JP2007249732A - Installation program and printing system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an installation program and a printing system reducing trouble of updating firmware of an image forming device. <P>SOLUTION: This installation program makes a client terminal device 2 function as: an acquisition part 7b acquiring rewriting data of the firmware of a network printer 3 and a driver of the network printer 3 corresponding to the network printer 3; an installation processing part 7c installing the driver acquired by the acquisition part 7b to its own device 2; and a transmission part 7d transmitting the rewriting data acquired by the acquisition part 7b to the network printer 3 to update the firmware of the network printer 3. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an installation program and a printing system for installing a driver of an image forming apparatus in a computer that transmits print data to cause the image forming apparatus connected to be communicable to execute print processing.

  In a printing system in which a client terminal device (for example, a personal computer) and an image forming apparatus that executes printing processing of print data transmitted from the client terminal device are communicably connected, an operating system (OS: OS) of the client terminal device is used. A printing system that can easily acquire a printer driver corresponding to (Operating System) has been devised (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In the printing system described in Patent Document 1, a URL (uniform resource locator) indicating a storage location of a printer driver corresponding to the OS of a client terminal device is stored in advance in an image forming apparatus (here, a printer). . Then, the client terminal device acquires the URL stored in the printer, downloads the printer driver from the network server indicated by the URL, and installs the downloaded printer driver. Therefore, the user does not need to perform a troublesome operation such as installing the printer driver in the client terminal device using a floppy (registered trademark) disk or the like in which the printer driver is stored.

  Incidentally, there is an XPS (XML Paper Specification) as a standard file format of Windows Vista (registered trademark), which is the next OS under development by Microsoft Corporation. This XPS format file can be opened without any application software (browser or the like) in an apparatus in which Windows Vista is installed.

Here, for example, in a printing system including a client terminal device and a printer that receives print data described in PCL (Printer Control Language) from the client terminal device and performs print processing, the printer supports a new file format. In order to do this (in this case, XPS format print data can be received and printed), it is necessary to install a new printer driver in the client terminal device and update the printer firmware.
JP 11-296325 A

  In such a case, in the conventional printing system as disclosed in Patent Document 1 described above, the user does not need to install (update or upgrade) the printer driver of the client terminal device, but the printer firmware is not required. It was necessary to perform troublesome operations for updating.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides an installation program and a printing system that can reduce the trouble of updating the firmware of an image forming apparatus.

  To achieve the above object, an installation program according to claim 1 causes a computer that transmits print data to cause an image forming apparatus connected to be communicable to execute print processing to install a driver of the image forming apparatus. An installation program, which corresponds to the image forming apparatus, obtains a driver for the image forming apparatus, firmware rewriting data for the image forming apparatus, and a driver obtained by the obtaining means. The computer is caused to function as an installation unit for installing the image forming apparatus and a transmission unit for transmitting the rewrite data acquired by the acquisition unit to the image forming apparatus in order to update the firmware of the image forming apparatus.

  According to this configuration, when the installation program is executed by the computer, the driver of the image forming apparatus and the rewrite data of the firmware of the image forming apparatus corresponding to the image forming apparatus are acquired, and the acquired driver is the computer. To be installed. The acquired rewrite data is transmitted from the computer to the image forming apparatus, and the firmware of the image forming apparatus is updated based on the transmitted rewrite data.

  Accordingly, the installation of the image forming apparatus driver and the update of the image forming apparatus firmware are executed as a series of processes, so that the trouble of updating the image forming apparatus firmware can be reduced.

  The installation program according to claim 2 is the installation program according to claim 1, wherein the computer is connected to the image forming apparatus via a LAN so as to be communicable, and the transmission means is the installation means. When the address of the image forming apparatus necessary for driver installation is set, the rewrite data is transmitted to the address.

  According to this configuration, the computer is communicably connected to the image forming apparatus via the LAN. Then, when an address (here, an IP address) of the image forming apparatus necessary for driver installation is set, rewrite data is transmitted from the computer to the address of the image forming apparatus.

  Therefore, since the rewrite data is transmitted from the computer to the image forming apparatus before the installation of the driver of the image forming apparatus to the computer is completed, the installation of the driver of the image forming apparatus and the update of the firmware of the image forming apparatus are performed. It will be done in parallel. For this reason, the image forming apparatus firmware is not updated even though the driver of the image forming apparatus is installed, so that the print processing of the print data transmitted from the computer is not normally performed in the image forming apparatus. It is possible to prevent problems from occurring.

  An installation program according to a third aspect is the installation program according to the first aspect, wherein the computer is communicably connected to the image forming apparatus via a USB, and the transmission unit is connected via the USB. When the communication with the image forming apparatus is possible, the rewriting data is transmitted when the installation of the driver by the installation unit is completed.

  According to this configuration, when the installation of the driver of the image forming apparatus is completed in a state where the computer and the image forming apparatus can communicate via USB, the rewrite data of the firmware is transmitted from the computer to the image forming apparatus. The

  Therefore, immediately after the installation of the driver of the image forming apparatus in the computer is completed, the rewrite data is transmitted to the image forming apparatus, and the firmware of the image forming apparatus is updated. For this reason, the image forming apparatus firmware is not updated even though the driver of the image forming apparatus is installed, so that the print processing of the print data transmitted from the computer is not normally performed in the image forming apparatus. It is possible to prevent problems from occurring.

  The installation program according to claim 4 is the installation program according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the driver and the rewrite data do not require specific application software and can be processed by the operating system of the computer. This file format print data can be printed by the image forming apparatus.

  According to this configuration, the driver of the image forming apparatus installed in the computer and the firmware rewrite data of the image forming apparatus do not require specific application software and can be processed by the computer operating system. Since the print data (for example, XPS format) can be printed by the image forming apparatus, when the installation program is executed by the computer, the print data of the predetermined file format can be printed.

  The printing system according to claim 5 is a printing system in which a terminal device and an image forming apparatus that receives an instruction from the terminal device and executes a printing process are connected to be able to communicate with each other. An image forming apparatus driver corresponding to the image forming apparatus, an acquisition unit that acquires firmware rewrite data of the image forming apparatus, and an installation unit that installs the driver acquired by the acquisition unit in the own apparatus; Transmission means for transmitting the rewrite data acquired by the acquisition means to the image forming apparatus, and the image forming apparatus includes update means for updating the firmware of the own apparatus based on the rewrite data received from the terminal apparatus. It is characterized by providing.

  According to this configuration, when the installation program is executed by the computer, the driver of the image forming apparatus and the rewrite data of the firmware of the image forming apparatus corresponding to the image forming apparatus are acquired, and the acquired driver is the computer. To be installed. The acquired rewrite data is transmitted from the computer to the image forming apparatus, and the firmware of the image forming apparatus is updated based on the transmitted rewrite data.

  Accordingly, the installation of the image forming apparatus driver and the update of the image forming apparatus firmware are executed as a series of processes, so that the trouble of updating the image forming apparatus firmware can be reduced.

  According to the installation program of the first aspect, since the installation of the driver of the image forming apparatus and the update of the firmware of the image forming apparatus are executed as a series of processes, the trouble of updating the firmware of the image forming apparatus is reduced. can do.

  According to the installation program of the second aspect, the rewriting data is transmitted from the computer to the image forming apparatus before the installation of the driver of the image forming apparatus to the computer is completed. The firmware of the image forming apparatus is updated in parallel. For this reason, the image forming apparatus firmware is not updated even though the driver of the image forming apparatus is installed, so that the print processing of the print data transmitted from the computer is not normally performed in the image forming apparatus. Problems can be prevented from occurring.

  According to the installation program of claim 3, after the installation of the driver of the image forming apparatus to the computer is completed, the rewrite data is immediately transmitted to the image forming apparatus, and the firmware of the image forming apparatus is updated. . For this reason, the image forming apparatus firmware is not updated even though the driver of the image forming apparatus is installed, so that the print processing of the print data transmitted from the computer is not normally performed in the image forming apparatus. Problems can be prevented from occurring.

  According to the installation program of the fourth aspect, the driver of the image forming apparatus and the firmware rewrite data of the image forming apparatus installed in the computer are processed by the computer operating system without requiring specific application software. Since print data in a possible predetermined file format (for example, XPS format) can be printed by the image forming apparatus, printing of the print data in the predetermined file format is executed when the installation program is executed by a computer. Processing can be performed.

  According to the printing system of claim 5, since the installation of the driver of the image forming apparatus and the update of the firmware of the image forming apparatus are executed as a series of processes, the trouble of updating the firmware of the image forming apparatus is reduced. can do.

  Hereinafter, an installation program and a printing system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an example of a printing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The printing system 1 includes a client terminal device 2 (an example of a computer, corresponding to a terminal device), and a network printer 3 (corresponding to an image forming device) that receives a command from the client terminal device 2 and executes a printing process. The client terminal device 2 is communicably connected to the network printer 3 via a LAN (Local Area Network) 4 here. The LAN 4 is connected to the Internet 5, and the client terminal device 2 can access a website on the Internet 5 and acquire various data (for example, image files, program data, etc.).

  FIG. 2A is a configuration diagram illustrating an example of the client terminal device 2. The client terminal device 2 includes, for example, a personal computer. Here, a control unit (CPU: Central Processing Unit) 7, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 8, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 9, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive). ) 10, a CD-ROM drive 11, an operation unit 12, a display unit 13, and a LAN I / F (Local Area Network Interface) 14, and the units 7 to 14 can communicate with each other via a bus 15. It is connected.

  The control unit 7 controls the operation of each unit of the client terminal device 2, and includes an operating system (OS), a driver (for example, a printer driver) for controlling various hardware, It operates based on a program such as application software.

  The ROM 8 stores various control programs for controlling the operation of each unit of the client terminal device 2 by the control unit 7. The RAM 9 functions as a main memory, a work area, and the like of the control unit 7 and stores various setting information and the like.

  The HDD 10 is a storage device that incorporates a storage medium having a large-capacity memory area, and stores a program such as an operating system. When the system is started up, the operating system is loaded from the HDD 10 into the RAM 9, and the operation of the client terminal apparatus 2 is integratedly controlled by the operating system. In this embodiment, it is assumed that Windows Vista (registered trademark), which is the next OS under development by Microsoft, is installed in the HDD 10 of the client terminal device 2. Therefore, the client terminal device 2 can open an XPS (XML Paper Specification) format file without using any application software (such as a browser).

  As will be described later, a driver (hereinafter also referred to as “printer driver”) of the network printer 3 installed by the installation program according to the present invention is stored in the HDD 10.

  In addition to the operating system and printer driver, the HDD 10 also stores various data generated by the client terminal device 2, image data to be printed by the network printer 3, and the like. For example, when printing image data stored in the HDD 10, in the present embodiment, the network printer 3 is capable of printing PDL format print data described in PDL (Page Description Language). Therefore, the image data to be printed is transmitted to the network printer 3 via the LAN 4 as PDL format print data.

  The CD-ROM drive 11 is an external storage device of the client terminal device 2. When the CD-ROM 17 in which the installation program according to the present invention is recorded is inserted, the CD-ROM drive 11 is connected to the CD-ROM drive 11 via the CD-ROM drive 11. An installation program is read from the ROM 17, and the read installation program is executed by the control unit 7. Here, the installation program causes the client terminal device 2 that transmits print data to cause the network printer 3 that is communicably connected to execute print processing to install the driver of the network printer 3. The client terminal device 2 functions as an acquisition unit 7b, an installation processing unit 7c, and a transmission unit 7d described later (see FIG. 3).

  Here, the operation unit 12 uses a keyboard, a mouse, or the like, and receives operation inputs such as operation instructions and settings for the client terminal device 2. The display unit 13 uses a liquid crystal display or the like, and displays various screen information. Specifically, an operation state of the client terminal device 2 and a setting screen for setting print data printing conditions for the network printer 3 are displayed. The LAN I / F 14 is an interface that connects the LAN 4 and the client terminal device 2 in a communicable manner.

  FIG. 2B is a configuration diagram illustrating an example of the network printer 3. The network printer 3 receives print data from a communicably connected client terminal device 2 and executes print processing. As shown in the figure, a control unit (CPU) 21, LAN I / F 22, ROM 23 , A RAM 24, an image memory 25, a print unit 26, an operation unit 27, and a display unit 28. The units 21 to 28 are communicably connected via a bus 29.

  The control unit 21 controls each unit constituting the network printer 3 according to the firmware stored in the ROM 23. The LAN I / F 22 connects the LAN 4 and the network printer 3 so that they can communicate with each other, and can communicate with the client terminal device 2 via the LAN I / F 22. The ROM 23 is a flash memory that stores firmware for controlling each unit of the network printer 3 by the control unit 21. The RAM 24 functions as a main memory, a work area, and the like of the control unit 21 and stores various setting information.

  The image memory 25 temporarily stores image data to be printed. Here, the image memory 25 stores print data transmitted from the client terminal device 2. The print unit 26 executes print processing for recording an image of print data read from the image memory 25 on a recording sheet. As a recording method of the print unit 26, for example, various recording methods such as an electrophotographic method and an ink jet recording method can be used.

  The operation unit 27 includes input keys such as a numeric keypad on which a user inputs information, a touch panel, and the like, and various operation inputs by the user are performed via the operation unit 27. The display unit 28 is, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD: Liquid Crystal Display) that is arranged in parallel with the operation unit 27 and displays various setting states, operation states of the network printer 3, and the like with characters, graphics, and the like. LED lamps to display, speakers that output a predetermined warning sound and the like.

  FIG. 3 is a functional configuration diagram showing an example of a main part of the present invention. The control unit 7 of the client terminal device 2 functionally includes a reception unit 7a, an acquisition unit 7b, an installation processing unit 7c, and a transmission unit 7d. The control unit 21 of the network printer 3 functionally A receiving unit 21a and an update processing unit 21b are provided.

  Here, the control unit 7 functions as a functional unit including the reception unit 7a, the acquisition unit 7b, the installation processing unit 7c, and the transmission unit 7d by reading and executing the installation program recorded on the CD-ROM 17. Then, the control unit 21 functions as a functional unit including the reception unit 21a and the update processing unit 21b by reading and executing a control program stored in the ROM 23 or the like.

  The receiving unit 7 a of the client terminal device 2 receives information necessary for installing the driver of the network printer 3. Specifically, when the CD-ROM 17 on which the installation program is recorded is inserted into the CD-ROM drive 11, the reception unit 7 a displays a predetermined setting screen on the display unit 13, Information necessary for acquiring a printer driver corresponding to the network printer 3 based on the operation input (for example, information indicating the manufacturer of the network printer 3, information indicating the model of the network printer 3, IP address of the network printer 3, etc. Information). The information received by the receiving unit 7 a is stored in a predetermined area of the RAM 9, and a process for installing the driver of the network printer 3 is performed based on the information stored in the RAM 9.

  The acquisition unit 7 b (corresponding to the acquisition unit) acquires the rewrite data of the network printer 3 driver and the network printer 3 firmware corresponding to the network printer 3. Specifically, the acquisition unit 7b reads out the printer driver and rewrite data corresponding to the information received by the receiving unit 7a from among a plurality of types of printer drivers and rewrite data recorded in the CD-ROM 17. The network printer 3 driver and the network printer 3 firmware rewrite data corresponding to the network printer 3 are acquired.

  Here, the rewrite data of the driver and firmware of the network printer 3 does not require specific application software, and print data in a predetermined file format (here, XPS format) that can be processed by the operating system of the client terminal device 2. The network printer 3 can perform print processing. In other words, both PDL format print data and XPS format print data can be printed. In this embodiment, since Windows Vista is installed as the operating system, the driver and firmware rewrite data of the network printer 3 also corresponds to Windows Vista.

  The installation processing unit 7c (corresponding to an installation unit) installs the driver (printer driver) acquired by the acquisition unit 7b in the own apparatus 2. That is, the installation processing unit 7c stores the printer driver acquired by the acquiring unit 7b in a predetermined area of the HDD 10. When the printer driver is installed (updated or upgraded) in the HDD 10 by the installation processing unit 7c, the operation of the network printer 3 is controlled by the installed printer driver.

  The transmission unit 7d (corresponding to a transmission unit) transmits the rewrite data acquired by the acquisition unit 7b to the network printer 3 in order to update the firmware of the network printer 3. The transmission unit 7d sets the IP address of the network printer 3 by the accepting unit 7a when the address (here, IP address) of the network printer 3 necessary for installing the printer driver by the installation processing unit 7c is set. When the address is accepted, the rewrite data acquired by the acquisition unit 7b is transmitted to the IP address of the network printer 3.

  The receiving unit 21 a of the network printer 3 receives firmware rewrite data transmitted from the client terminal device 2. The update processing unit 21b (corresponding to the update unit) updates the firmware of the own device 3 based on the rewrite data received from the client terminal device 2 by the receiving unit 21a. That is, the firmware of the ROM 23 is updated based on the received rewrite data. As described above, when the firmware of the ROM 23 is updated by the update processing unit 21b, the network printer 3 can print the XPS format print data in addition to the PDL format print data.

  Hereinafter, processing operations performed in the client terminal device 2 and the network printer 3 when the installation program according to the present invention is executed by the client terminal device 2 will be described based on a flowchart illustrated in FIG. 4. First, in the client terminal device 2, when the processing is started by reading the installation program recorded in the CD-ROM 17, the reception unit 7a receives information necessary for installing the driver of the network printer 3 (for example, the network It is determined whether information indicating the manufacturer of the printer 3, information indicating the model of the network printer 3, IP address of the network printer 3, or the like has been input via the operation unit 12 (S 1). Here, when it is determined that information necessary for installation is not input (S1: NO), a standby state is entered. Conversely, when it is determined that information necessary for installation has been input (S1: YES), information necessary for acquiring a printer driver corresponding to the network printer 3 is received based on an operation input from the operation unit 12. Then, the setting information is stored in a predetermined area of the RAM 9 (S2).

  Subsequently, the acquisition unit 7b acquires the rewrite data of the network printer 3 driver and the network printer 3 firmware corresponding to the network printer 3 based on the information received by the reception unit 7a (S3). Then, the installation processing unit 7c installs the network printer 3 driver acquired by the acquisition unit 7b in the HDD 10, and the transmission unit 7d receives the IP address of the network printer 3 necessary for installing the printer driver. The rewrite data is transmitted to the IP address (S4). That is, the control unit 7 installs the driver of the network printer 3 in the own device 2 and transmits rewrite data of the firmware of the network printer 3 to the network printer 3.

  On the other hand, when the receiving unit 21a of the network printer 3 receives the rewrite data transmitted from the client terminal device 2 (S11), the update processing unit 21b, based on the rewrite data received by the receiving unit 21a, The firmware is updated (S12).

  As is clear from the above description, according to the installation program and the printing system 1 according to the present invention, the installation of the driver of the network printer 3 and the update of the firmware of the network printer 3 are executed as a series of processes. The trouble of updating the firmware of the network printer 3 can be reduced. That is, the user can both install the printer driver and update the firmware of the network printer 3 only by performing a setting operation for installing the printer driver.

  In addition, before the installation of the driver of the network printer 3 on the client terminal device 2 is completed (when the IP address of the network printer 3 is set), rewrite data is transmitted from the client terminal device 2 to the network printer 3. Therefore, the installation of the network printer 3 driver and the updating of the firmware of the network printer 3 can be performed in parallel. Therefore, the network printer 3 firmware is not updated even though the driver of the network printer 3 is installed in the client terminal device 2, so that the network printer 3 prints the print data transmitted from the client terminal device 2. It is possible to prevent the problem that the processing is not normally performed.

  Further, the network printer 3 driver installed in the client terminal device 2 and the firmware rewrite data of the network printer 3 do not require any specific application software in addition to the print data in the PDL format. Since the XPS format print data that can be processed by the OS can be printed by the network printer 3, when the installation program is executed by the client terminal device 2, the XPS format print data is printed. Is possible.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, The following forms may be sufficient. That is, in the present embodiment, the installation program according to the present invention is recorded on the CD-ROM 17, and the driver of the network printer 3 and the firmware of the network printer 3 corresponding to the network printer 3 are recorded from the CD-ROM 17. Although the mode of acquiring the rewrite data has been described, the method of acquiring the rewrite data of the driver and firmware of the network printer 3 is not limited to this. For example, the acquisition unit 7b downloads the installation program according to the present invention from a predetermined database server or the like (not shown) on the Internet 5, and executes the downloaded installation program, so that the network printer corresponding to the network printer 3 is obtained. 3 and the firmware rewrite data of the network printer 3 may be acquired from the database server via the Internet 5.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the client terminal device 2 is connected to the network printer 3 via the LAN 4 so as to be communicable has been described. However, the client terminal device 2 is connected via a USB (Universal Serial Bus). The network printer 3 may be communicably connected. In this case, when the transmission unit 7d is communicable with the network printer 3 via USB, the rewriting data is transmitted to the network printer 3 when the installation of the printer driver by the installation processing unit 7c is completed. That's fine.

  Thus, after the installation of the driver of the network printer 3 on the client terminal device 2 is completed, the rewrite data is immediately transmitted to the network printer 3 and the firmware of the network printer 3 is updated. For this reason, since the network printer 3 firmware has not been updated despite the installation of the network printer 3 driver, the network printer 3 normally performs print processing of the print data transmitted from the client terminal device 2. It is possible to prevent a problem such as failure to occur.

  In the present embodiment, the image forming apparatus is the network printer 3. However, the image forming apparatus receives print data from a terminal device (here, the client terminal device 2) connected to be communicable. For example, a copying machine, a facsimile machine, an Internet facsimile machine, or a multifunction machine having a plurality of functions such as a facsimile function and a printing function may be used as long as the printing process can be executed.

  The present invention is applicable to, for example, an installation program and a printing system that install a driver of an image forming apparatus in a computer that transmits print data so that the image forming apparatus connected to be communicable can execute a printing process.

1 is a configuration diagram illustrating an example of a printing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. (A) is a block diagram showing an example of a client terminal device, and (b) is a block diagram showing an example of a network printer. It is a functional block diagram which shows an example of the principal part of this invention. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing operations performed in the client terminal device and the network printer when the installation program is executed by the client terminal device.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printing system 2 Client terminal device (computer, terminal device)
3 Network printer (image forming device)
4 LAN
7 Control part 7a Reception part 7b Acquisition part (acquisition means)
7c Installation processing section (installation means)
7d Transmitter (transmission means)
10 HDD
11 CD-ROM drive 17 CD-ROM
21 control unit 21a receiving unit 21b update processing unit (update means)
23 ROM

Claims (5)

An installation program for installing a driver of the image forming apparatus in a computer that transmits print data to cause the image forming apparatus connected to be communicable to execute print processing,
A driver for the image forming apparatus corresponding to the image forming apparatus, an acquisition unit for acquiring rewrite data of firmware of the image forming apparatus, and an installation unit for installing the driver acquired by the acquisition unit in the own apparatus; An installation program that causes a computer to function as a transmission unit that transmits rewrite data acquired by the acquisition unit to the image forming device in order to update firmware of the image forming device. The computer is communicably connected to the image forming apparatus via a LAN.
The installation program according to claim 1, wherein the transmission unit transmits the rewrite data to the address when the address of the image forming apparatus necessary for driver installation by the installation unit is set. . The computer is communicably connected to the image forming apparatus via a USB.
2. The transmission unit according to claim 1, wherein the transmission unit transmits the rewrite data when the installation of the driver by the installation unit is completed when the transmission unit can communicate with the image forming apparatus via a USB. The installation program described.   The driver and rewrite data do not require specific application software, and print data in a predetermined file format that can be processed by the operating system of the computer can be printed by the image forming apparatus. The installation program according to claim 1. A printing system in which a terminal device and an image forming apparatus that receives an instruction from the terminal device and executes a printing process are communicably connected,
The terminal device includes a driver of the image forming apparatus corresponding to the image forming apparatus, an acquisition unit that acquires firmware rewrite data of the image forming apparatus, and a driver acquired by the acquisition unit. Installation means for installing, and transmission means for transmitting the rewrite data acquired by the acquisition means to the image forming apparatus,
The image forming apparatus includes: an update unit configured to update firmware of the apparatus based on rewrite data received from the terminal device.

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