JP2005182688A - Printer driver management device and printer driver management system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printer driver management device, which allows a printing system executable in one printer to be set for each terminal and forcibly inhibits the execution of print systems other than the set printing system, and a printer driver management system. <P>SOLUTION: The printer driver management device manages printing systems whose terminals are permitted to execute. In response to a request for downloading a printer driver, the printer driver management device specifies a module of a printer driver transmitted to a download destination on the basis of the printing system whose terminal as the download destination is permitted to execute. The printer driver management device transmits the specified module to the download destination. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a printer driver management apparatus and a printer driver management system that forcibly limit printing formats that can be executed by a terminal.

  With the recent spread of color printers capable of color printing and monochrome printing, the amount of color printing used has been increasing. Since color printing costs more than monochrome printing, the use of monochrome printing is encouraged in offices and the like.

  However, in a client / server system, if a printer driver of a color printer installed in a server is installed in a terminal (client), not only monochrome printing but also color printing can be executed from any terminal. Therefore, even if it is monochrome, even if it is a user's terminal which prints the document which does not have trouble in performance of business, these documents can be printed by color printing. Therefore, even if monochrome printing is encouraged, the amount of color printing used will not decrease unless such a user refrains from color printing.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-161130 discloses a print control apparatus that automatically determines a printing apparatus that executes a print instruction generated from a client. In this apparatus, a printing apparatus suitable for executing a print instruction generated from a client is determined as a printing apparatus that executes the print instruction.
JP-A-8-161130

  However, if color is used for a document document that does not interfere with business operations even if it is monochrome, the print control device described above is instructed to print the document even though there is no need for color printing for business purposes. Selects a printing device capable of color printing. For this reason, even if the above-described printing control apparatus is used, the amount of color printing used will not be reduced unless the user is reluctant to use color.

  Therefore, the present invention sets a print format that can be executed in the same printing apparatus for each terminal, and forcibly prohibits execution of a print format other than the set printer printer management apparatus and printer driver management. The purpose is to provide a system.

  The printer driver management apparatus of the present invention executes transmission of a printer driver to a terminal in units of modules. For example, the printer driver management apparatus of the present invention can transmit only a module corresponding to monochrome printing among the printer drivers, or can transmit a module corresponding to both color printing and monochrome printing.

  The module to be transmitted differs depending on the print format permitted to the terminal that is the transmission destination of the module. The printer driver management apparatus manages the print format permitted for the terminal. When a printer driver download request is received, the printer driver management apparatus identifies a module based on the print format permitted for the download destination terminal in the download request. When the module is specified, the printer driver management apparatus acquires the specified module and transmits it to the download destination terminal. The printer driver may be stored in the printer driver management apparatus, or may be stored in an apparatus other than the printer driver management apparatus.

  By changing the modules that constitute the printer driver that can be downloaded for each terminal, the print formats that can be executed for each terminal can be forcibly limited.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the printer driver management apparatus 100 of the present invention includes a color printer 101 capable of monochrome printing and color printing, and terminals 102, 103, and 104 via a network 105 such as a LAN. It is connected.

  The printer driver management apparatus 100 includes a printer driver storage unit 204 that stores a printer driver for the color printer 101. Downloading the printer driver of the color printer 101 to the terminals 102, 103, and 104 is performed by transmitting a download request from the terminals 102, 103, and 104 to the printer driver management unit 100.

  The download request includes identification information indicating the terminals 102, 103, and 104 that are download destinations. For example, an IP address or a MAC address can be used as the identification information. Also, the terminal that is the download destination and the terminal that transmits the download request may be the same or different.

  The transmitted download request is received by the specifying unit 202 of the printer driver management apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 2 (S301 in FIG. 3). The identification unit 202 that has received the download request identifies the terminals 102, 103, and 104 that are download destinations in the download request (FIG. 3, S302). When the download destination terminals 102, 103, and 104 are specified, the specifying unit 202 refers to the management unit 201 of the printer driver management apparatus 100, and determines the modules constituting the printer driver to be transmitted to the download destination terminal. It identifies (FIG. 3, S303).

  As shown in FIG. 4, the management unit 201 stores a table 400 in which the identification information 401 and the print format 402 permitted to be executed are associated with each terminal. The printing formats that can be executed by the terminals 102, 103, and 104 are determined by the administrator of the color printer 101 and the network 105. The printing format determined by the administrator is input to the management unit 201 by the administrator using the input unit 205 such as a display panel or a keyboard (not shown) provided in the printer driver management apparatus 100.

  For example, when the download destination is the terminal 102, the specifying unit 202 can transmit to the terminal 102 because the printing formats 402 permitted to the terminal 102 are color printing and monochrome printing as illustrated in FIG. 4. As a module, a module that executes color printing and monochrome printing is specified.

  When the download destination is the terminals 103 and 104, as shown in FIG. 4, since the print format 402 permitted to the terminals 103 and 104 is only monochrome printing, the specifying unit 202 transmits to the terminals 103 and 104. A module that executes monochrome printing is specified as a module that can perform the printing.

  When the module to be transmitted to the terminals 102, 103, and 104 is specified, the specifying unit 202 acquires the specified module from the printer driver storage unit 204 (FIG. 3, S304).

  As shown in FIG. 5, the printer driver 500 of the color printer 101 includes a common module 501, a color printing module 502, and a monochrome printing module 503. The common module 501 is used for both color printing and monochrome printing. The color printing module 502 is used only for executing color printing, and the monochrome printing module 503 is a module used only for executing monochrome printing.

  Therefore, when the download destination is the terminal 102, the specifying unit 202 acquires the common module 501, the color printing module 502, and the monochrome printing module 503 from the printer driver storage unit 204. When the download destination is the terminal 103 or 104, the specifying unit 202 acquires the common module 501 and the monochrome printing module 503 from the printer driver storage unit 204.

  When the module is acquired, the specifying unit 202 inputs the acquired module and identification information of the terminals 102, 103, and 104 included in the received download request to the transmission unit 203.

  The transmission means 203 transmits the module input to the terminals 102, 103, and 104 specified by the identification information (S305 in FIG. 3). Therefore, the type of module to be transmitted differs depending on the print format permitted for the download destination terminals 102, 103, and 104. Therefore, the administrator can limit the print formats that each terminal can execute with the same printer only by inputting the print format that can be executed by each terminal 102, 103, and 104, which is determined by the administrator, to the management unit 201. Can do.

  In the above description, the case where both the color printing and the monochrome printing and the monochrome printing only are described as the printing formats that can be executed by the terminals 102, 103, and 104. However, the printing formats that can be executed by the terminals 102, 103, and 104 are limited to these two types. It is not something that can be done.

  In the above description, the printer driver is stored in the printer driver management apparatus 100. However, the printer driver is stored in a printer driver storage apparatus connected to the printer driver management apparatus 100 via the network 105. Also good.

FIG. 3 is a network diagram illustrating a use environment of the printer driver management apparatus according to the embodiment. 1 is a block diagram of a printer driver management apparatus according to an embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure which transmits the module according to the printing form of a terminal to a terminal. It is a figure which shows the memory content of a management means. 2 is a configuration diagram of a printer driver. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

100 Printer Driver Management Device 101 Color Printer 102, 103, 104 Terminal 201 Management Unit
202 Identification means 203 Transmission means 204 Printer driver storage means

Claims (3)

A management means for managing the print formats allowed for the terminal;
When there is a download request for the printer driver, a specifying unit that specifies a module to be transmitted to a terminal that is a download destination in the download request based on the print format managed by the management unit;
A printer driver management apparatus comprising: a transmission unit configured to transmit the identified module to the terminal serving as the download destination. The printer driver management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the module is a module corresponding to monochrome printing and a module corresponding to color printing. A printer driver storage device with the printer driver installed;
When there is a management means for managing the print format permitted to the terminal and a download request for the printer driver, a module to be transmitted to the terminal as a download destination in the download request is specified based on the print format managed by the management means. A printer driver management system comprising: a specifying unit configured to perform transmission; and a transmission unit configured to transmit the specified module to the terminal that is the download destination.

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