JP2007080156A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable registration of a new printer driver in a personal computer to be performed only on the printer side. <P>SOLUTION: This printer is composed of: a means for logging in a PC 103 on a network 106 by showing an ID card 101 for the printer 102; a means for setting up the printer driver to the PC 103 from the printer 102 side; and a means 108 for displaying a disk top of the PC 103 on the printer 102 side. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing system that provides a print setting function for document data generated by, for example, a document processing program, and a printing apparatus according to a technique of the method.

  Conventionally, when a user installs a printer driver for controlling a printer operating in a network-connected environment on a personal computer (PC), the user downloads the printer driver from a server on the network to his or her personal computer. The printer printer driver is installed.

  In this case, if the user does not know the model name of the printer he wants to use, or if he does not know the correspondence between the printer in the actual physical location and the printer name, the user is managed by a server or the like to use the printer in front. There is a problem that it is not known which printer driver to select from among a plurality of types of printer drivers.

  In addition, when the downloaded printer driver does not include information on the network settings such as the network address of the printer, there is a trouble that the user himself / herself has to set the information after examining the information on the network settings. It was pointed out as an issue.

  Therefore, in recent years, a user who wants to newly use a printer on a network has a printer driver main body that can be easily operated without requiring special knowledge of printer location information, network information, and the type of printer driver. A method for preparing for the setup of a printer that can communicate with a printer driver is disclosed.

For example, information necessary for setup (network address, model, optimal printer driver, etc.) is received from a printer connected on the network via a portable information storage medium such as an RFID tag or an ID card, and RFID Store in tags and ID cards. The printer driver setup is executed by causing the personal computer that wants to register the printer driver to read the printer-specific information stored in the RFID tag or ID card.
JP 2005-170000 A

  However, in the conventional means as described above, the new printer driver can be used without the user being aware of the printer-specific information necessary for printer driver registration, such as the network address, model, and appropriate printer driver. Although the convenience of the user has been improved considerably in that it can be installed, it is still necessary to actually perform a test print from a personal computer to see if the printer driver succeeded there were.

  And until you can confirm that the printer driver setup was successful, you had to go back and forth between a remote network printer and your personal computer.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus capable of registering a new printer driver in a personal computer only on the printer side.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a printing apparatus capable of communicating with a data processing apparatus via a network, and the printing apparatus has an interface that can be connected to a portable information storage medium, and When the information storage medium is connected to the printing apparatus, the user-specific information stored in advance in the information storage medium, means for reading information on the data processing apparatus owned by the user, and information acquired by the reading means And a means for specifying a data processing apparatus owned by the user via a network.

  In addition, the printing apparatus uses the password information included in the user information acquired by the reading means to remotely log in to the data processing apparatus specified by the specifying means, and prints on the data processing apparatus side. A printer driver corresponding to the apparatus, and means for transmitting setup information such as a network address, a model name, and an optional configuration, and a means for executing setup of the printer driver stored in the data processing apparatus from the printing apparatus It is characterized by that.

  Further, the user can check the result of the printer driver setup on the data processing apparatus on the operation panel at any time by having a UI that can display the desktop of the data processing apparatus on the operation panel of the self-printing apparatus. It is characterized by comprising possible means.

  The above-described configuration is shown again in the following (1) to (6).

  (1) A printing apparatus capable of communicating with a data processing apparatus via a network, wherein the printing apparatus is an interface connectable to a portable information storage medium, and receives data from the information storage medium A printer with a data transfer program.

  (2) The printing apparatus according to (1), wherein the data storage program is activated when the information storage medium is connected to the printing apparatus and is activated, and reading means for reading data from the information storage medium A printing device with.

  (3) The printing apparatus according to (1), wherein a user identification ID, a name, a password of a data processing apparatus owned by the user, a network address, from the data read from the information storage medium by the reading unit, Owned by a user carrying the information storage medium connected to the same network based on the user information and user information extraction means for extracting unique information about the user who owns the information storage medium, such as an e-mail address A printing device having a specifying means for specifying a data processing device.

  (4) The printing apparatus uses the password information included in the user information acquired by the user information extraction means to remotely log in to the data processing apparatus specified by the specifying means, and the data processing apparatus side A printer having a printer driver corresponding to the printer itself and a transmission means for transmitting setup information such as a network address, a model name, and an option configuration.

  (5) The printing apparatus includes a unit that remotely executes setup of a printer driver transmitted to the data processing apparatus using the transmission unit from the self-printing apparatus.

  (6) The printing apparatus has a UI capable of displaying the desktop screen of the data processing apparatus on the operation panel of the self-printing apparatus, and the user displays the setup result of the printer driver on the data processing apparatus by the user. A printing apparatus comprising means that can be checked at any time.

  According to the present invention, when a user wants to newly use a printer connected to the network, the user can uniquely identify the user by connecting an information storage medium such as an ID card storing personal identification information to the printer. It is possible to specify the data processing apparatus and set up the printer driver remotely from the printer side.

  As a result, even a user who does not have much knowledge of system settings can set up a printer driver by simply inserting an ID card into the printer, thereby further improving the usability.

  Further, it is possible to prevent the printer driver from being registered in the data processing apparatus of another user by mistake, and to restrict the use of the printer by only a specific person, thereby improving the security aspect.

  In addition, the user can refer to the desktop of his / her data processing device connected to the same network from a remote printing device side, so that the printer driver can check the status of the data processing device side at any time. You will be able to run the setup.

  As a result, it is possible to always execute the setup only on the printer side without going back and forth between the remote printer and the user's personal computer in order to check whether the setup was successful, thereby further improving the convenience for the user. be able to.

  Next, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

"Hardware configuration example of printing system of this embodiment"
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a printing system showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

  In the printing system in FIG. 1, a printer 102 as a plurality of printing apparatuses and a personal computer 103 as a data processing apparatus are connected to a network such as a LAN.

  Reference numeral 101 denotes an ID card as an example of a portable information storage medium having at least a data communication function and a storage unit. Hereinafter, an ID card will be described as an example of a medium for storing predetermined information. The ID card 101 is an ID card that each individual user forms, and has a function for user personal authentication.

  The printer 102 receives print information via a printer driver installed in the personal computer 103 and prints various documents requested to be printed by the user on a storage medium. The printer 102 has an interface that can be connected to an information storage medium (here, an ID card) 101, and can communicate with the ID card 101 connected to read user information stored in advance.

  Reference numeral 104 denotes an HDD, which is provided in the printer 102 and configured to be able to temporarily store jobs. The user area called a box can be secured. The HDD 104 also includes information on the printer driver itself, such as printer name, network address, MAC address, supported communication protocol, configuration information indicating optional configurations such as a stapler, duplex unit, and finisher, and an output port monitor associated with the printer driver. Printer setting information is stored.

  A printer driver 105 is a printer driver dedicated to the printer 102 and is stored in a predetermined area on the HDD 104. The setting information stored in the HDD 104 may be stored in the printer driver 105, or may be a separate file.

  Here, the printer driver 105 will be described. A printer driver 105 on the HDD 104 provided in the printer 102 is a printer driver corresponding to the model of the printer 102. Further, as described in FIG. 1, information relating to network settings such as the network address of the printer 102 in the network 106 is also set in advance on the HDD 104 as the printer driver 105.

  Of course, the printer driver main body and the setting information such as the network address in the printer driver setup may be separated into separate files, and a compressed file obtained by archiving each separated file may be used as the setup information.

  Reference numeral 107 denotes an operation panel provided in the printer 102 for the user to give an instruction to the printer and to check the status of the printer 102. When the printer 102 is in communication with the ID card 101 and the password in the ID card 101 is valid, the printer 102 can log in to the personal computer 103 connected to the network 106. Further, the operation panel 107 has a UI (remote UI) 108 that can display the desktop of the personal computer 103 that has logged in via the network 106. Accordingly, it is possible to operate the printer 102 while confirming the state of the personal computer 103 side remotely.

  In the present embodiment, the printer driver 105 is described as a printer driver for convenience of explanation. Needless to say, the printer driver 105 includes an installer for installing the printer driver 105 in the personal computer 103 or the like.

  Next, details of the ID card 101 will be described with reference to FIG.

  In FIG. 2, 201 stores the identification ID of the ID card 101, and 202 stores the name of the owner of the ID card, that is, the name of the user who carries the ID card 101. 203 is a password for logging in to the personal computer 103 owned by the user, 204 is a network address of the personal computer 103, and 205 is a mail address of the user. In addition to the information 201 to 205 described above, it is stored in the ID card 101, and various personal information of the user is stored up to 206 personal information.

  Each item shown in FIG. 2 has a format determined in advance with the printer 102, and each item can be identified by the printer 102. For example, the storage area of each item may be determined in advance for the ID card 101 and the printer 102, or the item identifier for each item may be determined in advance, and the contents of each item may be stored in the printer 102 using this item identifier as a book. You may make it recognize. Note that a simple character string may be applied as the identification ID 201, and a method of applying authentication information subjected to encryption or the like is also conceivable.

  Here, an ID card is used as an example of the information storage medium. However, a medium such as an RFID tag or a USB memory may be used as long as it is a portable medium that can store information.

“Printer Driver Setup Flow in the Printing System of the Present Embodiment”
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure of printer driver installation in the data processing apparatus in the printing system according to the present invention.

  Note that the printer 102 according to the present embodiment has a SEND function (a function capable of selecting a transmission destination from a destination table displayed on the operation panel 107 of the printer and transmitting a document to the network simply by pressing a start button). , And a BOX function (a function capable of temporarily storing and sharing documents such as image data and various application data in the HDD 104 of the printer) is assumed.

  When the user wants to newly use the printer 102, the user goes to the place where the printer 102 is installed and connects the ID card 101 to an interface to which the ID card of the printer 102 can be connected. Here, the communication unit between the ID card 101 and the printer 102 is, for example, an ID card driver provided in the printer 102.

  By communicating with the ID card 101, a data reading program is activated in the printer 102, and the printer 102 receives data from the ID card 101 in step 301.

  In step 302, the received data is read, and in the next step 303, information (user information) regarding the ID card owner is extracted from the data. The user information includes a user identification ID 201, a name 202, a password 203, a network address 204 of a personal computer owned by the user, a user mail address 205, and the like.

  In the next step 304, based on the network address information included in the user information extracted in step 303, a search is made for a personal computer owned by the user connected to the printer on the same network via the network.

  If the personal computer 103 owned by the user is found as a result of the search (305), the printer driver is identified as the installation target and the user logs in to the data processing apparatus (306).

  At this time, login authentication is performed using the user password 203 extracted in step 303. If the login authentication is successful (307), information necessary for setup (network address, model, printer driver installer, option mounting information, etc.) is copied from the printing apparatus 102 to the personal computer 103 (step 308).

  Then, the copied printer driver setup is executed remotely from the printing apparatus 102 side (step 309).

  When the setup of the printer driver in step 309 is completed, initial settings of the registered printer driver (option installation setting, paper feed cassette type setting, finisher setting, etc.) are performed based on the option installation information extracted in step 303 (step 309). Step 310).

  When the above series of printer driver setup is completed, the user logs out from the personal computer 103 (step 311).

  If the user's data processing device cannot be searched in step 305 or if login authentication fails in step 307, the user is informed on the operation panel 107 that he / she could not log in to the corresponding data processing device. (Step 312), the process ends without doing anything.

  As described above, in the printing system according to the present embodiment, based on the data transfer program installed in the printer, user-specific information in which personal user information is stored in advance is read from the information storage medium. Then, based on the extracted user information and password, the data processing apparatus owned by the user is uniquely specified and the user logs in remotely. After that, the printer driver setup to the data processing apparatus is executed from the remote printing apparatus side via the network.

  Therefore, it is possible to prevent the printer driver from being erroneously registered in another user's data processing apparatus, and to limit the use of an external human printer, thereby improving the security.

  Furthermore, in the printing system according to the present embodiment, installation can be performed while confirming the desktop of the data processing apparatus remotely logged in from the printing apparatus on the operation panel on the printing apparatus side. A series of driver setup to the data processing apparatus and initial setting of the printer driver can be performed only on the printing apparatus side.

  Therefore, it is possible to confirm whether or not the printer driver has been successfully registered without going back and forth between the printer and the personal computer, and the convenience for the user can be greatly improved.

  In addition, even a user who does not have much system setting knowledge can easily set up a printer driver by simply inserting an ID card into the printer, thereby further improving the usability. .

It is a block diagram for demonstrating the structure of the printing system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the information storage medium which concerns on this Embodiment. 5 is a flowchart for explaining a flow of processing for installing a printer driver in a data processing apparatus in the printing system according to the present embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

101 ID card 102 Printer 103 Personal computer 104 HDD
105 Printer Driver 106 Network 107 Operation Panel 108 Remote UI

Claims (6)

  A printing apparatus capable of communicating with a data processing apparatus via a network, wherein the printing apparatus is an interface connectable to a portable information storage medium, and a data transfer program for receiving data from the information storage medium A printing apparatus characterized by comprising:   The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a reading unit that starts the data transfer program when the information storage medium is connected to the printing apparatus and starts up, and reads data from the information storage medium. A printing device.   The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein from the data read from the information storage medium by the reading unit, a user identification ID, a name, a password of a data processing apparatus owned by the user, a network address, a mail address, etc. A user information extracting means for extracting unique information relating to a user who owns the information storage medium, and a data processing apparatus owned by a user carrying the information storage medium connected on the same network based on the user information. A printing apparatus having a specifying means for specifying.   The printing apparatus uses the password information included in the user information acquired by the user information extracting means to remotely log in to the data processing apparatus specified by the specifying means, and self-prints on the data processing apparatus side A printing apparatus comprising: a printer driver corresponding to the apparatus; and transmission means for transmitting setup information such as a network address, a model name, and an option configuration.   The printing apparatus includes a means for remotely executing a setup of a printer driver transmitted to the data processing apparatus using the transmission means from the self-printing apparatus.   The printing apparatus has a UI that can display the desktop screen of the data processing apparatus on the operation panel of the self-printing apparatus, and the user can display the setup result of the printer driver on the data processing apparatus on the operation panel as needed. A printing apparatus comprising means capable of confirming.

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