not the user identification information writing confirmation information in the authentication information acquired from the printer 2 is in an unwritten state and transfers the newly input user identification information to the printer 2. The user identification information registered once can be managed as non-rewritable.

Further, the CPU 5 of the printer 2 registers the user identification information to be newly registered and the product identification information transferred from the computer 1 in the NVRAM area of the RAM 7 and manages the user identification information in a non-rewritable state. Since the identification information writing confirmation information is set to the writing state, the user identification information and the product identification information registered once can be managed as non-rewritable.

Hereinafter, the data processing operation of the print control apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are flowcharts showing an example of a first data processing procedure in the print control apparatus according to the present invention. Note that (1) to (14) indicate each step.

First, when a print instruction is issued from the user, the processing is started, and the authentication program on the computer 1 connected to the printing apparatus 2 is stored in the writable nonvolatile memory (NVRAM) of the printing apparatus 2. Product ID
The contents of the register are read out to the computer 1 connected to the printing device 2 (1). Then, the authentication program determines whether or not the content is an initial setting value (a setting value before use, which is a value set at the time of factory shipment) (2). If it is determined that the content is the initial setting value, authentication is performed. Advance the sequence to step (4).

On the other hand, if it is determined in step (2) that the value is not the initial set value, the NVRA
The authentication program determines whether or not the content read from the product ID register of M matches the product ID of the printer software to be used (3). If the result of the determination is that it matches, the authentication program will be described later. Proceed to print sequence.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step (3) that they do not match, the process proceeds to step (4), and the authentication program on the computer 1 connected to the printing device 2 executes The contents of the user ID write confirmation bit on the memory (the NVRAM secured on the RAM 7) are read out to the computer 1 connected to the printing apparatus 2.

Then, the authentication program determines whether or not the read content is "written", that is, if the user ID write confirmation bit sets "1" to "written", for example, "No" is "0"
It is represented by The authentication program determines which is this (5), and when it is determined that the data is not written,
The process proceeds to step (11) described later.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step (5) that the data is “written”, the authentication program on the computer 1 connected to the printing apparatus 2 stores the authentication program on the writable nonvolatile memory (NVRAM) of the printing apparatus 2. Is read out to the computer 1 connected to the printing apparatus 2 (6).

Next, the user is prompted to enter a user ID on a display screen (not shown) (7).
Waiting for input (8), and if the user ID is input,
The authentication program on the computer 1 connected to the printing apparatus 2 determines whether or not the content read from the user ID register of the NVRAM matches the user ID just input by the user (9). ,
If it is determined that they match, the user is determined to be an authorized user, and the process proceeds to a printing sequence described later.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step (9) that the two do not match, it is determined that the user is not a legitimate user. Recommend registration (1
0) Then, the printing operation is stopped, and the state returns to the state when the user instructed printing.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step (5) that the user ID writing confirmation bit is "not written" as a result of the determination, that is, if the printer is used for the first time, Is prompted on the display screen of the computer 1 (11), and the user I
When the user inputs the user ID, the authentication program on the computer 1 connected to the printing apparatus 2 stores the contents in the writable nonvolatile memory (NVRAM) of the printing apparatus 2. (13).

Then, the authentication program on the computer 1 connected to the printing apparatus 2 sets the user ID writing confirmation bit on the writable nonvolatile memory (NVRAM) of the printing apparatus to "written" ( 14), and proceed to the print sequence.

Next, the second data processing in the print control apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the second data processing procedure in the print control apparatus according to the present invention, and corresponds to a print sequence. In addition, (1)-
(7) shows each step.

First, it is determined whether or not a print control program (printer software) corresponding to the print mode instructed by the user is a program that has already been sent to the printing apparatus 2 (1).

Here, the printer software stores which print mode program is present in the printer 2 (the printer software stores the transferred control program in the computer 1 in order to store the transferred control program). If the control program corresponding to the designated print mode is already present in the printing apparatus 2, the process proceeds to step (4) and the printing is performed as described above. The program will not be reloaded.

On the other hand, if the determination in step (1) is NO, that is, if it is determined that the printing control program corresponding to the required printing mode does not exist in the printing apparatus 2, the program corresponding to the printing mode specified by the computer 1 To the RAM 7 which is a volatile memory of the printing apparatus 2 (2), and the printer software on the computer 1 stores a print mode storing register prepared in the computer 1 for storing the print mode of the transferred control program. (3). Then, the operation proceeds to the printing operation.

The transition to the printing operation is performed by setting the program counter of the CPU 5 at the end of the program loading process at the head address of the fixed program storage area of the RAM 7 of the printing apparatus 2.

This shift operation is performed by a communication program in a nonvolatile memory (built-in ROM 6) built in the CPU 5.

Next, in the printing operation, the process of converting the print contents into print data, that is, the image processing is all performed by the image processing program of the printer software on the computer 1 (4). That is, the control circuit of the printing apparatus 2 does not perform any data conversion processing.

Then, the computer 1 running the printer software transfers the print data converted to a printable state to the RAM 7 of the printing apparatus 2 (5). Then, the control circuit of the printing device 2 transfers the data loaded in the RAM 7 of the printing device 2 to the recording unit 3 and prints the data on a recording medium (for example, paper) (6), and the recording medium (for example, paper).
And the recording element is moved to a required position.

As described above, the processing performed by the printing apparatus 2 in the present embodiment is only the processing for printing the data received from the printer software on the recording medium.

When the printing of the print data is completed, the printing apparatus 2 shifts to a standby state (7). The transition to the standby state is at the end of the control program, and the built-in RO
The address is set in the program counter of the CPU 5 so as to jump to the program in the standby state of the communication processing stored in M6, and the process proceeds.

Then, while waiting for a communication from the computer 1, the next instruction is awaited. The above is the printing sequence of the printing apparatus.

Hereinafter, the characteristic configuration of this embodiment will be further described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS.

A print control method for communicating with a data processing device (computer 1) via a predetermined communication medium (including a network and an interface) configured as described above to control print of a printing unit (recording unit 3). Or a storage medium storing a computer-readable program that communicates with a data processing device via a predetermined communication medium and controls printing of a printing unit, and responds to a request from the data processing device. The first storage means (N of RAM 7)
Notification step of notifying the data processing device of the authentication information stored in the VRAM area (step (4) in FIG. 2)
And storing the print control program transferred from the data processing device after the notification in the notification step in a second storage unit (RAM
7 (other than the NVRAM area of FIG. 7)
(2)) and a transfer step of transferring print data transferred from the data processing device to the printing unit based on the print control program written in the second storage unit (step (FIG. 4) 5)), a print processing environment capable of processing print data received based on a print control program transferred from the data processing device with a minimum of memory resources can be freely constructed, and an inexpensive print system environment can be realized. Can be maintained.

Further, a printing device (printer) 2 via a predetermined communication medium (including a network and an interface).
A printing control method capable of communicating with the printing apparatus 2 or a storage medium storing a computer-readable program for performing communication processing by communicating with the printing apparatus 2 via a predetermined communication medium, wherein user identification information is input. Input step (steps (11) and (12) in FIG. 3), an acquisition step for acquiring authentication information from the printing apparatus when a print request is received (step (4) in FIG. 2), and An authentication step of collating the authentication information with the user identification information to authenticate whether or not the user can transfer print resource data corresponding to a print mode set by the printing apparatus to the printing apparatus (FIG. 2). (9)), and a transfer step (step (5) in FIG. 4) of transferring print resource data for processing print data based on the authentication result of the authentication step. Therefore, at the time of a print request, it is ensured that the user requesting printing is a legitimate user of the printing apparatus, and the situation that a print control program for processing print data is illegally used is reliably prevented. Thus, a print processing environment that can effectively prohibit a print request from an unauthorized user can be freely prepared.

[Second Embodiment] In the first embodiment,
A case has been described in which the CPU 5 is provided with the built-in ROM 6 and the print control program corresponding to the print mode is authenticated and loaded from the computer 1 on the RAM 7, but the built-in ROM 6 connected to the custom control circuit is connected. However, the present invention can be applied. Hereinafter, differences between the embodiments will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of a printing system to which a printing control apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention can be applied. The same reference numerals as in FIG. 1 denote the same parts. .

Referring to FIG. 5, reference numeral 5A denotes a CPU which stores a communication program, an initialization program, and the like stored in a built-in ROM 6 of the custom control circuit 5B, and controls each device as a whole.

Next, the printing sequence will be described with reference to the main part of the flowchart shown in FIG. Note that the authentication processing is the same as in the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

Then, the computer 1 that runs the printer software on the print data that has been converted to a state in which it can be printed as it is, the CPU 5A of the printing device 2
Is transferred to the recording unit 3 and printed on a recording medium (for example, paper), the recording medium (for example, paper) is fed by a required amount, and the recording element is moved to a required position. That is, the process performed by the printing apparatus 2 is only the process of printing the data received from the printer software on the recording medium.

When the printing of the printer software data is completed, the printer 2 shifts to a standby state. The transition to the standby state is at the end of the control program, and the address is transferred to the standby state program of the communication processing of the built-in ROM 6 of the custom control circuit 5B of the printing apparatus 2 shown in FIG.
The program moves to the U5A program counter. Then, it waits for the next instruction while waiting for communication from the computer 1. The above is the printing sequence of the printing apparatus.

Hereinafter, the configuration of a data processing program that can be read by a printing system to which the print control apparatus according to the present invention can be applied will be described with reference to a memory map shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a memory map of a storage medium storing various data processing programs that can be read by a printing system to which the data processing apparatus according to the present invention can be applied.

Although not shown, information for managing a group of programs stored in the storage medium, for example, version information, a creator, etc. are also stored, and information dependent on the OS or the like on the program reading side, for example, a program is stored in the storage medium. An icon or the like for identification display may also be stored.

Further, data dependent on various programs is also managed in the directory. In addition, a program for installing various programs on a computer or a program for decompressing a program to be installed when the program to be installed is compressed may be stored.

The functions shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 in the present embodiment may be executed by a host computer by a program installed from the outside.
In this case, the present invention is applied even when a group of information including a program is supplied to the output device from a storage medium such as a CD-ROM, a flash memory, or an FD, or from an external storage medium via a network. Things.

As described above, the storage medium storing the program codes of the software for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to the system or the apparatus, and the computer (or CPU or MP) of the system or the apparatus is supplied.
It goes without saying that the object of the present invention is also achieved when U) reads and executes the program code stored in the storage medium.

In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the novel function of the present invention, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.

As a storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, a floppy disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, CD-ROM, C
DR, magnetic tape, nonvolatile memory card, RO
M, EEPROM and the like can be used.

When the computer executes the readout program code, not only the functions of the above-described embodiment are realized, but also the OS (Operating System) running on the computer based on the instruction of the program code. ) And the like perform part or all of the actual processing, and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments.

Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written into a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, based on the instruction of the program code, The CPU provided in the function expansion board or function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing,
It goes without saying that a case where the function of the above-described embodiment is realized by the processing is also included.

According to each of the above embodiments, the print control program is managed on the data processing apparatus side independently of the printing apparatus main body, and all print control programs and print font resources are supplied in the form of printer driver software. Therefore, even if a defect (including a bug) of the print control program occurs after the mass production of the printing apparatus main body, it is possible to respond quickly and freely by supplying the software without collecting the product. . That is, the latest printer control program can be easily distributed to the user in the form of a network or some storage medium, so that functions can be extended or problems can be eliminated.

Further, it is possible to improve the printer function by using only the print control program by using the same print control apparatus body. Thereby, the performance of the printer can be changed from the value of the conventional hardware to the value of the software, and the value of the software can determine the value of the printer. Therefore, since the performance differentiation can be set by software resources as a common printing control device main body, mass production can be achieved by commonization of hardware, resulting in a dramatic reduction in main body cost and quality associated therewith. And maintenance costs are drastically reduced. As a result, the quality of the traditional printer business has changed,
Business efficiency can be improved.

Further, it is possible to reliably prevent unauthorized printing due to unauthorized copying that would occur as a result of the added value of the printer system being integrated into the printer control program.

Further, since only the print control program based on the currently used print mode is stored in the volatile memory of the main body, it is not necessary to always secure a memory space for programs and fonts with a low printing frequency. Mr. can improve wing efficiency.

Further, the non-volatile memory capacity of the printing apparatus can be suppressed to the limit (because the print control program is not stored in advance), and it is possible to sufficiently cope with severe product price competition.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the supply of the print control program to the printing apparatus can be controlled without deteriorating the original data processing ability with the dramatic improvement in the CPU capacity of the data processing apparatus. A situation in which the performance of the printing system is reduced can be avoided.

[0082]

As described above, the first embodiment according to the present invention is described.
According to the invention, there is provided a print control device which communicates with a data processing device via a predetermined communication medium to control print of a printing unit, and stores authentication information to be notified to the data processing device. Storage means, notifying means for notifying the data processing apparatus of the authentication information stored in the first storage means in response to a request from the data processing apparatus, and after notifying the notifying means, the data processing apparatus Second storage means for storing a print control program transferred from
And control means for transferring print data transferred from the data processing apparatus to the printing unit based on the print control program stored in the storage means. A print processing environment capable of processing print data received based on a print control program can be freely constructed, and an inexpensive printing system environment can be maintained.

According to the second and third aspects of the present invention, there is provided a print control apparatus capable of communicating with a printing apparatus via a predetermined communication medium, wherein the storage means stores print resource data that can be transferred to the printing apparatus. Input means for inputting user identification information;
An acquisition unit that acquires authentication information from the printing device when a print request is received, and prints corresponding to the set print mode of the printing device by comparing the authentication information acquired by the acquisition unit with the user identification information. An authentication unit for authenticating whether or not the user can transfer the resource data to the printing apparatus; and controlling transfer of the print resource data stored in the storage unit to the printing apparatus based on an authentication result of the authentication unit. A print control program for processing print data by authenticating whether or not a user who requests printing is a legitimate user of the printing apparatus when a print request is issued. In this way, it is possible to reliably prevent a printing request from an unauthorized user and effectively provide a print processing environment that can effectively prohibit printing requests from unauthorized users.

According to the fourth aspect, when the authentication means authenticates that the user is not a transferable user to the printing apparatus, the control means notifies the unauthorized use state. Can be specified.

According to the fifth aspect, the authentication information includes product identification information having different attributes, user identification information, and user identification information writing confirmation information for managing the user identification information in a non-rewritable state. An authorized user based on authentication information unique to the printing apparatus can be easily authenticated.

According to the sixth aspect, since the first storage means is constituted by a nonvolatile memory medium, the registered authentication information can be effectively managed.

According to the seventh aspect, since the second storage means is constituted by a volatile memory medium, the latest print control program can always be obtained from a data processing apparatus and executed by using inexpensive memory resources. Can be.

According to the eighth aspect, the control means determines whether or not the user identification information writing confirmation information in the authentication information acquired from the printing apparatus is in an unwritten state, and determines the newly input user identification information. Since the user identification information is transferred to the printing apparatus, the user identification information registered once can be managed as non-rewritable.

[0089] According to the ninth aspect, the control means registers the user identification information and product identification information to be newly registered transferred from the data processing device in the first storage means, and registers the user identification information. Since the user identification information writing confirmation information is set to the writing state in order to manage the user identification information in the non-rewritable state, the user identification information and the product identification information once registered can be managed as non-rewritable.

The tenth and eleventh inventions relate to a printing control method for controlling printing of a printing unit by communicating with a data processing device via a predetermined communication medium, or a data processing method for controlling a printing process via a predetermined communication medium. A storage medium storing a computer-readable program that communicates with an apparatus and controls printing of a printing unit, and stores the authentication information stored in a first storage unit in response to a request from the data processing apparatus. A notification step of notifying the data processing device, a writing step of writing a print control program transferred from the data processing device to the second storage unit after the notification of the notification unit, and a writing step of writing the print control program in the second storage unit. Transferring the print data transferred from the data processing device to the printing unit based on the print control program. The print processing environment capable of processing print data received based on the print control program that is transferred from the data processing apparatus constructed freely, can establish an inexpensive printing system environment.

The twelfth and thirteenth inventions are print control methods capable of communicating with a printing device via a predetermined communication medium,
Alternatively, a storage medium storing a computer-readable program for performing communication processing by communicating with a printing apparatus via a predetermined communication medium, wherein an input step of inputting user identification information; and An acquisition step of acquiring authentication information from an apparatus, and comparing the authentication information and the user identification information acquired by the acquisition step with print resource data corresponding to a print mode set by the printing apparatus to the printing apparatus; Since there is an authentication step of authenticating whether or not the user is transferable, and a transfer step of transferring print resource data for processing print data based on the authentication result of the authentication step, printing is performed at the time of a print request. The print control program that processes the print data by authenticating whether the user requesting the And surely avoided that the Mau happens, serviceable freely printing environment capable of effectively prohibiting the print request from unauthorized users.

Therefore, a print processing environment that is effective for regular users who can always perform print information processing based on the latest print control program without imposing a memory resource burden on the printing apparatus is provided, and the print function to be expanded. This makes it possible to easily construct a printing system capable of maximizing the use of an image.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a printing system to which a print control device according to a first embodiment of the present invention can be applied.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a first data processing procedure in the print control apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a first data processing procedure in the print control apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a second data processing procedure in the print control apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a printing system to which a print control device according to a second embodiment of the present invention can be applied.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a memory map of a storage medium that stores various data processing programs that can be read by a printing system to which the data processing device according to the present invention can be applied.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Computer 2 Printing device 3 Recording part 4 Controller 5 CPU 6 Built-in ROM 7 RAM

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. A print control device for communicating with a data processing device via a predetermined communication medium to control printing of a printing unit, wherein the first storage stores authentication information to be notified to the data processing device. Means, notifying means for notifying the data processing apparatus of the authentication information stored in the first storage means in response to a request from the data processing apparatus, and after notifying the notifying means, A second storage unit for storing the transferred print control program, and transferring the print data transferred from the data processing device to the printing unit based on the print control program stored in the second storage unit. And a control means. 2. A print control device capable of communicating with a printing device via a predetermined communication medium, comprising: storage means for storing print resource data that can be transferred to the printing device; and input means for inputting user identification information. An acquisition unit for acquiring authentication information from the printing device when a print request is received, and comparing the authentication information acquired by the acquisition unit with the user identification information to correspond to a print mode set by the printing device. An authentication unit for authenticating whether or not the user is a user who can transfer print resource data to the printing apparatus; and transferring the print resource data stored in the storage unit to the printing apparatus based on an authentication result of the authentication unit. And a control unit for controlling the print control. 3. The print control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the print resource data stored in the storage unit includes a print control program for processing print data transferred subsequently. 4. The print control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control unit notifies the unauthorized use state when the authentication unit authenticates that the user is not a user who can transfer to the printing apparatus. 5. The authentication information according to claim 1, wherein the authentication information includes product identification information having different attributes, user identification information, and user identification information writing confirmation information for managing the user identification information in a non-rewritable state. Or the print control device according to 2. 6. The print control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first storage means is constituted by a nonvolatile memory medium. 7. The printing control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said second storage means is constituted by a volatile memory medium. 8. The control unit determines whether the user identification information writing confirmation information in the authentication information acquired from the printing device is in a non-written state, and transfers the newly input user identification information to the printing device. 3. The printing control device according to claim 2, wherein: 9. The control unit registers user identification information and product identification information to be newly registered transferred from the data processing device in the first storage unit, and manages the user identification information in a non-rewritable state. 2. The printing control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the user identification information writing confirmation information is set to a writing state in order to perform the writing. 10. A printing control method for controlling printing of a printing unit by communicating with a data processing device via a predetermined communication medium, wherein the printing control method stores the data in a first storage unit in response to a request from the data processing device. A notifying step of notifying the data processing apparatus of the authentication information to be performed; a writing step of writing a print control program transferred from the data processing apparatus to a second storage unit after notifying of the notifying step; And a transfer step of transferring print data transferred from the data processing device to the printing unit based on the print control program written in the storage unit. 11. A storage medium storing a computer-readable program that communicates with a data processing device via a predetermined communication medium and performs printing control of a printing unit, the storage medium storing a computer-readable program in response to a request from the data processing device. A notification step of notifying the data processing device of the authentication information stored in the first storage means, and a print control program transferred from the data processing apparatus to the second storage means after the notification of the notification step. A writing step of writing, and a transfer step of transferring print data transferred from the data processing device to the printing unit based on the print control program written in the second storage means. A storage medium that stores a computer-readable program. 12. A print control method capable of communicating with a printing apparatus via a predetermined communication medium, comprising: an inputting step of inputting user identification information; and obtaining authentication information from the printing apparatus when receiving a print request. Whether the user can transfer the print resource data corresponding to the set print mode of the printing apparatus to the printing apparatus by comparing the authentication information obtained by the obtaining step with the user identification information. And a transfer step of transferring print resource data for processing print data based on an authentication result of the authentication step. 13. A storage medium storing a computer-readable program for performing communication processing by communicating with a printing apparatus via a predetermined communication medium, comprising: an inputting step of inputting user identification information; and receiving a print request. An acquisition step of acquiring authentication information from the printing apparatus, and comparing the authentication information and the user identification information acquired by the acquisition step with print resource data corresponding to a set print mode of the printing apparatus. An authentication step of authenticating whether or not the user can be transferred to the printing apparatus; and a transfer step of transferring print resource data for processing print data based on an authentication result of the authentication step. A storage medium storing a computer-readable program as a feature.