JP2002182880A - Printer driver - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printer driver which enables an individual user to effectively utilize functions that a printer has by permitting the user to automatically recognize the device information of the printer at the time of using the printer connected to a network and which initializes the driver itself before the start of a printing processing. SOLUTION: When data which a printer manager previously generates exist, the printer driver recognizes the device state of the printer connected to the network from the data. When no data exist, the state is recognized by the bi-directional communications between the printer and a host computer. Then, various settings inside the driver itself are initialized to optimum states before the start of the printing processing in accordance with the device state of the printer.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printer driver for recognizing a device state of a connected printer and initializing its internal settings to an optimum state for the printer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In order to effectively use the functions of a printer connected to a network, a user needs to set the device status of the printer (existence of a finisher, paper size in a tray, The amount of memory, etc.) must be ascertained and various settings corresponding to the device status must be input through the user interface of the printer driver. That is, it is necessary to initialize the printer driver.

[0003] Initializing the printer driver is very important for effective use of the printer.
However, in reality, since individual users rarely know the detailed device status of a printer, the printer driver is often not initialized according to the device status of the printer. As a result, a first problem is pointed out that a function inherent to the printer is not used by the user.

When a large number of users use a printer in a network, if each user initializes the printer driver using a user interface, settings that are prohibited from being changed by a printer administrator are also changed. There is a second problem that the maintenance may be performed, and the maintainability is lowered.

[0005] Further, when the user performs printing, the printer driver is initialized arbitrarily, so that initialization may not be performed. Therefore, the third problem that the timing at which the initialization is performed is limited and the frequency of the initialization is low is pointed out.

On the other hand, as a prior art, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
Japanese Patent No. 58924 discloses a printer system in which, when a printer is connected to a higher-level device, the higher-level device automatically recognizes a function unique to the printer and performs a subsequent data transfer process. This printer system is connected between a host device and a printer by a parallel interface for bidirectional data transfer. Further, in the present invention, the printer has a printer information holding unit for holding a unique function. When the host device starts operation of the printer,
An initialization control signal is output to the printer through a parallel interface for bidirectional data transfer. In response to this, the printer outputs information on the function unique to the printer, which is held in the printer information holding unit, to the host device through the parallel interface.
The host device reads this information and determines an optimal data transfer method for the printer.

[0007]

However, the grasp of the function unique to the printer connected to the host device according to the prior art is limited mainly to the data transfer method. Therefore, it does not solve the first problem.

[0008] Further, in the above-mentioned conventional technology, when each user initializes a printer driver in a large-scale network, there is a possibility that a setting prohibited by a printer administrator from being changed may be changed. It does not solve the second problem that maintainability is lowered.

In the prior art, the initialization of the printer system is performed only when the host computer connected to the printer outputs an initialization control signal to the printer when the operation of the printer is started. That is, the timing of the initialization is limited at this time. Therefore, this conventional technique does not solve the third problem that the initialization is performed at a limited timing and the frequency of initialization is low.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and when an individual user uses a printer connected to a network, the user automatically recognizes device information of the printer and starts print processing. It is an object of the present invention to provide a printer driver that allows individual users to effectively utilize the functions of a printer by initializing itself at a predetermined timing before.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, a printer driver according to the first aspect of the present invention recognizes a device state of a printer connected to a network from data created in advance by a printer administrator. And
It is characterized in that various internal settings are initialized to an optimum state according to the device state.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a printer driver connected to a network recognizes a device state by bidirectional communication, and initializes various internal settings of the printer to an optimum state according to the device state. It is characterized by the following.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the printer driver recognizes the device status of the printer connected to the network from the data created by the printer administrator if the data exists in advance, and bidirectionally if the data does not exist. It is characterized by recognizing through communication and initializing various internal settings of itself to an optimal state according to the device state.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the printer driver according to any one of the first to third aspects, initialization of various internal settings of the printer driver is performed before the start of print processing. .

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing a first operation example of the present invention in which the first printer driver according to the present invention initializes itself to an optimum state.

When the printer driver is installed in the OS, some OSs issue an additional processing end event at the end of the installation process. As described above, when the additional processing end event occurs (step S11 / YES) and the optimization end flag is not set (step S14 / YES), the printer driver sets the information on the device state of the printer at this timing. Is acquired (step S15).

In an OS that does not issue an additional processing end event when the printer driver is installed (step S11 / NO), the printer driver
When the optimization end flag is not set (step S1)
4 / YES), the information about the device state of the printer is acquired at the timing when the printer driver actually operates (step S15). The timing at which the printer driver actually operates is when the printing is activated by an instruction from the OS (step S13 / YES) and when the user interface is activated before the printing is activated (step S12 / YES).

The printer driver obtains device information of the printer connected to the network from data on the device status of the printer created in advance by the administrator of the printer (step S15). After acquiring the information on the device status of the printer, the printer driver optimizes various internal settings according to the acquired information, optimizes the settings, and sets an optimization end flag (step S16). ).

FIG. 2 shows a second printer driver according to the present invention in which the second printer driver according to the present invention initializes itself to an optimum state.
6 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the above.

When the printer driver is installed in the OS and an additional processing end event occurs at the end of the installation processing (step S21 / YE).
S), if the optimization end flag is not set (step S24 / YES), the printer driver acquires information on the device state of the printer at this timing (step S25).

When the printer driver is installed, if the OS does not issue an additional processing end event (step S21 / NO), the printer driver
When the optimization end flag is not set (step S2)
4 / YES), the information about the device state of the printer is acquired at the timing when the printer driver actually operates (step S25). As in the first embodiment of the present invention, when the printing is started by an OS command (step S23 / YES), the printer driver actually operates before the printing starts. In some cases, the user interface is activated (step S22 / YES).

The printer driver acquires information on the device status of the printer through actual two-way communication between the printer and the host computer (step S).
6). After acquiring the information on the device state of the printer, the printer driver optimizes various internal settings according to the acquired information, and sets a flag for ending the optimization (step S26).

FIG. 3 shows a third printer driver according to the present invention in which the third printer driver according to the present invention initializes itself to an optimum state.
6 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the above.

When the printer driver is installed in the OS, some OS issues an additional processing end event at the end of the installation process. As described above, when the additional process end event occurs (step S31 / YES) and the optimization end flag is not set (step S34 / YES), the printer driver sets the information on the device state of the printer at this timing. Is acquired (steps S36 and S37).

When the printer driver is installed, if the OS does not issue an additional processing end event (step S31 / NO), the printer driver
When the optimization end flag is not set (step S3
4 / YES), the information about the device state of the printer is acquired at the timing when the printer driver actually operates (steps S36 and S37). The timing at which the printer driver actually operates is when printing is started in accordance with an instruction from the OS (step S33 / YE).
When the user interface is activated before the activation of S) and printing is performed (step S32 / YES).
There is.

If the administrator of the printer has created data relating to the device status of the printer in advance (step S35 / YES), the printer driver obtains device information of the printer from the data (step S36). ). If the data is not prepared in the network system (step S35)
/ NO), the printer driver obtains device information of the printer by actual two-way communication between the printer and the host computer (step S37).

After acquiring the device information of the printer by each method, the printer driver optimizes various internal settings in accordance with the acquired information, and sets a flag for ending the optimization (step S1). S3
8).

Here, the optimization of the printer driver is as follows.
For example, when a user uses a sort function, which is one of the functions of a printer, a printer driver must first grasp information on the memory capacity of the printer. If a printer administrator distributes a text file containing printer device information prepared in advance to a network system to which the printer is connected, the printer driver acquires information from the text file. When such a text file does not exist, the printer driver obtains information on the memory capacity of the printer by actually connecting the printer to the host computer. Thereafter, the printer driver sets various internal settings of the printer driver to an optimum state according to the acquired information on the memory capacity of the printer. This series of operations is the optimization of the printer driver.

[0029]

As is apparent from the above description, the printer driver according to the first aspect automatically adjusts various internal settings according to the device status of the printer connected to the network. Initialize to Therefore, according to the first aspect of the present invention, when each user uses the printer, the trouble of initializing the printer driver according to the device state of the printer can be omitted.

Further, the printer driver according to the first aspect initializes various internal settings of the printer driver to an optimum state according to data created in advance by a printer manager.
Therefore, the administrator of the printer can mask the setting that the general user is prohibited from changing. For this reason, the effect that the maintainability is improved is produced, and the printer is suitable for printer management on a large-scale network.

The printer driver according to the second aspect initializes various internal settings of the printer driver to an optimum state according to the device status of the printer connected to the network.
Therefore, according to the second aspect of the present invention, similarly to the first aspect of the present invention, when using a printer, each user does not need to initialize the printer driver according to the device state of the printer. Can be.

The printer driver according to the second aspect of the present invention initializes the printer driver by an actual connection between a printer connected to a network and a host computer. Can be performed even without the above. Therefore, it is possible to save the administrator from having to create data on the device status of the printer in advance.

Further, the printer driver according to the second aspect of the present invention performs initialization by an actual connection between a printer connected via a network and a host computer, so that the reliability of the initialization is high.

The printer driver according to the third aspect automatically recognizes whether data relating to the device status of the printer created in advance by the printer administrator exists or does not exist in the network system. If it recognizes that it exists, it initializes itself according to this data. When it is recognized that the printer does not exist, the device information of the printer is obtained by bidirectional communication, and the printer itself is initialized according to the device information. Therefore, the printer driver has an effect that the initialization method is automatically determined without the user's awareness.

The printer driver of the present invention automatically initializes itself at a predetermined timing before the start of the printing process. Therefore, the printer driver can be effectively initialized without the user's awareness. Further, it is possible to increase the frequency of initialization of the printer driver.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing a first operation example of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a second operation example of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a third operation example of the present invention.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A device status of a printer connected to a network is recognized from data created in advance by an administrator of the printer, and various internal settings of the printer are initialized to an optimum status according to the device status. A printer driver, characterized in that: 2. A printer driver characterized by recognizing a device state of a printer connected to a network by bidirectional communication and initializing various internal settings of the printer to an optimum state according to the device state. 3. The device status of a printer connected to a network is recognized from data created by the administrator of the printer if the data exists, and is recognized by bidirectional communication if the data does not exist. A printer driver that initializes various internal settings of the printer to an optimum state according to the state. 4. The printer driver according to claim 1, wherein initialization of various internal settings is performed before the start of print processing.