JP2000293342A - Computer system provided with monitoring function, computer processing method and computer readable recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve convenience for a user when the connection of a printer is in any manner while having a function monitoring abnormality of the printer. SOLUTION: It is discriminated whether the connecting manner of the printer of a print destination is local connection or network connection. When it is local connection, monitor processing that always performs abnormality monitoring every prescribed time (e.g. 30 msec) is carried out, and when it is network connection, monitor processing is carried out as long as it is in the middle of printing. Even though the printer frequently receives abnormality generated by other computers and abnormality notification from a printer whose prearranged use is low in a conventional manner in the case of the network connection, unneeded notification can be reduced due to the above configuration. Also, an item showing an error can be set independently every printer by including a monitor setting module performing the setting of a monitor inside the information setting module of a printer driver. Thus, unneeded notification can also be reduced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a computer device connected to a data processing device for performing data processing and having a function of monitoring an abnormality of the data processing device, a computer processing method and a computer employed in the computer device. The present invention relates to a readable recording medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a computer system having a printer, there has been known a computer system provided with a printer abnormality monitoring function so that the computer can know an abnormality such as running out of ink or paper in the printer. Have been. Such a computer has a monitor program for a printer, and executes the monitor program to perform a process of monitoring the printer for abnormalities. This monitor program is resident in the memory and used, and is executed by interruption every predetermined time. For this reason, by constantly monitoring the printer for abnormalities, the user can know the status of the printer not only during printing but also before printing.

[0003]

However, according to the conventional technique, when a computer is connected to a large number of computers and printers via a computer network, the computer frequently receives notification of a printer error. . These notifications include those that are not important to the user of this computer, such as those generated by other computers connected to the network or those sent from printers that are not going to be used. It is confusing for users to receive such notifications frequently. As a result, there is a problem that the usability of the computer is poor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems in the prior art, and has a function of monitoring printer abnormalities, and allows a user to operate the printer regardless of the connection mode of the printer. The purpose is to provide excellent usability.

[0005]

Means for Solving the Problems and Their Functions and Effects In order to solve such problems, a first apparatus of the present invention is connected to a data processing apparatus for processing data supplied from the outside and performs processing. A computer that executes various processes including an output process of outputting data to be output to the data processing device, a monitoring unit that monitors an abnormality of the data processing device, and a connection mode detection that detects a connection mode of the data processing device Means, and a monitoring time determining means for determining a monitoring time by the monitoring means in accordance with the detected connection form.

According to the above configuration, the time for monitoring the abnormality of the data processing device is determined according to the connection type of the data processing device. Therefore, an abnormality notification unnecessary for the user of the connection type is sent. For those that are easy, the timing of monitoring can be limited. Therefore, since unnecessary notifications can be reduced, an effect of being excellent in usability for the user is achieved.

In a computer device having a monitoring function having the above structure, the monitoring time determining means determines a monitoring time of the monitoring means in a data processing apparatus in which a detection result of the connection form detecting means is provided in a first area. When the detection result indicates connection to a data processing device provided in a second area larger than the first area, the data processing apparatus is always determined. And a configuration determined when the processing of the data is being executed.

According to this configuration, when connected to the data processing device provided in the second area larger than the first area, the monitoring processing is performed only during the data processing in the data processing apparatus. Otherwise, the monitoring process is not performed. Generally, a data processing device provided in a large area is more likely to be abnormal than a data processing device provided in a small area, but according to the above configuration, monitoring is not performed except during data processing. Monitoring opportunities are reduced, and users are less likely to receive unnecessary notifications.

In the above configuration, the connection to the data processing device provided in the first area is a local connection,
The connection to the data processing device provided in the second area may be a network connection.

According to this configuration, when the data processing device is connected to the network, the monitoring process is performed only during the data processing in the data processing device, and otherwise the monitoring process is not performed. Absent. Conventionally, in the case of a network connection, the user is often notified of an abnormality generated by another computer connected to the network or an abnormality generated by another data processing device that is not expected to be used. Since the monitoring is not performed except in the middle, the user does not frequently receive unnecessary notification.

In the first device, the data processing device may be a printer, and the processing in the data processing device may be a printing process.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to monitor the abnormality of the printer.

In the above configuration, the abnormality of the printer may be related to a plurality of items including at least a shortage of consumables used in the printer.

According to this configuration, it is possible to monitor the shortage of the consumables of the printer.

A second apparatus of the present invention is connected to a plurality of data processing apparatuses for processing data supplied from the outside, and outputs data to be processed to the selected data processing apparatus. In a computer device that executes various processes including: a monitoring unit that monitors an abnormality of the data processing device, and a monitoring item that limits the content of the abnormality monitored by the monitoring unit is set independently for each data processing device. And a monitoring item setting unit.

According to the above configuration, even if a plurality of data processing devices are connected, the monitoring item for monitoring the abnormality can be set independently for each data processing device. There is no notification of an abnormality for the processing device, and no notification of an abnormality for the item to be monitored. Therefore, since unnecessary notifications can be reduced, an effect of being excellent in usability for the user is achieved.

In the second apparatus having the above configuration, the data processing device may be a printer, and the processing in the data processing device may be a printing process.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to monitor an abnormality of the printer.

In the second apparatus having the above-mentioned configuration, a storage unit for storing a printer driver for setting various information for printing for each of the printers is provided, and the printer driver is provided for realizing the monitoring item setting unit. A configuration in which software is incorporated can be employed.

According to this configuration, it is possible to use the user interface of the printer driver to set the monitoring items for limiting the details of the abnormality. Therefore, it is excellent in usability also in terms of a user interface.

In the above configuration, the abnormality of the printer may be related to a plurality of items including at least a shortage of consumables used in the printer.

According to this configuration, it is possible to monitor the shortage of the consumables of the printer.

The first method of the present invention is employed in a computer connected to a data processing device for processing data supplied from the outside, and includes various processes including an output process for outputting data to be processed to the data processing device. A computer processing method for executing processing, wherein: (a) monitoring an abnormality of the data processing device; (b) detecting a connection mode of the data processing device; And a step of determining the timing of monitoring in the step (a) accordingly.

According to the first method of the present invention, as in the case of the first device of the present invention, there is an effect that the usability is excellent for the user.

The second method of the present invention is employed in a computer connected to a plurality of data processing devices for processing data supplied from the outside, and the data processing device selectively selects data to be processed. In a computer processing method for performing various processes including an output process for outputting to
(A) monitoring an abnormality of the data processing device;
(B) a step of independently setting a monitoring item for limiting the content of the abnormality monitored in the step (a) for each data processing device.

According to the second method of the present invention, as in the case of the second device of the present invention, there is an effect that the usability is excellent for the user.

[0027] The first recording medium of the present invention is connected to a data processing device for processing data supplied from the outside,
In a computer-readable recording medium recording a computer program used for a computer that executes various processes including an output process of outputting data to be processed to the data processing device, the computer program includes: A function for monitoring an abnormality of the device, (b) a function for detecting a connection mode of the data processing device, and (c) a function for determining a timing of monitoring by the function (a) according to the detected connection mode. Are realized by the computer.

According to the first recording medium of the present invention, similarly to the first apparatus or the first method of the present invention, there is an effect that the usability is excellent for the user.

The second recording medium of the present invention is connected to a plurality of data processing devices for processing data supplied from the outside, and outputs the data to be processed to the selected data processing device. In a computer-readable recording medium recording a computer program used for a computer that executes various processes including a process, the computer program includes: (a) a function of monitoring an abnormality of the data processing device; It is characterized in that the computer realizes a function of independently setting a monitoring item for limiting the content of an abnormality monitored by the function (a) for each data processing device.

According to the second recording medium of the present invention, similarly to the second apparatus or the second method of the present invention, there is an effect that the usability is excellent for the user.

[0031]

Other Embodiments of the Invention The present invention includes the following other embodiments. The first aspect is an aspect as a computer program that causes a computer to realize the functions of each step or each means of the above invention. The second aspect is
This is a mode as a data signal embodied in a carrier wave by including the computer program. A third aspect is an aspect as a program supply device that supplies a computer program via a communication path. In the third aspect, the above method and apparatus can be realized by placing the program on a server or the like on a network, downloading the necessary program to a computer via a communication path, and executing the program. .

[0032]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In order to further clarify the configuration and operation of the present invention described above, embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on examples. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of hardware of a computer system to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

As shown in FIG. 1, a computer 10 having a monitoring function according to this embodiment has another computer 10
0, the printers 110 and 120 having substantially computer functions, the server 130 having a shared database, and the like are connected to a local area network (LA).
N) Computer network 150 constructed by
Connected through. The network 150
Can be replaced with various networks such as the Internet, an intranet, and a wide area network (WAN) in place of a LAN.

A CRT display 12 and a printer 14 as peripheral devices are connected to the computer 10. The computer 10 includes a computer main body 16, a keyboard 18, and a mouse 20. The computer body 16 is equipped with a floppy disk drive 24 for reading the contents of the floppy disk 22. The printer 14 is a so-called laser printer that forms an image by irradiating a drum with a laser beam, develops the image with toner, and transfers the image to a sheet, and has substantially a computer function similarly to the printers 110 and 120. Note that the printer 1
As 4, various printers such as an ink jet printer and a thermal transfer printer can be applied.

The computer main body 16 includes a ROM 31, a RAM 32, a display image memory 33, a mouse interface 34, and a keyboard interface 3 which are mutually connected by a bus around a CPU 30 as a central processing unit.
5, an FDC 36, an HDC 37, a CRTC 38, a printer interface 39, and a network control circuit 40.

The ROM 31 is a read-only memory for storing various built-in programs and the like. RAM
Reference numeral 32 denotes a readable / writable memory for storing various data and the like. The display image memory 33 is a memory for storing image data of an image to be displayed on the CRT display 12. The mouse interface 34 is an interface that controls exchange of data and the like with the mouse 20. The keyboard interface 35 is an interface that manages key input from the keyboard 18. The FDC 36 is a floppy disk controller that controls the floppy disk drive (FDD) 24. HDC37,
A hard disk controller that controls a hard disk drive (HDD) 41. The CRTC 38 is a CRT controller that controls display of an image on the CRT display 12 based on display image data stored in the display image memory 33. Printer interface 3
An interface 9 controls output of data to the printer 14. The network control circuit 40 includes a network card or the like, and is connected to the computer network 150. In the case where the network 150 is a network formed by connecting a telephone line, the network control circuit 40 is configured by a modem.

In this computer system, the operating system is stored in the HDD 41. When the computer main unit 16 is powered on, the RAM 32 is operated according to the loader written in the boot block of the HDD 41.
Is loaded in a predetermined area. Further, a printer driver prepared for each model of the printer 14 is stored in the floppy disk 22 in advance, and is installed from the floppy disk drive 24 to the computer main body 16 by activating a predetermined installation program. This installed printer driver is HD
It is stored in D41 and is incorporated in the operating system when the computer main body 16 is powered on, and is loaded into a predetermined area of the RAM 32.

Next, various processes performed by the computer system having the hardware configuration described above will be described. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a state of processing from image information handled by the computer main body 16 to printing, and a state of processing for monitoring an abnormality of the printer. As shown in the drawing, an application program 51 running inside the computer main body 16 processes a CRT via a video driver 52 while performing image processing.
An image is displayed on the display 12. When the application program 51 issues a print command, a printer driver 53 in the computer main body 16 is issued.
Receives image information from the application program 51 and converts it into a signal printable by the printer.

In the example shown in FIG.
3, a rasterizer 54 that converts image information handled by the application program 51 into color information in dot units, and the printer 14 generates color in the image information (gradation data) converted into color information in dot units. A color correction module 55 for performing color correction in accordance with the characteristics of the above, a halftone that generates so-called halftone image information that expresses density in a certain area based on the presence or absence of ink in dot units from the image information after color correction A module 56 is provided.

In the printer driver 53,
An information setting module 57 for setting various information for printing by the printer 14 is provided. Various types of information for printing include basic settings for printing, such as print quality, color correction, and halftone type, paper size,
There are those related to paper settings such as the print direction. The information on the color correction set by the information setting module 57 is sent to the color correction module 55, and the information on the type of halftone is sent to the halftone module 56. The information setting module 57 transmits the CR through the video driver 52.
An image indicating the contents of the setting is displayed on the T display 12.

A monitor program 58 for monitoring an abnormality of the printer is provided inside the computer body 16.
(Corresponding to the monitoring means of the present invention).
Items to be monitored for abnormalities include “print paper size check” in which the print paper size exceeds the printable range, “communication error” related to data communication, “toner low” in which the amount of toner is below a predetermined amount, For example, there is a "low paper remaining amount" in which the printing paper is equal to or less than a predetermined amount. On the other hand, the printer driver 53
A monitor setting module 59 is provided inside the information setting module 57. Monitor setting module 5
9 selects a printer to be monitored by the monitor program 58 (that is, in the example of FIG.
Of the printers 110 and 120 connected to the network and the printers 110 and 120 connected to the network), and which of the plurality of abnormality monitoring items is to be notified. Yes, the information of these selection results is sent to the monitor program 58.

The printers 14, 110, and 120 have a function of detecting the status of the printer from various sensors.
The monitor program 58 requests the printer (for example, the printer 14) selected by the monitor setting module 59 for information on the status of the printer (hereinafter referred to as printer status information), and sends the printer status information to the printer. Receive from 14. Then, based on the printer status information, it is determined whether or not the item of the selected notification is abnormal. For the item determined to be abnormal, an error message is displayed on the CRT display 12 via the video driver 52.

Here, since the operation of each module except the monitor program 58 and the monitor setting module 59 is well known, the description is omitted in principle, and the monitor program 58 and the monitor setting module 59 are described below.
This will be described in detail below.

The monitor program 58 is stored in the floppy disk 22 in advance similarly to the printer driver 53, and is installed from the floppy disk drive 24 to the computer main body 16 by activating a predetermined installation program. . The installed printer driver is stored in the HDD 41, is incorporated into the operating system when the computer main body 16 is powered on, and is stored in the RAM 41.
It is loaded into 32 predetermined areas. Note that the software program of the printer driver 53 and the monitor program 58 are replaced with those stored on the floppy disk 22 and are replaced with another portable recording medium (portable recording medium) such as a CD-ROM, a magneto-optical disk, or an IC card. ) May be stored. These programs can also be obtained by downloading program data provided via a network from a specific server 48 connected to an external network and transferring the program data to the RAM 32 or the HDD 41.

The printer driver 53 can variously control printing by the printer 14 by changing the setting, but the user needs to make such setting in advance. The information setting module 57 performs the operation of setting various kinds of information for printing. Here, what operation the user performs by the operation of the information setting module 57 will be described first. In this description, the operating system on which the printer driver 53 operates is W
A description will be given by taking Windows 95 (a trademark of Microsoft Corporation) as an example. The name of the printer 14 is “PM-0”.
The description will be made assuming that it is "0".

The user operates the computer 10 as follows to open a dialog box for setting various information for printing. That is, the "Printer" window is opened by performing [Start] → [Settings] → [Printer]. Next, the window for the printer is opened by double-clicking the icon of the target printer on the window, here, the icon of “PM-00”. Then, from the window, select [Printer] →
Perform [Properties] to display a dialog box for setting various information about the printer.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the dialog box DB1. As shown in the figure, the dialog box DB1 contains “basic settings”, “layout”,
"Environment setting", four types of "utility" card C
D1, CD2, CD3, and CD4 are prepared. The "basic setting" card CD1 is used to set basic information relating to print quality, for example, information such as "paper type", "ink", "print quality", and "halftone". The “layout” card CD2 is used to set layout information for paper. The "environment setting" card CD3 is for setting environment information relating to printing. The “utility” card CD4 is for setting other useful information.

One of these cards CD1 to CD4 is selected by the operator by operating the mouse 20, and is displayed in the dialog box DB1. FIG. 3 illustrates a state where the card CD4 of “Utility” is displayed. In addition, card CD1
The classification of the contents of CD4 is not limited to the above example.
One card may be configured to include all the contents, or may be divided into four or more cards.

As shown in the figure, the "utility" card CD4 is provided with two data display fields ds1 and ds2 for displaying some information of the contents of the current setting of the printer driver. The first data display section ds1 displays information about “layout” in an illustration, and the second data display section ds2 displays information about “basic setting”. Also, on the "utility" card CD4, a check box cb1 for setting whether or not to monitor the printer by the above-described monitor program, and a printer window for displaying the status of the printer such as the remaining amount of paper and error information are activated. There are provided an icon ic as a switch for performing the operation, and a button bt as a switch for activating the monitor setting module 59 described above.

When the icon ic is clicked with the mouse 20, the printer specified by the printer driver is requested for printer status information, and predetermined information is extracted from the transmitted printer status information. Then, the extracted information is displayed in a window called a “printer window”. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of the printer window. As shown in the figure, a progress meter mt1 indicating the remaining amount of paper, a progress meter mt2 indicating the remaining amount of toner, and the like are displayed in the printer window PW.

Returning to FIG. 3, when the button bt is clicked with the mouse 20, a "monitor setting" dialog box is displayed. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram exemplifying a dialog box DB2 of “monitor settings”. As shown, the dialog box DB2 is provided with data input fields ip1 and ip2 for “selection of error display” and “icon setting”.

Data input column ip of "selection of error display"
The item 1 is for selecting an item for which an error is to be displayed from a plurality of abnormality monitoring items for the printer. For details,
The “paper size check”, “communication error”,
Options es such as "low toner remaining" and "low paper remaining" are arranged in the vertical direction, and the selection is made by clicking a check box cb2 provided before these options es.

Data input field E12 of “icon setting”
Since this is not directly related to the present invention, detailed description is omitted, but the point is to register a call icon as a switch that can start the above-described printer window in the task bar of the Windows screen.

The "utility" card CD4
Check box cb1 provided in the "Monitor setting"
Check boxes cb2 provided in the data input column ip1 of “selection of error display” in the dialog box DB2 of FIG.
Is checked by default.

The screen display on the CRT display 12 is performed by the information setting module 5 of the printer driver 53.
7 is realized. In particular, the screen display of the “monitor setting” dialog box DB2 shown in FIG. 5 is realized by the monitor setting module 59 in the information setting module 57. Here, among the processing routines of the information setting module, the processing routine in the utility mode corresponding to the card CD4 of "utility" will be described.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a processing routine in the utility mode. As shown, C
When the processing is started, the PU 30 “utility”
A card display processing routine for displaying the image data indicating the card CD4 on the CRT display 12 is executed (step S100). Thereafter, the operator who has viewed the display screen of the CRT display 12 receives data input operation using the keyboard 18 and the mouse 20, and
Various data including data from the dialog box DB2 of “Monitor setting” is input (step S11).
0). The input various data is stored in a predetermined position on the RAM 32 in the form of the printer monitor information file FL (step S120).

FIG. 7 shows a printer monitor information file F.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a data structure of L. As shown
The printer monitor information file FL stores a first field fd1 for storing a monitor necessity bit and a second field fd2 for storing an error display selection bit string. The monitor necessity bit stored in the first field fd1 indicates the content of a check box cb1 provided on the "utility" card CD4 for setting whether or not to monitor the printer.
The value 1 is set when b1 is checked, and the value 0 is set when the check box cb1 is not checked.

The bit string for error display selection stored in the second field fd2 is the content of each check box cb2 provided in the data input column ip1 of "selection of error display" of the dialog box DB2 of "monitor setting". For each item, when the check box cb2 is checked, the value 1 is set in the check box cb2.
When b2 is not checked, the value 0 is set.

When the data storage operation is completed in this way, the process waits for the operator to click the "OK" button in the display screen of FIG. 3 and exits to "RETURN" to terminate the processing.

Next, a processing routine related to the monitor program 58 will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an interrupt processing routine executed by the CPU 30 of the computer main body 16. This interrupt processing routine
It is started at a predetermined time, for example, every 30 [sec] after the power of the computer main body 16 is turned on.

As shown, when the process is started, C
The PU 30 firstly receives the printer monitor information file FL
It is determined whether or not the "monitor printer" check box cb1 is checked by determining whether or not the monitoring necessity bit stored in the first field fd1 is "1" (step S200). . Here, if it is determined that the monitoring necessity bit is the value 0, that is, the check box cb1 is not checked,
Since it is unnecessary to perform the monitor process for monitoring the printer for abnormality, the process exits to "RETURN" and temporarily ends the process routine.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S200 that the monitor necessity bit is the value 1, that is, the check box cb1 is checked, the following processing is executed. First, the CPU 30 performs a process of specifying a printer as a printing destination (step S210). Specifically, during printing, the printer of the printing destination is specified from the printer name instructed by the application program 51 that has issued the print command. On the other hand, when printing is not being performed, the printer registered in the printer folder is specified. By examining all the printers, the printer connected as local and capable of obtaining the status information from the current printer is specified as the printer of the printing destination.

Thereafter, the CPU 30 proceeds to step S210
It is determined whether the form of connection between the printer specified in the above and the computer main body 16 is a network connection via the network 150 or a local connection directly connected to the computer main body 16 by a cable (step S210). ). Since information on the output destination port of each printer is stored in the printer folder, in step S210, this information is read to determine whether the printer has a network connection or a local connection.

If it is determined in step S220 that the connection is a network connection, CPU 30 determines whether or not printing is currently being performed (step S230). The determination as to whether printing is being performed is made by receiving a signal indicating that printing is being performed from the printer driver 53. The printer driver 53 determines that printing has started when receiving a print command from the application program 51,
Thereafter, it is determined that the printing is completed when a ready signal is received from the printer to which the print data is sent, and a signal indicating that the printing is being performed is sent to the printer driver 53 from the start of printing to the end of printing. send. The determination during printing can be replaced with another method such as a configuration for determining from the start to the end of data output from the printer driver 53.

If it is determined in step S230 that printing is being performed, the CPU 30 executes a monitor processing routine for monitoring an abnormality of the printer (step S240), then exits to "RETURN" and temporarily ends the processing routine. I do. The details of the monitor processing routine will be described later. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S230 that printing is not being performed, the process exits to "return" without executing the monitor processing routine, and temporarily ends the processing routine.

If it is determined in step S220 that the connection type of the printer is a local connection, the process proceeds to step S240 without determining in step S230 whether or not printing is in progress. Execute the processing routine.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing details of the monitor processing routine executed in step S240.
As shown in the figure, when the processing shifts to this processing routine, C
First, the PU 30 requests printer status information from the printer at the printing destination specified in Step S210 (Step S241), and receives the printer status information from the printer 14 (Step S243). Then, C
Based on the printer status information, the PU 30 performs a process of sequentially judging abnormalities of the items to be displayed with errors selected in the data input column ip1 of “selection of error display” in the dialog box DB2 of “monitor settings” ( Step S245).

Next, it is determined whether or not there is an abnormality in the determination in step S245 (step S247). If it is determined that there is an abnormality, a process of displaying a window showing an error message on the CRT display 12 is performed (step S247). Step S249). FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a window WD indicating an error message. As shown in the figure, in the window WD, for the items determined to be abnormal, what items are abnormal,
An error message ms indicating how to improve the abnormality is displayed.

In the example shown in the figure, an error is displayed when only the monitoring item of “low toner amount” becomes abnormal.
When a plurality of monitoring items become abnormal, error messages are listed for all of the monitoring items. Instead of a configuration in which error messages are listed for all of the monitoring items, a configuration may be adopted in which each monitoring item is prioritized and only the error message for the monitoring item with the highest priority is displayed.

Returning to FIG. 9, after execution of step S249,
After exiting to "RETURN", this processing routine is temporarily terminated. On the other hand, when it is determined in step S247 that there is no abnormality, the processing routine is temporarily ended without displaying the window WD of the error message in step S249.

According to the interrupt processing routine configured as described above, as shown in the timing chart of FIG.
When the connection form of the printer at the printing destination is a local connection, the monitor processing is always performed (that is, every 30 [sec]). On the other hand, when the connection form is a network connection, the monitor processing is performed only during printing. Will be executed.

For this reason, conventionally, in the case of a network connection, it is often the case that a notification of an error generated by another computer connected to the network or an error generated by a printer which is not expected to be used is often received. According to 10, in the case of a network connection, since monitoring is not performed except during printing, the user does not frequently receive unnecessary notification. Therefore, since unnecessary notifications can be reduced, an effect of being excellent in usability for the user is achieved.

In this embodiment, the monitor setting module 59 for setting the monitor is included in the information setting module 57 of the printer driver, that is, the "monitor setting" is changed from the dialog box DB1 for setting the printer driver. Since the dialog box DB2 is activated, items to be displayed as errors can be set independently for each printer.

Therefore, even if a plurality of printers are connected, no notification of an abnormality is received for a printer that is not scheduled to be used, and no notification of an abnormality is received for an item to be monitored. Therefore, unnecessary notifications can be further reduced, so that the user is more convenient to use. In terms of the user interface, the dialog box DB2 for "monitor setting" can be started from the dialog box DB1 for setting the printer driver, so that the usability is good.

In this embodiment, the monitoring means receives information indicating the status of the printer from the printer 14, and determines from the information whether or not the selected notification item is abnormal. Although the configuration is such that an error message is displayed for an item, the following configuration may be used instead. The configuration is such that the printer 14 detects the status of the printer and performs a process from the status of the printer to a determination as to whether or not the printer is abnormal. The configuration is such that information on the determined item is received from the printer 14 and the information is simply displayed as an error message. With this configuration, the computer can detect an abnormality in the printer.

In the above embodiment, a printer is used as the data processing device, but another data processing device may be used. For example, a configuration may be employed in a server that performs image processing, and according to this configuration, for example, an increase in the load state of the server may be monitored as abnormal. Further, the data processing device may be another data processing device such as a scanner for inputting data, an auxiliary storage device such as a magnetic disk or a magnetic drum for performing processing for storing data.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration of discriminating between the local connection and the network connection is used as the connection form of the printer. Alternatively, for example, the connection of the home network and the area may be smaller than the home network. A configuration for determining connection with a large external network may be adopted. In addition to the determination of two types of connections, a configuration of determining three or more connections, such as a local connection, a home network, and an external network connection, for example, may also be employed.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above.
The present invention is not limited to such an embodiment at all. For example, instead of a configuration in which the result of monitoring a printer abnormality is displayed on the CRT display 12 as in this embodiment, a warning by sound or voice, etc. Such as a configuration that gives an auditory notification
The present invention can be implemented in various modes without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of hardware of a computer system to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a state of processing from image information handled by a computer main body 16 to printing, and a state of processing for monitoring a printer abnormality.

FIG. 3 is a dialog box DB for setting various information about the printer displayed on the CRT display 12;
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example 1;

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a printer window.

FIG. 5 is a dialog box DB2 of “Monitor setting”
It is explanatory drawing which illustrates.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a utility mode processing routine executed by the CPU 30 of the computer main body 16;

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a data structure of a printer monitor information file FL.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an interrupt processing routine executed by the CPU 30 of the computer main body 16;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing details of a monitor processing routine executed in step S240 of the interrupt processing routine.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a window WD showing an error message.

FIG. 11 is a timing chart showing how the execution time of the monitor process of the printer changes depending on the connection mode of the printer.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Computer 12 ... CRT display 14 ... Printer 16 ... Computer main body 18 ... Keyboard 20 ... Mouse 22 ... Floppy disk drive 24 ... Floppy disk drive 30 ... CPU 31 ... ROM 32 ... RAM 33 ... Display image memory 34 ... Mouse interface 35 ... Keyboard Interface 36 FDC 37 HDC 38 CRTC 39 Printer interface 40 I / O port 41 HDD 44 Communication device 48 Server 51 Application program 52 Video driver 53 Printer driver 54 Rasterizer 55 Color correction module 56 halftone module 57 information setting module 58 monitor program 59 monitor setting module 100 computers 110 and 120 Printer 130 ... server 150 ... computer network

[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] April 13, 1999 (1999.4.1
3)

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0060

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

Next, a processing routine related to the monitor program 58 will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an interrupt processing routine executed by the CPU 30 of the computer main body 16. This interrupt processing routine
It is started every predetermined time, for example, every 0.5 [sec] from the time when the power of the computer main body 16 is turned on.

[Procedure amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0071

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

According to the interrupt processing routine configured as described above, as shown in the timing chart of FIG.
When the connection form of the printer at the printing destination is a local connection, the monitor process is always performed (that is, every 0.5 [sec]). On the other hand, when the connection form is a network connection,
Monitor processing is executed only during printing.

[Procedure amendment 3]

[Document name to be amended] Drawing

[Correction target item name] FIG.

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

FIG. 11

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 2C061 AP01 HH03 HV13 HV14 HV19 HV34 HV35 5B021 BB01 BB02 BB10 EE04 KK02 KK07 LG07 LG08 NN17

Claims (18)

[Claims] 1. A computer device connected to a data processing device that processes data supplied from the outside and performing various processes including an output process of outputting data to be processed to the data processing device. Monitoring means for monitoring an abnormality of the connection, connection form detecting means for detecting a connection form of the data processing device, and monitoring time determining means for determining a monitoring time by the monitoring means according to the detected connection form. A computer device having a monitoring function. 2. The monitoring time determining means sets a monitoring time by the monitoring means when a detection result by the connection form detecting means indicates a connection to a data processing device provided in a first area. When the detection result indicates connection to a data processing device provided in a second area larger than the first area, the data processing is executed by the data processing apparatus. The computer device having the monitoring function according to claim 1, wherein the computer device has a configuration determined when the computer is in operation. 3. The connection to the data processing device provided in the first area is a local connection, and the connection to the data processing apparatus provided in the second area is a network connection. A computer device having a monitoring function. 4. The data processing device is a printer,
4. The computer device having a monitoring function according to claim 1, wherein the processing in the data processing device is a printing process. 5. The computer device having a monitoring function according to claim 4, wherein the abnormality monitored by the monitoring unit is for a plurality of items including at least a shortage of consumables used in the printer. 6. A data processing device connected to a plurality of data processing devices for processing data supplied from the outside, and executes various processes including an output process for outputting data to be processed to the data processing device selected as an alternative. In the computer device, there is provided a monitoring unit for monitoring an abnormality of the data processing device, and a monitoring item setting unit for independently setting a monitoring item for limiting the content of the abnormality monitored by the monitoring unit for each data processing device. A computer device having a monitoring function. 7. The data processing device is a printer,
7. The computer device having a monitoring function according to claim 6, wherein the processing in the data processing device is a printing process. 8. A storage device for storing a printer driver for setting various types of information for printing for each of the printers, wherein the printer driver includes software for realizing the monitoring item setting device. Claim 7
A computer device provided with the monitoring function according to 1. 9. The computer having a monitoring function according to claim 7, wherein the abnormality monitored by the monitoring unit is related to a plurality of items including at least a shortage of consumables used in the printer. apparatus. 10. A computer connected to a data processing device for processing data supplied from the outside,
A computer processing method for executing various processes including an output process of outputting data to be processed to the data processing device, wherein: (a) monitoring an abnormality of the data processing device; and (b) connecting the data processing device. A computer processing method comprising: (c) determining a timing of monitoring in the step (a) according to the detected connection mode. 11. An output process adopted in a computer connected to a plurality of data processing devices for processing data supplied from the outside and outputting data to be processed to the selected data processing device. In a computer processing method for executing various processes, (a) a step of monitoring an abnormality of the data processing device, and (b) a monitoring item for limiting the content of the abnormality monitored in the step (a) is set for each data processing device. And a step of setting independently. 12. The computer processing method according to claim 10, wherein the data processing device is a printer, and the processing in the data processing device is a printing process. 13. A computer program connected to a data processing device for processing data supplied from the outside and used by a computer for executing various processes including an output process for outputting data to be processed to the data processing device. In a recorded computer-readable recording medium, the computer program includes: (a) a function of monitoring an abnormality of the data processing device; (b) a function of detecting a connection mode of the data processing device; A computer-readable recording medium for causing the computer to realize a function of setting a monitoring time by the function (a) according to the detected connection form. 14. The function (c) indicates the timing of monitoring by the function (a), and the detection result by the function (b) indicates connection to the data processing device provided in the first area. Sometimes,
14. The configuration according to claim 13, wherein the setting is always made, and when the detection result indicates a connection to a data processing device provided in a second area larger than the first area, the connection is set when the print processing is executed. The computer-readable recording medium according to the above. 15. The connection to the data processing device provided in the first area is a local connection, and the connection to the data processing apparatus provided in the second area is a network connection. Computer-readable recording medium. 16. The computer-readable recording medium according to claim 13, wherein the data processing device is a printer, and the processing in the data processing device is a printing process. 17. Various processes including an output process which is connected to a plurality of data processing devices for processing data supplied from the outside and outputs the data to be processed to the selected data processing device. In a computer-readable recording medium storing a computer program used in a computer, the computer program includes: (a) a function of monitoring an abnormality of the data processing device; and (b) an abnormality monitored by the function (a). A computer-readable recording medium for realizing, in the computer, a function of independently setting a monitoring item for limiting the content of each data processing device. 18. The computer-readable recording medium according to claim 17, wherein the data processing device is a printer, and the processing in the data processing device is a printing process.