JP2016035658A - Program, information processing apparatus, screen display method, and image processing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a program, an information processing apparatus, a screen display method, and an image processing system with which, when a print setting screen can be displayed in different display modes, a screen of customized print settings can be displayed in any of the display modes.SOLUTION: A program causes a computer to function as: an acquisition unit 43 that acquires customization information, which is commonly used by a printer extension unit 60 that displays a print setting screen in a display mode different from a DCA 40, from a first storage unit 22 that can read information from the DCA 40 and the printer extension unit 60; a customization unit 46 that customizes the print settings on the basis of the customization information; and a display control unit 48 that displays a screen of the customized print settings on a display unit in a display mode of the DCA 40.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

  The present invention relates to a program, an information processing apparatus, a screen display method, and an image processing system.

  Windows 8 (registered trademark), which is an OS (Operating System) provided by Microsoft (registered trademark), employs two types of UIs, a Modern UI (User Interface) and a Desktop UI.

  In Windows 8, a printer driver architecture called a V4 (Version 4) printer driver is adopted, and the V4 printer driver supports vendor-specific print setting screens in both UIs.

  The vendor-specific print setting screen in the Modern UI is displayed by DCA when the V4 printer driver supports a module called Windows (registered trademark) store device application (hereinafter referred to as DCA (Device Companion Application)). . Note that if the V4 printer driver does not support DCA, the V4 printer driver displays an OS standard print setting screen in the Modern UI.

  The vendor-specific print setting screen in the Desktop UI is displayed by the printer extension unit when the V4 printer driver supports a module called Printer Extensions (hereinafter referred to as a printer extension unit). If the V4 printer driver does not support the printer extension unit, the V4 printer driver displays an OS standard print setting screen in the Desktop UI.

  Incidentally, a technique for customizing print settings in a general printer driver is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  However, in a module such as the above-described DCA, access to some resources such as a registry and some folders may be restricted in order to improve security.

  For this reason, in modules where access to resources is not restricted, customization information for customizing print settings can be acquired from resources, print settings can be customized with the acquired customization information, and the customized print settings screen can be displayed in the module. It can be displayed in its own display mode.

  On the other hand, in a module where access to some resources is restricted, if customization information cannot be obtained from the resource, the print settings cannot be customized, so the customized print settings screen cannot be displayed in the module's own display mode. .

  As described above, in the conventional technology as described above, depending on the module, the print setting cannot be customized, and the customized print setting screen may not be displayed in a display mode unique to the module.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and can display a customized print setting screen in any display mode when the print setting screen can be displayed in a different display mode. An object is to provide an information processing apparatus, a screen display method, and an image processing system.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, a program according to an aspect of the present invention is a program, and is shared with other programs that display a print setting screen in a display mode different from the program. A first acquisition unit that acquires customization information from a first storage unit that can be read from the program and that can be read from another program, and a first customization that customizes the print settings based on the customization information And a first display control unit that displays the customized print setting screen on the display unit in the display mode of the program.

  According to the present invention, when the print setting screen can be displayed in a different display mode, the customized print setting screen can be displayed in any display mode.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the image processing system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the PC according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a print setting screen unique to a vendor in the Modern UI according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of an OS standard print setting screen in the Modern UI according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a vendor-specific print setting screen in the Desktop UI of the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of an OS standard print setting screen in the Desktop UI according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a detailed configuration of the first storage unit, the second storage unit, the customized application, the DCA, and the printer extension unit of the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a relationship between a data storage location (storage area) usable by the OS according to the first embodiment and each of the customization application, the DCA, and the printer extension unit. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of an example of the customization application according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of customization information according to the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the printer according to the first embodiment. FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a flow of a process performed by the PC according to the first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a detailed configuration of the first storage unit, the second storage unit, the customized application, the DCA, and the printer extension unit of the second embodiment. FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure flow of processing performed by the PC according to the second embodiment. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of QueuePropertyBagSetting.xml. FIG. 16 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the PC according to each of the above embodiments. FIG. 17 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the printer according to each of the embodiments.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a program, an information processing apparatus, a screen display method, and an image processing system according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an image processing system 1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the image processing system 1 includes a PC (Personal Computer) 10 (an example of an information processing apparatus) and a printer 90 (an example of an image processing apparatus) that performs printing in accordance with a print request from the PC 10. Yes. The PC 10 and the printer 90 are connected via the communication network 2.

  The communication network 2 may be a network or a communication cable. The network may be any network regardless of wired or wireless, LAN (Local Area Network) or public communication line. Examples of the communication cable include a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable that connects the PC 10 and the printer 90.

  Note that the image processing system 1 may include a plurality of PCs 10 or a plurality of printers 90.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the PC 10 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the PC 10 includes a communication unit 11, an operation unit 12, a display unit 13, a storage unit 20, and a control unit 30.

  The communication unit 11 communicates with an external device such as the printer 90 via the communication network 2 and can be realized by a communication interface such as a NIC (Network Interface Card) or USB.

  The operation unit 12 inputs various operations and can be realized by an input device such as a keyboard, a mouse, a touch pad, and a touch panel.

  The display unit 13 displays various screens and can be realized by a display device such as a liquid crystal display and a touch panel display.

  The storage unit 20 stores various programs executed by the PC 10, data used for various processes performed by the PC 10, and the like. The storage unit 20 is, for example, magnetic, optical, and electrical such as a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a memory card, an optical disk, a read only memory (ROM), and a random access memory (RAM). This can be realized by at least one of storage devices that can be stored. The storage unit 20 includes a setting information storage unit 21, a first storage unit 22, and a second storage unit 23. Details of the setting information storage unit 21, the first storage unit 22, and the second storage unit 23 will be described later.

  The control unit 30 controls the entire PC 10 and can be realized by a control device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 30 includes an OS (Operating System) 31. The OS 31 is realized by starting (executing) the OS program stored in the storage unit 20 by the control unit 30.

  The OS 31 controls each part of the PC 10 (specifically, hardware and software of the PC 10), and includes, for example, Windows 8, but is not limited thereto. The OS 31 includes a customization application (hereinafter referred to as “customization application”) 32 (an example of a customization information generation unit), a DCA (Device Companion Application) 40 (a program, an example of a first program), and a printer driver 50. Including.

  The customization application 32 is an application for generating customization information for customizing print settings. In the first embodiment, the case where the customization application 32 is an independent application will be described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the customization application 32 may be included in the DCA 40.

  The DCA 40 is an application for displaying a vendor-specific print setting screen in the Modern UI on the display unit 13. For example, the DCA 40 is a module described in a combination of HTML (HyperText Markup Language) 5 and JavaScript (registered trademark), C It can be realized by a module described in # language and a module described in C ++ language. When the customization information is generated by the customization application 32, the DCA 40 customizes the print setting with the customization information, and displays the customized print setting on the screen of the vendor-specific print setting in the Modern UI.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a print setting screen unique to a vendor in the Modern UI according to the first embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the print settings are customized, and items unique to the vendor such as authentication printing (“printing method / authentication” in FIG. 3) are added as print setting items.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of an OS standard print setting screen in the Modern UI according to the first embodiment. The screen illustrated in FIG. 4 is displayed on the display unit 13 by the printer driver 50 when the OS 31 does not support the DCA 40 (when the DCA 40 is not included in the OS 31). When the printer driver 50 displays the OS standard print setting screen in the Modern UI on the display unit 13, the print setting is not customized. Therefore, in the example illustrated in FIG. 4, the print setting item is different from the example illustrated in FIG. 3. The vendor-specific items such as authentication printing (“printing method / authentication” in FIG. 3) are not added.

  The printer driver 50 is software for operating the printer 90 from the PC 10, and includes, for example, a V4 (Version 4) printer driver, but is not limited thereto. Specifically, since the setting information of the printer driver 50 is stored as a file in the setting information storage unit 21, the printer driver 50 loads the printer 90 from the PC 10 according to the setting information stored in the setting information storage unit 21. Make it work. The printer driver 50 includes a print setting unit 51, a drawing unit 52, and a transmission unit 53. The print setting unit 51 includes a printer expansion unit 60 (another program, an example of a second program).

  The printer expansion unit 60 is an application for displaying a vendor-specific print setting screen in the Desktop UI on the display unit 13, and examples thereof include an execution file format (EXE format) application. When the customization information is generated by the customization application 32, the printer extension unit 60 customizes the print setting with the customization information, and displays the customized print setting on the vendor-specific print setting screen in the Desktop UI. Thus, in the first embodiment, the customization information is shared between the DCA 40 and the printer extension unit 60.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a vendor-specific print setting screen in the Desktop UI of the first embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the print settings are customized, and vendor-specific items such as authentication printing (“printing method / authentication” in FIG. 5) are added as print setting items.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of an OS standard print setting screen in the Desktop UI according to the first embodiment. The screen shown in FIG. 6 is displayed on the display unit 13 by the printer driver 50 when the OS 31 does not support the printer extension unit 60 (when the printer extension unit 60 is not included in the OS 31). When the printer driver 50 displays the OS standard print setting screen in the Desktop UI on the display unit 13, the print setting is not customized. Therefore, in the example shown in FIG. 6, unlike the example shown in FIG. The vendor-specific items such as authentication printing (“printing method / authentication” in FIG. 5) are not added.

  The print setting unit 51 receives a print setting screen display instruction from the application (not shown) that instructs printing via the OS 31, and causes the display unit 13 to display a vendor-specific print setting screen in the Modern UI on the DCA 40. Then, the printer extension unit 60 causes the display unit 13 to display a vendor-specific print setting screen in the Desktop UI. Then, according to the operation input from the operation unit 12, the print contents are set (changed) on the print setting screen by the DCA 40 or the printer extension unit 60, so the print setting unit 51 prints the print set on the print setting screen. The print parameter indicating the content is returned to the application that instructs printing via the OS 31. The print parameter is expressed in, for example, an XML (Extensible Markup Language) format.

  Examples of applications that instruct printing are applications that operate on the OS 31 such as document creation software, browsing software, and spreadsheet software.

  The drawing unit 52 receives a print instruction and image data to be printed, a print parameter acquired from the print setting unit 51, and the like from the application for instructing printing via the OS 31, and a print command that can be interpreted by the printer 90. A PDL (Page Description Language) command is generated.

  The transmission unit 160 transmits the PDL command generated by the drawing unit 52 to the printer 90.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a detailed configuration of the first storage unit 22, the second storage unit 23, the customization application 32, the DCA 40, and the printer extension unit 60 according to the first embodiment.

  First, details of the first storage unit 22 and the second storage unit 23 will be described.

  The first storage unit 22 is a storage area for permanently storing customization information, and the second storage unit 23 is a storage area for temporarily storing customization information. In the first embodiment, the customization application 32 stores the customization information in the second storage unit 23, the DCA 40 stores the customization information stored in the second storage unit 23 in the first storage unit 22, The DCA 40 and the printer extension unit 60 customize the print settings using the customization information stored in the first storage unit 22, and display the customized print settings on the vendor-specific print setting screen in each UI. When the DCA 40 stores the customization information stored in the second storage unit 23 in the first storage unit 22, the DCA 40 deletes the customization information stored in the second storage unit 23.

  Therefore, in the first embodiment, the second storage unit 23 needs to be a storage area that is at least readable (readable) from the DCA 40 and writable (writable) from the customization application 32. Similarly, the first storage unit 22 needs to be a storage area that is readable and writable (readable and writable) from the DCA 40 and readable (readable) from the printer extension unit 60.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a relationship between a storage location (storage area) of data that can be used by the OS 31 of the first embodiment, the customization application 32, the DCA 40, and the printer extension unit 60. “R” indicates readable (readable), “R / W” indicates readable and writable (readable and writable), and “×” indicates inaccessible (not readable and writable). Show. The DCA 40 cannot access a “registry” or a “local folder other than the LocalState folder” in order to improve security.

  “Driver Property Bag”, “User Property Bag”, and “Queue Property Bag” are storage locations specific to the V4 printer driver. When the DCA 40 opens (displays) the print setting screen, or the printer extension unit 60 prints it. This is a data storage location used for delivery of data delivered from the OS 31 when a setting screen is opened (displayed).

  “Driver Property Bag” is a data storage location assigned in units of drivers, but does not satisfy both the requirements of the first storage unit 22 and the second storage unit 23 described above.

  “User Property Bag” is a data storage location assigned in units of printer icons (logical printers) and in units of users, and satisfies the requirements of the first storage unit 22 described above, but satisfies the requirements of the second storage unit 23. Absent. Note that when “User Property Bag” is used for the first storage unit 22, even if the point-and-print is performed, customization information of a certain user is not carried over to other users.

  “Queue Property Bag” is a data storage location assigned in units of printer icons (logical printers), and does not satisfy the requirements of the first storage unit 22 described above, but satisfies the requirements of the second storage unit 23. Note that “Queue Property Bag” can be read even when the DCA 40 or the printer expansion unit 60 opens the print setting screen with the user authority. In detail, if a “Get-PrinterProperty” command of PowerShell is used, it can be read even by a user authority. Further, by using the “Set-PrinterProperty” command of PowerShell, data can be written only with administrator authority.

  The “Web / cloud” is a place where data is stored using a transfer protocol such as HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) and FTP (File Transfer Protocol), or Web API (Application Programming Interface), and the first memory described above. Both the requirement of the unit 22 and the requirement of the second storage unit 23 are satisfied. However, normally, user account and password authentication is required, and the PC 10 needs to be connected to the communication network 2.

  The “registry” is a data storage location managed by the OS 31, but does not satisfy the requirements of the first storage unit 22 and the second storage unit 23 described above.

  The “LocalState folder” is a data storage location for the DCA 40 and satisfies both the requirements of the first storage unit 22 and the second storage unit 23 described above. Note that the path of the “LocalState folder” is% LOCALAPPDATA% \ Packages \ (package family name) \ LocalState. % LOCALAPPDATA% indicates a folder for each user, and package family name indicates the package ID of DCA40 described in the DCA40 development solution. For reading and writing the “LocalState folder”, Win32 APIs such as CreateFile2, ReadFile, and WriteFile are used.

  The “local folder other than the above” is a storage location of a local folder other than the “LocalState folder”, and does not satisfy the requirements of the first storage unit 22 and the second storage unit 23 described above.

  Therefore, in the case of the example shown in FIG. 8, as the second storage unit 23 of the first embodiment, usable data storage locations include “Web / cloud” and “LocalState folder”. Similarly, as the first storage unit 22 of the first embodiment, usable data storage locations include “User Property Bag”, “Web / Cloud”, and “LocalState folder”.

  In the first embodiment, a case where “LocalState folder” is used for the second storage unit 23 and “User Property Bag” is used for the first storage unit 22 will be described as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto. It is not a thing.

  Next, details of the customization application 32, the DCA 40, and the printer expansion unit 60 will be described.

  The customization application 32 generates customization information and stores it in the second storage unit 23. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of an example of the customization application 32 according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of customization information according to the first embodiment. In the example illustrated in FIG. 9, when the OK button is pressed, the customization application 32 generates the customization information illustrated in FIG. 10 and stores the customization information in the second storage unit 23.

  In the example shown in FIG. 10, the customization information is expressed in the XML format. Also, in the customization information shown in FIG. 10, the option of fixing the value of the function (featurelock), fixing both sides (duplex) to long edge binding (longedge) and short side binding (shortedge), and not setting both sides (off) It is set (instructed) not to be displayed on a GUI (Graphical User Interface) and to be customized so that 2in1 (2pagespersheet) is set to a default value in the setting of aggregation (layout).

  As shown in FIG. 7, the DCA 40 includes an interface unit 41, a management unit 44, and a display setting unit 47. The interface unit 41 includes a determination unit 42 and an acquisition unit 43 (an example of a first acquisition unit). The management unit 44 includes a storage unit 45 and a customization unit 46 (an example of a first customization unit). The display setting unit 47 includes a display control unit 48 (an example of a first display control unit) and a setting unit 49.

  The acquisition unit 43 attempts to acquire customization information from the second storage unit 23 when the DCA 40 is activated from the OS 31 in order to display the print setting screen on the DCA 40. The activation of the DCA 40 from the OS 31 is performed based on an operation input from the operation unit 12. The determination unit 42 determines that the customization information is stored in the second storage unit 23 if the acquisition unit 43 succeeds in acquiring the customization information. If the acquisition unit 43 fails to acquire the customization information, the determination unit 42 customizes the customization information. It is determined that the information is not stored in the second storage unit 23.

  If the determination unit 42 determines that the customization information is stored in the second storage unit 23, the storage unit 45 stores (stores) the customization information acquired by the acquisition unit 43 in the first storage unit 22. To do. In the first embodiment, “User Property Bag” is used for the first storage unit 22 as described above. Since the DCA 40 can access the “User Property Bag” when the DCA 40 is started from the OS 31, the storage unit 45 is provided when the DCA 40 is realized by a module written in a combination of HTML5 and JavaScript (registered trademark). The customization information is stored in the first storage unit 22 by setting the customization information in “UserPropertyBag” of the argument of the callback function “PrinterExtensionContext” executed when the DCA 40 is activated. Then, the storage unit 45 deletes the customization information stored in the second storage unit 23.

  In addition, when the customization information is stored in the first storage unit 22 by the storage unit 45, the acquisition unit 43 acquires the customization information from the first storage unit 22.

  When the acquisition unit 43 acquires customization information from the first storage unit 22, the customization unit 46 customizes print settings based on the acquired customization information. Specifically, the customization unit 46 applies the customization specified by the customization information to the print settings.

  The display control unit 48 displays the print setting screen customized by the customization unit 46 on the display unit 13 in the display mode of the DCA 40. Specifically, the display control unit 48 displays a print setting screen customized by the customization unit 46 on the display unit 13 using a vendor-specific print setting screen in the Modern UI.

  The setting unit 49 sets the print contents according to the operation input from the operation unit 12 on the customized print setting screen displayed on the display unit 13. Specifically, the contents of the customized print settings are changed to the contents of the print settings instructed by the operation input from the operation unit 12.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the printer extension unit 60 includes an interface unit 61, a management unit 64, and a display setting unit 67. The interface unit 61 includes a determination unit 62 and an acquisition unit 63 (an example of a second acquisition unit). The management unit 64 includes a customization unit 66 (an example of a second customization unit). The display setting unit 67 includes a display control unit 68 (an example of a second display control unit) and a setting unit 69.

  The acquisition unit 63 attempts to acquire customization information from the first storage unit 22 when the printer expansion unit 60 is activated from the OS 31 in order to display the print setting screen on the printer expansion unit 60.

  The determination unit 62 determines that the customization information is stored in the first storage unit 22 if the acquisition of the customization information by the acquisition unit 63 is successful, and customizes if the acquisition of the customization information by the acquisition unit 63 fails. It is determined that the information is not stored in the first storage unit 22.

  When the determination unit 62 determines that the customization information is stored in the first storage unit 22, the customization unit 66 customizes the print settings based on the customization information acquired by the acquisition unit 63. Specifically, the customization unit 66 applies the customization specified by the customization information to the print settings.

  The display control unit 68 displays the print setting screen customized by the customization unit 66 on the display unit 13 in the display mode of the printer extension unit 60. Specifically, the display control unit 68 displays a print setting screen customized by the customization unit 66 on the display unit 13 using a vendor-specific print setting screen in the Desktop UI.

  The setting unit 69 sets the print contents according to the operation input from the operation unit 12 on the customized print setting screen displayed on the display unit 13. Specifically, the contents of the customized print settings are changed to the contents of the print settings instructed by the operation input from the operation unit 12.

  FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the printer 90 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 11, the printer 90 includes a communication unit 91 (an example of a receiving unit), an operation unit 92, a display unit 93, a storage unit 94, a control unit 95 (an example of a print data generation unit), A printing unit 96.

  The communication unit 91 communicates with an external device such as the PC 10 via the communication network 2 and can be realized by a communication interface such as NIC or USB. The communication unit 91 receives image data and customized print settings from the PC 10. Specifically, the communication unit 91 receives a PDL command from the PC 10.

  The operation unit 92 inputs various operations and can be realized by an input device such as a key switch and a touch panel.

  The display unit 93 displays various screens and can be realized by a display device such as a liquid crystal display and a touch panel display.

  The storage unit 94 stores various programs executed by the printer 90, data used for various processes performed by the printer 90, and the like. The storage unit 94 can be realized by at least one of magnetic, optical, and electrical storage devices such as HDD, SSD, memory card, optical disk, ROM, and RAM.

  The control unit 95 controls the entire printer 90 and can be realized by a control device such as a CPU. The control unit 95 generates print data of the image data based on the image data received by the communication unit 91 and the customized print settings. Specifically, the control unit 95 generates print data based on the PDL command received by the communication unit 91.

  The printing unit 96 executes printing and can be realized by a printer engine or the like. The printing unit 96 performs printing based on the print data generated by the control unit 95.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure flow of processing performed by the PC 10 according to the first embodiment.

  First, the customization application 32 will be described.

  The customization application 32 generates customization information (step S101), and temporarily stores the generated customization information in the second storage unit 23 (step S103).

  Next, the DCA 40 will be described.

  The acquisition unit 43 attempts to acquire customization information from the second storage unit 23 when the DCA 40 is activated from the OS 31 in order to display the print setting screen on the DCA 40 (step S111). If the acquisition unit 43 succeeds in acquiring the customization information, the determination unit 42 determines that the customization information is stored in the second storage unit 23 (Yes in step S113), proceeds to step S115, and acquires the acquisition unit 43. If the acquisition of the customization information by means of fails, it is determined that the customization information is not stored in the second storage unit 23 (No in step S113), and the process proceeds to step S119.

  When the determination unit 42 determines that the customization information is stored in the second storage unit 23 (Yes in step S113), the storage unit 45 displays the customization information acquired by the acquisition unit 43 as the first storage unit. 22 (step S115), and the customization information temporarily stored in the second storage unit 23 is deleted (step S117).

  Subsequently, when the customization information is stored in the first storage unit 22 by the storage unit 45, the acquisition unit 43 acquires the customization information from the first storage unit 22 (step S119).

  Subsequently, when the customization unit 46 acquires the customization information from the first storage unit 22 by the acquisition unit 43 and performs customization (Yes in Step S121), the customization unit 46 proceeds to Step S123 and reflects the customization information in the print settings ( Step S123).

  On the other hand, even if customization information is acquired from the first storage unit 22 by the acquisition unit 43, if customization is not performed (No in step S121), the process proceeds to step S125. The case where the customization is not performed includes, for example, a case where customization is not instructed, such as a null character is set in the acquired customization information.

  Subsequently, the display control unit 48 opens the print setting screen on the vendor-specific print setting screen in the Modern UI (step S125).

  Next, the printer extension unit 60 will be described.

  The acquisition unit 63 acquires customization information from the first storage unit 22 when the printer expansion unit 60 is activated from the OS 31 in order to display the print setting screen on the printer expansion unit 60 (step S131).

  Subsequently, when the customization unit 66 acquires the customization information from the first storage unit 22 by the acquisition unit 63 and performs customization (Yes in Step S133), the customization unit 66 proceeds to Step S135 and reflects the customization information in the print settings ( Step S135).

  On the other hand, even if customization information is acquired from the first storage unit 22 by the acquisition unit 63, if customization is not performed (No in step S133), the process proceeds to step S137.

  Subsequently, the display control unit 68 opens the print setting screen on the vendor-specific print setting screen in the Desktop UI (step S137).

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, since the customization information is stored in the first storage unit 22 that can be read by both the DCA 40 and the printer extension unit 60, in either the Modern UI or the Desktop UI You can also display a screen with customized print settings. Therefore, according to the first embodiment, when the print setting screen can be displayed in different display modes, the customized print setting screen can be displayed in any display mode.

  In particular, according to the first embodiment, the DCA 40 saves the customization information from the second storage unit 23 to the first storage unit 22, so that the DCA 40 performs customization even if the OS 31 does not support the printer extension unit 60. Can be executed.

  Further, according to the first embodiment, “User Property Bag” is used for the first storage unit 22, and “User Property Bag” is a storage area allocated in units of users, so that a user can customize his / her own customization information. Even if is changed, the changed content is not applied to the customization information of other users.

(Second Embodiment)
In the second embodiment, an example will be described in which the printer extension unit saves customization information from the second storage unit to the first storage unit. In the following, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and components having the same functions as those in the first embodiment will be given the same names and symbols as those in the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be made. Omitted.

  13 illustrates a first storage unit 122, a second storage unit 123, a customization application 132, a DCA 140 (another program, an example of a second program), and a printer extension unit 160 (program) of the PC 110 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a detailed configuration of an example of a first program.

  In the second embodiment, the customization application 132 stores the customization information in the second storage unit 123, and the printer extension unit 160 stores the customization information stored in the second storage unit 123 in the first storage unit 122. The DCA 140 and the printer extension unit 160 customize the print settings using the customization information stored in the first storage unit 122, and the customized print settings are displayed on the vendor-specific print setting screen in each UI. indicate. When the printer extension unit 160 stores the customization information stored in the second storage unit 123 in the first storage unit 122, the customization application 132 deletes the customization information stored in the second storage unit 123. To do.

  Therefore, in the second embodiment, the second storage unit 123 needs to be a storage area that is at least readable (readable) from the printer extension unit 160 and writable (writable) from the customization application 132. . Similarly, the first storage unit 122 needs to be a storage area that is readable and writable (readable and writable) from the printer extension unit 160 and readable (readable) from the DCA 140.

  Therefore, in the case of the example shown in FIG. 8, as the second storage unit 123 of the second embodiment, usable data storage locations are “Queue Property Bag”, “Web / Cloud”, “Registry”, and “Local”. Folder (including the LocalState folder) ". Similarly, as the second storage unit 122 of the second embodiment, usable data storage locations include “User Property Bag”, “Queue Property Bag”, “Web / Cloud”, and “LocalState folder”. .

  In the second embodiment, a case where “local folder” is used for the second storage unit 123 and “User Property Bag” is used for the first storage unit 122 will be described as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto. It is not a thing.

  The customization application 132 is an application for generating customization information for customizing print settings. In the second embodiment, the case where the customization application 132 is an independent application will be described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the customization application 132 may be included in the printer extension unit 160.

  As illustrated in FIG. 13, the printer extension unit 160 includes an interface unit 161, a management unit 164, and a display setting unit 67. The interface unit 161 includes a determination unit 162 and an acquisition unit 163 (an example of a first acquisition unit). The management unit 164 includes a storage unit 165 and a customization unit 66 (an example of a first customization unit). The display setting unit 67 includes a display control unit 68 (an example of a first display control unit) and a setting unit 69.

  The determination unit 162 determines whether the printer extension unit 160 is activated from the customization application 132 in order to save the customization information in the printer extension unit 160, or the printer extension from the OS 31 in order to display the print setting screen on the printer extension unit 160. It is determined whether the unit 160 is activated.

  The acquisition unit 163 acquires the customization information from the second storage unit 123 when the determination unit 162 determines that the printer expansion unit 160 has been activated from the customization application 132 so that the printer expansion unit 160 stores the customization information. To do.

  When the acquisition unit 163 acquires the customization information from the second storage unit 123, the storage unit 165 stores (stores) the customization information acquired by the acquisition unit 163 in the first storage unit 122. In the second embodiment, “User Property Bag” is used for the first storage unit 122 as described above. Since the printer extension unit 160 can access the “User Property Bag” even when the printer extension unit 160 is started from the customization application 132, the storage unit 165 is executed when the printer extension unit 160 is started by the customization application 132. The customization information is stored in the first storage unit 122 by setting the customization information in “UserPropertyBag” of “PrinterExtensionEventArgs” of the second argument of the callback function “OnDriverEvent”.

  Further, when the determination unit 162 determines that the printer extension unit 160 has been activated from the OS 31 in order to display the print setting screen on the printer extension unit 160, the acquisition unit 163 receives customization information from the first storage unit 122. get.

  The customization unit 66, the display setting unit 67, and the display control unit 68 are the same as in the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the DCA 140 includes an interface unit 141, a management unit 144, and a display setting unit 47. The interface unit 141 includes a determination unit 142 and an acquisition unit 143 (an example of a second acquisition unit). The management unit 144 includes a customization unit 46 (an example of a second customization unit). The display setting unit 47 includes a display control unit 48 (an example of a second display control unit) and a setting unit 49.

  The acquisition unit 143 attempts to acquire customization information from the first storage unit 122 when the DCA 140 is activated from the OS 31 in order to display the print setting screen on the DCA 140. The determination unit 142 determines that the customization information is stored in the first storage unit 122 if acquisition of the customization information by the acquisition unit 143 is successful, and customizes if acquisition of the customization information by the acquisition unit 143 fails. It is determined that the information is not stored in the first storage unit 122.

  The customization unit 46, the display setting unit 47, and the display control unit 48 are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a flow of processing steps performed by the PC 110 according to the second embodiment.

  First, the customization application 132 will be described.

  The customization application 132 generates customization information (step S201), and temporarily stores the generated customization information in the second storage unit 123 (step S203).

  Subsequently, the customization application 132 activates the printer extension unit 160 in order to save the customization information in the printer extension unit 160 (step S205).

  Next, the printer extension unit 160 will be described.

  The determination unit 162 determines whether the printer extension unit 160 is activated from the customization application 132 in order to save the customization information in the printer extension unit 160, or the printer extension from the OS 31 in order to display the print setting screen on the printer extension unit 160. It is determined whether the unit 160 has been activated (step S211).

  If the determination unit 162 determines that the printer expansion unit 160 has been activated from the customization application 132 in order to save the customization information in the printer expansion unit 160 (Yes in step S211), the acquisition unit 163 stores the customization information. The customization information is acquired from 123 (step S213).

  Subsequently, when the acquisition unit 163 acquires the customization information from the second storage unit 123, the storage unit 165 stores the customization information acquired by the acquisition unit 163 in the first storage unit 122 (Step S215). .

  Thereafter, the customization application 132 receives a customization information storage completion notification from the printer extension unit 160, and deletes the customization information temporarily stored in the second storage unit 123 (step S231).

  On the other hand, when the determination unit 162 determines that the printer expansion unit 160 has been activated from the OS 31 in order to display the print setting screen on the printer expansion unit 160 (No in step S211), the acquisition unit 163 performs the first operation. The customization information is acquired from the storage unit 122 (step S217).

  The subsequent processing from step S219 to S223 is the same as the processing from step S133 to S137 in FIG.

  Next, the DCA 140 will be described.

  The acquisition unit 143 acquires customization information from the first storage unit 122 when the DCA 140 is activated from the OS 31 in order to display a print setting screen on the DCA 140 (step S241).

  The subsequent processing from step S243 to S247 is the same as the processing from step S121 to S125 in FIG.

  As described above, also in the second embodiment, the customization information is stored in the first storage unit 122 that can be read by both the DCA 140 and the printer extension unit 160. Therefore, in both the Modern UI and the Desktop UI. Can display customized print settings screen. Therefore, according to the second embodiment, when the print setting screen can be displayed in different display modes, the customized print setting screen can be displayed in any display mode.

  In particular, according to the second embodiment, the printer extension unit 160 saves the customization information from the second storage unit 123 to the first storage unit 122, so even if the OS 31 does not support the DCA 140, the printer extension unit 160. Can perform customization.

  According to the second embodiment, since the customization application 132 can start the printer extension unit 160, the customization application 132 can cause the printer extension unit 160 to save customization information at an arbitrary timing, and the printer extension unit 160 can customize the customization application 132. In order to save the information, it is not necessary to activate the printer extension unit 160 from the OS 31.

  In addition, according to the second embodiment, “User Property Bag” is used for the first storage unit 122, and “User Property Bag” is a storage area allocated in units of users, so that a user can customize his / her own customization information. Even if is changed, the changed content is not applied to the customization information of other users.

(Modification of the second embodiment)
In the second embodiment, an example in which “User Property Bag” is used for the first storage unit 122 has been described. However, “Queue Property Bag” may be used.

  In this case, the storage unit 165 stores the customization information in the first storage unit 122 by executing the Set-PrinterProperty command of PowerShell. For example, there is a command example such as Set-PrinterProperty-PrinterName “Driver Plus” -PropertyName “CustomizeSetting” -Value “[Customized Data]”. When this command is used, it is necessary to register a property called “CustomizeSetting” in the setting information storage unit 21 in advance.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of QueuePropertyBagSetting.xml that is setting information for setting a property called CustomizeSetting.

  QueuePropertyBagSetting.xml is an XML format file that defines the properties of QueuePropertyBag in the V4 printer driver. When the V4 printer driver that includes this XML file in the package is installed, the property “CustomizeSetting” of QueuePropertyBag is installed with an empty string as the initial value of String.

  Further, the acquisition units 143 and 163 acquire the customization information from the first storage unit 122 by acquiring the customization information from the CustomSettingProperty of the QueuePropertyBag.

  According to the modification example, “Queue Property Bag” is used for the first storage unit 122, and “Queue Property Bag” is a storage area allocated in units of printer icons (logical printers). When is changed, the changed content is applied to all users. For this reason, when the point and print is performed, customization information of a certain user is carried over to another user.

  FIG. 16 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the PC according to each of the above embodiments.

  The PC according to each of the above embodiments has the same configuration as a general information processing terminal. Specifically, in the PC according to each of the above embodiments, a CPU 201, a RAM 202, a ROM 203, an HDD 204, and an I / F 205 are connected via a bus 206. An LCD 207 and an operation unit 208 are connected to the I / F 205.

  The CPU 201 is a calculation unit and controls the operation of the entire PC. The RAM 202 is a volatile storage medium capable of reading and writing information at high speed, and is used as a work area when the CPU 201 processes information. The ROM 203 is a read-only nonvolatile storage medium and stores a program such as firmware. The HDD 204 is a nonvolatile storage medium that can read and write information, and stores an OS, various control programs, application programs, and the like. The I / F 205 connects and controls a bus and various hardware and networks. The LCD 207 is a visual user interface for the user to check the state of the PC. The operation unit 208 is a user interface for the user to input information to the PC, such as a keyboard and a mouse.

  The program executed on the PC of each of the above embodiments is an installable or executable file, such as a CD-ROM, CD-R, memory card, DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), flexible disk (FD), etc. The program is stored in a computer-readable storage medium and provided.

  The program executed on the PC of each of the above embodiments may be provided by being stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and downloaded via the network. The program executed on the PC of each of the above embodiments may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet. Further, the program executed by the PC of each of the above embodiments may be provided by being incorporated in advance in a ROM or the like.

  The program executed on the PC of each of the above embodiments has a module configuration for realizing the above-described units on a computer. As actual hardware, the CPU 201 reads out a program from the ROM 203 onto the RAM 202 and executes it, whereby the above-described units are realized on a computer.

  FIG. 17 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the printer 90 according to each of the above embodiments.

  As shown in FIG. 17, the printer 90 has a configuration in which a controller 310 and an engine unit (Engine) 360 are connected by a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus. The controller 310 is a controller that controls the entire printer 90, drawing, communication, and input from the operation display unit 320. The engine unit 360 is a printer engine that can be connected to a PCI bus, and is, for example, a monochrome plotter, a 1-drum color plotter, a 4-drum color plotter, a scanner, or a fax unit. The engine unit 360 includes an image processing part such as error diffusion and gamma conversion in addition to a so-called engine part such as a plotter.

  The controller 310 includes a CPU 311, a north bridge (NB) 313, a system memory (MEM-P) 312, a south bridge (SB) 314, a local memory (MEM-C) 317, and an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). 316 and a hard disk drive (HDD) 318, and the north bridge (NB) 313 and the ASIC 316 are connected by an AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) bus 315. The MEM-P 312 further includes a ROM 312a and a RAM 312b.

  The CPU 311 performs overall control of the printer 90, has a chip set including the NB 313, the MEM-P 312 and the SB 314, and is connected to other devices via this chip set.

  The NB 313 is a bridge for connecting the CPU 311 to the MEM-P 312, SB 314, and AGP 315, and includes a memory controller that controls reading and writing to the MEM-P 312, a PCI master, and an AGP target.

  The MEM-P 312 is a system memory used as a memory for storing programs and data, a memory for developing programs and data, a drawing memory for printers, and the like, and includes a ROM 312a and a RAM 312b. The ROM 312a is a read-only memory used as a program / data storage memory, and the RAM 312b is a writable / readable memory used as a program / data development memory, a printer drawing memory, or the like.

  The SB 314 is a bridge for connecting the NB 313 to a PCI device and peripheral devices. The SB 314 is connected to the NB 313 via a PCI bus, and a network interface (I / F) unit and the like are also connected to the PCI bus.

  The ASIC 316 is an IC (Integrated Circuit) for image processing having hardware elements for image processing, and has a role of a bridge for connecting the AGP 315, the PCI bus, the HDD 318, and the MEM-C 317. The ASIC 316 includes a PCI target and an AGP master, an arbiter (ARB) that forms the core of the ASIC 316, a memory controller that controls the MEM-C 317, and a plurality of DMACs (Direct Memory) that rotate image data using hardware logic. Access Controller) and a PCI unit that performs data transfer between the engine unit 360 via the PCI bus. The ASIC 316 is connected to an FCU (Fax Control Unit) 330, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) 340, and an IEEE 1394 (the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 1394) interface 350 via a PCI bus. The operation display unit 320 is directly connected to the ASIC 316.

  The MEM-C 317 is a local memory used as a copy image buffer and a code buffer, and the HDD 318 is a storage for storing image data, programs, font data, and forms.

  The AGP 315 is a bus interface for a graphics accelerator card that has been proposed to speed up graphics processing, and speeds up the graphics accelerator card by directly accessing the MEM-P 312 with high throughput. .

1 image processing system 2 communication network 10, 110 PC
11 communication unit 12 operation unit 13 display unit 20 storage unit 21 setting information storage unit 22, 122 first storage unit 23, 123 second storage unit 30 control unit 31 OS
32, 132 Customize application 40, 140 DCA
41, 141 interface unit 42, 142 determination unit 43, 143 acquisition unit 44, 144 management unit 45 storage unit 46 customization unit 47 display setting unit 48 display control unit 49 setting unit 50 printer driver 51 print setting unit 52 drawing unit 53 transmission unit 60, 160 Printer expansion unit 61, 161 Interface unit 62, 162 Judgment unit 63, 163 Acquisition unit 64, 164 Management unit 66 Customization unit 67 Display setting unit 68 Display control unit 69 Setting unit 90 Printer 91 Communication unit 92 Operation unit 93 Display Unit 94 storage unit 95 control unit 96 printing unit 165 storage unit 201 CPU
202 RAM
203 ROM
204 HDD
205 I / F
206 Bus 207 LCD
208 Operation unit 310 Controller 311 CPU
312 System memory 312a ROM
312b RAM
313 North Bridge 314 South Bridge 315 AGP Bus 316 ASIC
317 Local memory 318 Hard disk drive 320 Operation display unit 330 FCU
340 USB
350 IEEE1394 interface 360 Engine part

JP 2013-190897 A

Claims (18)

A program,
A customization information shared with another program that displays a print setting screen in a display mode different from that of the program is acquired from a first storage unit that is readable from the program and readable from another program. An acquisition unit;
A first customization unit for customizing the print settings based on the customization information;
A first display control unit for displaying the customized print setting screen on a display unit in a display mode of the program;
Program to make the computer function. The first storage unit can also be written from the program,
The first acquisition unit acquires the customization information from a second storage unit readable from the program,
The program according to claim 1, further causing the computer to function as a storage unit that stores the customization information acquired from the second storage unit in the first storage unit.   The program according to claim 1, wherein the first storage unit is a storage area allocated in units of logical printers and in units of users.   The program according to claim 1, wherein the first storage unit is a storage area allocated in units of logical printers. The display mode of the program is Modern UI (User Interface),
The program according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a display mode of the other program is Desktop UI. The display mode of the program is Desktop UI (User Interface),
The program according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a display mode of the other program is Modern UI. The other program is
A second acquisition unit that acquires the customization information from the first storage unit;
A second customization unit for customizing the print settings based on the customization information;
A second display control unit for displaying the customized print setting screen on the display unit in a display mode of the other program;
The program according to any one of claims 1 to 6, which is for causing the computer to function. Customized information shared with a second program for displaying a print setting screen in a display mode different from that of the first program can be read from the first program and can be read from the second program A first acquisition unit to acquire from the unit;
A first customization unit for customizing the print settings based on the customization information;
A first display control unit for displaying the customized print setting screen on a display unit in a display mode of the first program;
An information processing apparatus comprising: The first storage unit can also be written from the first program,
The first acquisition unit acquires the customization information from a second storage unit readable from the first program,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a storage unit that stores the customization information acquired from the second storage unit in the first storage unit.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a customization information generation unit that generates the customization information and stores the customization information in the second storage unit.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the first storage unit is a storage area allocated in units of logical printers and in units of users.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the first storage unit is a storage area allocated in units of logical printers. The display mode of the first program is Modern UI (User Interface),
The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a display mode of the second program is a Desktop UI. The display mode of the first program is Desktop UI (User Interface),
The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a display mode of the second program is Modern UI. A second acquisition unit that acquires the customization information from the first storage unit;
A second customization unit for customizing the print settings based on the customization information;
A second display control unit for displaying the customized print setting screen on the display unit in a display mode of the second program;
The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 14, further comprising: The first acquisition unit, the first customization unit, and the first display control unit are realized by the first program,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the second acquisition unit, the second customization unit, and the second display control unit are realized by the second program. Customized information shared with a second program for displaying a print setting screen in a display mode different from that of the first program can be read from the first program and can be read from the second program An acquisition step to acquire from the department;
A customization step for customizing the print settings based on the customization information;
A display control step of displaying the customized print setting screen on a display unit in a display mode of the first program;
Screen display method including An image processing system comprising a program executed on a computer and an image processing apparatus,
The program is
A customization information shared with another program that displays a print setting screen in a display mode different from that of the program is acquired from a first storage unit that is readable from the program and readable from another program. An acquisition unit;
A first customization unit for customizing the print settings based on the customization information;
The customized print setting screen serves as a first display control unit that displays the customized display screen on the display unit in the display mode of the program, and causes the computer to function.
The image processing apparatus includes:
A receiver for receiving image data and the customized print settings from the computer;
A print data generation unit that generates print data of the image data based on the image data and the customized print settings;
An image processing system comprising: a printing unit that performs printing based on the print data.

Images