JP2011164854A - Print setting management device, application device, print setting management method, print control method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce a time and effort of a user who sets a printer driver more. <P>SOLUTION: Data which make printer identification information for identifying a printer associated with application identification information for identifying an application is stored in a storing part, and when the printer information of the printer relating to the data stored in the storing part is changed, the application associated with the printer is specified on the basis of the data stored in the storing part, and the changed printer information is transmitted to the specified application, and then the time and effort of user can be reduced. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a print setting management apparatus, an application apparatus, a print setting management method, a print control method, and a program.

The Web application is provided with a service by a server computer that exists on the network. When printing with a Web application, it is necessary to select a printer for each Web application and set print setting information. More specifically, when printing from a plurality of Web applications with the same print setting information to a specific printer, the user calls the printer driver from each of the plurality of Web applications and sets the print setting information. I have to do it.
This is because different types of Web applications are often provided with services by different server computers, and there are Web application services and printer drivers for each server computer.

Therefore, even when a printer used for a plurality of Web applications is switched to the same printer and printing is performed, an operation for changing to the same printer must be performed for each server computer that provides the Web application. This is more time-consuming for the user as the number of Web applications used by the user increases.
Further, when the device information of the printer is changed, the user needs to update the device information for each server that stores the Web application.

  Patent Document 1 proposes a method of reflecting printer device information on a printer driver in an environment where an application program is introduced only on a server (for example, a metaframe environment). According to the method disclosed in Patent Document 1, the server provides the printer driver with printer device information based on a request from the printer driver. Then, the printer driver reflects the option settings of the printer based on the device information.

JP 2005-346737 A

  However, in the method described in Patent Document 1, a printer driver and device information for each printer are required in the server. Therefore, when the user wants to use the same device information with a plurality of printer drivers, there is a problem that the device information must be set for each printer driver.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object of the present invention is to further reduce the user's trouble of setting a printer driver.

  Therefore, the print setting management apparatus according to the present invention stores data associating printer identification information for identifying a printer with application identification information for identifying an application in a storage unit, and is stored in the storage unit. When the printer information of the printer related to the data is changed, the specifying means for specifying the application associated with the printer based on the data stored in the storage means, and the application specified by the specifying means Transmitting means for transmitting the changed printer information.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to further reduce the user's trouble of setting the printer driver.

2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a print setting management system. FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a structure of the hardware of a computer. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a printer. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a Web page for print setting management. FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the web page which sets print setting information. It is a figure which shows the example of the user interface of a web application. It is a figure which shows the flow of the data between apparatuses (system). It is a figure which shows the flowchart which concerns on the process which a web application performs. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a flowchart relating to processing performed by a print setting management unit. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a flowchart relating to processing performed by a print setting management unit. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a flowchart relating to processing performed by a print setting management unit. It is a figure which shows the flowchart which concerns on the process which a web application performs. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a flowchart relating to processing performed by a print setting management unit. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a flowchart relating to processing for acquiring printer information. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of a list box. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a flowchart relating to processing performed by a print setting management unit. It is a figure which shows the flow of the data between apparatuses (system).

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

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a print setting management system according to the present embodiment.
The print setting management system includes a print setting management server 101, a Web application server 102, a Web application server 103, a client PC 104, a printer 105, and a printer 106. The print setting management server 101, Web application servers 102 and 103, client PC 104, and printers 105 and 106 are connected by a network 107 such as the Internet or an intranet.
The print setting management server 101 manages print setting information and the like of users who use the printers 105 and 106 connected to the network 107. The client PC 104 is a client computer used by the user, and a Web browser is operating. The Web browser can access the Web application servers 102 and 103 and the print setting management server 101 to use services of these servers. A plurality of client PCs 104 may exist on the network 107.

The Web application servers 102 and 103 provide Web application services to the Web browser of the client PC 104. Note that a plurality of Web application servers may exist on the network 107 in addition to the Web application servers 102 and 103.
The printers 105 and 106 receive user print jobs from the Web application servers 102 and 103 and perform printing. In addition to the printers 105 and 106, a plurality of printers may exist on the network 107.

In FIG. 2, since the hardware configuration of the print setting management server 101, the Web application servers 102 and 103, and the client PC 104 is the same as that of the general-purpose computer 200, the computer 200 will be described as an example. To do. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the computer 200.
An input device such as a pointing device such as a keyboard 204 and a mouse 205 and an output device such as a display device (Video Display) 213 are connected to the computer 200.

The computer 200 includes a CPU 201, a memory 202, an I / O interface (I / 0 Interface) 203, and a CD-ROM drive (CD-ROM) 206. The computer 200 also includes a bus 207, a storage device (Storage Device) 208, and a hard disk drive (HDD) 209. The computer 200 includes a network controller 210 and a video interface 212.
The network controller 210 is connected to the network 107 via the network interface 211 and executes communication control processing with other network devices. The CPU 201 is composed of at least one processor. The memory 202 includes a RAM and a ROM. The video interface 212 outputs an image to the display device 213. The I / O interface 203 receives an input by an operation from the keyboard 204 or the mouse 205. The storage device 208 includes a hard disk drive 209. Note that the storage device 208 may include a silicon drive (not shown). The CD-ROM drive 206 is used as a nonvolatile data source. The bus 207 mediates communication between each device (block) in a form according to an operating system operating on the computer 200.

  Various control programs of the print setting management server 101, the Web application servers 102 and 103, and the client PC 104 are stored in storage units such as the memory 202 and the storage device 208, and are executed by the CPUs 201. That is, the CPU 201 of the print setting management server 101 performs processing according to the procedure of the program stored in the memory 202, thereby realizing functions in the print setting management server 101 and processing according to flowcharts described later. Further, the CPU 201 of the Web application server 102 performs processing according to the procedure of the program stored in the memory 202, thereby realizing functions in the Web application server 102 and processing according to flowcharts described later. Although not described here, the same applies to the Web application server 103 and the client PC 104.

In FIG. 3, the hardware configuration of the printer 105 and the printer 106 is the same as that of the general-purpose printer 300, and therefore the printer 300 will be described as an example. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the printer 300.
The printer 300 includes a CPU 301, a RAM 302, a ROM 303, a system bus 304, and a printing unit interface (Printer Engine Interface) 305. The printer 300 includes a disk controller 307, a hard disk (HD) 308, and an external memory 309. The printer 300 includes an operation panel interface (UI Panel Interface) 310 and a network controller (Network Controller) 312.

  The CPU 301 generally controls access to various devices connected to the system bus 304 based on a control program stored in the program ROM of the ROM 303 or a control program stored in the external memory 309. The CPU 301 outputs an image signal and a control signal to a printing unit (Printer Engine) 306 connected via the printing unit interface 305. The RAM 302 functions as a main memory, work area, and the like of the CPU 301, and the memory capacity can be expanded by an optional RAM connected to an expansion port (not shown). The RAM 302 is also used for an output information expansion area, an environment data storage area, NVRAM, and the like.

The disk controller 307 controls access to the external memory 309 and the hard disk 308. An external memory 309 such as a USB memory or an IC card is connected as an option. The hard disk 308 stores user information, print data, and the like. The operation panel interface 310 plays a role of transmitting / receiving information input to the operation panel (UI Panel) 311 to / from other components or from other components via the system bus 304. The network controller 312 is connected to the network 107 via the network interface 313, and executes communication control processing with other network devices.
Various control programs for the printers 105 and 106 are stored in the program ROM of the ROM 303, the external memory 309, and the like, and read out to the RAM 302 by the CPU 301 and executed. That is, the CPU 301 of the printer 105 performs processing according to the procedure of the program stored in the RAM 302, thereby realizing functions in the printer 105 and processing related to flowcharts to be described later. Although the description is omitted, the same applies to the printer 106.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a Web page for print setting management that the print setting management server 101 provides for each user in a format such as HTML. The web page provided from the print setting management server 101 is displayed by the web browser of the client PC 104 or the like.
The window 400 may be a portlet window provided by a portal server (not shown).
A close button 401 is a button for closing the window 400 of the web browser. When the close button 401 is pressed, the client PC 104 ends the Web access to the print setting management server 101 by the Web browser and closes the Web browser window 400.

The web page 402 is a web page for print setting management acquired by the web browser from the print setting management server 101.
The personal registration printer list 403 is a list of printers registered by an individual (user). The print setting management server 101 adds or deletes printers registered for each user who accesses the print setting management server 101 (for example, based on the printer ID for identifying the printer), thereby deleting the personal registration printer list 403. Change the contents. Data relating to the personal registration printer list is associated with printer identification information (such as a printer ID) for identifying a printer and application identification information (such as a Web application ID described later) for identifying an application. Is remembered.
An add button 404 is a button for adding a printer to the personal registration printer list 403. When a user selects a printer from the list of all printers managed by the print setting management server 101 and the add button 404 is pressed, the selected printer is added to the personal registration printer list 403.
A delete button 405 is a button for deleting a printer from the personal registration printer list 403. When the printer is selected from the personal registration printer list 403 and the delete button 405 is pressed, the print setting management server 101 deletes the selected printer from the personal registration printer list 403.

A selection button 406 is a button for selecting a default printer. When one printer to be set as the default printer is selected from the personal registration printer list 403 and the selection button 406 is pressed, the print setting management server 101 sets the selected printer as the default printer. The default printer is treated as a printer waiting for new registration acceptance by the print setting management server 101 when none of the printers listed in the personal registration printer list 403 is waiting for new registration acceptance. Is called.
Here, the printer waiting for new registration acceptance refers to a printer that is a target for new registration of an application in a list box (413, 423, 433, etc.) of registered applications. That is, when the print setting management server 101 receives a printer information transmission request from an unregistered Web application, it returns the printer information of the default printer. Also, the print setting management server 101 newly registers the Web application in the list box of registered applications of the default printer.

The user name 407 is the name of the user. In this example, the web page 402 indicates that the web page of the user named “user A”. The user name 407 is the same as the login user name to the print setting management server 101, and is authenticated on the login screen displayed when the Web browser first accesses a predetermined URL of the print setting management server 101. User name. In the case of a portlet environment, this is the user name logged into the portal server.
The printer name 411 is the name of a printer registered in the personally registered printer list 403. In this example, a printer named “Printer A” is registered by pressing the add button 404 via the screen by the user. It shows that.

The toggle button 412 is a toggle (ON / OFF) button for shifting the registered printer to a new application registration waiting state. For example, in a state where the toggle button 412 is pressed (ON: new registration is being accepted), the printer “Printer A” is in a waiting state for accepting new application registration. When the toggle button 412 is not pressed (OFF: no new registration is accepted), the printer “Printer A” is not in the application new registration accepting state.
The list box 413 is a list box that displays registered applications. In this example, an application that uses the printer “Printer A” is registered in the list box.

The print setting button 414 is used when setting print setting information of the printer. When the print setting button 414 is pressed, the print setting management server 101 displays a Web page for setting print setting information of the related printer (in this example, the printer “Printer A”) (FIG. 5). ).
The move button 415 is a printer move button. The print setting management server 101 moves the selected application to another registered printer by pressing the move button 415 when one or more applications are selected in the list box 413. Can do.
The user names and buttons 421 to 425 and 431 to 435 are user names and buttons related to “Printer B” and “Printer C” registered in the personal registration printer list 403, and are the same as the above user names and buttons 411 to 415. It is.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a Web page for setting print setting information. The Web page for setting the print setting information is provided by the print setting management server 101 to the Web browser or the like of the client PC 104 for each user in a format such as HTML.
The window 500 is displayed by the Web browser of the client PC 104 when the print setting button 414 on the Web page 402 is pressed. The window 500 may be a portlet window provided by a portal server (not shown).

A close button 501 is used when the window 500 of the web browser is closed. When the close button 501 is pressed, the client PC 104 closes the web browser window 500. A Web page 502 is a Web page for setting print setting information of the printer “Printer A” acquired by the Web browser of the client PC 104 from the print setting management server 101. Note that the Web page for setting the print setting information of the printer differs for each printer capability, and the displayed items differ depending on the printer functions and options.
A print setting item 503 is an item of the printer “Printer A”, and accepts a change in print setting information such as a paper size, a printing method, and a page layout. When the setting button 504 is pressed, the client PC 104 transmits the print setting information changed in the print setting item 503 to the print setting management server 101. When receiving the print setting information, the print setting management server 101 stores the print setting information in the memory 202 or the storage device 208. The print setting management server 101 manages the print setting information changed for each user.

  A return to standard button 505 is used to return the contents of the print setting information to the standard. When the return to standard button 505 is pressed, the client PC 104 transmits an instruction for returning the contents of the print setting information of each print setting item 503 to the standard contents held by the print setting management server 101 to the print setting management server 101. . A setting history button 506 is a button for returning to past print setting information. When the setting history button 506 is pressed, the print setting management server 101 calls the print setting information of the print setting item 503 saved by pressing the setting button 504 in the past as a history. Then, one print setting information selected from the history list is reset in each item of the print setting item 503.

A user name 507 is the name of the user, and indicates a Web page for setting print setting information for the printer “Printer A” of the user named “User A”. The user name 507 is the same as the login user name for the print setting management server 101. In the case of a portlet environment, this is the user name logged into the portal server.
The names and buttons 521 to 527 included in the window 520 are names and buttons related to “PrinterB”, and are the same as the names and buttons 500 to 507 described above. Note that the web browser windows 500 and 520 may be simultaneously displayed on the display device 213 of the client PC 104 so that the user can alternately access both windows.

  The print setting management server 101 displays the information set by the user on the Web page for performing print setting management shown in FIG. 4 and the print setting information set by the user on the Web page shown in FIG. Manage as management information. More specifically, the print setting management server 101 stores the user's print setting management information together with the user ID (identifier) in the memory 202 or the storage device 208 of the print setting management server 101.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a user interface (UI) of a Web application that the Web application server 102 or the Web application server 103 provides as a Web page for each user in a format such as HTML. The provided web page is displayed by the web browser of the client PC 104 or the like.
The window 600 is a window of the Web browser of the client PC 104 and is displayed when the Web browser of the client PC 104 accesses the URL of the Web application server 102. The window 600 may be a portlet window provided by a portal server (not shown).

A close button 601 is used when closing the web browser window 600. When the close button 601 is pressed, the client PC 104 ends Web access to the Web application server 102 by the Web browser, and closes the Web browser window 600.
A web page 602 is a web page of a web application acquired by the web browser of the client PC 104 from the web application server 102.

The title bar 610 is a title bar of the web application “Editor for WEB” provided by the web application server 102, and displays the title, document name, and user name of the application. The user name is the same as the login user name to the Web application server 102, and the user authenticated on the login screen displayed when the predetermined URL of the Web application server 102 is first accessed by the Web browser. Become. In the case of a portlet environment, the user name is the user name logged in to the portal server.
The menu 611 is a menu for selecting a command instructed to the Web application, and has a hierarchical menu structure such as having a “print” menu under the “file” menu. A work area 612 is a work area of the Web application, and displays a document being edited.

A print dialog 613 is a Web application print dialog, and is displayed when the “print” menu is selected from the “file” menu of the menu 611. A display area 614 is an area for displaying the printer name of the printer to which the Web application transmits a print job via the printer driver. A control group 615 is a control group for selecting a page range of a document to be printed by a Web application.
The execution button 616 is selected when printing is executed. A cancel button 617 is selected when printing with the Web application is canceled and the print dialog 613 is closed. Reference numerals 620 to 637 denote the same controls as the above-described 600 to 617 regarding the Web application “Document Client for WEB” displayed when the Web browser accesses the URL of the Web application server 103.
Note that the web browser windows 600 and 620 may be simultaneously displayed on the display device 213 of the client PC 104 so that the user can alternately access both windows.
In FIG. 4, the user A registers an application “Editor for WEB” in “Printer A”. Therefore, when the print dialog is opened from “Editor for WEB”, a display area 614 of “Printer A” is displayed as shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the flow of data between systems. The arrows shown in FIG. 7 indicate data exchange using TCP / IP including HTTP.
The print setting management unit 701 is realized by a program existing on the memory 202 or the storage device 208 of the print setting management server 101 being read and executed by the CPU 201 of the print setting management server 101. The web application 711 and the general-purpose printer driver 712 are realized by the CPU 201 reading and executing a program stored in the memory 202 or the storage device 208 of the web application server 102, respectively.

Unlike the printer driver (model printer driver) corresponding to a specific printer model, the general-purpose printer driver 712 is a printer driver that does not depend on a specific printer model, and is a general-purpose print setting corresponding to a large number of printers. Information can be set. The printer driver for a model is a printer driver specialized for the printer model. In the case of a printer driver for a model, it is necessary to prepare printer drivers corresponding to the printer to be used for that model. However, in the case of the general-purpose printer driver 712, since a large number of printers can be handled by a single printer driver, it is sufficient to prepare a single printer driver.
By using the general-purpose printer driver 712, it is not necessary to prepare a printer driver for a model corresponding to the model of all printers that the user wants to use in the Web application server 102. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the management cost related to maintenance such as addition or update of a printer driver.

However, in the case of the general-purpose printer driver 712, unlike the printer driver for a model, print setting information specialized for a specific printer is not held, and specific port information for transmitting a print job to a specific printer, that is, IP Addresses are not retained. Therefore, before printing, the user needs to instruct the general-purpose printer driver 712 of the IP address of the printer that transmits the print job.
In the case of the general-purpose printer driver 712, only general-purpose print setting information can be set unless specific model information is instructed to the general-purpose printer driver, and a print job in which the option use of the printer is set cannot be generated ( For example, punch processing. For this reason, it is necessary to specify (set) the model information and option information of the printer that performs printing on the general-purpose printer driver 712 before printing. Accordingly, the general-purpose printer driver 712 can set not only general-purpose print setting information corresponding to a large number of printers but also print setting information specialized for a specific model.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating processing for acquiring printer information and setting printer information in the general-purpose printer driver 712 performed by the Web application 711 when the Web application 711 is opened in the window 600 of the client PC 104. . The printer information includes model information, function information, option information, IP address, print setting information, and the like.
First, when the URL of the Web application server 102 is accessed in the window 600 of the client PC 104, the user logs in to the Web application 711. Thereafter, the Web application 711 creates an execution instance of the Web application 711 for the login user (S801).
The execution instance of the Web application 711 is an execution unit of the Web application created by the Web application 711 for each login user (an application for the login user). The execution instance of the Web application 711 holds data for each logged-in user during execution, and holds personal settings customized for each user, data being edited for each user, and the like.

After creating the execution instance for the login user, the Web application 711 accesses the print setting management server 101 to notify the Web application information and make a printer information transmission request (S802). The Web application information notified to the print setting management server 101 includes a Web application ID (identifier), a user ID (identifier), a Web application display name, and Web application server information. The printer information transmission request is described as including Web application information. However, a configuration in which the Web application information is transmitted separately from the printer information transmission request may be employed.
Subsequently, the execution instance generated by the Web application 711 determines whether printer information has been received from the print setting management server 101 (S803). If the execution instance determines that the printer information has been received from the print setting management server 101, the execution instance performs the process of S804. On the other hand, when the execution instance determines that the printer information has not been received from the print setting management server 101, the execution instance performs the process of S803 again.

  In S804, the execution instance loads the general-purpose printer driver 712 for the execution instance. The execution instance sets the received printer information for the general-purpose printer driver 712 loaded for the execution instance (S805). Note that setting printer information in the general-purpose printer driver 712 allows the general-purpose printer driver 712 to transmit a print job to a printer associated with the Web application 711. More specifically, the execution instance sets the IP address of the printer that is the printing destination and option information / function information of the printer (whether there is a puncher, whether there is a duplex function, etc.) in the general-purpose printer driver. Further, the execution instance determines whether the printer information needs to be used for changing the parameter configuration of the application (S806). For example, if the application requesting the printer information is an application that specifies the use of the printer stapling function or specifies double-sided printing, it is determined that an execution instance is necessary. In addition, if the application requesting the printer information is an application whose setting contents are changed depending on the status of the printer, it is determined that an execution instance is necessary. If it is determined that the execution instance is necessary, the parameter configuration of the application in the execution instance is changed based on the received printer information (S807), and the Web application 711 ends the process. On the other hand, when determining that the execution instance is not necessary, the Web application 711 ends the process.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating processing performed by the print setting management unit 701 of the print setting management server 101 when a printer information transmission request is received from the Web application 711 of the Web application server 102.
The CPU 201 of the print setting management server 101 receives a printer information transmission request together with Web application information from the network 107 via the network interface 211 and the network controller 210, and controls the print setting management unit 701.
The print setting management unit 701 receives a printer information transmission request from the Web application 711 (S901). The print setting management unit 701 selects a user's personal registration printer list (for example, personal registration printer list 403) corresponding to the user ID based on the user ID included in the Web application information (S902).

Subsequently, the print setting management unit 701 refers to a printer list box registered in the personal registration printer list 403 of the selected user. Then, the print setting management unit 701 checks whether a web application corresponding to the web application ID included in the web application information is registered in any list box (for example, the list box 413) (S903).
When the print setting management unit 701 determines that the application that has requested the transmission of the printer information is registered in the list box of any printer registered in the user's personal registration printer list 403 (YES in step S904). , S905 is performed. On the other hand, if the print setting management unit 701 determines that it is not registered (NO in S904), it performs the process of S906.

  In step S905, the print setting management unit 701 transmits the printer information of the printer in the list box 413 in which the web application 711 is registered to the application (web application 711) that requested transmission (S905). The print setting management unit 701 transmits the printer information to the Web application 711 together with the Web application information of the transmission request.

  In step S <b> 906, the print setting management unit 701 confirms whether there is a printer in the personal registration printer list 403 that is waiting for a new application registration. At this time, if the print setting management unit 701 determines that there is no printer in the personal registration printer list 403 that is waiting for a new registration for an application (NO in S907), the print setting management unit 701 performs the process in S909. . On the other hand, if it is determined that there is a printer in the personal registration printer list 403 in the application registration waiting state (YES in step S907), the print setting management unit 701 performs the process of step S908.

In step S908, the print setting management unit 701 transmits the printer information of the printer that is waiting for a new application registration to the web application 711 together with the web application information (S908). Subsequently, the print setting management unit 701 performs the process of S910.
In step S909, the print setting management unit 701 transmits the printer information of the printer set as the user's default printer to the Web application 711 together with the Web application information. Subsequently, the print setting management unit 701 performs the process of S910.
In step S910, after transmitting the printer information, the print setting management unit 701 additionally registers Web application information in the corresponding printer list box (list boxes 413, 423, 433, etc.) (S910), and ends the process. Note that the print setting management unit 701 displays the Web application display name included in the Web application information in the list box along with the additional registration of the Web application information in the list box.

  If there are a plurality of printers waiting to receive new registration of an application, the print setting management unit 701 transmits the printer information of the plurality of printers to the Web application 711 in step S908. In addition, the Web application 711 that has received the printer information of a plurality of printers further performs processing for causing the user to select one of the printers, and sets the printer information of the printer selected in this processing in the general-purpose printer driver 712.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating processing performed by the print setting management unit 701 of the print setting management server 101 when the user presses the setting button 504 on the Web page 502 for setting print setting information.
The print setting management unit 701 determines whether or not the user has pressed the setting button 504 on the Web page 502 for setting the print setting information of the printer “Printer A” displayed in the window 500 of the client PC 104 (S1001). At this time, if it is determined that the setting button 504 has been pressed by the user, the print setting management unit 701 performs the process of S1002, and if it is determined that the setting button 504 has not been pressed by the user, the process of S1001 is performed again. I do. In S1001, it is determined whether or not the setting button 504 has been pressed, but it may be determined whether or not the print setting information has been changed.

In step S <b> 1002, the print setting management unit 701 checks whether there is an application registered in the list box 413 of the printer “Printer A” for which the setting button 504 has been pressed, based on the print setting management information of the user.
At this time, if the print setting management unit 701 determines that the registered application does not exist based on the user's print setting management information (NO in S1003), the process ends. On the other hand, if the print setting management unit 701 determines that the registered application exists based on the user's print setting management information (YES in S1003), the print setting management unit 701 performs the process of S1004.
In step S <b> 1004, the print setting management unit 701 identifies a Web application server (such as the Web application servers 102 and 103) that provides an application registered in the list box 413 of the printer “Printer A”. The print setting management unit 701 notifies the specified Web application server of the changed print setting information (printer information) together with the Web application information of the registered application. Exit.

FIG. 11 relates to processing performed by the print setting management unit 701 when a printer option such as a sorter or PDL is added to or deleted from the printer managed by the print setting management server 101 or when the printer IP address is changed. It is a figure which shows a flowchart. Note that the CPU 201 of the print setting management server 101 receives a notification from the printer from the network 107 via the network interface 211 and the network controller 210, and controls the print setting management unit 701.
The print setting management unit 701 of the print setting management server 101 notifies one of the printers (printers 105, 106, etc.) managed by the print setting management unit 701 that at least one of the printer capabilities and printer settings for the printer is changed. It is determined whether or not it has been done (S1101). As an example, the print setting management unit 701 has executed a change in print setting information using a UI as illustrated in FIG. 5, addition of a new option for the printer, movement of a registered application (change of output destination), or the like. Determine whether. At this time, if the print setting management unit 701 determines that at least one change of the printer capability and the printer setting has been notified, the print setting management unit 701 performs the process of S1102. On the other hand, if the print setting management unit 701 determines that neither change of the printer capability or the printer setting is notified, the process of S1101 is performed again.

In step S1102, the print setting management unit 701 checks whether there is a user who has registered the printer notified of the change in the personal registration printer list 403 based on all print setting management information.
If the print setting management unit 701 confirms that the user who has registered the corresponding printer in the personally registered printer list 403 does not exist based on the print setting management information (NO in S1103), the process ends. On the other hand, if the print setting management unit 701 confirms that the user who has registered the corresponding printer in the personally registered printer list 403 exists based on the print setting management information (YES in S1103), the process of S1104 is performed. Do.

In step S <b> 1104, the print setting management unit 701 determines whether there is an application registered in the list box for the corresponding printer based on the print setting management information of the user who has registered the corresponding printer in the personally registered printer list 403. Check for no.
If the print setting management unit 701 confirms that there is no registered application (NO in S1105), the process ends. On the other hand, if the print setting management unit 701 confirms that there is a registered application (YES in S1105), it performs the process of S1106.

In step S1106, the print setting management unit 701 identifies a Web application server that provides an application registered in the list box of the corresponding printer. Then, the print setting management unit 701 notifies the specified Web application server of the printer information including at least one of the changed printer capability and the printer setting together with the Web application information of the registered application. Thereafter, the print setting management unit 701 ends the process.
10 and 11, the operation of the print setting management unit 701 when the printer setting such as the print setting information, the printer option such as the printer option, or the printer IP address is changed has been described. It is not limited. For example, a configuration may be adopted in which a change in information is notified when printer information in general is changed.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating processing (print control processing) performed by the Web application 711 when a change in printer information is notified from the print setting management server 101.
The CPU 201 of the Web application server 102 receives notification of printer information change. Based on the Web application ID included in the notification, the CPU 201 specifies an application (for example, a Web application 711) corresponding to the notification.
The Web application 711 receives a printer information change notification from the print setting management server 101 (S1201). The Web application 711 determines an execution instance of the Web application 711 based on the user ID of the Web application information included in the notification (S1202).

The Web application 711 passes the printer information notified from the print setting management server 101 to the execution instance having the same user ID as the user ID included in the printer information change notification (S1203).
The execution instance sets the printer information notified from the print setting management server 101 in the general-purpose printer driver 712 for the execution instance loaded in S804 (S1204). This is the same processing as S805 described above.

Further, the execution instance determines whether or not the printer information needs to be used for changing the parameter configuration of the application (S1205). If the Web application 711 determines that it is not necessary, it ends the process. Note that the processing in S1205 is the same as S806 in FIG.
If it is determined that the execution instance is necessary, the parameter configuration of the application in the execution instance is changed based on the received printer information (S1206).

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a flowchart related to processing performed by the print setting management unit 701 of the print setting management server 101 when the move button 415 is pressed on the Web page 402 for managing print settings of the user.
The print setting management unit 701 determines whether or not the move button 415 is pressed on the Web page 402 that performs print setting management of the printer “Printer A” identified by the first printer identification information displayed in the window 400 of the client PC 104. It is determined (S1301). At this time, if it is determined that the move button 415 is pressed, the print setting management unit 701 performs the process of S1302, and if it is determined that the move button 415 is not pressed, the print setting management unit 701 performs the process of S1301 again.

In step S <b> 1302, the print setting management unit 701 determines whether one or more applications are selected in the list box 413 corresponding to the move button 415. At this time, if the print setting management unit 701 determines that no application is selected in the list box 413, the process ends. On the other hand, if it is determined that one or more applications are selected in the list box 413, the print setting management unit 701 opens a dialog for selecting a destination printer (not shown) (S1303). For example, when the “Printer A” movement button 415 is selected, a dialog including Printer B-C as a destination printer is displayed.
Subsequently, the print setting management unit 701 determines whether or not a destination printer is selected in the dialog (S1304). If the print setting management unit 701 determines that the destination printer is selected in the dialog, the print setting management unit 701 performs the process in step S1305. If the dialog determines that the destination printer is not selected in the dialog, the print setting management unit 701 performs the process in step S1304 again. Do.

The print setting management unit 701 closes the dialog (S1305), displays the selected application in the list box (such as the list box 423) of the destination printer, and moves the registration (S1306). For example, when the printer “Printer B” is selected as the destination printer identified by the second printer identification information, the selected application is displayed in the list box 423 of the printer name 421 and the registration is moved.
The print setting management unit 701 notifies the Web application server that provides the changed application to the destination printer, together with the registered Web application information, the printer information of the destination printer (S1307). Thereafter, the print setting management unit 701 ends the process.

In FIG. 13, the application registration movement by the movement button 415 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, an operation may be employed in which one or more applications are dragged in the list box 413 using the mouse 205 and dropped into the list box 423 of another registered application.
Note that the operation of the Web application 711 corresponding to the notification of printer information of the destination printer in S1307 is the same as that shown in the printer information change flowchart of FIG.

  Here, in S805 and S1204, the execution instance of the Web application 711 sets the general-purpose printer driver 712 based on the received printer information. In this embodiment, printer information is given from the Web application 711 to the general-purpose printer driver 712. Therefore, the general-purpose printer driver 712 can transmit a print job corresponding to a specific model to a specific printer.

In S806, S807, S1205, and S1206, the execution instance of the Web application 711 determines whether to change the parameter configuration of the application based on the received printer information.
That is, according to the present embodiment, since the change of the printer information is notified from the print setting management server 101 to the application, it is possible to lighten the operation in the application that changes the parameter configuration according to the printer information. There is.
In the present embodiment, personal print settings can be centrally managed by the print setting management server 101. For this reason, in an environment where it is necessary to execute printing across a plurality of servers such as the Web, there is an effect that it is possible to perform printing that reflects the individual printer settings.

Here, a problem with a general-purpose printer driver in Web Services on Devices (hereinafter referred to as WSD) and a solution according to this embodiment will be described. WSD is a protocol that is supported by Microsoft Windows (registered trademark) Vista or the like, for making the connection between a peripheral device such as a printer and a client flexible.
When a peripheral device such as a printer that supports WSD has an IP address or optional configuration change, the printer driver having a WSD port is notified of the configuration change (sent to a WSD-compatible client by multicast). it can. In this case, exchange is performed using a WSD protocol between a printer that supports WSD and a printer driver that supports a WSD port. Vista supports a printer driver corresponding to the WSD port as an operating system.

Normally, a printer port with a specific IP address is not set in the general-purpose printer driver. This is because, if a specific printer port is set, the feature of the general-purpose printer driver that one printer driver can handle a plurality of printers is erased.
On the other hand, the WSD port is set to the IP address of a peripheral device such as a specific printer, and is an IP port that receives an event notification by WSD from the specific printer. Therefore, if the WSD port is set in the general-purpose printer driver, the features of the general-purpose printer driver are erased.
On the other hand, if the WSD port is not set, the notification of the configuration change from the printer cannot be received. For this reason, when a general-purpose printer driver is used, a printer configuration change cannot be automatically reflected in the printer driver or an application that uses the printer driver.
However, according to the present embodiment, as shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 11 and 12, the configuration change from the printer is notified to the Web application 711 and the general-purpose printer driver 712 via the print setting management server 101. It has become. That is, since the printer configuration change can be notified to the general-purpose printer driver without setting the WSD port, the above-described disadvantage that the general-purpose printer driver 712 and the WSD cannot coexist as described above can be solved.

  In this embodiment, when a printer is registered in the personal registration printer list 403, one registration in the personal registration printer list 403 can be performed on one printer in the entire printer list of the print setting management server 101. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the printer to be added is selected by the add button 404 and the selected printer already exists in the personal registration printer list 403, a configuration in which the printer selected by the alias is added to the personal registration printer list 403 may be employed. .

In addition, conventionally, when the same device information is necessary for a plurality of printer drivers, it is necessary for the user to designate a plurality of printer drivers and instruct acquisition of the device information of the printer. Conventionally, the server cannot switch the printer driver used by a plurality of clients at the server, and the server cannot notify the printer driver of the client of device information corresponding to the printer driver after the switching. Conventionally, it is necessary to switch the printer driver of the client by each client having the printer driver.
On the other hand, in this embodiment, when one of the printers changes the printer information, the printer information is notified to all applications registered in association with the printer. Therefore, a plurality of Web applications registered in association with a certain printer can always receive the same printer information from the print setting management server 101 and reconfigure the printer driver based on the printer information. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the time and effort for the user to set the same print setting information for each printer driver installed in the Web application server that provides the Web application service.

In this embodiment, when the Web application is associated with another printer, the printer information of the destination printer is notified to the Web application server. Therefore, when a plurality of Web applications are moved in association with different printers all at once, the Web applications can simultaneously receive the printer information of the changed printer from the print setting management server 101. Therefore, when it is desired to switch a printer used in a plurality of Web applications to another printer, it is not necessary to perform the same printer changing operation for each printer driver installed in the Web application server.
In this embodiment, the Web application server requests the printer information only once for the first time when the Web application is registered in the list box of any printer. Therefore, it is not necessary to sequentially inquire the printer and confirm whether there is a change in the printer information in the Web application or the printer driver.

<Second Embodiment>
In the print setting management system of the first embodiment, the Web application has means for inquiring printer information from the print setting management server 101 and means for setting printer information received from the print setting management server 101 in the general-purpose printer driver 712. There is a need. Therefore, when a Web application having no such configuration exists in the print setting management system, there is a problem that it cannot be adapted to the print setting management system. In order to cope with the above problem, the print setting management system according to the present embodiment employs a configuration in which the printer information is inquired of the general-purpose printer driver 712 about the printer information.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating processing for acquiring the printer information from the print setting management server 101 by the general-purpose printer driver 712 according to the second embodiment.
The general-purpose printer driver 712 is loaded by the Web application 711 (S1401). The general-purpose printer driver 712 determines whether or not the Web application 711 that has instructed loading has the ability to inquire the printer setting management server 101 for printer information (S1402). The process of S1402 of the general-purpose printer driver 712 can be determined by calling a common API (Application Program Interface). In other words, if the general-purpose printer driver 712 determines that the application instructed to load does not have a common API, the general-purpose printer driver 712 determines that the application does not have the ability to query the print setting management server 101 for printer information.

If the general-purpose printer driver 712 determines that the Web application 711 has the ability to query the print setting management server 101 for printer information (YES in step S1403), the process ends. On the other hand, if the general-purpose printer driver 712 determines that the Web application 711 does not have the ability to query the print setting management server 101 for printer information (NO in S1403), it performs the processing of S1404.
In step S <b> 1404, the general-purpose printer driver 712 acquires the Web application information from the Web application 711.

Subsequently, the general-purpose printer driver 712 notifies the Web application information including the general-purpose printer driver information in place of the Web application 711, and requests the print setting management server 101 to transmit the printer information (S1405). This is the same as S802.
The general-purpose printer driver 712 determines whether the printer information has been received from the print setting management server 101 instead of the Web application 711 (S1406). This is the same as S803.
When receiving the printer information from the print setting management server 101, the general-purpose printer driver 712 changes its configuration based on the received printer information for printing from an application having Web application information (S1407).

When the print setting management server 101 receives a printer information transmission request from the general-purpose printer driver 712 of the Web application server 102 in step S <b> 1405, the print setting management server 101 performs the same operation as the flowchart of FIG. 9.
A different configuration is that the Web application information includes general-purpose printer driver information including a general-purpose printer driver display name and information notification means to the general-purpose printer driver. In addition, the transmission source of the request in S901 is not the Web application 711 but the general-purpose printer driver 712 specified by the general-purpose printer driver information included in the Web application information. In addition, the transmission destination of the printer information in S905, S908, and S909 is not the Web application 711 but the general-purpose printer driver 712 specified by the general-purpose printer driver information included in the Web application information. The display in the list box 413 of the registered application accompanying the additional registration of the Web application information in S910 is that the Web application display name and the general-purpose printer driver display name included in the Web application information.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of display of a registered application list box 413 accompanying additional registration of Web application information.
The general-purpose printer driver 712 displays the general-purpose printer driver name 1502 in the list box 413 of the registered applications of the printer, together with the Web application name 1501 for substituting the printer information acquisition.

According to this print setting management system, even a Web application that does not have a means for inquiring printer information to the print setting management server 101 can be adapted to this print setting management system by using the general-purpose printer driver 712 of this embodiment. Can be made.
Further, since the change of the printer information in the print setting management server 101 is notified to the general-purpose printer driver 712, the same effect as that of the first embodiment is obtained except that the change of the printer information cannot be immediately reflected in the application. Have

<Third Embodiment>
When the system load of the Web application server 102 is temporarily high, a situation occurs in which the Web application server 102 cannot receive the printer information notification from the print setting management server 101 shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 10, 11, and 13. Sometimes. In that case, a situation occurs in which the printer information included in the Web application 711 and the printer information included in the print setting management unit 701 of the print setting management server 101 do not match. In this situation, when printing is executed in the Web application 711, printing is performed with the print setting information before the user changes, or printing is performed with the printer before the user changes.

In order to solve such a problem, it is conceivable that the print setting management server 101 keeps retrying transmission until the Web application server 102 can receive the printer information. In this case, the processing load of the print setting management server 101 is high. turn into. When the processing load increases, the print setting management server 101 performs processing for a large number of users and a large number of Web application servers, which causes a delay in the entire service of the print setting management server 101. There is a risk that.
Also, the retry of transmission of printer information to the Web application server 102 by the print setting management server 101 is not always successful. For this reason, there is a possibility that the printer information does not match, so that there is a possibility that printing is not performed with the print setting information intended by the user or that printing is not performed with the printer intended by the user.
Therefore, in the print setting management system according to the present embodiment, such a mismatch in printer information that occurs when the Web application server 102 cannot temporarily receive a notification from the print setting management server 101 is solved.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a flowchart relating to processing when a notification that the printer information to the Web application server 102 has been changed by the print setting management unit 701 of the print setting management server 101 according to the present embodiment has failed.
If the print setting management unit 701 fails to transmit the printer information to the Web application server 102 in S1004, S1106, and S1307 (S1601), the print setting management unit 701 performs the following processing.

The print setting management unit 701 determines whether the printer information transmitted to the Web application server 102 includes a change of the printer used in the application (S1602). The change of the printer used by the application means, for example, registering an application as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 13 in another printer.
If the print setting management unit 701 determines that a change in the printer used by the application is included (YES in S1603), for example, if the printer used in the application is changed from the printer 105 to the printer 106, the process proceeds to S1604. Process. On the other hand, if the print setting management unit 701 determines that the change of the printer used in the application is not included (NO in S1603), the print setting management unit 701 performs the process of S1606.

In step S <b> 1604, the print setting management unit 701 transmits the changed printer information of the printer 106 together with the Web application information to the unmodified printer 105 used in the application as transfer destination printer information.
Here, when the print setting management unit 701 transmits the Web application information and the printer information of the printer 106 after the change to the printer 105 before the change, the printer 105 before the change performs the following processing.
That is, when the printer 105 before the change receives the print job, the printer 105 determines whether the Web application ID and user ID included in the print job match the Web application ID and user ID included in the Web application information. To do. When the printer 105 before the change determines that the corresponding information included in the received print job matches the corresponding information included in the Web application information, the printer 106 after the change is made based on the received print job based on the printer information. Forward to.

Subsequently, the print setting management unit 701 sets print setting information for resetting the print job transferred from the pre-change printer 105 together with the Web application information for the changed printer 106 used in the application. It transmits (S1605). Thereafter, the process ends.
Here, when the print setting management unit 701 transmits the Web application information and the print setting information to be reset to the print job to the changed printer 106, the changed printer 106 performs the following processing.
When the printer 106 after the change receives a print job from the printer 105 before the change, the printer 106 determines whether the Web application ID and user ID included in the print job match the Web application ID and user ID included in the Web application information. to decide.
When the changed printer 106 determines that the corresponding information included in the received print job matches the corresponding information included in the Web application information, the print setting received from the print setting management server 101 is received. Print with information.

In step S1606, the print setting management unit 701 transmits print setting information for resetting the print job together with the Web application information to the printer 105 used in the application, and ends the processing.
Note that the printer 105 also performs the same processing as the printer 106 after the change regarding the transmission of the Web application information to the printer 105 by the print setting management unit 701 and the print setting information to be reset in the print job.
The printer 105 before the change, the printer 106 after the change, and the printer 105 in S1606 store the corresponding information in at least one of the RAM 302, the external memory 309, and the hard disk (HD) 308 in order to register the received information. save.

  FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating the flow of data between systems. Arrows indicate data exchange using TCP / IP including HTTP.

Here, the print setting management unit 701 performs the following operation when succeeding in transmitting (retransmitting) the printer information to the Web application 711 of the Web application server 102 that failed to notify the printer information in S1601. Do.
In other words, the print setting management unit 701 transmits a request to delete (discard) the registration of the Web application information transmitted in S1604 and the printer information of the printer 106 after the change to the printer 105 before the change. In addition, the print setting management unit 701 transmits a request for deleting the Web application information and the print setting information transmitted in S1605 to the printer 106 after the change. In addition, the print setting management unit 701 transmits a request for deleting (discarding) the Web application information and the print setting information transmitted in S1606 to the printer 105.
The pre-change printer 105, the post-change printer 106, and the printer 105 in S1606 that have received the request delete the corresponding registration from the RAM 302, the external memory 309, and the hard disk (HD) 308 based on the deletion request.

According to this embodiment, the printer related to the change of the printer information is transferred to the changed printer as necessary, after the print job transmitted from the Web application is transferred to the changed print job. Printing can be performed by applying the setting information.
Therefore, even if a situation occurs in which the printer information of the Web application does not match the printer information of the print setting management unit of the print setting management server 101, printing is performed from the Web application using the printer selected by the user and the print setting information. be able to.
When the printer information mismatch is resolved, the registration of the transfer destination printer registered in the printer before the change is canceled and the registration of the print setting information of the print job registered in the printer after the change is canceled. be able to. Therefore, it is possible to easily return to the state of the original efficient print setting management system that prints the print job transmitted from the Web application to the printer as it is.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention can also be realized by executing the following processing. That is, software (program) that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or apparatus via a network or various storage media, and a computer (or CPU, MPU, etc.) of the system or apparatus reads the program. It is a process to be executed.

  According to the configuration of the above-described embodiment, it is possible to further reduce the user's effort for setting the printer driver.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, but the present invention is not limited to such specific embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims.・ Change is possible.

Claims (14)

Storage means for storing data associating printer identification information for identifying a printer with application identification information for identifying an application in a storage unit;
A specifying unit that specifies an application associated with the printer based on the data stored in the storage unit when printer information of the printer related to the data stored in the storage unit is changed;
Transmitting means for transmitting the changed printer information to the application specified by the specifying means;
A print setting management apparatus.   The identification unit identifies an application identified by application identification information associated with printer identification information of the printer when printer information of the printer related to the data stored in the storage unit is changed. The print setting management apparatus according to 1.   3. The print setting management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the change of the printer information is a change of print setting information or a change of an output destination printer.   The transmission unit receives a printer information transmission request from an application, and transmits printer information of a predetermined printer to the application when a printer associated with the application does not exist in the data. The print setting management apparatus according to any one of 1 to 3.   The transmission unit transmits, to the printer, print setting information to be set for a print job transmitted from a general-purpose printer driver corresponding to the application when printer information of the transmitted printer is not received by the application. Item 5. The print setting management apparatus according to any one of Items 1 to 4.   The transmission unit transmits the print setting information to the printer, and then transmits the printer information to the application again. When the printer information is received by the application, an instruction to discard the print setting information The print setting management apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the print setting management apparatus transmits the message to the printer. In the data, each of the plurality of printer identification information is associated with at least one or more pieces of application identification information,
When the association between the first printer identification information and the application identification information is canceled and the application identification information is newly associated with the second printer identification information, the transmission unit is identified by the application identification information. The print setting management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein printer information of the printer identified by the second printer identification information is transmitted to the application.   When the printer information is not received by the application, the transmission unit has transmitted a print job from a general-purpose printer driver corresponding to the application to the printer identified by the first printer identification information. A notification that the print job is to be transferred to the printer identified by the second printer identification information, and further, the first identification is made to the printer identified by the second printer identification information. 8. The print setting management apparatus according to claim 7, wherein print setting information to be set for the print job transferred from the printer identified by the printer identification information is transmitted. An application device in which an application and a general-purpose printer driver independent of a specific printer model are stored,
The application transmits, to the general-purpose printer driver, a printer information transmission request for enabling a print job to be transmitted to a printer used in the application, and the print setting management apparatus When receiving printer information, an application device sets the printer information in the general-purpose printer driver.   If the application cannot acquire the printer information from the print setting management apparatus, the general-purpose printer driver transmits a transmission request for the printer information to the print setting management apparatus, and the printer information is transmitted from the print setting management apparatus. The application apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the printer information is set in the general-purpose printer driver. A storage step of storing data associating printer identification information for identifying a printer with application identification information for identifying an application in a storage unit;
When the printer information of the printer related to the data stored in the storage unit is changed, a specifying step for specifying an application associated with the printer based on the data stored in the storage step;
A transmission step of transmitting the changed printer information to the application identified by the identification step;
A print setting management method. A print control method executed by an application device in which an application and a general-purpose printer driver independent of a specific printer model are stored,
The application transmitting a printer information transmission request to the print setting management apparatus for enabling the general-purpose printer driver to transmit a print job to a printer used in the application;
The application receiving the printer information from the print setting management device;
The application setting the printer information in the general-purpose printer driver;
A printing control method. Computer
Storage means for storing data associating printer identification information for identifying a printer with application identification information for identifying an application in a storage unit;
A specifying unit that specifies an application associated with the printer based on the data stored in the storage unit when printer information of the printer related to the data stored in the storage unit is changed;
Transmitting means for transmitting the changed printer information to the application specified by the specifying means;
Program to function as. A program that allows a computer to function as a general-purpose printer driver independent of the application and the specific printer model,
The application transmits, to the general-purpose printer driver, a request for transmitting printer information for enabling a print job to be transmitted to a printer used in the application, to the print setting management apparatus, and the print setting management apparatus A program for setting the printer information in the general-purpose printer driver when receiving printer information.

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