JP2007156695A - Printer information display method, printer information display device, printer information display program and computer-readable recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily display printer information of a large number of printers connected to a network by automatically selecting a communication protocol corresponding to each printer and automatically performing adoption/non-adoption of security communication when displaying the printer information. <P>SOLUTION: The number N of the printers connected to an information processor via the network is acquired from the information processor (step S1). Next, position designation information of each the printer connected to the network is acquired from a printer driver or the like installed to the information processor (step S2), the communication protocol is automatically selected on the basis of the acquired position designation information of the printer (step S3), the printer information of the printer is acquired by use of the selected communication protocol (step S4), and is displayed (step S5). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a printer information display method, a printer information display device, a printer information display program, and a computer readable recording program storing a printer information display program for displaying information indicating the status of the printer from a printer (for example, a digital multifunction peripheral). The present invention relates to a recording medium.

Conventionally, in an information processing system in which a plurality of printers are connected to an information processing apparatus (for example, a personal computer) via a network, in order to display printer information of each printer, a communication protocol corresponding to each printer is manually selected. The printer information is acquired from each printer using the selected communication protocol. Furthermore, a digital multifunction peripheral (MFP (Multi Function Printer)) having a printer function is equipped with functions for managing usage restrictions and usage conditions for each user, and obtains printer information from such a digital multifunction peripheral. If you do this, or if you want to send print data to a digital multifunction device, it is desirable to use security communication so that printer information and print data cannot be seen by a third party. The user himself had to judge whether or not, and it was troublesome. In order to solve such a problem, it has been proposed to determine whether to use security communication based on a communication protocol used during communication between a printer that executes printing and an information processing apparatus. (Patent Document 1).
JP 2002-31146 A

However, the invention described in Patent Document 1 merely determines whether to use security communication based on a communication protocol used at the time of communication between a printer that executes printing and an information processing apparatus. The communication protocol corresponding to the printer is not automatically selected. Therefore, when acquiring printer information from a large number of printers connected to the network using a communication protocol corresponding to each printer, the selection of the communication protocol corresponding to each printer must be performed manually, which is complicated. It was.
The present invention solves the above-described problems of the prior art. When displaying printer information, it is possible to automatically select a communication protocol corresponding to each printer, and to automatically adopt security communication. An object of the present invention is to make it possible to easily display printer information of many printers connected to a network without troublesome operations.

  In a printer information display method in an information processing system in which a plurality of printers are connected to an information processing apparatus via a network, the first technical means acquires the printer location designation information from the information processing apparatus; Automatically selecting a communication protocol based on the acquired printer position designation information, acquiring printer information from the printer using the selected communication protocol, and displaying the acquired printer information And a process.

  According to a second technical means, in the printer information display method according to the first technical means, the printer position designation information is acquired from a printer driver installed in the information processing apparatus.

  According to a third technical means, in the printer information display method described in the first technical means, the printer location designation information is an IP address.

  A third technical means is characterized in that, in the printer information display method according to the fourth technical means, SNMP is automatically selected as a communication protocol when the position designation information of the printer is an IP address. It is.

  According to a fifth technical means, in the printer information display method according to the first technical means, the position designation information of the printer is a URL.

  A sixth technical means is characterized in that, in the printer information display method according to the fifth technical means, HTTP is automatically selected as a communication protocol when the position designation information of the printer is a URL. is there.

  According to a seventh technical means, in the printer information display method described in the first technical means, it is determined whether or not security communication is set, and the printer information is automatically obtained by security communication based on the result of the determination. It is characterized by acquiring.

  The eighth technical means is characterized in that, in the printer information display method described in the seventh technical means, when printer information is acquired by security communication, the priority of communication processing for the printer is increased.

  According to a ninth technical means, in the printer information display method according to the seventh technical means, when the printer information is acquired by security communication, the reception timeout time set when the printer information is acquired is extended. It is a feature.

  According to a tenth technical means, in the printer information display method according to the seventh technical means, when a print command is transmitted by security communication, the printer information is acquired after the print command transmission processing is completed. It is a feature.

  An eleventh technical means is the printer information display method according to the seventh technical means, wherein the printer information includes information for determining whether or not the use of the printer is permitted, and the use of the printer is permitted. If not, a message to that effect is displayed.

  According to a twelfth technical means, in the printer information display method according to the seventh technical means, the printer information includes information related to an expiration date of the use permission of the printer, and the expiration date of the use permission of the printer has expired. , To that effect is displayed.

  A thirteenth technical means is characterized in that, in the printer information display method according to the seventh technical means, an authentication step of performing user authentication by personal identification information is provided before the step of displaying the printer information. It is.

  A fourteenth technical means is the printer information display method according to the thirteenth technical means, characterized in that the user authentication is based on an input of a user name and a password.

  A fifteenth technical means is characterized in that, in the printer information display method according to the fourteenth technical means, an OS login name installed in the information processing apparatus is automatically input as the user name. is there.

  In a printer information display method described in the fourteenth technical means, a sixteenth technical means automatically inputs a user name set in a printer driver installed in the information processing apparatus as the user name. It is a feature.

  A seventeenth technical means is the printer information display method according to the fourteenth technical means, wherein the printer information includes password information set in the printer, and the password information and the password information input in the authentication step. The printer information acquired from the printer is displayed only when the two match.

  According to an eighteenth technical means, in the printer information display method according to any one of the first to seventh technical means, the screen data for displaying the printer information is screen data generated by the printer. It is what.

  A nineteenth technical means is the printer information display method according to the eighteenth technical means, wherein the screen data is a markup language.

  A twentieth technical means is a printer information display apparatus in an information processing system in which a plurality of printers are connected to a printer information display apparatus via a network, and means for acquiring position designation information of the printer from the printer information display apparatus Means for automatically selecting a communication protocol based on the acquired printer location designation information, means for acquiring printer information from the printer using the selected communication protocol, and the acquired printer information. And means for displaying.

  A twenty-first technical means is a program for causing a computer to execute the printer information display method described in any one of the first to nineteenth technical means.

  The twenty-second technical means is a computer-readable recording medium on which the program described in the twenty-first technical means is recorded.

  According to the present invention, printer information of each printer can be displayed easily and efficiently even when printers having different communication protocols are mixed among a large number of printers connected to the network.

Example 1
FIG. 1 is a block diagram for explaining an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes an information processing apparatus 1 connected to a large number of printers via a network. The information processing apparatus includes an OS 11 (Operating System) that manages the entire program installed in the information processing apparatus, and document data. Is converted into a page description language (PDL) or the like that can be interpreted by a printer to generate print data, a printer driver 12 for performing settings related to management and encryption of printer position designation information, and the like via a network Various applications such as a data transmission / reception unit 13, word processor software, spreadsheet software, etc. for transmitting and receiving print data and printer information to and from the printers 2 and 3 connected to the information processing apparatus 1 based on the selected communication protocol Program 14, a printer information display program for executing display of printer information Gram 15 and so on.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a module for displaying printer information according to the present invention, and a printer port setting information acquisition unit for acquiring print command output destination information (printer driver port setting information recorded in the registry of the OS 11). 21. A printer position designation information acquisition unit 22 that acquires printer position designation information based on the acquired print command output destination information, and a communication protocol automatic selection unit 23 that automatically selects a communication protocol from the acquired printer position designation information. A printer information acquisition unit 24 that acquires printer information from a printer connected to the network using the selected communication protocol, a printer information storage unit 25 that stores the acquired printer information, a printer information display unit 26 that displays the printer information, and The control unit 27 and the like for controlling each unit. It is.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart for displaying printer information according to the present invention. When the printer information display process is started, first, the number N of printers connected to the information processing apparatus via the network is acquired from the information processing apparatus (step S1). Next, the location designation information of each printer connected to the network is acquired from the printer driver installed in the information processing apparatus or the registry of the OS (step S2), and the acquired location designation information of the printer is obtained. Based on this, the communication protocol is automatically selected (step S3), the printer information of the printer is acquired using the selected communication protocol (step S4), and the acquired printer information is displayed (step S5). The printer information includes, in addition to the printer name and printer status (printing or standby), personal information of the user who uses the printer. When the printer information display of the first printer is completed, 1 is subtracted from the number N of printers (step S6), the presence or absence of the remaining printers is checked (step S7), and the processing after step S2 is performed until N becomes 0. Is repeated when N becomes 0.

(Example 2)
FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining an embodiment in the case where the position designation information of the printer is an IP address and a URL. As shown in the figure, when the location designation information acquired in step S11 is an IP address, SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) is automatically selected (step S12), and printer information is obtained from the printer using the selected SNMP. Obtain (step S13).

  As shown in the figure, when the position designation information acquired in step S11 is a URL, HTTP is automatically selected (step S14), and printer information is acquired from the printer using the selected HTTP (step S15). Then, the acquired printer information is displayed (step S5), and processing is executed in the same steps as in the case of FIG.

  FIG. 5 illustrates the acquired printer information displayed on the display of the information processing apparatus. The display screen 31 displays a printer name 32, a printer status 33, a print command output destination 34, and the like. The The printer status includes printer status information such as standby or printing.

The screen data for displaying the printer information may be generated on the printer side in the HTML language.
Thus, by generating screen data described in a markup language, it is not necessary to determine specifications such as various position designation commands such as where to place printer information such as a printer name on the screen. Furthermore, it is possible to browse the screen data using a browser (browser) provided as a standard in the information processing apparatus without using special software for browsing the screen.

(Example 3)
FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining an embodiment in the case where printers for which security communication is set are mixed. As shown in FIG. 6, a communication protocol is automatically selected based on the acquired position designation information. Step S21 for determining whether or not security communication is set is inserted after step S3 for executing the processing. This step S21 can be executed by referring to, for example, data managed by a printer driver installed in the information processing apparatus.

  If it is determined in step S21 that security communication is set (step S21 / YES), printer information is acquired by security communication using the communication protocol selected in step S2 (step S22).

If it is determined in step S21 that security communication is not set (step S21 / NO), printer information is acquired by normal communication using the communication protocol selected in step S2 (step S23). Then, the acquired printer information is displayed (step S5), and processing is executed in the same steps as in the case of FIG.

  In this way, by referring to data or the like managed by the printer driver and determining whether or not security communication is set, the printer can automatically perform security communication without setting security communication manually. Information can be acquired.

  When the process of acquiring printer information by security communication and the process of acquiring printer information by normal communication are executed in sequence, the process of acquiring printer information by security communication is more effective than the process of acquiring printer information by normal communication. You may give priority. By doing so, the time (throughput time) required for the printer information acquisition process can be shortened.

  Also, when acquiring printer information by security communication, the communication process takes longer than security communication. Therefore, during security communication, the receive timeout time set when acquiring printer information should be extended. May be. By doing so, printer information can be acquired efficiently and reliably even in the case of security communication.

Example 4
FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining an embodiment in the case where the print command is being transmitted when acquiring the printer information from the printer by the security communication, and the printer information is acquired after the print command transmission process is completed. As shown in the figure, step S31 is inserted after step S21 for determining whether security communication is set. This step S31 executes a process for determining whether or not the information processing apparatus is transmitting a print command. If the print command is being transmitted (YES in step S31), the printer information is output until the print command transmission process is completed. Hold the acquisition process. When the print command is not transmitted to the printer (step S31 / NO), the process of step S22 is executed, and the process is executed in the same steps as in the case of FIG.

  When the print command is being transmitted to the printer, the print process can be executed without reducing the print processing speed of the printer by acquiring the printer information after the print command transmission process is completed.

(Example 5)
FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining an embodiment for determining whether or not the printer is permitted to be used, and in the case of a printer that is not permitted to be used. Step S41 is inserted after step S22 in which the printer information is acquired by security communication using the communication protocol. In step S41, it is determined whether or not the present printer included in the acquired printer information is a printer permitted to be used by referring to information indicating whether or not the printer is permitted to be used.
If the printer is not permitted to be used (step S41 / NO), the printer name, printer status (not permitted to use, ie, unauthenticated), etc. are displayed (step S42). If the printer is permitted to be used (step S41 / YES), the acquired printer information is displayed (step S5). Thereafter, processing is executed in the same steps as in FIG.

  FIG. 9 illustrates a state in which, when the printer is not permitted to be used, that effect is displayed on the display screen 31, and “unauthenticated printer” is displayed as the printer status 33.

  In this way, by displaying “unauthenticated printer”, it is possible to easily determine which printer is not permitted to be used.

(Example 6)
FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining an embodiment for determining whether or not the expiration date of the use permission of the printer has expired, and in the case of a printer whose expiration date has expired, as shown in FIG. Step S51 is inserted after step S22 in which printer information is acquired by security communication using the selected communication protocol. In step S51, it is determined whether or not the expiration date of the printer use permission has expired with reference to the expiration date information of the use permission included in the printer information.
If the expiration date has expired (step S51 / YES), the printer name, the fact that the usage permission has expired, etc. are displayed (step S52). If the expiration date has not expired (step S51 / NO), the acquired printer information is displayed (step S5). Thereafter, processing is executed in the same steps as in FIG.

  FIG. 11 shows a state in which, when the expiration date of use permission of the printer has expired, that fact is displayed on the display screen 31, “expiration date” is displayed as the printer status 33.

  In this way, by displaying “expired”, it is possible to easily determine a printer for which the expiration date of permission to use the printer has expired.

(Example 7)
FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining an embodiment in which user authentication is executed when printer information is acquired by security communication and the acquired printer information is displayed. As shown in FIG. 12, the selected communication protocol is used. Steps S61 and S62 are inserted after step S22 in which the printer information is acquired by security communication. Before displaying the acquired printer information in step S61, the user inputs a user name and password, and user authentication is performed in step S62. If the user authentication is successful (step S62 / YES), the process of step S5 is executed. If the user authentication fails (step S62 / NO), the process of step S6 is executed without displaying the printer information. Thereafter, processing is executed in the same steps as in FIG.

  Thus, by performing user authentication before displaying the printer information, a third party cannot see the printer information (printer name, status, etc.) of the printer for which security communication is set.

In the seventh embodiment, the user name is input. However, the user does not input the user name, and the login name when logging in to the OS is automatically input, or the user name of the printer managed by the printer driver is input. It is also possible for the user to input only the password. In this way, it is possible to save the trouble of inputting the user name in the user name input box 42 by automatically inputting the login name of the OS or the user name of the printer.
Further, instead of the password recorded in the information processing apparatus, password information included in the printer information may be compared with a password input by the user. As described above, by using the password information included in the printer information, it is not necessary to record the password information in the information processing apparatus.

(Example 8)
In the seventh embodiment, the printer information is displayed when the user authentication is successful. In the present embodiment, after displaying the printer information such as the printer name and the printer status, the detailed information such as the personal information of the user is displayed. A process for executing user authentication before display will be described.
FIG. 13 shows a screen in which the user selects the printer in order to display the detailed information of the printer name “SHARP AR-C350”.

FIG. 14 shows a user authentication screen displayed in the user authentication process performed before displaying the detailed information (such as user personal information) of the selected printer. When the user double-clicks the selected printer name or the like to display detailed information about the printer, a user authentication screen 41 is displayed. On the user authentication screen 41, a user name input box 42 for inputting a user name, a password input box 43 for inputting a password, a login button 44, and a return button 45 are displayed.
A user who desires to display detailed information (such as the user's personal information) regarding the selected printer inputs a user name in the user name input box 42 and a password in the password input box 43, and clicks the login button 44.

  When the input password matches the password recorded in the information processing apparatus, that is, when user authentication is successful, detailed information (such as user personal information) about the selected printer is displayed.

  FIG. 15 is a display screen of detailed information (such as user's personal information) regarding the selected printer. The detailed screen 51 displays detailed information 52 regarding the status of the printer, personal information 53 of the user, and a close button 54. .

  As described above, the printer information is acquired by the security communication, and a third party can see the personal information of the user by performing user authentication before displaying the acquired printer information, particularly the personal information of the printer user. Can not be.

  In the eighth embodiment, the user name is input to the user name input box 42. However, the user does not input the user name, and the login name when logging in to the OS is automatically input or managed by the printer driver. The user name of the printer may be automatically entered, and the user may enter only the password. In this way, it is possible to save the trouble of inputting the user name in the user name input box 42 by automatically inputting the login name of the OS or the user name of the printer.

  Further, instead of the password recorded in the information processing apparatus, password information included in the printer information may be compared with a password input by the user. As described above, by using the password information included in the printer information, it is not necessary to record the password information in the information processing apparatus.

It is a block diagram for demonstrating the Example of this invention. FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a module for displaying printer information according to the present invention. FIG. 6 is a flowchart for displaying printer information according to the present invention. FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a case where printer location designation information is an IP address and a URL. FIG. 3 illustrates a state in which acquired printer information is displayed on a display of an information processing apparatus. FIG. 10 is a flowchart when printers for which security communication is set are mixed. FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining a process of acquiring printer information after a print command transmission process is completed when a print command is being transmitted when acquiring printer information from a printer by security communication. FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining a process for displaying the fact that the printer is not permitted to be used. The printer information display screen (unapproved printer) is shown. FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining a process for displaying when the expiration date of use permission of a printer has expired. It shows a printer information display screen (expired). FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining processing for executing user authentication when acquiring printer information by security communication and displaying the acquired printer information. 6 shows a printer information display screen (selection of printer information). It shows a user authentication screen. It is a screen displaying personal information of the user.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Information processing apparatus, 2, 3 ... Printer, 11 ... OS, 12 ... Printer driver, 13 ... Data transmission / reception part, 14 ... Application program, 15 ... Printer information display program, 21 ... Printer port setting information acquisition part, 22 ... Printer position designation information acquisition unit, 23 ... Communication protocol automatic selection unit, 24 ... Printer information acquisition unit, 25 ... Printer information storage unit, 26 ... Printer information display unit, 27 ... Control unit, 31 ... Printer information display screen, 32 ... Printer name, 33 ... Status, 34 ... Output destination, 35 ... Close button, 41 ... User authentication screen, 42 ... User name input box, 43 ... Password input box, 44 ... Login button, 45 ... Return button, 51 ... Details screen 52 ... Detailed information, 53 ... Personal information, 54 ... Close button.

Claims (22)

  In a printer information display method in an information processing system in which a plurality of printers are connected to an information processing apparatus via a network, a step of acquiring position information of the printer from the information processing apparatus, and a position specification of the acquired printer Automatically selecting a communication protocol based on the information; acquiring printer information from the printer using the selected communication protocol; and displaying the acquired printer information. Printer information display method.   The printer information display method according to claim 1, wherein the printer location display information is acquired from a printer driver installed in the information processing apparatus.   2. The printer information display method according to claim 1, wherein the position designation information of the printer is an IP address.   4. The printer information display method according to claim 3, wherein SNMP is automatically selected as a communication protocol when the position designation information of the printer is an IP address.   2. The printer information display method according to claim 1, wherein the position designation information of the printer is a URL.   6. The printer information display method according to claim 5, wherein HTTP is automatically selected as a communication protocol when the position designation information of the printer is a URL.   2. The printer information display method according to claim 1, wherein it is determined whether or not security communication is set, and printer information is automatically acquired by security communication based on a result of the determination. Display method.   8. The printer information display method according to claim 7, wherein when printer information is acquired by security communication, the priority of communication processing for the printer is increased.   8. The printer information display method according to claim 7, wherein when printer information is acquired by security communication, a reception timeout time set when acquiring the printer information is extended.   8. The printer information display method according to claim 7, wherein when a print command is transmitted by security communication, the printer information is acquired after the print command transmission process is completed.   8. The printer information display method according to claim 7, wherein the printer information includes information for determining whether or not the use of the printer is permitted, and if the use of the printer is not permitted, the fact is displayed. A printer information display method.   8. The printer information display method according to claim 7, wherein the printer information includes information related to an expiration date of use permission of the printer, and when the expiration date of use permission of the printer has expired, that fact is displayed. Printer information display method.   8. The printer information display method according to claim 7, further comprising an authentication step of performing user authentication based on personal identification information before the step of displaying the printer information.   14. The printer information display method according to claim 13, wherein the user authentication is performed by inputting a user name and a password.   15. The printer information display method according to claim 14, wherein a login name of an OS installed in the information processing apparatus is automatically input as the user name.   15. The printer information display method according to claim 14, wherein a user name set in a printer driver installed in the information processing apparatus is automatically input as the user name.   15. The printer information display method according to claim 14, wherein the printer information includes password information set in the printer, and only when the password information matches the password information input in the authentication step, from the printer. A printer information display method comprising displaying acquired printer information.   8. The printer information display method according to claim 1, wherein the screen data for displaying the printer information is screen data generated by the printer.   19. The printer information display method according to claim 18, wherein the screen data is a markup language.   In a printer information display apparatus in an information processing system in which a plurality of printers are connected to a printer information display apparatus via a network, means for acquiring position designation information of the printer from the printer information display apparatus, and Means for automatically selecting a communication protocol based on the position designation information; means for acquiring printer information from the printer using the selected communication protocol; and means for displaying the acquired printer information. A printer information display device.   A program for causing a computer to execute the printer information display method according to any one of claims 1 to 19.   A computer-readable recording medium on which the program according to claim 21 is recorded.

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