JP2006163860A - Printing system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printing means capable of speeding up UI display depending on the purpose of use by providing an option for restricting/preventing conflict processing in a print job control system using a group printer driver. <P>SOLUTION: A printing system has printing means, such as a means for virtually handling a plurality of member printers connected to a network as one printer for achieving print job processing designation to a group printer, a display item control instruction means for controlling a group printer driver UI display item, a means for restricting an item for performing the conflict of the function of the member printer by a mode instructed by the display item control instruction means, a means for performing group printer driver UI display based on the result of the conflict processing, and a means for performing the detailed setting of an item, where there are no setting items on the group printer driver UI, by opening the UI of the member printer. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a print data processing apparatus and print data processing method for performing print processing in response to a drawing command from an application, a program for performing print data processing that can be executed by a computer, and a memory storing a program that can be read by the computer The present invention relates to a printing system related to a medium.

  In recent years, network devices are generally used, and a large number of personal computers (hereinafter referred to as PCs) and printers are connected to the network. In such a network environment, when printing a document with a large number of pages or a document with a large number of copies, a print job is spooled once for each page or the number of copies in a plurality of printers in order to shorten the printing time. There is known a system (distributed printing system) that outputs data in a distributed manner.

  In addition, when the user sets a print function on the UI of the printer driver during distributed printing, the printers that can handle the setting are narrowed down as distribution destination printers (for example, specifying double-sided printing makes the distribution destination printer a printer that can perform double-sided printing. A distributed printing system is known (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).

  Furthermore, in such a network environment, in order to reduce the printing cost and the printing time for a single document in which color pages and monochrome pages are mixed, color pages are transferred to color printers, and monochrome pages are transferred to monochrome printers. There is known a system (color / monochrome distributed printing system) that outputs the image to the image.

  Furthermore, in such a network environment, a system (broadcast printing system) is known in which a single document is simultaneously transmitted to a plurality of printers with a single print instruction and printed.

  Further, in such a network environment, when an error occurs in a document sent to one printer, a system that automatically switches to another printer for printing (error substitution printing system) is known. ing.

  In addition, a general printer driver stores basic setting information (for example, the number of copies to be printed and whether or not double-sided printing is permitted) necessary for normal printing processing in an area called a common area (Public DEVMODE) of driver setting information. ing. It is known that the information set in this area can be read and written by different printer vendors.

On the other hand, as functions unique to the printer, for example, a staple function, a punch function, and a bookbinding printing function are stored in an extension area (extended DEVMODE) of driver setting information, and the setting information in this area is formatted by the printer vendor. It is also known that it is different.
JP 2001-290630 A

  However, the method of narrowing down the printers to be printed based on the print settings of the printer makes it difficult for the user to know the print settings that can be set in advance, and in some cases the print destination printer cannot be found. Met.

  Also in the system, because the spooled job is a PDL job that depends on the output printer, a plurality of connectable printers are limited to models with the same function that can handle the same PDL job. In order to perform monochrome distributed printing, a color printer may be used for printing monochrome documents. In addition, there is a method of issuing a print instruction to each of a plurality of connected printers to one virtual printer driver in which the respective printers are combined. However, if the vendors of the respective printer drivers are different, an extended area ( Since it is impossible to read and write the setting information in the area of (Extended DEVMODE), detailed setting cannot be performed on the virtual printer.

  Furthermore, when printing instructions to a plurality of connected printers are made to virtual printer drivers, the settings of the virtual printer and each printer are not synchronized with the corresponding printer driver settings. In some cases, there was a conflict in the driver settings.

  In addition, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the functions of the plurality of printers are copied to the basic area by using the function of the OS, and the API provided by the printer driver development vendor is used for the expansion area (extended DEVMODE). There is also a method of using the function to display the UI by using the function, but it takes time to download the function. Therefore, when the process is always to acquire all the functions, the UI display performance is lowered.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to the above points, and in a print job control system using a group printer driver, by providing an option for limiting / not performing conflict processing, a UI depending on the purpose of use is provided. An object of the present invention is to provide a printing system that enables high-speed display.

  The present invention can solve the above problems by providing the following configuration.

  (1) A group printer in a print job control system that uses a group printer driver to specify print job processing for a group printer that can virtually handle a plurality of member printers connected to the network as a single printer. Display item control instructing means for controlling driver UI display items, means for limiting items that conflict with member printer functions according to the mode instructed by the display item control instructing means, and member printer using print job control system API In the case where the items to be conflicted are not limited by the means for acquiring the identification ID of the driver, the means for acquiring the capabilities of all the member printer drivers using the identification ID, and the means for limiting the items to be conflicted. All of group printer UI Means for displaying the item as a settable item, and means for determining the capability of the member printer driver from the capability read from the printer driver when the item to be conflicted is limited by the means for limiting the item to be conflicted; A means for switching setting items to be displayed on the group printer driver by means for limiting the items to be conflicted, a means for displaying the group printer driver UI based on the result of the conflict processing, and a combination that is not functionally possible for the setting items is set. There is a contradiction between the means for controlling the UI so that it cannot be performed, the means for setting items in the group printer driver UI that do not have setting items on the group printer driver UI, and the means for setting the group printer UI after all settings have been completed. Judge whether there is A means for displaying a message if there is a problem with the setting item, and a means for allowing the user to select whether to reset the setting item or forcibly print; a setting item on the group printer driver UI if a print instruction is given And means for transmitting the result obtained from the drawing information sent from the application to the print control system, means for generating a general-purpose print file on the print control system from the transmitted information, and page distribution from the general-purpose print file A printing system comprising printing means such as printing.

  According to the present invention, a printer that can be connected as a member printer in a print job control system using a group printer driver can be selected without being limited to PDL, and items that can be set on the group printer driver UI are designated by the user. Since it is possible to switch according to the mode, it is possible to greatly reduce the application of the conflict processing performed when displaying the UI, and it is possible to improve the performance of the UI display, and the items on the group printer driver UI include each member printer driver. The setting opportunity when the member printer driver UI is opened is greatly reduced. Further, depending on the setting of the UI display mode, the extended setting item may be changed to the group printer driver UI. Can be set above. When performing detailed settings after opening the member printer driver UI, the UI control is performed for a driver capable of UI control, and the member printer driver UI is used for a driver capable of UI control. When setting is completed, synchronization with the settings in the group printer driver is performed to prevent inconsistencies in the setting items, and the operability of the print setting operation can be greatly improved.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment suitable for applying the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an information processing system to which the present invention can be applied. It is assumed that one or more client computers are connected in this system.

  In the figure, reference numerals 102, 103, and 104 denote information processing apparatuses as client computers (clients), which are connected to the network 106 by a network cable such as Ethernet (registered trademark) and can execute various programs such as application programs. A printer driver having a function of converting print data into a printer language corresponding to the printer is installed. Note that the printer driver supports a plurality of printer drivers.

  Reference numeral 101 denotes an information processing apparatus as a server (hereinafter referred to as a print server) according to the present embodiment. The information processing apparatus 101 is connected to the network 106 via a network cable and accumulates files used in the network, and the use status of the network 106. Or monitor. The print server 101 manages a plurality of printers connected to the network 106.

  As the configuration, the clients 102 to 104 and the print server 101 are general information processing apparatuses, and the client and the print server each store a print control program for performing different controls.

  The print server 101 is a general information processing apparatus and can simultaneously have the functions of the clients 102 to 104.

  The print server 101 in the present embodiment further stores and prints a print job including print data for which a print request has been issued from the client computers 102, 103, 104, or print data from the client computers 102, 103, 104. Only the job information that does not contain data, manages the print order of the client computers 102, 103, and 104, notifies the client in the print order of permission to send a print job including print data, and the status of the network printer 105 And a function for acquiring various types of print job information and notifying the client computers 102, 103, and 104.

  Reference numeral 105 denotes a network printer as a print control apparatus, which is connected to the network 106 via a network interface (not shown), analyzes a print job including print data transmitted from a client computer, and converts it into a dot image page by page. Convert and print page by page. A network 106 is connected to the client computers 102, 103, 104, the server 101, the network printer 105, and the like.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the information processing apparatus according to the present invention. The client computers 102, 103, and 104 that are information processing apparatuses have the same configuration, and the server 101 has the same or equivalent hardware configuration. To do. Therefore, it demonstrates as a block diagram explaining the structure of a client and a server.

  In FIG. 2, reference numeral 200 denotes a CPU that is a control unit of the information processing apparatus, which executes an application program, a printer driver program, an OS, a network printer control program of the present invention, and the like stored in a hard disk (HD) 205. Control to temporarily store information, files, etc. necessary for program execution.

  Reference numeral 201 denotes a ROM which is a storage unit, and stores therein various data such as a program such as a basic I / O program, font data used in document processing, and template data. Reference numeral 202 denotes a RAM which is temporary storage means, and functions as a main memory, work area, and the like of the CPU 200.

  Reference numeral 203 denotes a floppy (registered trademark) disk (FD) drive as a storage medium reading means. As shown in FIG. 5 to be described later, a program stored in the FD 204 as a storage medium is loaded into the computer system through the FD drive 203. can do. Note that the storage medium is not limited to the FD, and may be any CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, PC card, DVD, IC memory card, MO, memory stick, and the like.

  Reference numeral 204 denotes a floppy (registered trademark) disk (FD) as a storage medium, which is a storage medium storing a computer-readable program.

  Reference numeral 205 denotes one of external storage means, which is a hard disk (HD) that functions as a large-capacity memory, and stores an application program, a printer driver program, an OS, a network printer control program, related programs, and the like. Further, a spooler which is a spool means is secured here. The spool means is a client spooler in the client, and a server spooler in the print server. In the print server, job information received from the client is stored, and a table for controlling the order is also generated and stored in the external storage means.

  Reference numeral 206 denotes a keyboard which is an instruction input unit. The user instructs the client computer and the operator or administrator inputs an instruction of a device control command to the print server.

  A display 207 is a display unit that displays commands input from the keyboard 206, the status of the printer, and the like.

  A system bus 208 controls the flow of data in a computer that is a client or a print server.

  Reference numeral 209 denotes an interface which is an input / output unit, and the information processing apparatus exchanges data with an external apparatus via the interface 209.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the memory map of the RAM 202 shown in FIG. 2, and is a memory map in a state where the network printer control program loaded from the FD 204 is loaded into the RAM 202 and can be executed.

  In this embodiment, the network printer control program and related data are loaded directly from the FD 204 into the RAM 202 and executed. However, every time the network printer control program is operated from the FD 204, the network printer control program is already executed. May be loaded into the RAM 202 from the HD 205 in which is installed.

  The medium for storing the network printer control program may be a CD-ROM, CD-R, PC card, DVD, or IC memory card in addition to the FD. Furthermore, it is possible to store the network printer control program in the ROM 201, configure it as a part of the memory map, and execute it directly by the CPU 200.

  In addition, software that realizes the same function as each of the above devices can be used as an alternative to a hardware device.

  The network printer control program may be simply referred to as a print control program. The print control program includes a program for instructing the client to change the print destination of the print job, or for instructing to change the print order, and in the print server to perform the print job order control. A program for notifying the end of printing of a print job, a request for changing the printing destination, and the like is included. The print control program of the present invention for performing such control may separately divide a module installed in the client and a module installed in the print server, or one print control program is executed. It may function as a client or a print server depending on the environment. Alternatively, it is possible to install a module having a client function and a module functioning as a print server on one computer, and to perform a pseudo parallel operation at the same time or in a time division manner.

  Reference numeral 301 denotes a basic I / O program, which has an IPL (Initial Program Loading) function for starting the operation of the OS by reading the OS from the HD 205 into the RAM 202 when the control device is turned on. This is the area that contains the program.

  Reference numeral 302 denotes an operating system (OS), and 303 denotes a network printer control program, which is stored in an area secured on the RAM 202. Reference numeral 304 denotes related data, which is stored in an area secured on the RAM 202. Reference numeral 305 denotes a work area in which an area for the CPU 200 to execute the printer control program is secured.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a memory map of the FD 204 illustrated in FIG.

  In FIG. 4, 400 is the data content of the FD 204, 401 is volume information indicating data information, 402 is directory information, 403 is a network printer control program which is a print control program described in the present embodiment, 404 Is the related data. The network printer control program 403 is a program based on the flowchart described in the embodiment. In this embodiment, the client and the server have the same configuration.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a relationship with the FD 204 inserted into the FD drive 203 shown in FIG. 2, and the same components as those in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  In FIG. 5, the FD 204 stores a network printer control program and related data described in the present embodiment.

  Next, a print job control system that uses a plurality of printers according to the present embodiment and performs the above-described printing processing such as distribution, broadcast, and substitution will be described.

  In this embodiment, a printer that virtually bundles a plurality of printers as one printer is called a group printer, and a printer that can be bundled is called a member printer. The corresponding printer drivers are called a group printer driver and a member printer driver, respectively.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing how a print job issued from a general application such as Microsoft Word in the client server model of this system is processed in the print job control system. In FIG. 6, reference numeral 600 denotes a client machine, which indicates a machine on which a client module of the print job control system operates.

  Normally, when a printing instruction is given, the application program generates a series of drawing commands and passes them to Windows (registered trademark) Spooler via a printer driver. Windows (registered trademark) Spooler takes a procedure of passing print job data to the port monitor selected by the user and transmitting it to the printer device.

  In the present embodiment, the user designates a print job control system port monitor 621 (hereinafter abbreviated as job control port monitor in this embodiment) and instructs printing in advance. The application program 601 generates a series of drawing commands.

  In the present embodiment, the user designates a print job control system port monitor 621 (hereinafter abbreviated as job control port monitor in this embodiment) and instructs printing in advance. The application program 601 generates a series of drawing commands. Upon receiving the drawing command, the group printer driver 603 generates a general-purpose print file and transmits it as print job data to the job control port monitor 621 instead of a port monitor that transmits print job data to the printer device. The job control port monitor 621 does not transmit print job data to the printer device 650 but transmits it to the print job control system print service 622 (hereinafter abbreviated as job control print service in this embodiment). The job control print service 622 performs print job control processing as described later on print job data.

  The print job control system print manager 623 (hereinafter abbreviated as job control print manager in this embodiment) checks the state of the print job in the job control print service 622 by the user, It is a program that provides a user interface (UI) for operation.

  The job control print manager 623 exchanges information and instructions with the job control print service 622 via the software interface (API) of the job control print service 622.

  The print job control system server 630 (hereinafter abbreviated as job control server in the present embodiment) performs centralized control (scheduling) the timing at which the job control print service 622 on each client 600 transmits print job data to the printer device 650. )is doing.

  The print job control system management console 633 (hereinafter abbreviated as “job control management console” in this embodiment) exchanges information and instructions with the job control server 630 via an API for accessing software of the job control server 630. By doing so, the entire print job control system can be monitored.

  Further, the job control server 630 communicates with each printer device 650 using the device information control module 631 to obtain information about a print job and an operation state in each printer and perform an operation. The acquired information can be transferred to the job control print service 622 on the client 600 side.

  Next, printing from the group printer driver 603 in this embodiment will be described.

  The group printer driver 603 converts a series of drawing commands generated by the application program into general-purpose intermediate format data that does not depend on the type of printer device. This general-purpose intermediate format data is guided from the Windows (registered trademark) spooler 604 through the job control port monitor 621 (a) to the job control print service 622 (b). Here, the general-purpose intermediate format data is converted into a general-purpose print file. The configuration of this general-purpose print file will be described later. The job control print service 622 generates a drawing command based on the general-purpose print file according to the type of job control performed on the print job (c), and then the PDL driver 602 sends the drawing command to the printer device 650. Is a PDL file that can be interpreted. In FIG. 6, an example in which job control print service 622 performs job control for dividing a print job into two for this print job, and an example in which two member jobs are generated is indicated by two arrows (c). Yes. The PDL file generated by the PDL driver 602 passes through the Windows (registered trademark) spooler 604 and the job control port monitor 621 (d), and is again delivered to the job control print service 622 (e). The job control print service 622 transmits PDL print job data to the printer device 650 in accordance with an instruction from the job control server 630 (f).

  The job control print service 622 logically divides one general-purpose print file into a plurality of print jobs in accordance with the instructions in the print instruction document in the general-purpose print file, and transmits them to different printer devices or once. Re-send print job data to another printer device. (C), (d), (e), and (f) in FIG. 6 show the path of print job data in such a case.

  On the other hand, when the application software creates a general-purpose print file and the application software directly inputs the general-purpose print file as a print job, the general application is a method of passing information to the group printer driver 603 or the group printer driver 603. The processing content of is different. As described above, in the case of a general application, when passing drawing information to the group printer driver 603, the application calls a Windows (registered trademark) GDI function in the same way as a normal printer driver, and the group printer driver 603 responds accordingly. To generate a general-purpose print file. On the other hand, in the case of an application that directly creates a general-purpose print file, the application already has a general-purpose print file and supplies it to the group printer driver 603. The group printer driver 603 rewrites the print instruction in the general-purpose print file based on a preset printing method as necessary, and sends it to Windows (registered trademark) Spooler 604.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a general-purpose print file.

The general-purpose print file used in the present embodiment is composed of a print instruction section 8-a and a document data section 8-b. The print instruction part is a part describing document information and a print instruction. The document data is obtained by converting application document data into general-purpose data, and has a data format independent of the printer language.
The print instruction unit includes a header part, a page information part, a print format instruction part, an output method designation part, a group printer driver setting information part, a member printer number, a member printer driver name, and a member printer driver setting information part.

  The header part is a part for storing information such as version identification and file information of this file.

  The page information part is a part for storing information such as the number of pages of document data in the document data part 8-b and the size of each page.

  The print format instruction unit is a part that stores information related to the output format such as a print page range, the number of copies, document data imposition information (N-UP, bookbinding printing, etc.), a staple command, a punch command, and the like.

  The output method designating unit is a part that stores information such as distributed printing and color / monochrome distributed printing as an output method. The group printer driver setting information part is a part for storing UI setting information of a group printer driver described later.

  The number of member printers is a part for storing the number of member printers associated with the group printer driver.

  The member printer driver name is a part for storing the printer driver name of the member printer.

  The member printer driver setting information section is a part that stores, for example, DEVMODE information as setting information of the driver UI of the member printer.

  The member printer driver name and member printer driver setting information section have as many storage areas as the number of member printers stored.

  The job control print service 622 described with reference to FIG. 6 records the settings on the group printer driver GUI in the print instruction unit 8-a when generating a general-purpose print file from the general-purpose print intermediate format data. Further, the group printer driver 603 converts the data received by GDI into general-purpose print intermediate format data and records it as document data in the document data portion of the general-purpose print file.

  Next, the relationship between the Print System provided by Windows (registered trademark) and the print job in the print job control system and the processing outline will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.

  In FIG. 7, a print job control system 700 shows the range of the print job control system that straddles physical machines on which the server and client control programs operate. The output port (Output Port) 711 managed by the server is associated with the proxy output port (Proxy Output Port) 712 of the job control print service 622 of the client, and the proxy on each client associated with one port. All output ports are managed in a unified manner. In this embodiment, actual print job data is held in the proxy output port 712 of each client. The job control server 630 does not perform transmission processing of the print job data itself, but only instructs the job control print service 622 to transmit a print job. In response to the instruction, the job control print service 622 of the client transmits print job data to the device 650.

  Next, processing when the print job control system 700 performs value-added printing such as distributed printing will be described.

  When the print job control system 700 performs value-added printing such as distributed printing, the user or application 601 must issue a print job to a printer to which the group printer driver 603 is assigned as described above. The job control print service 622 receives the general-purpose print intermediate format data processed by the group printer driver 603 via the job control port monitor 621. The job control print service 622 generates a general-purpose print file from the general-purpose print intermediate format data, and issues a job (member job) to another printer to which the PDL driver is assigned via the Despooler 701 for printing. At this time, the Despooler 701 interprets the print instruction part 8-a of the general-purpose print file described with reference to FIG. 8, processes the document data in the document data part 8-b, and converts it into Windows (registered trademark) GDI. , Issue a print instruction to each printer driver and issue a print job. For example, when a 2-UP instruction is recorded in the print format designation section, document data for two pages is reduced and laid out on one sheet of paper. In distributed printing, a job is issued to a plurality of member printers described in the print instruction unit 8-a according to these settings.

  Further, when the Despooler 701 issues a job to each member printer, it is necessary to create a DEVMODE for each member printer as a print instruction corresponding to the member printer driver. This DEVMODE is described in the print instruction section 8-a. The contents are appropriately reflected in the DEVMODE of each member printer.

  The job control print service 622 on the client side receives the PDL data of each member job rendered by the PDL driver 602 via the job control port monitor 621, notifies the server side of information regarding the received job, It is temporarily stored in its own proxy output queue (Proxy Output Port) 712. Thereafter, after receiving a transmission instruction from the job control server 630, it is transmitted to the print device 650.

  Next, in this embodiment, a printer driver for a print job control system that performs printing processing such as distribution by using a plurality of printer drivers having a printer driver having a storage area such as a common setting area and an extended setting area. UI control will be described.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the UI control flow of the group printer driver of the present invention.

  When a UI display request is received from the application to the group printer driver, the process proceeds to step 9-1.

  Step 9-2 is a step for determining whether or not to inquire about the identification ID of the member printer driver constituting the group printer driver, and branches to step 9-3 or 9-4 depending on the setting of the UI display switching flag.

  As the UI display switching flag, immediately after installation, the default setting is “inquiry for all items (for example, both common setting item and extended setting item)”. As modes, there are three modes including two modes of “inquiry by limiting items (for example, only common setting items)” and “not inquiring”, and the mode setting is a group printer. The driver UI is provided with a switching UI, and the UI display switching flag is switched by switching the setting. More specifically, the group printer UI can be switched, and the reflection of the setting needs to end the display of the group printer driver UI once.

  Switching of the UI switching flag is supported by providing a switching UI in the group printer driver UI, and switching the UI display switching flag by switching the setting. If the UI display switching flag is “not inquired”, the process proceeds to step 9-3 where all UI settings of the group printer driver can be set without inquiring about the capability of the member printer. Open the UI. In this case, since the inquiry operation to the member printer does not occur, it is possible to display the UI at a high speed, and when the member printer UI is opened, the items that can be set in the group printer UI are grayed out in the UI controllable printer. It is displayed in the state.

  If the printer is not UI-controllable, DEVMODE is overwritten with the group printer driver settings after closing the member printer UI for the basic setting items. The “no inquiry” mode for the group printer allows a user who has grasped the functions of the distributed printing target device to greatly improve the performance of UI display, and thus can perform seamless work.

  When all the settings are completed on the group printer driver UI, by clicking the setting end button, the process proceeds to step 9-8 after determining the setting end process in step 9-7. If the end button has not been pressed, the process returns to immediately before step 9-3.

  If it is determined in step 9-2 that the UI display switching flag is not in the “inquiry” mode, the process proceeds to step 9-4. In Step 9-4, the UI display switching flag is further determined. If the UI display switching flag is "Perform inquiry with limited items", the process proceeds to Step 9-5. If “Yes”, the process proceeds to Step 9-6. Step 9-5 is a step in the case where the internal mode becomes “inquiry with limited items” in the above step, and the details of the process proceed to step 12-1 in FIG.

  Step 12-1 is a step of inquiring identification IDs of member printer drivers constituting the group printer driver using the print job control system API, and obtaining identification IDs of all member printer drivers constituting the group printer. This is a step of acquiring the capability of the member printer driver from the identification ID of the member printer driver, and a step of conflicting common setting items from each member printer. Function conflict processing is when each member printer driver that is the target of a group printer is checked for “Yes” or “None” of the function of each setting item and all the target member printer drivers have a function. The group printer driver UI treats the function as a settable item, and if even one unit has no function, the item is treated as an unsettable item.

  The UI control will be described with a specific example.

  A printer driver A in FIG. 12 represents a group printer driver and represents a printer driver, and B, C, and D represent member printer drivers constituting the group printer driver. In the table, “present” and “none” represent each member printer driver. This shows whether the driver supports the bookbinding printing function, staple printing function, and punching function.

  First, focusing on the bookbinding printing function, the drivers A and B have the bookbinding printing function, but the driver C does not have the function, so the bookbinding printing function of the group printer driver A is “none”.

  Similarly, since the stapling function is provided for all the B, C, and D member printer drivers, the stapling of the group printer driver A is “Yes”, and the punching function is provided for all the B, C, and D member printer drivers. Therefore, the punch function of the group printer driver A is “none”.

  In step 12-2, the group printer driver UI is displayed based on the result of the conflict processing performed in step 12-1, and the item is set by the user.

  As a result of the conflict, UI control such as graying out or hiding items is performed so that items having no function cannot be set on the UI, and UI control is not performed for items having a function.

  Step 12-3 is a step for opening the member printer UI for setting items that do not have setting items on the group printer driver UI, and setting the member printer to be set on the group printer driver UI.

  FIG. 16 is a diagram showing details of step 12-4, in which the member printer driver UI specified in the step is opened and detailed settings are made.

  Step 13-1 is a step of determining the type of member printer. If the driver is a UI-controllable driver, the process proceeds to Step 13-2. If the driver is not controllable, the process proceeds to Step 13-3.

  Note that when the member printer driver UI is opened, items that can be set by the group printer driver can be set, and the same function is set for both. To display.

  (1) When a member printer is a “function controllable driver”, items that conflict with setting items on the group printer driver UI are grayed out so that settings cannot be made on the member printer driver UI. Alternatively, UI control is performed so as not to display (step 13-2).

  (2) When the member printer is a “driver that cannot control the function”, the common setting items are displayed in the UI with the settings set by the member printer driver. If the item is changed on the member printer driver UI after displaying the UI, the setting item information set in the group printer driver is overwritten on the common setting item of the corresponding member printer driver in the step of closing the driver UI. Setting change on the member printer UI is not permitted (step 13-3).

  Further, when performing the overwriting process, it is possible to display a warning that the setting change on the member printer UI is invalid.

  When all the settings are completed on the group printer driver UI, by clicking the setting end button, the process proceeds to step 9-8 after the determination of the setting end processing step in step 9-7. If the end button has not been pressed, the process returns to immediately before step 11-3.

  Step 9-6 is a step in the case where it is determined in Step 9-4 that the UI display switching flag is “inquiry for all items”, and FIG. 13 is a diagram showing details of this step.

  Step 10-1 is a step of inquiring identification IDs of member printer drivers constituting the group printer driver by using the print job control system API, and obtaining identification IDs of all member printer drivers constituting the group printer. This is a step of acquiring the capability of the member printer driver from the identification ID of the member printer driver. For all the member printer drivers constituting the group printer, the driver function can be acquired up to the extended area of the driver setting information. It is a step of determining whether a member printer is configured based on information on whether or not function control is possible, by reading out whether it is a “function controllable driver” or a driver other than “driver that is not function controllable”. “Driver with function control” In If configured proceeds to step 10-2, the flow proceeds to step 10-3 in other configurations.

  FIG. 10 shows the configuration of the member printer of the present invention and the correspondence between settable items, and FIG. 11 shows the correspondence between common setting items / extended setting items and each setting item.

  In the present invention, the common setting item is classified and defined as the item existing in the common setting area, and the extended setting item is classified as the item existing in the extended setting area. However, the print job control system is operated. Depending on the OS, the setting item classification may be different or the settable items may be changed, but it goes without saying that the UI control flow of the present invention is effective.

  FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing details of step 10-2. Step 11-1 is a step for inquiring about the capability of each member printer driver regarding each common setting item, performing a function conflict process, and selecting an item to be displayed on the group printer driver UI based on the result.

  Step 11-2 is a step in which the function conflict process shown in the above step is performed for the extension setting items of each member printer driver.

  Step 11-3 is a step in which the group printer driver UI is displayed based on the results of the conflict processing performed in steps 11-1 and 11-2, and items are set by the user.

  As a result of the conflict, UI control such as graying out or hiding items is performed so that items having no function cannot be set on the UI, and UI control is not performed for items having a function.

  FIG. 17 illustrates a specific example of grayout control and non-display control of the UI. A dialog box for double-sided printing and bookbinding printing as setting items is a portion to which the UI control is performed.

  Also, in this step, UI control is performed so that a combination that is impossible in terms of function, such as punching when “bookbinding printing” is designated, or stapling designation, cannot be set by the user's designation so that the setting items do not contradict. To.

  Step 11-4 is a step for opening the member printer UI and setting the items that do not have setting items on the group printer driver UI in detail, and a step for designating the member printer to be set on the group printer driver UI.

  In step 11-5, the member printer driver UI designated in the above step is opened and detailed settings are made.

  Note that when the member printer driver UI is opened, items that can be set by the group printer driver can be set, and the same function is set for both. To display.

  (1) When a member printer is a “function controllable driver”, items that conflict with setting items on the group printer driver UI are grayed out so that settings cannot be made on the member printer driver UI. Alternatively, UI control is performed as non-display.

  (2) When the member printer is a “driver that cannot control the function”, the common setting items are displayed in the UI with the settings set by the member printer driver. If the item is changed on the member printer driver UI after displaying the UI, the setting item information set in the group printer driver is overwritten on the common setting item of the corresponding member printer driver in the step of closing the driver UI. The setting change on the member printer UI is not allowed.

  Further, when performing the overwriting process, it is possible to display a warning that the setting change on the member printer UI is invalid.

  In this step, since all target member printers are “function-controllable drivers”, the UI control (1) is performed.

  FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing details of step 10-3.

  In this step, the configuration of the member printer driver is different from step 10-2, and is a mixture of “driver capable of function control” and “driver not capable of function control”. Accordingly, the items that can be set by the group printer driver UI are limited to basic setting items that allow common reading and writing of setting information.

  Step 12-1 inquires about the capability regarding each common setting item of each member printer driver in the same manner as in Step 11-1, performs the function conflict processing, and determines the items to be displayed on the group printer driver UI based on the result. This is the step of making a selection.

  Step 12-2 is a step of displaying the group printer driver UI based on the result of the UI conflict processing performed in Step 12-1. In the case of the conflict, those having no function and extended setting items are set on the UI. The items are grayed out or hidden so that they cannot be performed.

  Step 12-3 is a step for opening the member printer UI and setting detailed settings on the group printer driver UI for the extended setting items and the unique setting items of each member printer that could not be set in the previous step. This is a step of designating a target member printer.

  In step 12-4, the member printer driver UI designated in the above step is opened and detailed settings are made.

  FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing details of step 12-4.

  Step 13-1 is a step of determining the type of the member printer driver. If the target driver is a “function-controllable driver”, the process proceeds to Step 13-2. Otherwise, the process proceeds to 13-3.

  Step 13-2 is a step of controlling the common setting item UI of the member printer driver in accordance with the rule shown in (1) of Step 11-5. For example, UI grayout control for the common setting item is performed. The UI is displayed and detailed settings are made.

  Step 13-3 is a step of controlling the common setting item UI of the member printer driver in accordance with the rule shown in (2) of Step 11-5. The UI display subjected to this step is displayed and detailed setting is performed. I do.

  When all the settings are completed on the group printer driver UI, by clicking the setting end button, the process proceeds to step 9-8 after the determination of the setting end processing step in step 9-7. If the end button has not been pressed, the process returns to immediately before step 12-2.

  Step 9-8 is a step of determining whether or not the UI display switching flag is “not inquired”. If “inquiry is not inquired” here, the step of conflict check described later is not passed. Proceed immediately before step 9-13.

  Step 9-9 is a step for checking whether the items set in the group printer are consistent as the setting items of each member printer driver. For example, in the printer A, the position where the A4 paper can be stapled is only the upper left of the paper, and in the printer B, the position where the A4 paper can be stapled is only the lower left of the paper. There are items.

  In this step, in addition to the conflict check for combinations that are impossible in the setting function, whether or not the items set on the group printer driver UI can be reflected as the setting items of each member printer driver for each member printer driver. Check for member printer drivers.

  Step 9-10 is a step for determining the result of the conflict check performed in the above step. If the setting items set on the group printer driver UI are valid for all the member printers, step 9-10 is performed. Proceeding to step 13, the display of the group printer driver UI is terminated. If it is determined in the determination that there is a conflicting item in the setting item, in Step 9-11, “Reset the setting item on the group printer driver UI or print with the current setting item. A reset / forced button is displayed on the UI together with a message “Do you want to process?”. Step 9-12 is a step of determining which of the reset button and the force button has been pressed. If the reset button has been pressed, step 11-3 or step 12-2 is performed depending on the configuration of the member printer. Return to just before. If the force button is pressed, the process proceeds to step 9-13 to end the display of the group printer driver UI.

  Through the above steps, it is possible to improve the UI display performance by switching the UI conflict processing target item of the member printer related to the group printer UI display. Is possible.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an information processing system to which the present invention can be applied. The block diagram explaining the structure of the information processing apparatus of this invention The figure which shows an example of the memory map of RAM202 shown in FIG. The figure which shows an example of the memory map of FD204 shown in FIG. The figure which shows the relationship with FD204 inserted in FD drive 203 shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a print control module of the information processing apparatus according to the invention. The figure which shows an example of the data structure of the job information managed by a print server Diagram showing general print file structure Group member printer driver UI display basic flow The figure which shows a group member printer driver UI setting item The figure which shows a group member printer driver UI setting item FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a function conflict for displaying a group member printer driver UI. Member printer configuration determination UI display flow Group member printer driver UI display flow (common setting, extended setting items) Group member printer driver UI display flow (common setting items) Member printer UI display basic flow FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a display example of a group member printer driver UI FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a display example of a group member printer driver UI

Explanation of symbols

101 Print Server 102 to 104 Client 105 Network Printer 106 Network 200 CPU
201 ROM
202 RAM
203 FD drive 204 FD
205 Hard disk (HD)
206 Keyboard 207 Display 208 System bus 209 Interface

Claims (10)

  Group printer driver UI display in a print job control system that uses a group printer driver to specify print job processing for a group printer that can virtually handle multiple member printers connected to the network as a single printer Display item control instructing means for controlling items, means for limiting items that conflict with member printer functions according to the mode instructed by the display item control instructing means, and identification of member printer drivers using the print job control system API If the conflicting items are not limited by the means for acquiring the ID, the means for acquiring the capabilities of all the member printer drivers using the identification ID, and the means for limiting the items to be conflicted, the group printer UI All items in Means for determining the capability of a member printer driver from the ability read from the printer driver, when the items to be conflicted are limited by means for displaying as settable items and means for limiting the items to be conflicted; Means for switching the setting items to be displayed on the group printer driver by means for limiting the items to be performed, means for displaying the group printer driver UI based on the result of the conflict processing, and combinations that cannot be set in terms of the setting items cannot be set. If there is no contradiction between the UI control means and the items that do not have setting items on the group printer driver UI, the means to open the member printer UI and make detailed settings, and the items set on the group printer UI after completing all the settings Means to determine If there is a problem with the setting item, a message is displayed, and means for allowing the user to select whether to reset the setting item or to perform forced printing, and when the print instruction is given, the setting item and application on the group printer driver UI Means for sending the result obtained from the drawing information sent to the print control system side, means for generating a general-purpose print file on the print control system side from the sent information, distributed page printing from the general-purpose print file, etc. A printing system comprising: a printing unit.   2. The printing system according to claim 1, wherein the display item control instruction means for controlling the group printer driver UI display item provides a UI for switching the UI display on the UI on the group printer driver, and switches the UI.   The means for limiting the items for which the member printer function conflicts are: “Perform inquiry to all items”, “Perform inquiry limited to items”, “Do not perform inquiry” The printing system according to claim 1, wherein the printing system has three means.   4. The printing system according to claim 1, wherein “inquiry for all items” is performed for a basic setting item and an extended setting item of a driver function.   4. The printing system according to claim 1, wherein the “inquiry is limited to items” is performed for a basic setting item of the driver function.   4. The printing system according to claim 1, wherein the initial setting immediately after driver installation is "inquiry for all items".   The means for acquiring the capability of the member printer driver is a “function controllable driver” capable of acquiring the capability up to the extended area of the driver setting information and controlling the driver UI, or other “functions” The printing system according to claim 1, wherein the ability to determine whether the driver is uncontrollable is read out.   The means for switching the setting items to be displayed on the group printer driver performs the conflict processing of the member printer functions on the items limited by the means for limiting the items to be conflicted, and the result is used as the group printer display item. The printing system according to claim 1, wherein:   An item having no setting item on the group printer driver UI is a means for designating a member printer and opening the UI for detailed setting when the member printer driver is a “driver whose function cannot be controlled”. For the common setting items in 4, when the UI is displayed with the settings set by the member printer driver, and the items are changed on the member printer driver UI, the settings are set by the group printer driver when the driver UI is closed. The printing system according to claim 1, wherein the setting item information is overwritten on the common setting item of the member printer driver and the setting change on the member printer UI is not reflected.   The means for determining whether or not there is a contradiction in the setting items on the group printer driver UI checks whether the setting items of the group printer driver can be reflected in each member printer driver. Printing system.