JP2008153965A - Information processing apparatus, control method thereof and control program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information processing apparatus with an excellent usability property capable of easily and properly selecting a paper brand to be used in a printer and a function of the printer. <P>SOLUTION: When selecting a paper brand designation mode, a device function to be applied is narrowed down from designated paper brands, and when selecting a device function designation mode, a paper brand to be used is narrowed down from a designated device function. When selecting the paper brand designation mode, if a device function unusable to the designated paper brand is selected, the mode is changed to the device function designation mode. Further, when selecting the device function designation mode, if a paper brand unusable to the designated device function is selected, the mode is changed to the paper brand designation mode. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus that controls printing processing executed by a printing apparatus, a control method thereof, and a control program for executing the control method.

  Conventionally, there are hundreds of types of recording media (also referred to as paper brands in the present application) in high-speed, large-capacity output printing devices suitable for POD (Print on demand) systems that provide print output services via the Internet. Is installed. Such a printing apparatus is introduced not only in the POD market but also in the general office market.

  That is, in the office market, a list of paper brands is usually displayed on the user interface of a printer driver installed in a personal computer. By selecting an arbitrary paper brand for an arbitrary page (including multiple pages) of one print job and selecting and setting a device function that can be used with the paper brand, Printing has been realized.

For example, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, a paper brand is first selected on a property setting screen of a printer driver on a personal computer connected to the Internet. Then, paper data corresponding to the paper brand is transferred from the server via the Internet, and the printer is controlled based on the paper data.
JP 2002-73291 A

  However, in the above conventional technique, when selecting a paper brand, all hundreds of paper brands are simply listed on the screen of the personal computer, and it is necessary to select an appropriate paper brand among them. Therefore, the user in the general office has to grasp the characteristics of the paper brand, and the usability is very poor. As a result, the paper brand arbitrarily selected by the user may not be able to use the function of the printing apparatus desired by the user, and the user may not obtain the desired output result.

  In view of the above-described conventional problems, the present invention provides an information processing apparatus excellent in usability, a control method thereof, and a control program capable of easily and appropriately selecting a paper brand used in a printing apparatus and a function of the printing apparatus. The purpose is to provide.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is an information processing apparatus capable of communicating with a printing apparatus and holding management information for managing the functions executable in the printing apparatus in association with each recording medium, and a printing method And a first selection mode for specifying the function information of the printing apparatus including the printed recording medium discharge method from the recording medium selected by the user and the management information, and the recording medium is selected by the user. Mode means for selecting any one of the second selection modes specified from the function information and the management information, and the recording selected by the user when the first selection mode is selected by the mode selection means. A first display control means for displaying identifiable functions that can be executed and functions that cannot be executed based on the medium and the management information; When the second selection mode is selected, based on the function selected by the user and the management information, the recording medium to which the selected function is applicable and the recording medium to which the selected function is not applicable are displayed in a distinguishable manner. And a second display control means.

  Furthermore, the present invention is an information processing apparatus capable of communicating with a printing apparatus and holding management information for managing the functions executable in the printing apparatus in association with each recording medium, and is executed in the printing apparatus. Display control for displaying a selection function for selecting a function to be performed, a recording medium to which the function is applicable, and a recording medium to which the function is not applicable based on the function selected by the selection means and the management information And the display control means displays the recording medium to which the function can be applied and the recording medium to which the function cannot be applied in an identifiable manner.

  Furthermore, the invention of the present application is a control method for an information processing apparatus capable of communicating with a printing apparatus and holding management information for managing the functions executable in the printing apparatus in association with each recording medium. The first selection mode for specifying the function information of the printing apparatus including the printed recording medium discharging method from the recording medium selected by the user and the management information, and the recording medium selected by the user A mode selection step for selecting any one of the second selection modes specified from the function information and the management information, and the recording selected by the user when the first selection mode is selected by the mode selection step. A first display control step for distinguishably displaying a function that can be executed and a function that cannot be executed based on the medium and the management information; When the second selection mode is selected, based on the function selected by the user and the management information, the recording medium to which the selected function is applicable and the recording medium to which the selected function is not applicable are displayed in a distinguishable manner. And a second display control step.

  Furthermore, the present invention is a control method for an information processing apparatus capable of communicating with a printing apparatus and holding management information for managing the functions executable in the printing apparatus in association with each recording medium, the printing apparatus A selection step for selecting a function to be executed in the display, a recording medium to which the function can be applied, and a recording medium to which the function cannot be applied based on the function selected by the selection step and the management information. And a display control step for displaying the recording medium to which the function is applicable and the recording medium to which the function is not applicable.

  Furthermore, the present invention provides a computer for executing a control method for an information processing apparatus that is capable of communicating with a printing apparatus and holds management information that associates and manages functions executable in the printing apparatus for each recording medium A first selection mode for specifying functional information of a printing apparatus including a printing method and a printed recording medium discharging method from a recording medium selected by a user and the management information And a mode selection step for selecting any one of the second selection modes for specifying the recording medium from the function information selected by the user and the management information, and the first selection by the mode selection step. When the mode is selected, a function that can be executed and a function that cannot be executed based on the recording medium selected by the user and the management information. When the second selection mode is selected by the first display control step and the mode selection step to be displayed separately, the selected function based on the function selected by the user and the management information The computer executes a second display control step for distinguishably displaying a recording medium to which the recording medium is applicable and a recording medium to which the recording medium is not applicable.

  Furthermore, the present invention provides a computer for executing a control method for an information processing apparatus that is capable of communicating with a printing apparatus and holds management information that associates and manages functions executable in the printing apparatus for each recording medium And a recording medium to which the function can be applied based on the selection step for selecting a function to be executed in the printing apparatus, the function selected in the selection step, and the management information And a display control step for displaying the recording medium to which the function cannot be applied, wherein the display control step displays the recording medium to which the function can be applied and the recording medium to which the function cannot be applied in an identifiable manner. Let

  According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent a print result unintended by the user from being output even when the user in the general office does not grasp the characteristics when selecting the paper brand.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<Configuration of printing system>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a printing system including an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  This printing system is configured by connecting a client computer (PC) 1000 as an information processing apparatus and a device 2000 as a printing apparatus via a communication line 3000.

  The client PC 1000 includes a first display unit 1010, a first input unit 1020, a first input / output data property control unit 1030, a first interface control unit 1040, and a first storage medium reading data device 1050. Furthermore, in addition to a first storage unit 1060 and a first data control unit 1070, a first paper brand control unit 1071 located in the first data control unit 1070 and a first center that controls the operation of the entire client PC 1000. An arithmetic processing unit 1080 is provided. These modules are connected to each other via a system bus 1090.

  The first display unit 1010 is a display device such as a CRT display or a liquid crystal display, and the first input unit 1020 is a pointing device such as a keyboard or a mouse. The first data control unit 1070 is a printer driver. The printer driver is a program that generates print data in a format that the printer can interpret from data generated by an application or the like between the operating system resident on the client PC 1000 and the device 2000. Furthermore, the printer driver has a first paper brand control unit 1071 that controls the paper brand function, and is stored on a medium that is read by the first storage unit 1060 or the first storage medium reading unit 1050.

  The first storage medium reading device 1050 includes a program such as a printer driver and software calibration recorded on a recording medium such as an FD (floppy (registered trademark) disk), a CD-ROM, a ROM, a DVD, and a magnetic tape, and image data. Etc. can be read.

  On the other hand, the device 2000 includes a second display unit 2010, a second input unit 2020, a second input / output data control unit 2030, a second interface control unit 2040, and a second storage medium reading device 2050. Furthermore, a second device interface control unit 2060, a second storage unit 2070, a second data control unit 2080, and a second central processing unit 2090 that controls the operation of the entire device 2000 are provided. These modules are connected to each other via a system bus 2100.

  The second device interface control unit 2060 performs control between the scanner unit 2062 and the printer engine unit 2061. The second display unit 2010 is a display device such as a CRT display or a liquid crystal display, and the second input unit 2020 is a pointing device such as a keyboard or a mouse. The second data control unit 2080 sends the print data sent from the client PC 1000 and the scan data read from the scanner unit to the printer engine unit 2061 for printing.

  The communication line 3000 is a normal LAN or a bidirectional serial interface such as IEEE1394 or USB.

<Outline of processing in this embodiment>
Next, an outline of processing in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 2 is a flow transition diagram showing an outline of processing in the present embodiment.

  In the present embodiment, processing is executed using the user interface of the printer driver.

  First, the printer driver acquires paper brand information from the device 2000 and stores it in the first storage unit 1060. Then, the printer driver designates an arbitrary page range for the print data according to the user's instruction (T11 in FIG. 2), and then selects either the paper brand designation mode or the device function designation mode (T12). The paper brand designation mode is a mode for narrowing down device functions to be applied from a designated paper brand, and the device function designation mode is a mode for narrowing down paper brands to be used from a designated device function. In this example, it is assumed that the paper brand designation mode is selected (T30).

  The printer driver which is the first data control unit 1070 of the client PC 1000 extracts a list of usable paper brand names from the paper brand information acquired from the device 2000 and displays it (T31). Next, the printer driver selects a paper brand designated by the user from the displayed paper brand list (T32).

  Subsequently, the printer driver displays usable device function information (for example, a printing method and a discharge method) for the selected paper brand (T33), and also displays unusable device function information (T34).

  Next, the printer driver selects device function information designated by the user from the device function information displayed in T33 or T34 (T35, T36). At this time, when usable device function information is selected, the printer driver holds the selected information in the registry, memory, or physical file controlled by the first paper brand control unit 1071, and The process ends (T37).

  On the other hand, when unusable device function information is selected, the printer driver performs a mode conversion process to a device function designation mode (T50). Then, device function information related to the paper brand selected in T32 is displayed (T51), and the user performs a process of selecting the displayed device function information (T52).

  Thereafter, the printer driver acquires the paper brand information corresponding to the selected device function, and then displays the paper brand information of the usable paper brand and the unusable paper brand (T53, T54). The user selects an arbitrary paper brand from the usable paper brand or the unusable paper brand (T55, T56).

  Next, the printer driver determines whether or not the selected paper brand is a paper brand that can be used for the device function selected in T52. If the paper brand is usable, the selected information is held in the registry, memory, or physical file controlled by the first paper brand control unit 1071, and the process is terminated (T37).

  On the other hand, when the selected paper brand is an unusable paper brand, the mode conversion process to the above-described paper brand designation mode is performed (T30). In the present application, processing described later is executed using the information of FIGS. 3 to 6B managed by the information processing apparatus. In the present application, the information shown in FIGS. 3 to 6B may be collectively referred to as management information.

<Example of paper brand information>
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of paper brand information in the present embodiment, and shows an example of the name of the paper brand and an example of functional attributes for each paper brand.

  The function attributes (device function information) of the device 2000 corresponding to the paper brand in this example include a printing method, a main paper discharge method, and optional paper discharge methods 1 to 4. For example, the paper brand A means that the printing method has an attribute value “0x0010” and the main paper discharge has an attribute value “0x0010”. Furthermore, this means that the optional paper discharge 1 has an attribute value of “0x1000”, the optional paper discharge 2 has “0x0110”, the optional paper discharge 3 has an attribute value “n / a”, and the optional paper discharge 4 has an attribute value “n / a”. . Also, the paper brand B, the paper brand C, the paper brand a, the paper brand b, the paper brand c,..., The paper brand m, and the paper brand n have the same attribute values for the respective function attributes. .

  Next, the detailed meaning of each attribute value will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b), FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b), and FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b).

  4A and 4B are diagrams showing examples of device function information. FIG. 4A shows an example of a printing method, and FIG. 4B shows an example of a paper discharge method (main function). It is. FIGS. 5A and 5B and FIGS. 6A and 6B are diagrams illustrating an example of a paper discharge method (optional paper discharge).

  It should be noted that “s” shown in these figures means that the function is supported, and “n / a” means that the function is not supported. 4A, 4B, 5A, 5B, and 6A, 6B, information (device function information) in this embodiment is the client PC 1000. It exists in the first storage unit 1060 controlled by the first paper brand control unit 1071. It can be obtained from the device 2000.

  FIG. 4 (a) relates to the printing method, and is composed of printing methods of “single-sided printing”, “double-sided printing”, and “bookbinding printing”. "," Double-sided printing "is supported, and" bookbinding printing "is not supported. FIG. 4B includes main discharge functions “not specified”, “sort”, “group”, and “staple sort” regarding the main discharge. For example, the main discharge “0x0010” of the paper brand A means that “not specified” and “sort” are supported as the main discharge, and “group” and “staple sort” are not supported.

  FIGS. 5A and 5B and FIGS. 6A and 6B are optional paper discharge functions for the main paper discharge functions shown in FIG. 4B. FIG. 5A shows an optional paper discharge function for the main paper discharge function “not specified”, and FIG. 5B shows an optional paper discharge function for the main paper discharge function “not specified” and “sort”. 6A shows the optional paper discharge functions of the main paper discharge functions “not specified” and “sort” and “group”, and FIG. 6B shows the main paper discharge functions “not specified” and “sort”. “Group” and “staple sort” optional paper discharge functions are shown.

  For example, as the optional paper discharge function of the paper brand A, “0x0010” is supported as the main paper discharge function, and “not specified” and “sort” are supported. Furthermore, the optional paper discharge function (optional paper discharge 1) for the main paper discharge function “not specified” is “0x1000” as shown in FIG. “0x1000” means that the “punch hole” function and the “Z-fold” function in the optional paper discharge function shown in FIG. 5A are supported, and the “shift” function is not supported.

  Similarly, the optional paper discharge function for the main paper discharge functions “not specified” and “sort” of the paper brand A is “0x0110” as shown in FIG. “0x0110” means that the “punch hole” function in the optional paper discharge function shown in FIG. 5B is supported, and the “sort” function and the “Z-fold” function are not supported.

  That is, in FIG. 11 described later, for example, when “paper brand designation mode” is designated and “paper brand A” is selected, the paper brand A supports “not designated” and “sort” as main functions. Therefore, “not specified” and “sort” can be selected, but “group” and “staple sort” are not supported and cannot be selected.

  Further, an optional function that can be selected when “not specified” is selected as the main function can be selected because “punch hole” and “Z fold” are supported from FIG. On the other hand, when “not specified” and “sort” are selected as the main functions (shown as “sort” in FIG. 11), “punch holes” are supported from FIG. Become.

  Here, the “punch hole” function is an optional paper discharge function for punching a printed material, and the “shift” function is an optional paper discharge function for shifting the printed material by number of copies. . Further, the “Z-fold” function indicates an optional paper discharge function for folding a printed material into a Z-fold.

<Details of control procedure in the present embodiment>
Next, details of the control procedure in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  7, 8 and 9 are flowcharts showing details of the control procedure in the present embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a user interface setting screen when the paper brand designation mode is selected, and FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a setting screen during mode conversion. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a user interface setting screen when the device function designation mode is selected.

  First, the first data control unit 1070, which is a printer driver, determines whether the input process to the user interface of the printer driver from the first input unit 1020 is the following <1>, <2>, or <3>. Determine (S100).

<1> Paper Brand Acquisition Processing <2> User Interface Setting Processing <3> Print Request When it is determined in S100 that the paper brand acquisition processing is performed, the process proceeds to S110.

  Next, the first data control unit 1070 performs the above-described paper brand information acquisition process from the device 2000 according to the determination process of S100 (S110). This acquisition processing means that the client PC 1000 performs two-way communication by general broadcast or the like to the device 2000 to acquire the paper brand information stored in the second storage unit 2070 of the device 2000. In S110, the first data control unit 1070 determines whether or not a paper brand has been acquired (S120). If it is determined that the paper brand has been acquired, the first data control unit 1070 stores the acquired paper brand information in the first storage unit 1060 (S130).

  Thereafter, the first data control unit 1070 returns the process to S100 again and performs an input instruction determination. If it is determined that it is a setting request for <2> user interface, the process proceeds to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  Then, the first data control unit 1070 determines whether the mode selected by the user is <1> paper brand designation mode or <2> device function designation mode (S200). Here, when it is determined that the paper brand designation mode is set, the first data control unit 1070 displays FIG. 10, which is a user interface that explicitly indicates the paper brand designation mode.

  The page designation function P1 shown in FIG. 10 is an area for designating an arbitrary page for the print data, and “1-100” shown in the present embodiment is the first page to the 100th page. On the other hand, it means to specify the paper brand to be applied. The mode selection function P2 includes a “paper brand designation mode” and a “device function designation mode”. Since the “paper brand designation mode” has been selected in the previous S200, the paper brand designation is performed as shown in FIG. The mode is selected.

  Next, the first data control unit 1070 obtains a list of paper brand names as shown in FIG. 3 among the paper brand information stored in the first storage unit 1060 in S130, and can be used as shown in FIG. The list is displayed on the new paper brand control P3 (S201). In the present embodiment, it means that the paper brands A to n as shown in FIG. 3 are acquired and displayed on the usable paper brand control P3 shown in FIG.

  Next, the user selects a paper brand to be applied from the list of paper brand names displayed in S201, and the first data control unit 1070 receives the selection result (S202). In the present embodiment, it is assumed that “paper brand A” is selected from the paper brand names shown in FIG. Subsequently, the first data control unit 1070 determines whether or not the extraction process is to narrow down usable device functions for the paper brand selected in S202 (S203). Note that the determination process of S203 exits with “YES” when P4 in FIG. 10 is selected.

  Next, the first data control unit 1070 acquires device function information for the selected paper brand (S204). In the present embodiment, extraction processing for “paper brand A” is performed. That is, it means that the following information is acquired from the stored information in FIGS. 3, 4A, 5B, 5A, 5B, and 6A, 6B. To do. Accordingly, the first data control unit 1070 determines that “single-sided printing” or “double-sided printing” is used as the printing method in the device function information that can be used for “paper brand A”. This is because the printing method for the paper brand A in FIG. 3 is “0x0010”. Further, the first data control unit 1070 determines that “not specified” or “sort” is used as the main paper discharge method. This is because the main paper discharge in FIG. 3 is “0x0010” and this “0x0010” is applied to FIG. 4B. Furthermore, the optional paper discharge function is “punch hole” or “Z-fold” when the main paper discharge method is selected as “not specified”. This is because the “optional paper discharge 1” table to be referred to when “not selected” is selected as the main paper discharge method is shown in FIG. 5A, and the optional paper discharge 1 for paper brand A in FIG. This is because of “0x1000”. On the other hand, when “not selected” and “sort” are selected as the main paper discharge method, the optional paper discharge function is “punch hole”. This is because the table of “optional paper discharge 2” to be referred to when “not selected” and “sort” are selected as the main paper discharge methods is shown in FIG. This is because the paper 2 is “0x0110”.

  Next, the first data control unit 1070 displays the acquired device function information (S205). In this embodiment, it means that the user interface P5 shown on the right side of FIG. 10 is provided, and device functions that cannot be selected in advance are displayed with “n / a”, and those functions are selected. It also indicates that it cannot be used with paper brands. In the present application, “n / a” merely indicates that selection is not possible, and can be selected when the user wants to select a function that cannot be selected. In this case, the processing from S207 to S209 in FIG. 9 described later is executed.

  Next, the first data control unit 1070 performs device function selection processing according to the value selected by the user (S206). In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the user selects “single-sided printing” as the printing method, as the paper discharge method, the main paper discharge function is selected as “not specified”, and the optional paper discharge function is Indicates that it was not selected. Here, it is assumed that the user has selected the “bookbinding printing” function of the printing method, which is a function that cannot be used as a device function.

  Subsequently, the first data control unit 1070 determines whether an available device function is selected for the selected paper brand (S207). As described above, when the user selects the printing method “bookbinding printing” that cannot be used with “paper brand A”, the user exits with “NO”. Then, the first data control unit 1070 displays a user interface for inquiring whether or not to change the mode as shown in FIG. 11, and when the user presses the [OK] button, this is set to “YES”. Exit (S208).

  Thereafter, the first data control unit 1070 performs a mode conversion process to the device function designation mode according to the determination result of S208 (S209). That is, in the present embodiment, the first data control unit 1070 displays a user interface as shown in FIG. 12 (S210). In this mode conversion process, the mode state information is held in the registry, memory, or physical file controlled by the first paper brand control unit 1071.

  Next, the user selects a device function via the user interface shown in FIG. 12 displayed in S210, and the first data control unit 1070 receives the selection result (S211). In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, “bookbinding printing” is selected as the printing method, “not specified” is selected as the main paper discharge function, and the optional paper discharge function is not selected.

  Subsequently, the first data control unit 1070 determines whether or not to perform an extraction process for narrowing down paper brands from the device function selected in S211 (S212). This indicates that the first data control unit 1070 determines whether or not the [extract] button P12 shown in FIG. 12 has been pressed by the user.

  If it is determined in S212 that the extraction process is to be performed, the first data control unit 1070 acquires paper brand information for the selected device function (S213). The process of S213 is executed using FIGS. 3 to 6B. Subsequently, the first data control unit 1070 determines usable paper brands and unusable paper brands from the acquired paper brand information, and displays usable paper brand display processing (S214). A paper brand display process (S215) is performed.

  The paper brand information acquisition process in S213 will be specifically described. The paper brands corresponding to the setting conditions previously selected in S211 are shown in FIGS. 3, 4A, 5B, 5A, 5B, and 6A, 6B. It means extracting from the information shown. Specifically, in FIG. 12, the user selects “bookbinding printing” as the printing method, selects “not specified” as the paper discharge method, and does not specify the optional function. Therefore, from the information shown in FIG. 4A, the paper brand that can use “bookbinding printing” as the printing method is the paper brand that uses “0x0011” as the printing method. Therefore, the first data control unit 1070 refers to FIG. 3 and specifies the paper brand whose “printing method” is “0x0011”. As a result, “paper brand b”, “paper brand c”, and “paper brand n” are extracted. Subsequently, since “not specified” is selected as the main paper discharge function, a paper brand to which “not specified” can be applied is specified from FIG. In FIG. 4B, since it is managed that “not specified” can be applied to all paper brands, “paper brand b”, “paper brand c”, and “paper brand n” are targets. It becomes. Further, since the optional paper discharge function is not selected, it is found that this is also all paper brands.

  By these AND operations, the usable paper brands are “paper brand b”, “paper brand c”, and “paper brand n”. Further, the unusable paper brands are “paper brand A”, “paper brand B”, “paper brand C”, “paper brand a”, and “paper brand m”. According to the processing of S213, the first data control unit 1070 displays the list on the usable paper brand control P13 and the unusable paper brand control P14 as shown in FIG. In the present application, even paper brands identified as unusable paper brands can be selected. However, when an unusable paper brand is selected, the processing from S217 to S219 in FIG. 9 described later is executed.

  Subsequently, the user selects an arbitrary paper brand from among usable paper brands or unusable paper brands, and the first data control unit 1070 receives the selection result (S216).

  Next, the first data control unit 1070 determines whether or not the selected paper brand is a paper brand that can be used for the device function (S217). In this embodiment, assuming that “paper brand B”, which is a paper brand that cannot be used, is selected, the process exits S217 with “NO”.

  Subsequently, the first data control unit 1070 displays the user interface for inquiring whether or not the mode is changed as shown in FIG. 11 and presses the [OK] button to exit from this with “YES” (S218). ).

  Then, the mode conversion process to the paper brand designation mode is performed (S219). This means switching to the user interface shown in FIG. In the mode conversion process, the mode state information is held in the registry, memory, or physical file controlled by the first paper brand control unit 1071.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in the previous S203 and S212 that the process is not an extraction process, S202 means a paper brand selection process is executed again for S203, and S212 means a device function selection process again for S212. Execute. Further, when the [Cancel] button is pressed in the user interface shown in FIG. 11 in response to the previous S208 and S218, and this is omitted as “NO”, the following occurs. For S208, S206 is executed again, which means device function selection processing for the paper brand. On the other hand, for S218, S216 is executed again, which means the paper brand selection process for the device function.

  If it is determined in S207 that the device function that can be used for the paper brand has been selected, it is determined whether or not the setting process is to be performed (S220). The same applies to the case where it is determined in S217 that the paper brand that can be used for the device function is selected. This means that the [OK] button shown in FIGS. 10 and 12 is pressed.

  Subsequently, the first data control unit 1070 holds the mode state information in the registry, memory, or physical file controlled by the first paper brand control unit 1071 on the information selected in the user interface of FIG. 10 or FIG. (S221).

  Next, if it is determined in S100 in FIG. 7 that the request is a print request, the process skips <3> and forms normal print data with the information stored in the previous S221 as print job control information. The printing process is performed (S140).

<Advantages of this embodiment>
As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the paper brand designation mode is selected, the device functions to be applied are narrowed down from the designated paper brand, and when the device function designation mode is selected, the specified device function is used. Narrow down paper brands. In addition, when a device function that cannot be used for the designated paper brand is selected when the paper brand designation mode is selected, the device function designation mode can be changed. Furthermore, when a paper brand that cannot be used for the designated device function is selected when the device function designation mode is selected, it is possible to change to the paper brand designation mode.

  Thereby, the paper brand and device function used for the device (printing apparatus) 2000 can be selected easily and appropriately. For example, it becomes unnecessary for a user in a general office to grasp the characteristics when selecting a paper brand, and it is possible to realize excellent usability.

  In addition, the objective of this invention is achieved by performing the following processes. That is, a storage medium that records a program code of software that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or apparatus, and a computer (or CPU, MPU, etc.) of the system or apparatus is stored in the storage medium. This is the process of reading the code.

  In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments, and the program code and the storage medium storing the program code constitute the present invention.

  Moreover, the following can be used as a storage medium for supplying the program code. For example, floppy (registered trademark) disk, hard disk, magneto-optical disk, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-ROM, DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, DVD + RW, magnetic tape, nonvolatile memory card, ROM or the like. Alternatively, the program code may be downloaded via a network.

  Further, the present invention includes a case where the function of the above-described embodiment is realized by executing the program code read by the computer. In addition, an OS (operating system) running on the computer performs part or all of the actual processing based on an instruction of the program code, and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing. Is also included.

  Furthermore, a case where the functions of the above-described embodiment are realized by the following processing is also included in the present invention. That is, the program code read from the storage medium is written in a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer. Thereafter, based on the instruction of the program code, the CPU or the like provided in the function expansion board or function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a printing system including an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment. It is a flow transition diagram which shows the outline | summary of the process in embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the paper brand information in embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of device function information. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a paper discharge method (optional paper discharge). FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a paper discharge method (optional paper discharge). It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the control procedure in embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the control procedure in embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the control procedure in embodiment. It is a figure which shows the user interface setting screen at the time of paper brand designation | designated mode selection. It is a figure which shows the setting screen at the time of mode conversion. It is a figure which shows the user interface setting screen at the time of device function designation | designated mode selection.

Explanation of symbols

1000 Information processing equipment (PC)
1010 First display unit 1020 First input unit 1060 First storage unit 1070 First data control unit 1071 First paper brand control unit 1080 First central processing unit 2000 Printing apparatus (device)

Claims (15)

An information processing apparatus capable of communicating with a printing apparatus and holding management information for managing the functions executable in the printing apparatus in association with each recording medium,
A first selection mode for specifying function information of a printing apparatus including a printing method and a printed recording medium discharging method from a recording medium selected by a user and the management information, and the recording medium by a user. Mode selection means for selecting any one of the second selection modes specified from the selected function information and the management information;
When the first selection mode is selected by the mode selection unit, a function that can be executed and a function that cannot be executed based on the recording medium selected by the user and the management information are displayed in a distinguishable manner. Display control means;
When the second selection mode is selected by the mode selection unit, based on the function selected by the user and the management information, a recording medium to which the selected function can be applied and a recording medium to which the selected function cannot be applied An information processing apparatus comprising: a second display control means for displaying in an identifiable manner.   When the information on the function that cannot be executed displayed by the first display control unit is selected, the function is changed from the first selection mode to the second selection mode and displayed by the second display control unit. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a mode changing unit that changes the second selection mode to the first selection mode when an unapplicable recording medium is selected.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the function of the printing apparatus includes at least one of bookbinding printing, duplex printing, stapling, and sorting. An information processing apparatus capable of communicating with a printing apparatus and holding management information for managing the functions executable in the printing apparatus in association with each recording medium,
Selecting means for selecting a function to be executed in the printing apparatus;
Based on the function selected by the selection means and the management information, a recording medium to which the function can be applied, and a display control means for displaying a recording medium to which the function cannot be applied,
The information processing apparatus, wherein the display control unit displays a recording medium to which the function can be applied and a recording medium to which the function cannot be applied in an identifiable manner. A first selection mode for specifying function information of a printing apparatus including a printing method and a printed recording medium discharging method from a recording medium selected by a user and the management information, and the recording medium by a user. Mode selection means for selecting any one of the second selection modes specified from the selected function information and the management information;
5. The method according to claim 4, wherein when a recording medium to which the function cannot be applied is selected by the selection unit, the mode selection unit selects the second selection mode from the first selection mode. Information processing device. A control method for an information processing apparatus capable of communicating with a printing apparatus and holding management information for managing the functions executable in the printing apparatus in association with each recording medium,
A first selection mode for specifying function information of a printing apparatus including a printing method and a printed recording medium discharging method from a recording medium selected by a user and the management information, and the recording medium by a user. A mode selection step of selecting any one of the second selection modes specified from the selected function information and the management information;
When the first selection mode is selected in the mode selection step, a function that can be executed and a function that cannot be executed based on the recording medium selected by the user and the management information are displayed in a distinguishable manner. A display control process;
When the second selection mode is selected by the mode selection step, based on the function selected by the user and the management information, a recording medium to which the selected function can be applied and a recording medium to which the selected function cannot be applied A control method for an information processing apparatus, comprising: a second display control step for displaying the information in an identifiable manner.   When the information on the function that cannot be executed displayed by the first display control step is selected, the information is changed from the first selection mode to the second selection mode and displayed by the second display control step. 7. The information processing apparatus control method according to claim 6, further comprising a mode changing step of changing from the second selection mode to the first selection mode when an inapplicable recording medium is selected.   The method of controlling an information processing apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the function of the printing apparatus includes at least one of bookbinding printing, duplex printing, stapling, and sorting. A control method for an information processing apparatus capable of communicating with a printing apparatus and holding management information for managing the functions executable in the printing apparatus in association with each recording medium,
A selection step of selecting a function to be executed in the printing apparatus;
Based on the function selected in the selection step and the management information, the recording medium to which the function can be applied, and the display control step to display the recording medium to which the function cannot be applied,
The method for controlling an information processing apparatus, wherein the display control step displays a recording medium to which the function can be applied and a recording medium to which the function cannot be applied in an identifiable manner. A first selection mode for specifying function information of a printing apparatus including a printing method and a printed recording medium discharging method from a recording medium selected by a user and the management information, and the recording medium by a user. A mode selection step of selecting any one of the second selection modes specified from the selected function information and the management information;
10. The method according to claim 9, wherein when a recording medium to which the function cannot be applied is selected in the selection step, the mode selection step selects the second selection mode from the first selection mode. A method for controlling an information processing apparatus. A computer-readable control program for executing a control method for an information processing apparatus capable of communicating with a printing apparatus and holding management information for managing the functions executable in the printing apparatus in association with each recording medium Because
A first selection mode for specifying function information of a printing apparatus including a printing method and a printed recording medium discharging method from a recording medium selected by a user and the management information, and the recording medium by a user. A mode selection step of selecting any one of the second selection modes specified from the selected function information and the management information;
When the first selection mode is selected in the mode selection step, a function that can be executed and a function that cannot be executed based on the recording medium selected by the user and the management information are displayed in a distinguishable manner. A display control step;
When the second selection mode is selected in the mode selection step, a recording medium to which the selected function is applicable and a recording medium to which the selected function is not applicable based on the function selected by the user and the management information. A control program for causing a computer to execute a second display control step for displaying in an identifiable manner.   When the information on the function that cannot be executed displayed by the first display control step is selected, the information is changed from the first selection mode to the second selection mode and displayed by the second display control step. The control program according to claim 11, further comprising a mode changing step of changing from the second selection mode to the first selection mode when an inapplicable recording medium is selected.   The control program according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the function of the printing apparatus includes at least one of bookbinding printing, duplex printing, stapling, and sorting. A computer-readable control program for executing a control method for an information processing apparatus capable of communicating with a printing apparatus and holding management information for managing the functions executable in the printing apparatus in association with each recording medium Because
A selection step of selecting a function to be executed in the printing apparatus;
Based on the function selected in the selection step and the management information, the recording medium to which the function can be applied, and the display control step to display the recording medium to which the function cannot be applied,
The display control step is a control program for displaying a recording medium to which the function can be applied and a recording medium to which the function cannot be applied in an identifiable manner. A first selection mode for specifying function information of a printing apparatus including a printing method and a printed recording medium discharging method from a recording medium selected by a user and the management information, and the recording medium by a user. A mode selection step of selecting any one of the second selection modes specified from the selected function information and the management information;
15. The recording medium according to claim 14, wherein when the recording medium to which the function cannot be applied is selected in the selection step, the mode selection step causes the second selection mode to be selected from the first selection mode. Control program.

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