KR20240044644A - Print setting customization of printer driver - Google Patents

Abstract

According to one example, a method of managing a printer driver by user account includes checking a first user account associated with a printer driver installed on a host device, and, for printing functions supported by the printer driver, available by the first user account. It includes determining settings of the printing function, and displaying the settings of the printing function on a user interface device of the host device. The printer driver may be associated with a plurality of user accounts including the first user account, and for each of the plurality of user accounts, settings of printing functions supported by the printer driver may be customized.

Description

Customizing the print settings of the printer driver {PRINT SETTING CUSTOMIZATION OF PRINTER DRIVER}

Types of image forming devices include individual devices such as printers, scanners, copiers, and facsimiles, and there are also multi-function products (MFPs) that integrate the functions of these individual devices into one device.

A printer driver is installed on the host device connected to the image forming device to control the printing feature through the image forming device, and a plurality of image forming devices are networked locally or remotely from the host device. Printing function control can also be performed using a universal printer driver (UPD).

FIG. 1 is a diagram conceptually illustrating the configuration of a host device according to an example.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a printing function and permission information storage for each account according to an example.
Figure 3 is a diagram for explaining a settings storage for each printing function according to an example.
FIG. 4 is an example flowchart illustrating a method for managing each user account of a printer driver according to an example.
FIG. 5 is an example flowchart for explaining the operation of determining settings for the printing function shown in FIG. 4.
FIG. 6 is an example flowchart illustrating an operation of adding a new setting for a printing function according to an example.
FIG. 7 is an example flowchart illustrating a modification operation for settings of a printing function according to an example.
FIG. 8 is an example flowchart illustrating a switching operation of a user account logged into a printer driver according to an example.
9A-9E are diagrams illustrating example printing functions supported by a printer driver according to an example and example interfaces for customizing settings of the printing functions.
Figure 10 is a schematic configuration diagram of a computer-readable recording medium including instructions according to an example.

A printer driver is a program that converts a print job transmitted from an application of a host device, such as a computer device, to an image forming device into commands that can be interpreted by the image forming device and transmits them to the image forming device. The printer driver includes a unique printer driver for each type of image forming device, or a universal printer driver (UPD) that can support multiple image forming devices with one driver.

A printer driver installed on the host device to control the image forming device may support a user account login function. That is, a plurality of user accounts (also referred to as login accounts or accounts, etc.) may be created for the printer driver, and printer driver settings and use may be associated with each user account. In this way, the user can use multiple accounts for use in the printer driver, and if necessary, log in to the printer driver with the desired user account and use the image forming device through the printer driver. As a non-limiting example, in UPD, a user can log in to UPD with a desired user account and select a printer model to use in UPD.

Additionally, the printer driver can support various printing features related to the image forming device. For example, non-limiting examples of supported printing functions may include a watermark function, a preset function, a custom size function, a special page function, etc. A user can configure settings for printing functions supported by a printer driver through a printer driver, for example, through an application supported by the printer driver, and use them for a print job. For example, if the printer driver supports the watermark function, the user must specify the details (detailed setting values) of the watermark settings to be used in the print job of the printer driver, such as the position and size at which the watermark will be displayed on the printing paper; You can customize the angle, font to apply, etc., and save these set details as a setting for the watermark function to use them repeatedly. Multiple settings can be created, saved, and used for each printing function supported by the printer driver. In the example of the watermark function, when using multiple watermark shapes, the watermark function can be used by configuring settings for each shape.

The problem to be solved according to one example is to support printing function management for each user account, which allows each user account to create, use, and share the printing function settings of the printer driver. Each setting of the created print function can allow read/write from other user accounts depending on the given access rights. Additionally, the user experience can be improved by providing a function to switch the printer driver's user account to a user account corresponding to each network environment depending on the network environment to which the host device is connected.

A method of managing a printer driver by user account according to an example includes the steps of checking a user account associated with a printer driver installed on a host device, setting the printing function available by the user account for the printing function supported by the printer driver. It may include determining and displaying the settings of the printing function on the user interface device of the host device. A printer driver may be associated with a plurality of user accounts, and for each of the plurality of user accounts, settings of printing functions supported by the printer driver may be customized. Accordingly, in a printer driver that supports logging in with multiple user accounts, printing functions can be created, saved, and used customized for each user account, and by setting access rights to multiple accounts as needed, the user can Depending on the purpose, you can use customized printing functions for each account.

Hereinafter, the terms used in the present disclosure have selected general terms that are currently widely used as much as possible while considering the functions in the present disclosure, but this may vary depending on the intention or precedent of a person working in the art, the emergence of new technology, etc. In addition, in certain cases, there are terms arbitrarily selected by the applicant, and in this case, the meaning will be described in detail in the description part of the relevant disclosure. Therefore, the terms used in this disclosure should be defined based on the meaning of the term and the overall content of this disclosure, rather than simply the name of the term.

When it is said that a part "includes" a certain element throughout the specification, this means that, unless specifically stated to the contrary, it does not exclude other elements but may further include other elements.

Terms such as “first” and “second” may be used to describe various components, but these components should not be limited by these terms. That is, terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, a first component may be referred to as a second component, and similarly, the second component may be referred to as a first component without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The term “and/or” includes any combination of a plurality of related stated items or any of a plurality of related stated items.

Throughout the specification, “image forming job” may refer to various tasks related to images, such as forming an image or creating, storing, or transmitting an image file, and “job” refers to an image forming job. In addition, it may mean that it includes all the series of processes necessary to perform the image forming task. “Image forming operations performed in an image forming device” may include, but are not limited to, operations related to printing, copying, scanning, faxing, storage, transmission, coating, etc.

Additionally, “image forming device” means any device capable of performing image forming tasks, such as a printer, scanner, fax machine, multi-function printer (MFP), or display device. can do. Additionally, the image forming device may be a 2D image forming device or a 3D image forming device. These image forming devices can not only provide basic functions such as copying, printing, and scanning, but can also provide various additional functions.

Additionally, “electronic device”, “electronic device”, or “user device” may mean any information processing device that can be used by a user, such as a computer, laptop, tablet PC, mobile phone terminal, etc.

In addition, “host device” may refer to a device that is connected to the image forming device and controls various functions of the image forming device, and may include electronic devices, electronic devices, and user devices connected to the image forming device through a wired or wireless network. You can.

In addition, terms such as “unit,” “module,” and “engine” refer to a unit that processes at least one function or operation, and include a hardware component such as a processor or circuit, or a hardware component. It may be implemented as a software component executed by, and/or a combination thereof.

Below, with reference to the attached drawings, an example of the present disclosure will be described in detail so that those skilled in the art can easily practice it. However, the present disclosure may be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the examples described herein. In addition, it can be understood that technical features described individually in one drawing in this specification may be implemented individually or simultaneously.

Hereinafter, examples will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram conceptually illustrating the configuration of a host device according to an example.

Referring to FIG. 1 , the host device 100 according to an example may include a processing unit 110, a memory 120, and a user interface device 130. However, the configuration of the host device 100 is not limited to that shown in FIG. 1 . For example, the host device 100 may further include components not shown in FIG. 1, such as a power supply unit for supplying power to each component, a communication unit for communicating with an external device, or other components, Alternatively, it may not include at least one of the configurations shown in FIG. 1. Additionally, it can be understood by those skilled in the art that the host device 100 is not limited to one device or may be composed of a plurality of devices connected to each other.

The processing unit 110 is a component that generally controls and performs functions that can be provided by the host device 100 and may include a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), etc. For example, the processing unit 110 may execute commands/instructions stored in the memory 120. Additionally, the processing unit 110 can read information stored in the memory 120. In addition, the processing unit 110 can store new information in the memory 120 and update information that has already been stored. For example, the processing unit 110 may obtain information necessary for controlling the host device 100 from the memory 120 or store it in the memory 120 .

The processing unit 110 may include an account manager 111, an account storage manager 112, a UI manager 113, and a printing function manager 114. Here, each manager 111, 112, 113, and 114 refers to an element that performs an operation that can be processed by an information processing device such as a host device. In other words, these managers (111, 112, 113, 114) mean a unit that processes at least one function or operation, and each of them is a hardware component such as a processor or circuit, and is executed by the hardware component. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that the implementation may be implemented as a software component, and/or a combination thereof, and therefore, it should not be construed as having to be performed by a specific component of the information processing device described by way of example. Additionally, it should be understood that these are not necessarily independently distinguished and may be implemented as a single module or a combination of several modules. For example, it will be understood that the processing unit 110 may be implemented as a component of a printer driver to control and perform the functions of the printer driver installed in the host device.

The account manager 111 manages login/logout procedures for a printer driver that supports a login function through a user account. When a user logs in to the printer driver with a given user account, information related to the user account is transmitted to the account storage manager 112, which will be described later, to request user setup for use of the printer driver with the user account. When a user logs out of the printer driver, the account manager 111 requests the account storage manager 112 to cancel the user account set as the current user account of the printer driver.

In this specification, the expression that a user account is linked to a printer driver means that the user logs in to the printer driver using a specific user account and that the user has a guest account (also referred to as a common account), that is, can be used by multiple people. This includes cases where the printer driver is used using a permitted account. Here, the guest account may be accompanied by inputting a password, etc., or alternatively, it may include an account used by default in the printer driver when the printer driver is used directly without a separate login process without entering a password, etc. It must be understood that it exists. More details are explained in detail in the section related to the corresponding operation.

Here, it should be understood that the user account used to log in to the printer driver is a separate account from the user account used to log in to the electronic device (eg, host device) on which the printer driver is installed. As an example, a user may log in to the host device with a user account for use of the host device in order to start up the host device, and then use a user account for the printer driver to use various applications installed on the host device, such as a printer driver. You can log in to the printer driver using . Therefore, it should be understood that the user account for the host device and the user account for the printer driver can be distinguished like this.

Additionally, users can create multiple user accounts to log in to the printer driver and use one account as needed. For example, you can create a user account for business use and a user account for personal use, and use different settings for the printer driver associated with each account.

The account repository manager 112 performs setup and management of user accounts linked to the printer driver through the account information DB 121, which will be described later, and provides printing functions and permission information to be applied to each user account. Manages the mapping of repositories to When receiving a user setting request from the account manager 111 along with user account information logged into the printer driver, the account storage manager 112 links the current printer driver to the account information DB 121 based on the received user setting request. Set up a user account. Additionally, the account storage manager 112 checks whether a printing function and permission information storage that should be referenced when providing the printing function of the printer driver exists in relation to the user account currently associated with the printer driver, and if not present, the corresponding user account. A printing function and authority information repository to be referenced for an account is created in the account-specific printing function and authority information repository 122, which will be described later, and the reference location of the created repository is stored in the account information DB 121.

The UI manager 113 creates, modifies, and manages settings for the printing function of the printer driver. The UI manager 113 allows the user to customize and use the settings of any one of the printing functions supported by the printer driver as needed. For example, the UI manager 113 displays a UI, that is, a user interface, on the user interface device 130 of the host device 100, and receives each setting value of the print function setting and user account information from the user through the user interface. Upon receiving an input containing data necessary for configuring settings, such as access rights, etc., the data required for creating settings for the corresponding printing function among the received inputs is transferred to the printing function manager 114, which will be described later, to the printing function manager 114. ) configures the settings for the corresponding printing function and makes it available in the printer driver. In addition, the UI manager 113 reads the settings of the printing function available to the user through the user account currently linked to the printer driver from the settings storage 123 for each printing function, which will be described later, and displays them on the printer driver's interface, etc. You can.

The printing function manager 114 is responsible for creating and managing each printing function supported by the printer driver. For each printing function, the settings desired by the user are created for each printing function, and stored and managed in the settings storage 123 for each printing function of the memory 120, which will be described later, so that the printer driver can use them.

The memory 120 can be implemented using various storage media such as RAM or ROM that stores data. Various types of information can be stored in this memory 120. For example, instructions executable by the processing unit 110 may be stored in the memory 120 .

Memory 120 may store information required by a method and system that provides customization of printing functions supported by a printer driver according to an example. In one example, the memory 120 may include an account information DB 121, a printing function and authority information storage 122 for each account, and a settings storage 123 for each printing function. Therefore, the settings of the printing function supported by the printer driver can be customized for each of the plurality of user accounts associated with the printer driver, and the printer driver retrieves the settings of the printing function stored in association with the user account from the memory of the host device. Based on what is read, management operations for each user account of the printer driver can be performed. This will be described later.

The account information DB (account information DB) 121 contains current user information, i.e., user account information and storage information associated with the current printer driver, i.e., account-specific printing function and permission information storage to be referenced for each user account (122). ) contains location information. In the example of Figure 1, when a user logs in to the printer driver with a user account called “User 1”, the user account can be set as the current user in the account information DB. The account information DB 121 provides information indicating that the printing function and permission information that “User 1” can use in the printer driver can refer to the first user store among the account-specific printing function and permission information storage 122. It is being saved.

The account-specific printing function and permission information storage 122 includes information related to the use of the printing function of the printer driver for each user account. Referring to FIG. 2, the printing function and authority information storage 122 for each account will be described. The information stored in the account-specific printing function and permission information storage 122 includes the printing feature(s) that can be used by the corresponding user account, the setting(s) (configuration/setting) of each printing function (e.g., (detailed setting values of each printing function setting, etc.), and information on permissions for each setting. In one example, a plurality of user accounts are associated with a printer driver, and the printing function(s) available by each of these user accounts, the setting(s) of each printing function, and the permissions for each setting are provided. Information is saved.

In the example of Figure 2, the printer driver supports the pre-print option function, watermark function, custom paper size function, and special page function, and the account registered to use the printer driver is a guest account, the first user account through the nth user account. This explains the case where there is a user account. The guest account printing function and authority information storage 122-0 includes a preprint option and a watermark as printing functions available to the guest account, and in the case of the preprint option, the first common preprint setting and the second common dictionary are the settings. Print settings are available, and in the case of a watermark, information indicating that a first common watermark setting is available as the setting is stored. For example, in the case of a guest account, common settings that can be commonly used by all accounts can be used. Additionally, permission information for each setting is stored in the guest account printing function and permission information storage (122-0). For example, for each setting, information on whether the account has read-only or read/write permissions is stored together. The above-described processing unit 110, for example, the account storage manager 112, refers to the guest account printing function and authorization information storage 122-0 when the printer driver is used in conjunction with a guest account, You can obtain information such as the printing functions of the printer driver that can be provided, the settings of each printing function, and access rights to the settings.

Likewise, in the example of FIG. 2, the first user account printing function and permission information storage 122-1 to the nth user account printing function and permission information storage 122-n are respectively the first user account to the nth user account. Stores available printing functions, settings for each printing function, and access rights to each setting. For example, in the case of the first user account, the first preprint settings can be used and read/write permissions are granted, and the second preprint settings can be used, but read-only permissions are granted, so the setting values of the corresponding settings cannot be modified. is not allowed. As can also be appreciated, user accounts other than the guest account may use the settings of each printing function available by the guest account, that is, common settings of each printing function.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the settings storage 123 for each printing function stores details of common settings and customized settings (eg, setting values, etc.) for each printing function supported by the printer driver. The settings storage 122 for each printing function will be described with reference to FIG. 3.

In the example of Figure 3, the printing functions supported by the printer driver include a pre-print option function, a watermark function, a custom paper size function, and a special page function. The settings storage 123 for each printing function stores settings commonly available to all user accounts for each printing function and customized settings created by the user, so that they can be used by a printer driver, for example, the UI manager 113 of the processing unit 110, etc. may be referenced. In the example of FIG. 3, the pre-print setting storage 123-1 may store detailed settings for each setting that can be applied in the pre-print option function (eg, whether to print on both sides, printing paper size, etc.). The watermark settings storage 123-2 stores detailed settings for each setting that can be applied in the watermark function (e.g., watermark alignment position, vertical and horizontal offset values, message to be displayed, display angle of the message to be displayed, font to be used) etc.) can be saved. The custom paper size setting storage 123-3 can store detailed settings (eg, paper width and width value) for each setting that can be applied in the custom paper size function. The special page settings storage 123-4 can store detailed settings for each setting that can be applied in the special page function (e.g., whether to use a cover page, printing options to be applied to a specific page, etc.).

Referring again to FIG. 1, the user interface device 130 provides an input and/or output interface to a user using the host device 100. In one example, the user interface device 130 may include a display device that provides or outputs the status of the host device 100, a predetermined message, an installed application, etc., as well as a printer driver interface as an output interface. Such a display device may be implemented as a touch screen, for example. In one example, the user interface device 130 includes an input interface device that receives various inputs from a user. For example, a user can select a desired image forming task and select various options related to the image forming task through such an input interface device. Additionally, the user can execute an application installed on the image forming device 100 through the input interface device. Additionally, the user can control the printer driver and use the printer driver's functions through the input interface device. These input interface devices may be implemented to include devices capable of receiving various types of user input, such as keyboards, keypads, physical buttons, touch pads, touch screens, etc.

As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the input interface device and the output interface device of the user interface device 130 may be implemented as separate components or may also be implemented as a single component. For example, when implemented as a touch screen, the touch screen may operate as an output interface device that provides output to the user and simultaneously operate as an input interface device that receives input from the user.

Below, a method for managing each user account of a printer driver according to several examples will be described. The method according to this example may be performed by the host device 100, for example, by a printer driver installed on the host device 100, and the printer driver of the host device 100 includes the above-described processing unit 110 and memory. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that it can be implemented by 120, user interface device 130, etc. Therefore, for convenience of explanation, hereinafter, a method for managing each user account of a printer driver will be described using the overall host device 100 as the main operating entity.

FIG. 4 is an example flowchart illustrating a method for managing each user account of a printer driver according to an example.

The method (S400) includes verifying a user account associated with a printer driver installed on the host device 100 (S410). For a printer driver that can be associated with multiple user accounts, when a user logs in to the printer driver for the image forming device with a user account given for use of the image forming device, e.g., a first user account, the host device ( 100) checks the user account associated with the printer driver, that is, the user account currently logged in to the printer driver. In one example, the user account currently using the printer driver can be confirmed by referring to the account information DB 121 updated by the account manager 111.

The method (S400) includes a step (S420) of determining settings of a printing function available by a user account for a printing function supported by a printer driver. If the user account confirmed in step S410 is the first user account, the print function(s) of the printer driver that can be used by the first user account and the setting(s) of each print function are retrieved from the memory 120, that is, account information. It can be obtained from the DB 121, the printing function and authority information storage for each account 122, and the settings storage for each printing function 123.

The method ( S400 ) includes displaying the acquired printing function settings on the user interface device 130 of the host device 100 ( S430 ). Therefore, when a user logs in with a user account given to the printer driver, each setting of the printing function of the printer driver that can be used with that user account (e.g., detailed settings for a specific watermark, detailed settings for a specific preprint option, etc.) You can use the printing functions supported by the printer driver by checking and selecting the desired settings. Additionally, the user's permission information for the settings of each printing function (e.g., read-only or read/write) may also be displayed.

If the user logs in with another user account, the settings of the print function corresponding to that user account will be provided to the user. If a guest account that does not log in is used, the settings of the print function corresponding to the guest account will be provided to the user. You can. Therefore, in a printer driver that can be linked to multiple user accounts, a printing function customized to each user account can be provided.

FIG. 5 is an example flowchart for explaining the operation of determining settings for the printing function shown in FIG. 4.

Step S420 includes obtaining a list of settings and permission information for each printing function available to the guest account (S421). In one example, a guest account includes an account that uses a print driver without being logged in to the printer driver. In other words, using a printer driver with a guest account does not mean using an account customized to a specific user, but rather an account that can be shared and used by multiple users. As in the example of FIG. 2, with reference to the guest account printing function and authority information storage 122-0, a list of the printing functions available to the guest account and the settings of each printing function and the authority information for each setting may be obtained. You can.

Step S420 includes obtaining a list of settings and authority information for each printing function available to the user account currently associated with the printer driver (S422). Printer driver If the currently associated account is the first user account, as in the example of FIG. 2, refer to the first user account printing function and authorization information storage 122-1 to determine the printing functions available to the first user account and A list of settings for each printing function and permission information for each setting may be obtained.

Step S420 includes a step S423 of obtaining settings for each printing function corresponding to the obtained list. In one example, if the first user account is currently associated with the printer driver, in the aforementioned steps (S421 and S422), a list of settings of each print function available by the guest account and the first user account has been obtained, Details of each setting included in the list can be obtained by referring to the corresponding printing function-specific settings storage 123. For example, in the example of Figure 2, the first user account may use the first preprint setting, the second preprint setting, the first watermark setting, and the first custom paper size setting, and the guest account may use the first common preprint setting. settings, first common preprint settings, and first common watermark settings. Accordingly, the first user account can use the settings of the printing function that can be used by its own account and the settings of the printing function that can be used by the guest account through the printer driver. The host device 100 may obtain detailed settings for each printing function by referring to the settings storage 123 for each printing function as described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3 .

By displaying the settings of the printing function obtained in this way, for example, on the interface of the printer driver, the user can check the customized printing function and its settings (setting values, etc.) available from the user account to which the user is currently logged in and use the corresponding function. You can use it. Additionally, the user's permission information for the settings of each printing function (e.g., read-only or read/write) may also be displayed.

FIG. 6 is an example flowchart illustrating an operation of adding a new setting for a printing function according to an example.

Users can create customized settings as needed when using the printing function supported by the printer driver. A method (S600) of adding new settings for a printing function according to an example to support this function is described with reference to FIG. 6.

The method (S600) includes receiving a request to create a new setting for a printing function, and receiving the creation request (S610). In one example, the user specifies customized settings for the printing function to be used through the UI of the printer driver displayed on the user interface device 130 by the UI manager 113 of the host device 100 to perform the printing function. You can create settings for . For example, a user using a printer driver that supports the custom paper size function can request the creation of a new setting while specifying setting values such as a new width and paper width.

The method S600 includes creating new settings for the requested printing function and storing the created new settings in a corresponding settings storage (S620). In one example, as described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3, settings applicable to each printing function may be stored in the memory 120, for example, the settings storage for each printing function 123 and referenced by a printer driver. In one example, when a user creates a new setting in the custom paper size function, the new setting with the user's customized settings is stored in the custom paper size settings storage 123-3 and referenced for use by the printer driver. It can be.

Method S600 includes associating a new setting made available for use with a current user account (S630). In other words, when the creation of new settings for the printing function is requested from a user account linked to the printer driver, the corresponding user account is selected in the printing function and permission information storage 122 for each account so that the created new settings can be used later. It records that the settings created in the corresponding repository are available and also records permission information. Permission information may be given both read/write permission to the user who creates the new settings, but is not necessarily limited thereto. In one example, if the user creates a new setting in the custom paper size function while logging in to the printer driver using the first user account, a new setting is created in the first user account printing function and permission information storage 122-1. Customized paper size settings are added to the list, and read/write permission (R/W) information can be matched and saved together.

The method (S600) may further include a step (S640) of checking whether an additional user account to which new settings will be linked exists. When creating new settings for the printing function, the user can share the new settings created with other user accounts other than the user account so that the new settings created in this way can be used even when logging in to the printer driver with another user account. . That is, a request to create a new setting may include data specifying access rights of another user account to the new setting.

If there is an additional user account to be linked, the method (S600) may further include a step (S640) of linking the new settings with the corresponding user account. In other words, when additional user account information to be shared and permission information to be assigned are entered in the request for creating a new setting, the host device 100 provides a printing function for each account and a storage corresponding to the user account among the permission information storage 122. It records that the settings created are available and also records permission information. Therefore, if you log in to the printer driver with a user account that is allowed to share, you can access new settings for the shared printing function, while if you log in to the printer driver with a user account that has not been added as a sharer, you can access the information. don't do it Steps S640 and S650 can be repeated for all user accounts that need to be shared.

FIG. 7 is an example flowchart illustrating a modification operation for settings of a printing function according to an example.

When using the printing function supported by the printer driver, the user can modify the settings to be applied as needed. A method (S700) of modifying the settings of the printing function according to an example to support this function is described with reference to FIG. 7.

The method (S700) includes receiving a request to modify the settings of the printing function (S710). In one example, input may be received from a user logged into the printer driver with a given user account requesting to modify the settings of a given printing function by changing some setting values in the interface of the printer driver. For example, in certain settings of the watermark function, a request to modify the position where the watermark will be displayed may be entered.

The method (S700) includes a step (S720) of checking whether the user account currently logged in to the printer driver, that is, the user account that entered the modification request, has read/write permissions for the settings for which modification is requested. As described above, each user account may have permissions for setting the printing function, and these permissions may include read-only permissions or read/write permissions. If the user account only has read-only permissions for the settings of the printing function (case “No”), the modification request will not be processed. If the user account has write permission (“Yes”), modify the settings according to the modification request. In other words, the setting value of the setting stored in the setting storage for each corresponding printing function is modified and stored, and when the setting is referenced later, the modified setting value is returned.

FIG. 8 is an example flowchart illustrating a switching operation of a user account logged into a printer driver according to an example.

In one example, the host device 100, for example, an event handler (not shown) of the host device 100, is configured to send a network message from the operating system of the host device 100 when an event related to a network to which the host device 100 is connected occurs. You can receive events. Such a network event may occur when the network environment to which the host device 100 is connected changes or when a user starts the host device 100 and performs a log-in process to the operating system installed on the host device 100. When receiving a network event, the host device 100 provides information that can identify the network environment to which the host device 100 is currently connected, such as the address of the connected network (e.g., gateway MAC address, etc.) into the operating system. You can receive it upon request.

The memory 120 of the host device 100 may store user account information that is matched to be used for logging in to a printer driver in each network environment to which the host device is connected. That is, the printer driver of the host device 100 may be used as a first user account corresponding to a specific preset network environment, and may be used as a second user account corresponding thereto in another preset network environment. For example, if the user uses the host device in the office, the user account currently used by the printer driver is switched so that the printer driver is used for the user's work email account, and the user uses the host device at home for personal purposes. When used, an operation may be performed to switch the user account currently used in the printer driver. To this end, when receiving a network event, the host device 100 provides information that can identify the network environment to which the host device 100 is currently connected, such as the address of the connected network (e.g., the gateway to which the host device is connected). MAC address, etc.) and user account information to be used for logging in of the corresponding printer driver (e.g., information such as email address/login ID and access password) are stored in the memory 120, for example, in the network of the memory 120. It can be stored in an identifier and account information storage (not shown). This matching information may be set by the user in advance, or may be automatically set and updated by checking the user account information when the user logs into the printer driver in each network environment, but this is not limited and may be set and updated in a given network environment and a given network environment. Other methods of storing and using mapped user accounts may also be used.

The method (S800) includes, in response to receiving a host network event, determining whether the network environment to which the host device 100 with the printer driver installed is connected is a preset network environment, for example, a first network environment (S810). do. In one example, when a network event occurs in the host device 100, for example, when the network environment to which the host device 100 is connected changes, the event handler of the host device may receive the network event from the operating system. Such a network event may occur in situations where the network to which the electronic device is connected is changed or when the user starts the electronic device and performs a log-in process to the operating system.

In one example, in order to determine whether the network to which the host device 100 is connected corresponds to the first network, a network identifier identifying the currently connected network environment is selected from the network identifier and account in the memory 120 of the host device 100. An operation may be performed to check whether the network identifier is included in a list of network identifiers stored in an information storage (not shown).

The method (S800) includes, in response to determining that the network environment to which the host device is connected is a first network environment, switching the user account used in the printer driver to a second user account corresponding to the first network environment (S820). Includes. In one example, in a situation where the printer driver of the host device is being used in conjunction with the first user account, when a network event indicating that the network environment to which the host device is connected has changed, a network identifier and memory (memory) identifying the changed network environment are generated. Based on the network identifier of 120) and the network identifier included in the account information storage, a second user account, which is a user account matched to be used in the changed network environment, can be obtained. If the acquired user account (e.g., second user account) is different from the account currently being used in the printer driver (e.g., first user account), change the user account to be used in the printer driver from the first user account to the second user account. It can be converted. If the first user account and the second user account are the same account, this operation can be terminated without performing any additional operation.

In one example, the user account switching step (S620) may be performed automatically without user intervention. In another example, a message inquiring whether to switch the user account is output to the interface device 130, etc., and then the user account is switched. It may proceed in response to receiving a response.

The method S800 includes, following a user account logged into the printer driver being switched from a first user account to a second user account, for a printing function supported by the printer driver, a printing function available by the second user account. It may include a step of determining the settings (S830). Step S830 may be the same as the operation previously described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, and details are referred to in the corresponding part and are not repeated here.

The method ( S800 ) includes displaying the obtained printing function settings on the user interface device 130 of the host device 100 ( S840 ). Step S840 may be the same as the operation previously described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, and details are referred to therein and are not repeated here.

Through the automatic selection of the login account as described above, the inconvenience of the user manually changing the login account according to changes in the environment is eliminated, while convenience is provided to the user by enabling the use of the printing function of the printer driver for each account desired by the user. can be provided. For example, if a user uses a laptop at work and then moves home to use the laptop, the above operation allows the printer driver to be set to be used from the business account used on the company network to the personal account used on the home network. there is.

9A-9E are diagrams illustrating example printing functions supported by a printer driver according to an example and example interfaces for customizing settings of the printing functions.

Figure 9a shows an interface 900 for customizing the settings of the watermark function supported by the printer driver. As can be seen in the interface 900, the user can create and use a setting of the watermark function by entering details (setting values) of the watermark function to be applied when printing through an image forming device. For example, a name value that identifies the setting (e.g., Watermark 1), type of watermark (e.g., text, image, etc.), message to be displayed in the watermark, arrangement of the watermark, vertical and horizontal offset, and display of the message. You can create and use settings for the watermark function by entering values such as angle and font properties. It is obvious that the specific values that must be input to use the watermark function are not limited to this and may differ depending on the implementation example.

In the example of FIG. 9A, the interface 900 includes an interface 910 that can set sharing permissions of other user accounts for setting the watermark function to be created. In the example of Figure 9, the user account that creates the settings for the watermark function is designated as the owner of the settings and is indicated in the figure as personal@gmail.com. An interface 910 is shown through which the owner can set the settings of the created watermark function to be shared with a specific user account, shared with all user accounts, or not shared with anyone. In addition, when sharing settings, whether to grant read permission to enable read/write (e.g., select the “Can edit” button at 910), or to grant only read permission (e.g., select “Can edit” button at 910). You can also set whether or not to select the “Can edit” button.

Figure 9b shows an interface 920 for customizing the settings of the preprint option function supported by the printer driver. As can be seen in the interface 920, the user can create and use a setting of the pre-print option function by entering details of the pre-print option function to be applied in printing through the image forming device. For example, you can create and use settings for the preprint option function by entering values such as a name value that identifies the setting (e.g., Custom01) and configurable print options (e.g., whether to print on both sides, print paper size, etc.). there is. It is obvious that the specific values that must be entered to use the preprint option function are not limited thereto and may differ depending on the implementation example.

In FIG. 9B , like the example in FIG. 9A , the interface 920 includes an interface 910 that can set sharing permissions for other user accounts for setting the preprint option function to be created.

Figure 9c shows an interface 930 for customizing the settings of the custom paper size function supported by the printer driver. As can be seen in the interface 930, the user can create and use a setting of the custom paper size function by entering details of the custom paper size function to be applied in printing through the image forming device. For example, create settings for the custom paper size function by entering values such as a name value that identifies the setting (e.g., Custom01) and the width and length of the paper to be customized (e.g., whether to print on both sides, print paper size, etc.). and can be used. It is obvious that the specific values that must be entered to use the custom paper size function are not limited to this and may differ depending on the implementation example.

In FIG. 9C , like the example in FIG. 9A , the interface 930 includes an interface 910 that can set sharing permissions for other user accounts for setting the custom paper size function to be created.

Figure 9d shows an interface 940 for customizing the settings of the special page function supported by the printer driver. As can be seen in the interface 940, the user can create and use a setting of the special page function by entering details of the special page function to be applied when printing through an image forming device. For example, create settings for the special page function by entering values such as name value to identify the setting, type of special page (e.g., front cover type, specific page type, etc.), tray to be used, and paper type. You can use it. It is obvious that the specific values that must be entered to use the special page function are not limited to this and may differ depending on the implementation example.

In FIG. 9D , like the example in FIG. 9A , the interface 940 includes an interface 910 that can set sharing permissions for other user accounts for the settings of the special page function being created.

Figure 9e shows an example of an interface in which settings for printing functions applicable to each user account are displayed when logging in to the printer driver with a given user account.

In the example of FIG. 9E, it is assumed that the available printing function is a watermark function. The interface 950 shows a case where a user logs in using personal@gmail.com and there are three watermark function settings (Watermark 1, Watermark 2, and Watermark 3) available to the user account. Interface 960 shows that when logging in with the user account user@business.com, there are two printing function settings available to the user account (Watermark 2, Watermark 3), unlike personal@gmail.com. do. As can be seen in the example shown, available settings may be different for each user account. The interface 970 shows a case where, when using a printer driver with a guest account, the available watermark function setting is one (Watermark 3), unlike the previous examples.

Meanwhile, the specific interface for displaying information is not limited to the example shown in this specification, and it can be understood that a person skilled in the art may implement the user interface of the printer driver arbitrarily without departing from the spirit disclosed in this specification. will be.

Figure 10 is a schematic configuration diagram of a computer-readable recording medium including instructions according to an example.

Each operation and method step performed by the host device described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9 can be implemented through a computer program programmed to perform each operation or step, and such computer program is stored in a computer-readable recording medium. It can be stored in and can be executed by the processor.

FIG. 10 illustrates each command of a computer program executed on the computer-readable recording medium 1000 by way of example. Let's take a look at the computer program stored in this computer-readable recording medium 1000 with reference to FIG. 10.

Referring to FIG. 10, when a computer program is executed by a processor of a computer, it includes instructions that cause the processor to perform an operation. The instructions include instructions (1010) that cause the computer to check the user account associated with the printer driver. ), a command 1020 that determines the settings of the print function available by the user account for the print function supported in the printer driver, and a command 1030 that displays the settings of the print function. A computer may include a host device.

Each operation or step described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9, including each instruction 1010, 1020, and 1030 shown in FIG. 10, is performed by a computer, according to execution of a computer program stored in the computer-readable recording medium 1000. For example, it is obvious that it can be performed by the host device 100 described above, and therefore, the previously described parts will be used for parts not described below.

Meanwhile, the computer-readable recording medium discussed above may be a non-transitory readable medium. At this time, a non-transitory readable medium refers to a medium that stores data semi-permanently and can be read by a device, rather than a medium that stores data for a short period of time, such as registers, caches, and memories. Specifically, programs for performing the various methods described above may be stored and provided in non-transitory readable media such as CD, DVD, hard disk, Blu-ray disk, USB, memory card, ROM, etc.

Additionally, according to one example, methods according to various examples disclosed in this document may be provided and included in a computer program product. Computer program products are commodities and can be traded between sellers and buyers. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g. compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM)) or online, such as through an application store (e.g. Play Store ^™ ). In the case of online distribution, at least a portion of the computer program product may be at least temporarily stored or created temporarily in a storage medium such as the memory of a manufacturer's server, an application store's server, or a relay server. Those skilled in the art can understand that online distribution is possible in various ways not described here.

Although the examples have been described with limited examples and drawings as described above, those skilled in the art can understand that various modifications and variations can be made from the above description. For example, the described techniques are performed in a different order than the described method, and/or components of the described system, structure, device, circuit, etc. are combined or combined in a different form than the described method, or other components are used. Alternatively, appropriate results may be achieved even if substituted or substituted by an equivalent.

The scope of the present disclosure should not be limited to the example described, but should be determined by the claims and equivalents thereof as well as the claims described later.

Claims (15)

verifying a first user account associated with a printer driver installed on the host device;
For printing functions supported by the printer driver, determining settings of the printing functions available by the first user account;
Displaying the setting of the printing function on a user interface device of the host device,
The printer driver may be associated with a plurality of user accounts including the first user account, and for each of the plurality of user accounts, settings of the printing function supported by the printer driver may be customized,
How to manage printer drivers by user account.
According to claim 1,
The plurality of user accounts are used to log in to the printer driver,
How to manage printer drivers by user account.
According to claim 1,
In response to receiving a request to create new settings for the printing function, creating the new settings for the printing function;
Associating the new setting with the first user account to make it usable for the first user account,
How to manage printer drivers by user account.
According to claim 1,
The plurality of user accounts include guest accounts that use the printer driver without logging in to the printer driver,
The guest account can use settings to which access rights are granted for the guest account among the common settings of the printing function and the settings of the printing function customized for each user account of the plurality of user accounts,
How to manage printer drivers by user account.
According to claim 3,
The creation request includes data specifying access rights of other user accounts to the new settings,
The method includes setting access rights of the other user account to the new settings for the printing function based on data specifying the access rights included in the creation request,
How to manage printer drivers by user account.
According to claim 1,
For printing functions supported by the printer driver, determining settings of the printing functions available by the first user account comprises: determining a setting of the printing function available by the first user account from a memory of the host device on which the printer driver is installed associated with the first user account; Including the step of reading the stored settings of the printing function,
How to manage printer drivers by user account.
According to claim 1,
The printing function includes at least one of a watermark function, a preset function, a custom size function, or a special page function,
How to manage printer drivers by user account.
According to claim 1,
The above method is,
In response to receiving a network event, determining whether the network environment to which the host device in which the printer driver is installed is connected is a first network environment;
In response to determining that the network environment to which the host device is connected is the first network environment, switching the user account used in the printer driver from the first user account to a second user account corresponding to the first network environment. The steps to do so,
For printing functions supported by the printer driver, determining settings of the printing functions available by the second user account;
displaying the setting of the printing function available by the second user account on a user interface device of the host device,
How to manage printer drivers by user account.
A computer-readable recording medium storing a computer program,
When the computer program is executed by a processor of a host device, the computer program causes the processor to
Confirm the first user account associated with the printer driver installed on the host device,
For printing functions supported by the printer driver, determine settings of the printing functions available by the first user account,
Operate to display the settings of the printing function on a user interface device of the host device,
The printer driver may be associated with a plurality of user accounts including the first user account, and for each of the plurality of user accounts, settings of the printing function supported by the printer driver may be customized,
Computer-readable recording medium.
According to clause 9,
The plurality of user accounts are used to log in to the printer driver,
Computer-readable recording medium.
According to clause 9,
When the computer program is executed by a processor of a host device, the computer program causes the processor to
In response to receiving a request to create new settings for the printing function, create the new settings for the printing function;
Operate to associate the new setting with the first user account to make it usable for the first user account,
Computer-readable recording medium.
According to clause 9,
The plurality of user accounts include guest accounts that use the printer driver without logging in to the printer driver,
The guest account can use settings to which access rights are granted for the guest account among the common settings of the printing function and the settings of the printing function customized for each user account of the plurality of user accounts,
Computer-readable recording medium.
According to clause 9,
When the computer program is executed by a processor of a host device, the computer program causes the processor to
In response to receiving a network event, determine whether the network environment to which the host device in which the printer driver is installed is connected is a first network environment,
In response to determining that the network environment to which the host device is connected is the first network environment, switching the user account used in the printer driver from the first user account to a second user account corresponding to the first network environment. order,
For printing functions supported by the printer driver, determine settings of the printing functions available by the second user account,
operative to display the settings of the printing function available by the second user account on a user interface device of the host device,
Computer-readable recording medium.
processor,
a memory for storing instructions, and
A host device including a user interface device, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the processor to:
Confirm the first user account associated with the printer driver installed on the host device,
For printing functions supported by the printer driver, determine settings of the printing functions available by the first user account,
Operate to display the settings of the printing function on a user interface device of the host device,
The printer driver may be associated with a plurality of user accounts including the first user account, and for each of the plurality of user accounts, settings of the printing function supported by the printer driver may be customized,
The plurality of user accounts are used to log in to the printer driver,
Host device.
According to claim 14,
When executed, the instruction causes the processor to
Upon receiving a network event, determine whether the network environment to which the host device on which the printer driver is installed is connected is a first network environment,
In response to determining that the network environment to which the host device is connected is the first network environment, switching the user account used in the printer driver from the first user account to a second user account corresponding to the first network environment. order,
For printing functions supported by the printer driver, determine settings of the printing functions available by the second user account,
operative to display the settings of the printing function available by the second user account on a user interface device of the host device,
Host device.

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