JP2001216109A - Printing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printing system capable of treating a document prepared by a general application on a network. SOLUTION: A virtual driver 14 is newly prepared. The formats of a job description file 18 and an EMP file 19 allowed to coincide with the format of the Windows standard by spooling both the files 18, 19 by a GDI 2 and spooling an output control file 17 by the virtual driver 14 and document distribution processing, dispersed printing processing, automatic distributed destination detection processing, notification processing for a printer error and printing completion, etc., are applied to all applications to be driven on the Windows including general package software, without changing an application interface of Windows at all.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printing system and, more particularly, to a printing system suitable for a printing system for controlling output of a plurality of computer devices connected to a network.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, Microsoft's Windows has been remarkably popular as an operating system for computers for office work and core business.

FIG. 26 is a block diagram illustrating a conventional printing method when Windows is used as an operating system. In FIG. 26, the user
When printing to the printer driver 203 is designated to the application 201, the application 201
Executes a print command to a GDI (graphical device interface function) 202. GDI 202
When a print command from the application 201 is executed, the printer acquires necessary information from the printer driver 203 and creates a spool file (EMF file and job description file) 204. When the Windows spool system 205 confirms that the designated port is in a printable state, the spool system 205 starts the despooling process. By this despooling process, print control is transferred to the print processor 207 via the port thread 206. Then, the print data is transferred to the port monitor 209 via the local print provider 208, and the parallel port driver 2
The print data is output to the printing device 211 through 10.

Here, when Windows is used as the operating system, since Windows is a personal-oriented operating system, there is a point that it is not suitable for mass printing in the core business.
For example, it is not possible to print to a plurality of printers at the same time by one printing action. For this reason, when distributing materials and the like, it takes time to repeatedly start printing, sort printed materials manually, and distribute the materials by mail or the like. In addition, with the spread of mail in recent years, small and fixed documents created by word processors etc. can be replaced with mail, but printing of management forms such as total data and printing of large numbers of documents by application operation etc. , Mail cannot be replaced. Further, when performing large-volume printing, printing cannot be performed in a distributed manner to a plurality of printers, and it is necessary to repeatedly specify a start page, an end page, and an output destination printer.

In order to solve these problems, conventionally,
There has been a method in which a dedicated API (application interface function) for printing a core business form is prepared, and the API is used to compensate for the deficiency of the print control of an operating system such as Windows.

FIG. 27 is a block diagram illustrating a conventional distributed printing method. In FIG. 27, an application 221 calls an API 223 as a dedicated print control function. Here, the API 223 includes a printer name,
An interface capable of receiving a plurality of sets of a start page and an end page is provided. By providing this interface in the API 223, distributed printing is enabled. When the API 223 receives a plurality of pairs of a printer name, a start page, and an end page as parameters 222 and receives drawing data from the application 221, the API 223 transmits the received parameters 222 and drawing data to the operating system 224 and the file driver 2.
25 and stored in the spool file 226.

On the other hand, the spool writer 227 is polling a predetermined directory (spool directory), and when the completed spool file 226 is detected, reading of the spool file 226 is started. Then, the parameters 222 stored in the spool file 226 are extracted, and the drawing data of each page is sequentially read from the spool file 226. After that, the GDI 228 is called, and the drawing data is sent to the designated printer 230 via the printer driver 229 according to the information of the parameter 222. As a result, the designated page can be printed by the designated printer 230, and by specifying a plurality of sets of the printer name, start page, and end page, distributed printing using a plurality of printers can be performed. Become.

[0008] The GDI 228 is a group of functions for drawing graphical devices that are closely associated with the operating system 224.

[0009]

However, the conventional method of providing the API 223 can be applied only to the dedicated application 221 that can call the API 223. For this reason, there is a problem that a general-purpose package application such as a word processor cannot be applied to a general-purpose package application such as a word processor because it does not have a function of calling the API 223. There is also a problem that the printing application 221 must be constructed using the provided API 223.

[0010] Further, the conventional printing method has problems caused by inadequate printing control of the operating system 224, and the method of providing the API 23 cannot solve these problems. For example, on the screen of the computer to which the printer is connected, there is a notification that the printing is completed or an error has occurred,
These facts cannot be understood by the client machine that has instructed the execution of printing via the communication network. Further, for a job stopped due to a printer error, reprinting by redesignating a page or reprinting by changing an output printer cannot be performed. Further, it is not possible to directly designate and print a printer on a computer connected by a WAN (Wide Area Network).

Further, there are the following problems regarding the dependency of the operating system 224 on output devices and applications. First, a printing function is provided by specifying a printer model and a printer maker, and it takes a lot of trouble to effectively use various printers in a network environment. Therefore, a document created by an application based on the specifications of a specific output device (such as a printer) depends on the physical specifications of the output device, and is not portable. As a result, when output is performed to an output device having different physical specifications, an expected result may not be obtained.

Next, when documents output by all applications on the system are targeted, nothing can be done after output by the applications. For example, various services such as addition / change of an output destination, operation in page units, and operation in output order have been impossible.

Further, there are the following problems concerning the distribution printing method of the operating system 224. First, when distributing printouts (documents),
Since the printer of the distribution destination is directly instructed, it is necessary to always be aware of the system environment (printer name for the distribution destination). Further, it is burdensome for the user to specify all the names of the printers to be distributed or to specify the distribution destination for each document.

An object of the present invention is to facilitate distribution printing of a document created by a general-purpose application on a network without modifying a conventionally used program such as an application program or a device driver program as much as possible. It is to provide a printing system capable of.

[0015]

Means of the present invention are as follows. A drawing data storage unit for storing data requested to be printed by the application program in a spool file as drawing data in a predetermined common data format, and a printing condition setting unit for setting printing conditions relating to the output control function of the drawing data. A print condition storage unit for storing the print conditions set by the print condition setting unit in a spool file, reading the print conditions stored in the spool file, and determining an output destination of the drawing data according to the print conditions Output destination determining means for reading the drawing data in the common data format stored in the spool file, and processing the drawing data in the common data format by the output device of the output destination determined by the output destination determining means. Convert to output data in data format, and the converted unique data It is characterized by comprising an output control means for outputting the output data of an expression to the output device.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A printing system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiment, output device operation support under the operating system by Windows (hereinafter C
The control method will be described. In the CAPCAL control method, output documents of all applications on the system can be processed.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a printing system according to one embodiment of the present invention. In FIG.
The client 300 and the server 301 are connected via communication networks 302 and 303, and the server 301 is connected to the printer 9. Here, the communication network 302 is, for example, a LAN (local area network), and the communication network 303 is, for example, a LAN, W
AN (Wide Area Network) and the Internet. The client 300 includes an application 1,
The GDI 2, the Windows print control unit 3 and the client control unit 4 are provided.
A ws print control unit 5, a server control unit 6, a GDI 7, and a printer output control unit 8 are provided. And Wind
When the printing process by ows is performed, the processes by the Windows print control units 3 and 5 are performed. When the CAPCAL control is performed, the processes by the client control unit 4, the server control unit 6, and the printer output control unit 8 are performed. Note that C
When the APCAL control is selected, the CAPCAL driver provided for the CAPCAL control is applied to the application 1
And call GDI2.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the client control unit 4 of FIG. In FIG. 2, a CAPCAL driver 14 and a CA
PCAL driver property control thread 15, output control file 17, job description file 18, EMF files 19 and 24, CAPCAL client definition file 20, CAPCAL print processor 21, CAP
A CAL job description file 23, a CAPCAL transfer destination definition file 25, a CAPCAL client main process 26, and a CAPCAL job transfer thread 27 are provided. The Windows print control unit 3 includes a spooler process 11, a local print provider 12, and a print processor 13.
Here, the client control unit 4 takes in print data drawn by the application 1 running on the operating system in Windows into a CAPCAL processing environment, and controls processing until it is transferred to the server 301.

When processing print data drawn by the application 1 in the CAPCAL environment, the application 1 executes the CAPCAL driver 14 as a virtual driver.
Is specified, and GDI2 is called. GDI2 is CAPC
The drawing function is acquired from the AL driver 14, the drawing primitive requested by the application 1 is converted into the drawing function of the CAPCAL driver 14, and spooled in the system spool queue 16. The system spool queue 16 includes a job description file 18 storing the name of a user who has requested printing and an application name, and an EMF file 19 storing formatted drawing information.
Is created. EMF stands for Enhanced Met
An abbreviation for a-File, which is a logical storage format of drawing data in Windows. Note that the formats of the job description file 18 and the EMF file 19 are Windows
It is completely identical to the standard format. For this reason, the job description file 18 and the EMF file 19
ws can be generated by a default function.

Further, the CAPCAL driver 14 has a CA
The PCAL-specific output control information is written to the system spool queue 16 as an output control file 17. In addition,
This output control information can be set by opening a dialog screen from the CAPCAL driver 14 side and allowing the operator to specify print conditions such as distribution and distribution. Here, the output control information input by the operator may be stored for each document, and the next time the document is printed, the output control information of the document input previously may be used as a default.

When spooling of all drawing data of the application 1 is completed, the CAPCAL print processor 2
1 is called. The call of the CAPCAL print processor 21 is performed by the application 1 using the CAPCA
This is performed by designating the L driver 14. In addition,
When another driver is designated by the application 1, the print processor 13 provided in Windows is called.

The CAPCAL print processor 21 includes:
Job description file 1 from system spool queue 16
8 and the contents of the output control file 17
Write to the AL spool queue 22 as a CAPCAL job description file 23. Here, the default value of the output control information is defined in the CAPCAL client definition file 20. If the output control information is not stored in the output control file 17, the output control information is fetched from the CAPCAL client definition file 20. .

The CAPCAL print processor 2
1 is the EMF file 1 in the system spool queue 16
9 as the EM of the CAPCAL spool queue 22
Write to F file 24. When the CAPCAL job description file 23 and the EMF file 24 are written to the CAPCAL spool queue 22, the CAPCAL print processor 21 notifies this to the CAPCAL job transfer thread 27.

The CAPCAL job transfer thread 27
The CAPCAL job description file 23 and the EMF file 24 are stored in the server 3 based on a predefined transfer means.
Transfer to 01. Note that the transfer means and the server name of the transfer destination are stored in the CAPCAL transfer destination definition file 25, and the CAPCAL job transfer thread 27
In accordance with the contents of the CAL transfer destination definition file 25, the transfer means and the transfer destination server are determined. As the transfer means, a communication network 28 using a file transfer protocol (ftp) or a communication network 29 using an attached file of mail can be used. Further, other transfer means may be used.

As described above, the CAP as a virtual driver
The CAL driver 14 is provided in the client control unit 4.
Then, the job description file 18 and the EMF file 1
9 is spooled to the system spool queue 16 by GDI2, and the output control file 17 is
The CAL driver 14 independently executes the system spool queue 1
Spool to 6. As a result, the formats of the job description file 18 and the EMF file 19 are changed to Windows.
It is possible to match with the standard format.
Document distribution processing, distributed printing processing, distribution destination automatic detection processing, printer error and print completion notification processing, etc. for all applications running on Windows, including general-purpose package software, without changing any application interface of Windows It can be realized. As a result, it is not necessary to newly construct a print application in order to realize document distribution processing, distributed printing processing, distribution destination automatic detection processing, printer error and print completion notification processing, and the like.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the server control unit in FIG. In FIG. 3, the server control unit 6
CAPCAL receiving thread 30 for mail, ft
CAPCAL receiving thread 31, CAPCAL server main process 32, CAPCAL job description files 34, 39, EMF files 35, 40, CAPC
AL server side definition file 36, distribution distributed processing thread 37, output threads 41 and 42 for each printer, and CAPC
An AL job transfer thread 43 is provided.

When the CAPCAL receiving threads 30 and 31 are started by the CAPCAL server main process 32, the CAPCAL receiving threads 30 and 31
The AL job description file 23 and the EMF file 24 are received from the CAPCAL job transfer thread 27. Then, the contents of the received CAPCAL job description file 23 and EMF file 24 are written to the CAPCAL job description file 34 and the EMF file 35 of the CAPCAL spool document queue 33. here,
The CAPCAL receiving threads 30 and 31 manage so that file names (job IDs) do not overlap. CAP
When the writing to the CAL spool document queue 33 is completed, the CAPCAL server main process 32 activates the distribution distributed processing thread 37 and notifies the distribution distributed processing thread 37 of the completion of the writing to the CAPCAL spool document queue 33.

The distribution distributed processing thread 37 is a CAPCA
The output control information is fetched from the L job description file 34. Further, the contents of the CAPCAL server side definition file 36 are read in advance. The distribution distributed processing thread 37 determines an output printer and a start page and an end page to be output from the output control information and the contents of the server-side definition file, and sends a print request to a CAPCAL spool print queue 38 provided for each printer 9. Input. CAPC
The AL server side definition file 36 stores the correspondence between the distribution destination name and the printer name (or server name), and even if the distribution destination is specified by a logical name,
By referring to the CAPCAL server definition file 36, the output printer can be determined. CAP
When the spooling to the CAL spool print queue 38 is completed, a notification is sent to the printer-specific output thread 41 that is dedicated to the printer 9 that has issued the print request.

The output thread 41 for each printer is a CAPC.
EMF file 4 from AL spool print queue 38
0, and by calling GDI7, Win
The drawing data is sent to the dows print control 5. If a printer other than the printer 9 managed by the server 301 is designated as an output printer by the output control information and the contents of the CAPCAL server-side definition file 36, the CAPCAL job transfer thread A print request is sent from 43 to a server managing the designated printer via the communication network 44.

As described above, the correspondence between the distribution destination name and the printer name (or server name) is stored in the CAPCAL server-side definition file 36, so that when the distribution destination is specified by a logical name. Also, the output printer can be determined, and the user can perform the distribution printing without being aware of the output printer name.

The output threads 41 and 42 for each printer are also provided.
Is provided for each printer and the output thread 4 for each printer is provided.
The emulation of the printers 1 and 42 makes it possible to obtain an appropriate output result even when the specifications of the printers are different, so that various printers on the network can be used without being aware of the printer model and the printer manufacturer. Printing can be performed.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the printer output control unit of FIG. 4, the printer output control unit 8 is provided with a centro port monitor 48 and a printer output management unit 50, and the server control unit 6 includes
A CAPCAL server main process 32, an EMF file 40, and an output thread 41 for each printer are provided.
The Windows print controller 5 is provided with a Raw spool file 46, a print processor 47, and a spooler process main 49.
A PCAL client main process 26 is provided.

The output thread 41 for each printer is a CAPC.
EMF file 4 from AL spool print queue 38
0, and by calling GDI7, Win
The drawing data is sent to the dows print control unit 5. GDI7
Is the printer driver 4 for the printer 9 designated for printing.
5 and converts the EMF file 40 into a command (ESC sequence) dedicated to the printer 9 designated for printing. The converted ESC sequence is stored in the Windows system spool queue. This is called a Raw spool file 46. Raw spool file 4
6 is composed of only pure printer commands (ESC sequence). The Raw spool file 46 is Wi
The print data is read by the print processor 47 by the spooler process main 49 of nwindows and sent to the centro port monitor 48 in units of one page of drawing data.

If the interface between the printer 9 and the server 302 is a LAN, it is sent to a LAN port monitor, and if it is another interface, a port monitor for that interface is sent. Note that the processing up to this point is
This is the same as the data processing by the Windows print control unit 5.

The centro port monitor 48 outputs command data of the printer 9 received via the spooler process main 49 to the centro port. Here, if an error occurs in the printer 9 and command data cannot be output, the centroport monitor 48 notifies the printer output management unit 50 of the printer name, the error code, and the job ID for identifying the original document. . Also,
When an error occurs in the printer connected to the centroport monitor 51, the centroport monitor 51 also notifies the printer output management section 50 of the printer name, the error code, and the job ID for identifying the original document. Here, the job ID is an ID for specifying a print job existing in the Windows print control mechanism. By notifying the job ID to the printer output management unit 50, the printer output management unit 50 It is possible to acquire the client host name and the user name of the print request.

When the printer output management unit 50 receives the printer name, the error code, and the job ID from the centro port monitor 48, it notifies the CAPCAL server main process 32 of the information.

CACAPAL server main process 32
Detects the name of the client host that issued the print request from the acquired job ID, and executes the CAPCAL client main process 26 running on the client host.
To notify the document name, user name and error code. Further, by performing screen call 52, such information is displayed.

Upon receiving the document name, user name and error code from the CAPCAL server main process 32, the CAPCAL client main process 26 calls the screen 53 to display the user name, the name of the document being printed, and the error message. .

When the output of one job is completely completed, the centro port monitor 48 notifies the printer output management unit 50 of the printer name and the job ID. Upon receiving the printer name and the job ID from the centroport monitor 48, the printer output management unit 50
This information is notified to the L server main process 32.

CACAPAL server main process 32
Detects the name of the client host that issued the print request from the acquired job ID, and executes the CAPCAL client main process 26 running on the client host.
Is notified of the document name and the user name. Also,
The information is displayed by performing the screen call 52.

Upon receiving the document name and the user name from the CAPCAL server main process 32, the CAPCAL client main process 26 performs a screen call 53 to display a message indicating that the printing of the document has been completed.

As described above, the centroport monitor 48
Notifies the printer output management unit 50 of the job ID that identifies the original document, so that the printer output management unit 50 can recognize the client host name that has issued the print request.
Since it is possible to notify a print error or a print completion to 0, the client 300 can recognize the print status of the document on the client 300 side.

Hereinafter, the printing system of FIG. 1 will be described in more detail. FIG. 5 is a block diagram for explaining the operation of the virtual driver 14, and shows the flow of processing until the CAPCAL spool file 57 is created.

In FIG. 5, when the user designates printing to the virtual driver 14 for the application 1, the application 1 executes a print command to the GDI 2 (in the case of CAPCAL, the spool printing is automatically performed. Become). When a print command is executed, the GDI 2 can add device management information (approximate values of the Windows system. Information unique to the printer driver can be added. Hereinafter, DEVMOD)
(Described as E information) to the virtual driver 14. The virtual driver 14 sets common information (paper size, paper type, etc.) independent of the maker and printer model and the name of the output control file 17 in the DEVMODE information,
Return to 2. When receiving necessary information from the virtual driver 14, the GDI 2 receives the DEVMODE information and the drawing information (GE
IINFO information: printer driver drawing capability. Information returned by the printer driver to GDI2. An EMF file 19 and a job description file 18 are created based on the Windows system approximate value). As described above, in the CAPCAL control printing, the GDI 2 receives the DEVMODE information from the virtual driver 14, so that the Windows system creates a job description file (Windows system approximate value) 18.

On the other hand, the virtual driver 14 obtains a file name added to the DEVMODE information based on the printer properties of the virtual driver 14 (designated distribution, automatic distribution, and information on distributed printing) and output control information stored in advance. Creates the output control file 17. The Windows spool system 54 confirms that the designated port is ready for printing, and starts the despooling process. The control is transferred to the CAPCAL print processor 21 through the port thread 55 by the despool process.
The CAPCAL print processor 21 is a Windows
By reading the job description file 18 created by the s system, the DEVMODE information, the name of the output control file 17 added to the DEVMODE information by the virtual driver 3 and the name of the EMF file 19 are obtained. Based on the acquired name of the output control file 17 and the name of the EMF file 19, the job description file 18
And output control information and print data from the EMF file 19, respectively, and the CAPCAL spool file 5
7 (CAPCAL job description file 23 and EMF file 24).

The CAPCAL print processor 7 has a C
When the APCAL spool file 57 is created, the CAP
By transmitting the contents of the CAL spool file 57 to the server 301 via the CAPCAL job transfer thread 27, functions such as designated distribution printing, automatic distribution printing, and distributed printing are realized.

As described above, the virtual driver 14 sends the set DEVMODE information to the GDI 2, causes the GDI 2 to generate the job description file 18 and the EMF file 19, and stores the output control information in the output control file 17 independently. And output control information stored independently
The data is passed to the APCAL print processor 21.

As a result, since the drawing data generated by the application 1 can be spooled by the operating system 2, any application 1 operating on the operating system 2 can be used. By storing output control information separately from the job description file 18 and the EMF file 19, an output control function not provided in the operating system 2 can be freely added later. Document distribution processing in a network environment,
Distributed printing processing, distribution destination automatic detection processing, printer error and print completion notification processing, and the like can be performed on a document created by a general-purpose application.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the job description file 18. In FIG. 6, job description file 1
8 is a job description file header 61, DEVMODE
Information 62 and a job description file footer 63 are provided. These pieces of information are approximate values of the Windows system. The DEVMODE information 62 contains the virtual driver 1
4 based on the DEVMODE structure information. Further, the printer driver private information 64 is added to the DEVMODE information 62 by the virtual driver 14. The DEVMODE information 62 includes a paper size, a paper type, and a paper direction, and the printer driver private information 64 includes an output control file name.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the output control file 17. In FIG. 7, the output control file 17
Includes a CAPCAL output control file header 71 and output control information 75, and the output control information 75 includes operation mode information 72, document additional information 73, and document attribute information 74. CAPCAL output control file header 71
Contains the information of the CAPCAL output control file 17,
Stores version information, etc. The operation mode information 72 stores an operation mode (normal mode / distribution mode / distribution mode). The virtual driver (CAP
CAL driver) 14 includes distribution destination information specified by the CAL driver 14, distribution mode (automatic distribution / automatic distribution), distribution destination name, search page, search mode (delimited mode / modification mode / attribute mode / size mode / color mode / Rectangle mode), decoration mode decoration type (underlined / shaded), attribute mode attribute type (standard / italic / bold / bold italic), size mode character size, color mode color code, and rectangular mode area Are stored.

The document additional information 73 includes additional information of the document specified by the virtual driver 14, and stores a form addition flag, a banner addition flag, a form file location, a form file name, a banner greeting, and the like. .

The document attribute information 74 includes attribute information of the document specified by the virtual driver 14, and includes a password flag, an output mode (immediate print / date / time specified print / time specified print / delayed print / not printed), and date / time specified print. Specified date and time,
Specified time for time-specified printing, save mode (Save date / time
(Specified time storage / unconditional storage / not stored), and specified time of date / time specified storage.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the virtual driver 14, and shows the process of creating a job description file 18 and an output control file 17 by the virtual driver 14. In this process, the user
A phase for operating the AL printer driver property (steps S1 to S3) and a printing phase for the virtual driver 14 (steps S4 to S6) are provided.

In FIG. 8, first, a general Windows
As with the printer driver, the CAPCAL printer driver property is opened (step S1). Note that CA
The PCAL printer driver property can be opened from a print folder or an application.

Next, when the CAPCAL printer driver property is opened, the output control information 75 is set according to the display on the driver output control setting screen, and the DEVMODE information 62 and the output control information 75 are stored in the registry (step S2). Then, a print dialog is opened from the application 1 and printing is executed (step S
3).

Next, the virtual driver 14 executes the CAPCAL
DEVMODE information 6 from printer driver property
2 and the output control information 75 are acquired (step S4).
The CAPCAL printer driver property has the DE
If the VMODE information 62 and the output control information 75 are not stored, the values set in the virtual driver 14 are used.

Next, the virtual driver 14 executes the CAPCAL
DEVMOD obtained from printer driver properties
The E information (including the output control file name) 62 is passed to the GDI 2 (step S5).

Next, the virtual driver 14 executes the CAPCAL
The output control information 75 obtained from the printer driver property is written in the output control file 17 with the output control file name added to the DEVMODE information 62 (step S6).

As described above, the virtual driver 14 uses the common information (DEVMOD) independent of the printer model and the manufacturer.
E information 62) is returned to the Windows system (GDI2), and the job description file 18 is created by the GDI2, thereby giving information (paper type, paper feeding method, paper direction, etc.) necessary for printing. In addition, the virtual driver 14 independently creates the output control file 17 and provides the CAPCAL printer processor 21 with output control information 75 necessary for distribution distribution processing. For this reason, it is possible to implement distributed printing processing independent of a maker or a printer model for a document created by the general-purpose application 1. In other words, the user can perform printing with the virtual driver 14 regardless of which printer on the network is to be used for printing. The information provided by the virtual driver 14 allows the user to operate the network without being aware of the functions specified by the printer model and the manufacturer. A wide variety of the above printers 9 can be used.

Further, since the document created by the application 1 does not depend on the physical specifications of the output device (printer 9) and can be output to a printer having a different specification, an expected result can be obtained. Portability can be improved. As a result, it is possible to provide a logical device drive method that does not depend on the individual specifications of the physical output device, by processing output documents of all applications 1 on the system. Further, even when the function of the output device is insufficient, an expected output can be obtained by appropriate emulation.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a setting screen of DEVMODE information. By displaying this DEVMODE information setting screen when the CAPCAL printer driver property is opened, it is possible to input the paper feed position, paper size, print paper, enlargement / reduction, paper direction, paper type, number of copies, etc. Thus, the DEVMODE information 62 of FIG. 6 can be set.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a screen for setting automatic distribution information. When the CAPCAL printer driver property is opened, this automatic distribution information setting screen is displayed, so that the search page, print designation, search mode (separation mode / modification mode / size mode / color mode / attribute mode), search A range and the like can be input.
Output control information 75 can be set. Automatic distribution is to automatically extract a distribution destination from a distributed document and distribute it without the user having to specify the distribution destination. Here, the search page indicates a page of the document from which the distribution destination is extracted. In the delimiter mode, an area sandwiched by the designated character strings is regarded as a search range. For example, when parentheses are specified, the character string sandwiched by parentheses is the distribution destination. In the decoration mode, a qualified character string is detected as a distribution destination, in the size mode, a character string having a specified size is regarded as a distribution destination, and in the color mode, a character string having a specified color is distributed. In the attribute mode, the character string of the specified attribute is regarded as the distribution destination.

The input of the search range is to specify the search range by regarding the search range as one virtual sheet and specifying an area obtained by dividing the sheet. For example, the virtual paper is designated as the upper right area when the virtual paper is divided into four by the vertical and horizontal center lines. Then, when the designation of the area in the virtual paper is converted to the actual paper, the actual paper is divided into four by the vertical and horizontal center lines, and the upper right area obtained by dividing the actual paper into four is set as the search range. The method of dividing the sheet may be eight divisions, sixteen divisions, or the like, in addition to four divisions. By inputting this search range, it is possible to specify the area of the document by processing independent of the application by processing the output documents of all the applications on the system and to set the document shape (paper size, paper placement). You can specify the area of the document without dependence.

FIG. 11A is a block diagram illustrating an area designation control unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
2A, an area designation control unit 82 is provided in a user interface 81 of the virtual driver 14.
The region designation control unit 82 takes in the region information designated by the user with the virtual driver 14 and registers it as document print information.

FIG. 11B is a view for explaining a method of allowing the user to specify an area by displaying a rectangle representing an actual sheet. In FIG. 11B, a rectangle representing a portrait paper 83 and a rectangle representing a landscape paper 85 are displayed depending on how the paper is placed. Then, the user specifies areas 84 and 86 indicating a search range for each of the portrait paper 83 and the landscape paper 85.

FIG. 11C is a view for explaining a method of displaying a rectangle representing the virtual paper 87 to allow the user to specify an area. In FIG. 11C, a rectangle representing a sheet is an MMI (man-machine interface) as a square virtual sheet 87. The user specifies a rectangular area 88 on the virtual paper 87.

When printing is performed, information specified on the virtual paper 87 is fetched, and a rectangular area 88 on the virtual paper 87 is created for each of the portrait paper 89 and the landscape paper 91. Convert according to the actual paper. When converting the size of the virtual paper 87 according to the actual paper size, for example, the virtual paper 87
Is converted to the rectangular area 88 specified in the above. Thus, while preserving the relative position of the rectangular area 88 on the virtual paper 87, the rectangular area 88 can be converted into the areas 90 and 92 indicating the search range on the actual papers 89 and 91.

For example, in the case of both the portrait paper 89 and the landscape paper 91, the distribution destination is often entered in the column above the papers 89 and 91. For this reason, by specifying the upper area on the virtual paper 87 as the rectangular area 88, even when the virtual paper 87 is converted into either the portrait paper 89 or the landscape paper 91, the area indicating the search range is displayed. 9
0 and 92 are converted so as to be positioned above the sheets 89 and 91, and the search range can be specified efficiently.

As described above, the area designation function is provided in a hierarchy independent of the application and the document, and the MMI (man-machine interface) for the area designation is formed as a square virtual sheet 87 independent of the shape of the document. When it is necessary to specify an area of a print document for searching for a distribution destination, the area can be set for all output documents without incorporating an area specification function into an application. This area setting can be applied to all documents output from all applications. The area setting is independent of the document, and one area setting can cover all output documents. Furthermore, since the settings can be made independently of the shape of each document (paper size and placement), the work of specifying the area due to the difference in paper size and placement can be reduced. Can be changed to eliminate the need for resetting.

FIG. 12 is a view showing a setting screen of designated distribution information. When the CAPCAL printer driver property is opened, the setting screen of the designated distribution information is displayed, so that the distribution destination mode (designation of distribution destination name / group name / designation of printer name), distribution destination name, group name, printer name And the like, and the output control information 75 of FIG. 7 can be set. For example, if the user specifies the distribution destination name, it is possible to specify the distribution destination of the printed matter with a logical name such as "Tokyo General Affairs Division", and it is possible to specify the distribution destination without being aware of the printer name . Further, when the group name designation is selected, it is possible to select a plurality of distribution destinations by one designation, and it is possible to reduce the trouble of selecting the distribution destination. Further, the selected distribution destination can be freely added or deleted on the screen, and the distribution destination can be easily changed.

FIG. 13 is a view showing a setting screen of the distributed print information according to one embodiment of the present invention. When the CAPCAL printer driver property is opened, the setting screen of the distributed print information is displayed to display the distribution method (equal number / set of copies / type / manual designation), distinguish between color and monochrome, number of queuing, printer Can be input, and the output control information 75 in FIG. 7 can be set. By specifying the distribution method, it is possible to equally allocate the number of print copies to a plurality of printers, or to allocate the number of print copies in accordance with the printing capabilities and operating conditions of the printers. In addition, by specifying the distinction between color and monochrome, it is possible to cause a color printer to output only color pages or a monochrome printer to output only monochrome pages. By specifying the number of queuing, a printer that is waiting for output can be avoided and a printer that is idle can be output with priority. By specifying a printer error, when the distribution / distribution thread 37 determines a printer, it is possible to prevent a printer in which an error has occurred from being treated as a distribution target printer.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the CAPCAL print processor 21. 14, the print data read via the print data read control unit 101 is stored in the print data storage unit 102. The print data stored in the print data storage unit 102 is divided into data for each page by the print data configuration unit 103 and sent to the CAPCAL spool file generation unit 104. CAPCAL spool file generator 104
Stores the page management information for each page of the print data in the page management information storage unit 105, and outputs the print data of each page to the EMF file 24 of the CAPCAL spool file 57. When all the print data is output to the EMF file 24 of the CAPCAL spool file 57, C
An APCAL job description file 23 is created.

When the CAPCAL job description file 23 is created, the DEVMODE information and the Windows job information are read from the print job information read control unit 106, and the CAPCAL output control information is
The CAPCAL user information is read from the L output control file read control unit 107 and the CAPCAL user information read control unit 108 is read. And D
EVMODE information, Windows job information, CAP
CAL output control information and CAPCAL user information are C
It is stored in the APCAL job information storage unit 109. The print job information forming unit 110 forms print job information based on the information stored in the CAPCAL job information storage unit 109, and
5 via CAPCAL spool file 57 CAP
Output to the CAL job description file 23. At this time, C
The APCAL spool file generation unit 105 adds the page management information stored in the page management information storage unit 105 to the print job information configured by the print job information configuration unit 110, and outputs the same to the CAPCAL job description file 23.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the CAPCAL job description file 23. In FIG. 15, CA
The PCAL job description file 23 includes a CAPCAL job description file header 111, Windows job information 112, DEVMODE information 113, CAPCAL output control information 114, CAPCAL user information 115, and print data page management information 116.

CAPCAL job description file header 1
Reference numeral 11 includes information such as a version number as header information of the CAPCAL job description file 23.

The Windows job information 112 contains the Wi
This information is obtained as job information of "nws", and includes information such as the name of the user who has requested printing, the total number of pages of the print job, the host name where the print job has occurred, the title of the print job, and the time at which the print job occurred.

The DEVMODE information 113 is the DEVMODE information 113 of the print job specified by the application 1 and the virtual driver 14.

The CAPCAL output control information 114 is shown in FIG.
Has the same contents as the output control information 75 of FIG.

The CAPCAL user information 115 is CAP
This is user information defined for CAL, and includes information such as name, company name, department name, telephone number, FAX number, and password.

The print data page management information 116 is index information indicating the head position of each page on the print data file. By referring to the print data page management information 116, distribution printing and distributed printing can be easily performed.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing the operation of the CAPCAL print processor 21. In FIG. 16, first, the CAPCAL print processor 21
The EMF file 24 is created (steps S11 to S11).
14). Specifically, the print data read control unit 101
Is stored in the print data storage unit 102 (step S11). Next, the print data configuration unit 103 acquires one page of print data from the print data storage unit 102 for each drawing unit, and
CAPCAL via the spool file generator 104
The print data of each page is output to the spool file 57 (step S12). At this time, the print data page management information 116 is stored in the page management information storage unit 105 of the CAPCAL spool file generation unit 104. Next, it is determined whether there is unprocessed print data (step S1).
3) If there is unprocessed print data, step S12
Return to and repeat the process. Next, it is determined whether there is unread spool data (step S14). If there is unread spool data, step S11 is performed.
Return to and repeat the process.

The CAPCAL print processor 21
After outputting the print data to the CAPCAL spool file 57, the CAPCAL job description file 23 is created (steps S15 to S17). Specifically, the Windows job information 112 and the DEVMODE information 113 are read by the print job information read control unit 106, and the CAPCAL output control file read control unit 1 is read.
07, the CAPCAL output control information 114 is read, and the CAPCAL user information reading control unit 108 reads the CAPCAL user information 115. Then, the Windows job information 112, DEVMODE
Information 113, CAPCAL output control information 114 and CA
The PCCAL user information 115 is stored in the CAPCAL job information storage unit 109 as information for generating the CAPCAL job description file 23 (step S15).

Next, the print data page management information 116 stored in the page management information storage unit 105 by writing the print data for each page is transferred to the CAPCAL spool file 57.
(Step S16).

Next, the CAPCAL job information forming unit 11
0 is the Windows job information 112 stored in the CAPCAL job information storage unit 109, DEVMOD
E information 113, CAPCAL output control information 114 and C
The APCAL user information 115 is written to the CAPCAL spool file 57 via the CAPCAL spool file generator 104.

As described above, the CAPCAL print processor 21 independently spools print data (spool file) requested for print control of the Windows system as print data of CAPCAL control without causing the printer 9 to print out the print data. , A service completely different from the print control of the Windows system can be provided. As a result, it is possible to provide the user with various services (such as an operation of an output destination / an operation of an output order) for each page or each document.

Here, regarding the creation of print data, W
Since printing is performed through the print control of the Windows system, it is possible to provide a unique print control service for printing from a general-purpose application. Therefore, output documents of all applications on the system are processed. For example, it is possible to provide various services such as addition / change of an output destination, operation in page units, and operation in output order.

Next, the distribution print processing according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The distribution printing process is performed by the distribution distribution processing thread 37 shown in FIG. In the distribution distributed processing thread 37, CA
Output control information 75 in PCAL job description file 23
The operations of the distribution printing, the distributed printing, and the normal printing are performed in accordance with the contents designated by the above.

The distribution printing includes automatic distribution and designated distribution.
There are types. The automatic distribution is a mode in which the distribution destination is automatically determined based on the content of the print job. The designated distribution is a mode in which the user designates the distribution destination of the print job in advance.
Which of these two modes should be used depends on
It can be defined in the CAPCAL job description file 23.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram for explaining automatic distribution processing according to an embodiment of the present invention, and shows an outline of obtaining a distribution destination list in automatic distribution printing.

In FIG. 17, when the server 301 receives the contents of the CAPCAL job description file 23 and the EMF file 24 sent from the client 300, the contents are transferred to the CAPCAL job description file 34 and the EMF of the CAPCAL spool document queue 33. It is stored in the file 35. The distribution distributed processing thread 37 reads the contents of the CAPCAL job description file 34, and sets a search condition 124 for searching the print job 121 for a character string 122 as a distribution destination candidate, using a CAP.
Obtained from the CAL job description file 34. The search condition 124 includes a search page and a search mode (delimiter / modification / attribute / size / color / in a rectangular area). By specifying the search condition 124, a distribution destination candidate is determined from the print job 121. You can specify the method of extraction. Note that the search condition 124 can be set by opening the CAPCAL printer driver property on the client 300 side and displaying the automatic distribution information setting screen in FIG.

The distribution / distribution processing thread 37 searches the print job 121 based on the search condition 124, acquires a character string 122 that meets the search condition 124 as a distribution destination name, and obtains a distribution destination definition from the registry 123. get. The registry 123 stores, as a distribution destination definition, the correspondence between the distribution destination names of N devices and the output device names. For this reason, the print job 12
1 is compared with the distribution destination name defined in the registry 123, and only the character string 122 that matches the distribution destination name defined in the registry 123 is selected. The output device can be determined automatically.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of search conditions at the time of automatic distribution. In FIG. 18, the search mode includes
"Separator", "Modifier", "Attribute", "Size",
There are “color” and “in a rectangular area”. "Delimiter"
Extracts a character string 122 between a specified start character string and end character string as a distribution destination candidate. In addition,
Depending on the designation at the time of printing, the delimiter can be output as it is, or can be output by replacing it with a space. “Modification” is for extracting a character string 122 modified by underlining or shading as a distribution destination candidate. In addition, depending on the designation at the time of printing, the decoration character can be output as it is, or the decoration can be released and output.
“Attribute” extracts a character string 122 having attributes such as standard, italic, bold, and bold italic as distribution destination candidates. It is to be noted that, according to the designation at the time of printing, the character to which the attribute is given can be output as it is, or the attribute can be released and output. “Size” is for extracting a character string 122 having a specified character size (point number) as a distribution destination candidate. “Color” is for extracting a character string 122 having a specified color code as a distribution destination candidate. It should be noted that the character string having the specified color code can be output in the same color or converted to black and output according to the specification at the time of printing. “In the rectangular area” is the character string 12 in the rectangle specified as the search area.
2 is extracted as a distribution destination candidate.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing the operation of the automatic distribution process according to one embodiment of the present invention, and shows an outline in which the distribution thread 37 determines the output device name. In FIG. 19, first, the distribution / distribution thread 37 executes the CAP
The search condition 124 is obtained from the output control information 114 of the CAL job description file 34. Acquired as the search condition 124 are the search page, the search mode, and the condition details (step S21). The search page is a page of the print job 121 to be searched. The search mode specifies which data in the search page is to be searched. As shown in FIG. 18, different information is stored in the condition details depending on the designated search condition 124.

Next, based on the obtained search condition 124,
The print job 121 is searched, and all the character strings 122 corresponding to the search condition 124 are acquired from the print job 121 and are set as distribution destination candidates (step S22). Next, a distribution destination definition (all distribution destinations) is acquired from the registry 123, and a distribution destination definition information list is created (step S23). In the distribution destination definition, information in which a logical distribution destination name and a corresponding physical output device name are paired is registered for the output destination to be distributed. Next, only one distribution destination definition is extracted from the created distribution destination definition information list (step S24).

Next, the distribution destination candidate obtained from the print job 121 is compared with the distribution destination name obtained from the distribution destination definition (step S25), and the distribution destination candidate obtained from the print job 121 and the distribution destination definition are compared. If the obtained distribution destination name matches, the corresponding output device name is added to the output destination list table (step S26).

Next, if there is a distribution destination definition not compared with the distribution destination definition information list (step S27), step S27 is executed.
Returning to 24, a new distribution destination definition is extracted from the distribution destination definition information list, and comparison processing is performed. When all the distribution destination definitions in the distribution destination definition information list are compared, the distribution destination determination processing ends. When the distribution destination determination processing is completed, a print job 1 is assigned to each output destination based on the created output destination list.
21 is input, and distribution printing is performed.

As described above, the search condition 124 of the distribution destination specified on the client 300 side is
By transmitting automatically as the contents of the APCAL job description file 34 and automatically determining a predetermined character string included in the document based on the search condition 124 sent from the client 300, all applications 1 For the output document of
The distribution destination can be automatically detected from the print job 121. As a result, it is possible to save the trouble of designating the distribution destination for each print document, and to satisfy the search condition 124 by one printing instruction without considering the system environment (the printer name corresponding to the distribution destination). Printing can be automatically performed to all distribution destinations. Further, it is possible to give the user a wide choice in the distribution method, and it is possible to realize a distribution process with a high degree of freedom.

FIG. 20 is a block diagram for explaining designated distribution processing according to one embodiment of the present invention, and shows an outline of obtaining a distribution destination in designated distribution printing.

In FIG. 20, when the server 301 receives the contents of the CAPCAL job description file 23 and the EMF file 24 sent from the client 300, the contents are transferred to the CAPCAL job description file 34 and the EMF of the CAPCAL spool document queue 33. It is stored in the file 35. The distribution distribution processing thread 37 reads the contents of the CAPCAL job description file 34 and acquires distribution destination information 131 therefrom. The distribution destination information 131 includes a designated distribution mode and N distribution destination names. The designated distribution mode includes group designation, logical name designation (distribution destination name designation), and physical name designation (printer name designation).
The distribution destination name includes a group name, a logical name (printer name), and a physical name (distribution destination name). Note that this distribution destination information 131 is stored on the client 300 side by CA
The setting can be made by opening the PCAL printer driver property and displaying the setting screen of the designated distribution information shown in FIG.

Here, when the specified distribution mode of the distribution destination information 131 is the physical name specification, the distribution distributed processing thread 37
The output device to be distributed is determined from the physical name of the distribution destination name in the distribution destination information 131.

On the other hand, when the designated distribution mode of the distribution destination information 131 is a group name or a logical name, the distribution distribution processing thread 37 acquires the distribution destination definition information and the group definition information from the registry 132. Registry 132
Stores the correspondence between N distribution destination names and output device names as distribution destination definitions, and stores group names and link information to distribution destinations as group definitions. For this reason, the distribution distributed processing thread 37
An output device to be distributed can be determined based on the information defined in the registry 132.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing the operation of the designated distribution process according to one embodiment of the present invention, and shows an outline of the process until the distribution distributed thread 37 determines the output device name in the designated distribution.

In FIG. 21, the distribution distributed processing thread 3
7 acquires the designated distribution mode and the distribution destination name as the distribution destination information 131 from the output control information 114 of the CAPCAL job description file 34 (step S31).

Next, the distribution distribution processing thread 37 acquires distribution destination definition information and group definition information from the registry 132 (step S32). In the distribution destination definition, the correspondence between N distribution destination names and output device names is registered. In the group definition, a logical group name and a link to the corresponding distribution destination definition are registered.

Next, when the designated distribution mode acquired from the distribution destination information 131 is "specify physical name" (step S3).
3) The distribution destination name indicated by the distribution destination information 131 becomes the output destination name as it is. Therefore, an output destination list is created using the distribution destination name of the distribution destination information 131 as the output destination (step S34). On the other hand, when the designated distribution mode acquired from the distribution destination information 131 is “logical name designation” (step S35), the distribution destination name acquired from the distribution destination information 131 is a logical name. Therefore, the registry 132
The output device is determined by referring to the distribution destination definition information acquired from the server, and an output destination list is created (step S3).
6).

When the designated distribution mode acquired from the distribution destination information 131 is “group designation”, the distribution destination name acquired from the distribution destination information 131 is a group name.
Therefore, the output device is determined by referring to the group definition information and the distribution destination definition information acquired from the registry 132, and an output destination list is created (step S37). When the creation of the output destination list is completed, a print job is input to each output destination based on the created output destination list, and distribution printing is performed.

As described above, the distribution destination information 131 specified on the client 300 side is stored in the CAPC on the server 301 side.
By transmitting the contents as the contents of the AL job description file 34 and determining the distribution destination based on the distribution destination information 131 transmitted from the client 300, the output documents of all the applications 1 on the system are targeted.
The distribution output destination can be arbitrarily specified for each document.

In addition, the correspondence between N distribution destination names and output devices is registered in the registries 123 and 132, so that a plurality of output devices can be defined for one logical distribution destination. Is possible, and only by deciding one distribution destination,
A document can be distributed to a plurality of output devices, and a distribution destination can be specified by a logical name instead of a physical output device. This eliminates the need to select a plurality of desired distribution destinations at the time of printing, to specify a distribution destination for each print document, and to specify all the names of printers to be distributed. It is possible to automatically print to all the distribution destinations that meet the conditions by one printing instruction without being aware of the printer name corresponding to.

Further, the user can freely select a distribution destination determination method. By analyzing the contents of the document, the distribution destination is automatically determined from the print document data, or the distribution destination is set. By directly specifying a character string, a distribution destination can be specified for a document.

Further, it is possible to reliably specify the distribution destination according to the contents of the document, and it is possible to easily and safely change the distribution destination temporarily (such as suspension of distribution).

As a result, it is possible to perform a distribution process with a high degree of freedom with a wide range of distribution method selections by the user, and it is possible to construct and operate a system that has a high degree of freedom and can flexibly respond to an operation situation.

Next, a document output monitoring system according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 22 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the document output monitoring processing unit according to one embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 22, the spool file 142 is generated in the client 300 by executing the printing. Then, the contents of the spool file 142 generated by the client 300 are transferred to the server 301 via the transfer module 143. At this time, the transfer module 143 transfers the contents of the spool file 142 to the server 30.
1 is output to the client transmission log 144.

When the server 301 receives the contents of the spool file 142 transmitted from the transfer module 143 via the receiving module 148, the server 301 generates a spool file 147 on the server 301. At this time, the receiving module 148 stores the spool file 14 on the server 301.
7 is output to the server reception log 149.

When the spool file 147 is generated on the server 301, the output control module 150 writes the output start to the output start / end log 151, and causes the print control module 152 to start printing on the printer. When printing by the printer is completed, the print control module 152 outputs the completion of printing by the printer to the print log 153, and notifies the output control module 150 of the completion of printing. Output control module 1 receiving the notification
Reference numeral 50 denotes an output start / end log 151 that the output has been completed.
Write to

In normal printing, printing from the client 300 to the printer via the server 301 is completed by the above-described processing. On the other hand, if the printer specified by the client 300 is for the other server 304, the server 301
The contents of the spool file 147 are transferred.

When the printer for printing is under the jurisdiction of the other server 304, the output control module 150 of the server 301
Transfer the contents of the spool file 147 to the transfer module 154
Is transferred to the other server 304 via. At this time, the transfer module 154 outputs to the server transmission log 155 that the contents of the spool file 147 have been transferred to the other server 304.

The receiving module 158 of the other server 304
Receives the contents of the spool file 147 transmitted from the transfer module 154 of the server 301, and generates the spool file 157 on the other server 304. At this time, the receiving module 158 outputs to the server reception log 159 that the contents of the spool file 147 have been received from the server 301.

Output control module 16 of other server 304
0 indicates that when the spool file 157 is generated, the start of output is written to the output open end log 161 and the print control module 162 starts printing on the printer. When printing by the printer is completed, the print control module 162 outputs the completion of printing by the printer to the print log 163, and notifies the output control module 160 of the completion of printing. Output control module 1 receiving the notification
60 indicates that the output has been completed to the output start / end log 16
Write out one.

The process from the transfer from the client 300 to the server 301 until printing is the same as the process from the server 301 to the server 304 until printing.
Further, for example, when printing is performed from a branch to a printer at the head office, such as transfer between servers connected to a WAN, a spool file is transferred between machines that can transmit and receive data, and designated from there. May be transferred to a server that can print to another printer. As described above, when the transfer from another server 304 to another server further occurs, the above-described transfer processing is repeatedly performed.

In the processing of FIG. 22, the client 300 →
A log indicating the processing process (result) of the spool files 142, 147, and 157 in the server 301 → other server 304 is a client transmission log 144 and a server reception log 1
49, output start and end log 151, print log 153, server transmission log 155, server reception log 159, output start and end log 161, and print log 163. The log tracking module 145 obtains information from these individual logs in this order and correlates the information with information for one printing execution, thereby tracking the entire process from the start to the end of printing between different machines. It is possible to do.

As described above, the process from the start of printing on the client 300 to the execution of printing on the servers 301 and 304,
The print execution result is stored in a log, and a document output process recognizable by the user is used as a key to enable processing such as information display and operation of a plurality of logs storing the information. As a result, in a system in which a plurality of servers that control output devices exist on a network, a plurality of document output processes for a plurality of output devices input by a user are monitored mainly by the document output process instead of the output devices (status Monitoring, result monitoring)
It is possible to do. As a result, the user can monitor the print processing input by the user in real time, and when an error occurs, instructs to change the printer or to perform reprinting by specifying a page. , Simple, safe, and accurate.

FIG. 23 is a block diagram showing the flow of log information tracking. In FIG. 23, the client 300
Generates a client transmission log 144, the server 301 generates a server reception log 149, an output start / end log 151, a print log 153, and a server transmission log 155, and the other server 304 generates a server reception log 159,
An output start / end log 161 and a print log 163 have been generated. The log tracking module 145 causes the client transmission log 144, the server reception log 149, the output start / end log 151, the print log 153, the server transmission log 155, the server reception log 159, and the output start / end log 1
61 and the print log 163 are sequentially tracked.

FIG. 24 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of log information contained in a log file. FIGS. 22 and 23 show a client transmission log 144, a server reception log 149, an output start / end log 151, a print log 153, a server transmission log 155, a server reception log 159, and an output start / end log 16
There are eight types of logs, i.e., a print log 1 and a print log 163, but the structures of these log information are all common as shown below.

In FIG. 24, “type of log information” 17
In 0, a code indicating the type of log information is stored. For example, in the client transmission log 144, a code indicating the transmission log (client) is stored as the “log information type” 170, and in the server reception logs 149 and 159, the reception log (server) is stored as the “log information type” 170. ) Is stored in the output start and end logs 151 and 161, and a code indicating the output start and end log (server) is stored as the “type of log information” 170, and the print logs 153 and 161 are stored.
63 stores a code indicating a print log (server) as the “type of log information” 170, and stores the code in the server transmission log 15.
5 stores a code indicating a transmission log (server) as “type of log information” 170.

The “identifier on server” 171 stores a serial number uniquely assigned on the server. Note that the identifier 171 on the server is a number assigned when the server receives it.

The “identifier on the client” 172 includes
Stores a serial number uniquely assigned on the client that executed printing.

The “client host name” 173 includes
Stores the host name of the client that executed printing.

The “output destination name (printer etc.)” 174 includes
Stores the name of the print output destination. For example, when the printer name is stored in “output destination name (printer or the like)” 174,
Printing is performed via the server. When a printer under the control of another server is stored in the “output destination name (printer or the like)” 174, printing is performed between servers.

The “output information” 175 includes a job title name (document name of a document or a table) 177, a user name 178, and a paper size 17 unique to a printed material specified at the time of printing.
9, output copy number 180, output page order 181, output start page number 182, output end page number 183, output end date and time 184,
The output result code 185 and the like are stored. This “output information” 175 is used as display information when confirming the content of the printed matter.

The “control information” 176 includes an operation mode 186 indicating a print type such as normal / distribution / distribution, and an output mode 1 indicating print output timing such as normal / date / time / delay.
87 and the storage mode 188 are stored. The “control information” 176 is used as information for controlling execution of printing, and is effective when confirming under what control printing has been performed.

Note that log information between different machines is
It can be associated with a set of “identifier on client” 172 and “client host 173 name”.

As described above, even when different processes are stored in the log information having the same structure, it is possible to commonly handle input and output of the processing results to and from the storage device.

FIG. 25 is a flowchart showing a document output monitoring method according to one embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 25, the log tracking module 145 acquires log information from the client transmission log 144 on the client 300 that starts log tracking (step S41).

Next, the server name of the destination server 301 to which the spool file 142 is transferred by executing printing is obtained from the log information of the client transmission log 144 (step S42).

Next, log information having the host name 173 and the identifier 172 of the same client 300 is obtained from the server reception log 149 on the destination server 301 (step S43).

Next, the output start / end log 1 of the server 301
51, the output start information is obtained (step S4).
4).

Next, the output end of the output start information obtained from the output start end log 151 is set as the search start date and time when the log information having the host name 173 and the identifier 172 of the same client 300 is searched from the subsequent logs. Date 18
4 is set (step S45).

Next, output end information is obtained from the output start / end log 151 (step S46). This output end information can be obtained only when the output has been completed.

Next, if the output end information is included in the log information of the output start / end log 151 (step S47),
The output end date and time of the output end information acquired from the output start and end log 151 is set as the search end date and time (step S48).

Next, when the output destination name 174 of the output start information obtained from the output start / end log 151 is a printer (step S49), the host name 173 and the identifier 172 of the same printer (output destination) and the same client 300 are used. The log information storing the output end date / time 184 between the search start date / time and the search end date / time is searched from the print log 153 (step S50).

If the printing from the server 301 to the printer has been completed (step S51), the log tracking is completed by the above processing. If the output destination name 174 of the output start information obtained from the output start end log 151 is not a printer, the spool file 14 is sent from the server 301 to the other server 304.
7 has been transferred (step S49), the server 3
The log information is acquired from the server transmission log 155 on the server 01 (step S52). Then, the other server 304 acquires the transferred other server name from the log information of the server transmission log 155 (step S53), and returns to step S43, so that the other server 304 performs the same processing as the processing performed by the server 301. Start.

The above processing is repeated until it is determined that printing has been completed or that printing has not been performed yet (step S
51), change the server and track.

The client host name 173 and identifier 1
Even if the spool file 142 is designated to be printed a plurality of times on the server 301 for the same spool file 142, the log information search range can be limited by obtaining the start and end dates and times of the output start / end log 151. . In addition, the search time can be reduced by limiting the search range.

In this way, by associating information that is a result of a different process and tracing the source based on the association, it is possible to inform the source of the result of the process at the destination. Makes it possible to make a print request without being conscious of which server 301 or 304 the printer is managed by, and even if any of the servers 301 and 304 performs printing, the client 300 Can grasp the printing status.

Further, by obtaining the date and time when the process corresponding to one of the information is completed, it is possible to search for the information of the subsequent process on the basis of the date and after.

In a specific process, by collecting information on the start and end of the process, it is possible to confirm whether or not the information on the subsequent process is completed without obtaining information on the subsequent process. it can.

Further, by obtaining the start and end dates and times of the processing, it is possible to perform a search specifying a range when searching for the related information from the information of the subsequent processing.

[0150]

According to the first or eleventh aspect of the present invention, the drawing data of the determined common data format and the printing conditions relating to the output destination control function of the drawing data are made independent of each other. Save to spool file,
And can be read out, so that the standard print function part compatible with the conventional one is independently processed based on the drawing data, and based on the printing conditions, the compatibility with the conventional one concerning the newly added output destination control is controlled. The extended printing function without any can be processed independently, and any application program corresponding to the above defined common data format can be newly added without modifying the program contents. The output destination control function can be used, and the contents of the device driver program can be used for any output device having a device driver program corresponding to the predetermined common data format. The newly added output destination control function can be used without modification.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, a computer device for requesting printing, a computer device for directly managing the printing device, and a computer device for controlling the output destination of the requested print data are provided on a network. , The output destination control function can be used.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, a designated distribution function and a distributed output function for a plurality of output devices connected on a network can be easily provided on a conventional printing system as the new extended function. Additional construction is possible.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the newly added and extended output control function can be provided in response to a print request from a plurality of client computers connected on a network. Become.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the output control function of drawing data, which is not provided in advance in the operating system used in each computer, can be easily performed without affecting the application program and the device driver program. Can be added or extended.

According to the invention, the output destination of the drawing data can be controlled by various methods, so that the use range of the printing system using the network can be expanded, and the printing system can be used effectively and efficiently. .

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, a basic printing method other than the output destination control function can be designated in the same manner as in the prior art.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, by designating a virtual driver when requesting printing, it is possible to specify an output device automatically determined by the printing system without specifying a specific output device. On the other hand, output can be performed using the standard printing function, and even a user who does not know the environment of the printing system in detail can easily perform printing.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the printing conditions relating to the added output destination control function can be independently set based on a user's input on an interactive screen without depending on an application program. Can be.

According to the tenth aspect, the distribution destination can be automatically determined according to the character information included in the drawing data in the common data format, and the user can specify the distribution destination each time. Just give one print instruction without
Printing can be automatically performed at all applicable distribution destinations based on preset search conditions.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a printing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a client control unit in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a server control unit in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a printer output control unit in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an operation of a virtual driver.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of the contents of a job description file.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of an output control file.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the virtual driver.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a setting screen of DEVMODE information.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a setting screen of automatic distribution information.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a method for specifying a search area according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a view showing a setting screen of designated distribution information.

FIG. 13 is a view showing a setting screen of distributed print information according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a CAPCAL print processor.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of the contents of a CAPCAL job description file.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing the operation of the CAPCAL print processor.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram illustrating an automatic distribution process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of search conditions at the time of automatic distribution.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of an automatic distribution process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a block diagram illustrating a designated distribution process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a designated distribution process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a document output monitoring processing unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a block diagram showing a flow of log information tracking.

FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating an example of the content of log information.

FIG. 25 is a flowchart illustrating a document output monitoring method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 26 is a block diagram illustrating a conventional printing method.

FIG. 27 is a block diagram illustrating a conventional distributed printing method.

[Explanation of symbols]

 300 client 301, 304 server 302, 303, 28, 29, 44 communication line 1 application 2, 7 GDI 3, 5 Windows print control unit 4 client control unit 6 server control unit 8 printer output control unit 9 printer 11 spooler process 12 provider 13, 47 print processor 14 virtual driver 15 CAPCAL driver property control thread 16 system spool queue 17 output control file 18 job description file 19, 24, 35, 40 EMF file 20 CAPCAL client definition file 21 CAPCAL print processor 22 CAPCAL spool queue 23, 34, 39 CAPCAL job description file 25 CAPCAL transfer destination definition file 26 CAPCAL class Client main process 27 CAPCAL job transfer thread 30, 31 CAPCAL reception thread 32 CAPCAL server main process 33 CAPCAL spool document queue 36 CAPCAL server side definition file 37 Distribution distributed processing thread 38 CAPCAL spool printer queue 41, 42 Printer-specific output thread 43 CAPCAL job Transfer thread 45 Printer driver 46 Raw spool file 48, 51 Centro port monitor 49 Spooler process main 50 Printer output management unit 52, 53 Screen call 54 Spool system 55 Port thread 57, 142, 147, 157 Spool file 61 Job description file header 62 DEVMODE information 63 Job description file footer 64 Printer driver private information 71 CAPCAL output control file header 72 Operation mode information 73 Additional document information 74 Document attribute information 75 Output control information 81 User interface 82 Area designation control unit 83, 85 89, 91 Paper 84, 86, 88, 90, 92 Designated area 87 Virtual paper 101 Print data read control unit 102 Print data storage unit 103 Print data construction unit 104 CAPCAL spool file generation unit 105 Page management information storage unit 106 Print job information read control unit 107 CAPCAL output control file read control unit 108 CAPCAL user information reading control unit 109 CAPCAL job information storage unit 110 print job information configuration unit 111 CAPCAL job description file header 112 Window s job information 113 DEVMODE information 114 output control information 115 CAPCAL user information 116 print data page management information 121 print job 122 character string 123, 132 registry 124 search condition 125 comparison unit 131 distribution destination information 143, 154 transfer module 144 client transmission log 145 Log tracking module 148, 158 Reception module 149, 159 Server reception log 150, 160 Output control module 151, 161 Output start / end log 152, 162 Print control module 153, 163 Print log 155 Server transmission log 170 Type of log information 171 On server 172 Identifier on the client 173 Client host name 174 Output destination name (such as printer) 175 Output information 176 Control information 17 7 Job title name 178 User name 179 Paper size 180 Output copy number 181 Output page order 182 Output start page number 183 Output end page number 184 Output end date and time 185 Output result code 186 Operation mode 187 Output mode 188 Save mode

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Yukihiro Shindo 3-2-1, Sakaemachi, Hamura-shi, Tokyo Casio Computer Co., Ltd. Hamura Technical Center (72) Inventor Eiji Hatano 3-2-1, Sakaemachi, Hamura-shi, Tokyo No. Casio Computer Co., Ltd. Hamura Technical Center (72) Inventor Tadayoshi Tenri 3-2-1 Sakaemachi, Hamura City, Tokyo Casio Computer Co., Ltd. Hamura Technical Center

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A drawing data storage unit for storing data requested to be printed by an application program in a spool file as drawing data in a predetermined common data format, and setting print conditions for an output destination control function of the drawing data. Printing condition setting means for performing printing, printing condition setting means for storing the printing conditions set by the printing condition setting means in a spool file, reading the printing conditions stored in the spool file, and performing the drawing in accordance with the printing conditions. Output destination determining means for determining an output destination of data; reading drawing data in a common data format stored in the spool file; and outputting drawing data in the common data format to an output destination determined by the output destination determining means. Converts the data into output data in a unique data format that can be processed by the Printing system comprising: the output control means for outputting the output data of the specific data format that is to the output device. 2. The printing system according to claim 1, wherein the printing system includes a plurality of computer devices connected to a network, and transmits and receives the drawing data in the common data format and the spool file storing the printing conditions between the plurality of computer devices. The printing system according to claim 1, further comprising: a transmitting / receiving unit that performs transmission and reception. 3. When the output device of the output destination determined by the output destination determining unit is an output device managed by a computer device different from the computer device having the output destination determining unit, The spool file in which the drawing data in the data format is stored is transmitted by the transmission / reception unit to a computer device managing the output device of the output destination, and the output control unit is transmitted by the computer device managing the output device of the output destination. 3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein drawing data in a common data format stored in the spool file is read, and the conversion processing and the output processing are performed.
The printing system as described. 4. When the computer device having the printing condition setting means is a different computer device from the computer device having the output destination determining means, the drawing data in the common data format and the printing condition are The stored spool file is transmitted by the transmission / reception unit to the computer device having the output destination determination unit, and the print condition stored in the spool file is received by the computer device having the output destination determination unit that has received the spool file. 3. The printing system according to claim 2, wherein the image data is read and an output destination of the drawing data is determined according to the printing condition. 5. The determined common data format is a data format that can be commonly recognized by an operating system included in each of the computer devices configuring the printing system, and the drawing data storage unit includes an operating system. By a function, data requested to be printed by the application program is stored in a spool file as drawing data in a predetermined common data format, and the output control means is a device unique to each output device managed by an operating system. The driver program converts the drawing data in the common data format into print data in a unique data format that can be processed by the output device. The output data destination control function of the drawing data is a printing function provided as standard in the operating system. For functions 3. The printing system according to claim 2, wherein the function is a function newly added or extended. 6. The drawing data output destination control function includes a designated distribution function for arbitrarily specifying an output destination, an automatic distribution function for automatically determining an output destination, or a method for distributing drawing data among a plurality of output devices. 4. The printing system according to claim 3, wherein the printing system has a distributed output function of outputting the data. 7. The drawing data storage means stores print information specifying a printing method together with the drawing data in a spool file, and the output control means stores the print information stored in the spool file together with the drawing data. 4. The printing system according to claim 3, wherein the printing system reads the drawing data and controls a printing method of the drawing data in an output device managed by the printing device based on the read printing information. 8. A virtual driver designating unit for designating a virtual driver, and when the virtual driver is designated, a standard printing method independent of an output device is set in the print information. The printing system according to claim 7, wherein a standard printing function of the output device is controlled based on the printing information. 9. The printing system according to claim 8, wherein said printing condition setting means sets a printing condition input by a user on an interactive screen displayed by said virtual driver. 10. A distribution destination definition table describing a correspondence between a distribution destination name and an output device name, and a character string from the drawing data based on a search condition included in the print condition. Character string extraction means for extracting the distribution destination name described in the distribution destination definition table, and a character string extracted by the character string extraction means, The printing system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein an output destination of the drawing data from which the matching character string is extracted is determined to an output device corresponding to the distribution destination name. . 11. A computer-executable program code for storing data requested to be printed by an application program in a spool file as drawing data in a predetermined common data format, and an output destination control function of the drawing data. A computer-executable program code for setting print conditions related to the print condition, a computer-executable program code for storing print conditions set by the print condition setting means in a spool file, and storing in the spool file Read the printing conditions, read the drawing data in a common data format stored in the spool file, and a computer-executable program code for determining the output destination of the drawing data according to the printing conditions. Common data format For converting the drawing data into output data in a unique data format that can be processed by the output device at the output destination determined by the output destination determining means, and outputting the converted output data in the unique data format to the output device. A recording medium storing a program including: a program code executable by the computer;