JP2017107389A - Output control device, output control system, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an output control device, an output control system, and a program with which it is possible to lighten a load imposed on a user and produce an output for the intended use of the user even when producing an output using output settings that conform to output rules.SOLUTION: The output control device comprises: an output rule information acquisition unit 157 for acquiring output rule information that includes a plurality of use information indicating each of a plurality of uses of output, output setting information indicating output settings per use of output, and first condition information indicating a first condition for producing an output using one of the plurality of output settings; a first determination unit 159 for determining whether or not an output job satisfies the first condition indicated by the first condition information; a display control unit 167 for displaying a screen for one of the plurality of uses of output to be selected when the first condition is satisfied; an acceptance unit 151 for accepting selection input for selecting one of the plurality of uses of output; and an output control unit 171 for having an output device output an output job in conformity with the output settings for the use of output selected by selection input.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to an output control device, an output control system, and a program.

  Conventionally, print settings necessary for printing such as print mode settings and print destination settings are registered in advance as rules, and print settings are automatically performed according to the rules when printing is performed. A technique called rule-based printing is known.

  According to such rule-based printing, since it is not necessary for the user to manually perform print settings necessary for printing, it is possible to reduce the user's trouble. Further, according to such rule-based printing, it is possible to prevent unnecessary printing such as color printing, single-sided printing, and non-aggregate printing from being performed, which leads to cost reduction.

  However, in such rule-based printing, if a rule is forcibly applied to all printing and print settings are made, there is a possibility that printing intended by the user cannot be executed. For this reason, for example, in Patent Document 1, in rule-based printing, by enabling a user to change print settings determined by rules at the time of printing, printing intended by the user can be executed even in rule-based printing. The technology is disclosed.

  However, in the conventional technology as described above, the user manually sets the print after all, which places a burden on the user.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and even in the case of performing output with output settings according to the output rule, while reducing the burden on the user, the application intended by the user It is an object to provide an output control device, an output control system, and a program that enable output.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, an output control device according to an aspect of the present invention shows a plurality of pieces of usage information indicating a plurality of uses of output, and an output setting for each use of the output. An output rule information acquisition unit for acquiring output rule information including output setting information and first condition information indicating a first condition for performing output using any of the plurality of output settings; A first determination unit configured to determine whether or not an output job satisfies a first condition indicated by the first condition information; and, when the first condition is satisfied, based on the plurality of usage information, A display control unit that displays an application selection screen for selecting one of a plurality of output uses on a display unit, a reception unit that receives a selection input for selecting one of the plurality of output uses, and a selection based on the selection input Output settings for specified output usage , And an output control unit for outputting the output job to the output device.

  Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the present invention, even when output is performed with output settings according to an output rule, there is an effect that output for use intended by the user can be achieved while reducing the burden on the user. .

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the output control system of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the output control apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the output device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the output control device and the output device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a storage format of output rule information by the output rule information storage unit of the present embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of output rule information according to the present embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of output rule information according to the present embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a usage selection screen according to the present embodiment. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the rule-based printing process executed by the output control system of this embodiment. FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a modified output control system.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of an output control device, an output control system, and a program according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Hereinafter, a case where the output control is print control will be described as an example, but the output control is not limited to this.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the output control system 10 of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the output control system 10 includes output control devices 100-1 to 100-N (N is a natural number of 1 or more) and output devices 200-1 to 200-M (M is a natural number of 1 or more). And comprising.

  The output control devices 100-1 to 100-N and the output devices 200-1 to 200-M are connected via the network 11. The network 11 can be realized by, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network) or the Internet.

  In the following description, when it is not necessary to distinguish the output control devices 100-1 to 100-N, they are simply referred to as the output control device 100, and the output devices 200-1 to 200-M need to be distinguished from each other. If not, it may be simply referred to as the output device 200.

  The output control device 100 causes the output device 200 to output an output job with an output setting according to the output rule. The output device 200 outputs an output job with the output setting instructed from the output control device 100. is there.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, the case where the output control is print control will be described as an example.

  Therefore, the output rule includes a print rule, the output setting includes a print setting, and the output job includes a print job.

  Further, as the output control apparatus 100, for example, a rule-based printing application (an application for performing output setting according to the output rule), a print request application that requests printing to the rule-based printing application, and a printer driver And a client terminal (information processing apparatus) such as a PC (Personal Computer) or a smart device in which is installed. Examples of the print request application include general applications such as a document creation application, a spreadsheet application, a presentation application, and a document browsing application, but are not limited thereto.

  Examples of the output device 200 include an image forming apparatus such as a printer or a multifunction peripheral (MFP).

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the output control apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the output control device 100 includes a control device 101 such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), and a main memory such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory). A device 103, an auxiliary storage device 105 such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive), a display device 107 such as a display, an input device 109 such as a mouse, keyboard or touch panel, a communication interface, etc. And a communication device 111, which has a hardware configuration using a normal computer.

  The auxiliary storage device 105, the display device 107, the input device 109, and the communication device 111 may be either internal or external.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the output device 200 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the output device 200 has a configuration in which a controller 210 and an engine 260 are connected by a PCI bus. The controller 210 is a controller that controls the entire control of the output device 200, drawing, communication, and input from the operation display unit 220. The engine 260 is an engine that can be connected to the PCI bus, and is, for example, a print engine such as a plotter. The engine 260 includes an image processing part such as error diffusion and gamma conversion in addition to the engine part.

  The controller 210 includes a CPU 211, a north bridge (NB) 213, a system memory (MEM-P) 212, a south bridge (SB) 214, a local memory (MEM-C) 217, and an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). 216 and a hard disk drive (HDD) 218, and the north bridge (NB) 213 and the ASIC 216 are connected by an AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) bus 215. The MEM-P 212 further includes a ROM 212a and a RAM 212b.

  The CPU 211 performs overall control of the output device 200, has a chip set composed of the NB 213, the MEM-P 212, and the SB 214, and is connected to other devices via this chip set.

  The NB 213 is a bridge for connecting the CPU 211 to the MEM-P 212, the SB 214, and the AGP bus 215, and includes a memory controller that controls reading and writing to the MEM-P 212, a PCI master, and an AGP target.

  The MEM-P 212 is a system memory used as a memory for storing programs and data, a memory for developing programs and data, a printer drawing memory, and the like, and includes a ROM 212a and a RAM 212b. The ROM 212a is a read-only memory used as a memory for storing programs and data, and the RAM 212b is a writable and readable memory used as a program / data development memory, a printer drawing memory, and the like.

  The SB 214 is a bridge for connecting the NB 213 to a PCI device and peripheral devices. The SB 214 is connected to the NB 213 via a PCI bus, and a network interface (I / F) 230 and the like are also connected to the PCI bus.

  The ASIC 216 is an IC (Integrated Circuit) for image processing use having hardware elements for image processing, and has a role of a bridge for connecting the AGP bus 215, the PCI bus, the HDD 218, and the MEM-C 217. The ASIC 216 includes a PCI target and an AGP master, an arbiter (ARB) that forms the core of the ASIC 216, a memory controller that controls the MEM-C 217, 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 260 via the PCI bus. A dedicated interface (I / F) 240 such as a USB interface (I / F) and an IEEE1394 (the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 1394) interface (I / F) is connected to the ASIC 216 via a PCI bus. The operation display unit 220 is directly connected to the ASIC 216.

  The MEM-C 217 is a local memory used as a copy image buffer and a code buffer, and the HDD 218 is a storage for storing image data, programs, font data, and forms.

  The AGP bus 215 is a bus interface for a graphics accelerator card proposed for speeding up graphics processing. The AGP bus 215 speeds up the graphics accelerator card by directly accessing the MEM-P 212 with high throughput. It is.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of functional configurations of the output control device 100 and the output device 200 according to the present embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the output control device 100 includes a reception unit 151, a conversion unit 153, an output rule information storage unit 155, an output rule information acquisition unit 157, a first determination unit 159, and request source information. A storage unit 161, a request source information acquisition unit 163, a second determination unit 165, a display control unit 167, an output setting application unit 169, and an output control unit 171 are provided.

  The reception unit 151, the conversion unit 153, the output rule information acquisition unit 157, the first determination unit 159, the request source information acquisition unit 163, the second determination unit 165, the display control unit 167, and the output setting application unit 169, for example, , The control device 101, the main storage device 103, and the like. The output rule information storage unit 155 and the request source information storage unit 161 can be realized by the auxiliary storage device 105, for example. The output control unit 171 can be realized by the control device 101, the main storage device 103, the communication device 111, and the like, for example.

  The conversion unit 153 includes, for example, a virtual printer that starts an application for rule-based printing. The output rule information acquisition unit 157, the first determination unit 159, the second determination unit 165, and the output setting application Examples of the unit 169 include rule-based printing applications, and examples of the output control unit 171 include a printer driver.

  As illustrated in FIG. 4, the output device 200 includes a receiving unit 251 and an output unit 253. The receiving unit 251 can be realized by, for example, the CPU 211, the system memory 212, the network I / F 230, and the like. The output unit 253 can be realized by, for example, the CPU 211, the system memory 212, the ASIC 216, the engine 260, and the like.

  The accepting unit 151 accepts a print request (output request) input from the input device 109 by a user (user). In the present embodiment, the reception unit 151 receives a print request for a file (for example, a document file or a spreadsheet file) displayed on the display device 107 by the print request application.

  When the reception unit 151 receives a print request, the conversion unit 153 receives the file for which the print request has been made from the print request application as a print job (output job), and the received print job (file) description is an intermediate language. Convert to description in. Examples of the intermediate language include, but are not limited to, XPS (XML Paper Specification) and PDF (Portable Document Format).

  The output rule information storage unit 155 performs output using any of a plurality of pieces of usage information each indicating one or more uses of output, output setting information indicating output settings for each output use, and a plurality of output settings. A plurality of pieces of output rule information including first condition information indicating a first condition for output and second condition information indicating a second condition for performing output for the use for each use of the output Remember.

  In the present embodiment, the output rule information is information indicating a printing rule, the usage information indicates a printing usage, the output setting information indicates a printing setting in the corresponding printing usage, and the second condition information Indicates a second condition, which is a condition for performing printing for the corresponding printing application, and the first condition information performs printing using any one of a plurality of print settings indicated by the output rule information. A first condition that is a condition for printing (condition for performing printing using the output rule information) is shown.

  Here, the print setting includes, for example, at least one of a setting related to a print mode of a print job and a setting related to a print destination (printer) on which the print job is printed. Settings related to the print mode of the print job include, for example, color printing or monochrome printing, single-sided printing or double-sided printing, aggregated printing or non-aggregated printing, or partial character erasure that erases some character strings included in a printed document. Whether or not to perform, and whether or not to perform image composition for inserting another image or the like into the print document, are not limited to these.

  As the first condition, for example, the first character string is included in the job name of the print job. In addition, as the first condition, for example, the second character string is included in the text of the print job. In addition, as the first condition, for example, a second character string is included in a predetermined area of the body of the print job. Further, as the first condition, for example, the output date and time of the print job is included in a predetermined output period. In addition, as the second condition, for example, the attribute of the user who made the print request is an attribute that enables printing for the corresponding printing application.

  The output rule information is a format that can be interpreted by the first determination unit 159 and the second determination unit 165 that can be handled by humans and interprets the output rule information, such as JSON format and XML (Extensible Markup Language) format. Is preferably described.

  In this embodiment, the output rule information storage unit 155 is open to the network 11 (for example, a shared folder), and the administrator of the output control system 10 outputs the output rule via the administrator terminal. The case where information can be registered in the output rule information storage unit 155 will be described as an example, but is not limited thereto.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a storage format of output rule information by the output rule information storage unit 155 of the present embodiment, and FIGS. 6 and 7 are diagrams illustrating an example of output rule information of the present embodiment. . The output rule information shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 indicates a print rule when printing in a hospital is performed by rule-based printing.

  In the present embodiment, the output rule information storage unit 155 stores the output rule information in association with the rule ID for identifying the output rule information, as shown in FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the name of the output rule information is shown as the output rule information, but actually, the information shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 is associated directly or indirectly. .

  FIG. 6 shows an example of output rule information of “invoice” associated with the rule ID “1” of FIG. In the example illustrated in FIG. 6, the first condition indicated by the first condition information (the condition for performing printing using the output rule information of “Invoice”) includes “Invoice” in the job name. "," Invoice "is included in the text area ((X1, Y1), (X2, Y2))", and "Print date and time is from 9:00 to 17:00 from Monday to Friday" It is defined that all three conditions are satisfied, that is, the logical product (AND) of the three conditions is true.

  In the example shown in FIG. 6, since the use of printing using the output rule information is one of “invoice issuance”, the use information, the output setting information, and the second condition information are also one by one. ing. The usage of printing indicated by the usage information is “issue bill”. Also, the print settings indicated by the output setting information (print settings for use of “invoice issuance”) are “single-sided printing” and “monochrome printing” as the printing mode and “accounting printer” as the printing destination. The second condition indicated by the second condition information (the condition for performing printing for the purpose of “invoicing”) is none.

  FIG. 7 shows an example of the output rule information of “prescription” associated with the rule ID “2” of FIG. In the example illustrated in FIG. 7, the first condition indicated by the first condition information (condition for performing printing using the output rule information of “prescription”) is “job name includes“ prescription ””, And satisfying all of the two conditions that “the prescription” is included in the body area ((X1, Y1), (X2, Y2)), that is, the logical product (AND) of the two conditions is true. Is defined as

  Further, in the example shown in FIG. 7, there are two uses of printing using the output rule information: “Presentation material creation” and “Prescription issue”, so the usage information, output setting information, and second condition information are also included. Two each.

  Here, when the usage of printing indicated by the usage information is “submission material creation”, the print setting indicated by the output setting information (print setting for the usage of “submission material creation”) is “single-sided printing”, Partial character erasure is “Erase character string included in patient name list”, printing destination is “Examination room printer”, and the second condition indicated by the second condition information (print for use in “Presentation document creation”) The condition for performing (1) is none.

  In addition, when the usage of printing indicated by the usage information is “prescription issuance”, the printing setting indicated by the output setting information (print setting for the usage of “prescription issuance”) is “single-sided printing” and the printing destination is The second condition indicated by the second condition information (condition for performing printing for the use of “prescription issuance”) is “medicine department printer”, and “the user who made the print request belongs to a doctor. There is something.

  In the examples shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the case where the first condition is defined by a logical product has been described as an example. However, the first condition may be defined by a logical sum (OR) or the first condition. May be omitted. Moreover, although partial character erasing is one of the printing modes, the items are made independent here. Other examples include the above-described image composition.

  The output rule information acquisition unit 157 acquires output rule information from the output rule information storage unit 155. Specifically, the output rule information acquisition unit 157 converts the print job by the conversion unit 153 and requests the output rule information storage unit 155 when the first determination unit 159 requests acquisition of the output rule information. Acquires a plurality of stored output rule information.

  The output rule information acquisition unit 157 has already acquired the output rule information from the output rule information storage unit 155 (for example, has already been acquired at the time of the previous printing), and the output rule information storage unit 155 stores the output rule information. Is not stored, output rule information that has already been acquired may be used. When output rule information is stored in the output rule information storage unit 155, the version and date of the output rule information stored in the output rule information storage unit 155 and the output rule information already acquired are compared. If the output rule information stored in the output rule information storage unit 155 is the latest, the output rule information is acquired. If the already acquired output rule information is the latest, the acquired output rule information is used. It may be.

  The first determination unit 159 determines whether the output job satisfies the first condition indicated by the first condition information included in the output rule information acquired by the output rule information acquisition unit 157. In the present embodiment, the first determination unit 159 prints the first condition indicated by the first condition information included in the output rule information acquired by the output rule information acquisition unit 157 converted by the conversion unit 153. Determine if the job is satisfactory. The first determination unit 159 performs the above determination for each output rule information acquired by the output rule information acquisition unit 157.

  For example, in the case of the output rule information shown in FIG. 6, the first determination unit 159 includes “invoice” in the job name of the print job converted by the conversion unit 153, and the text area ((X1, Y1) , (X2, Y2)) includes “invoice” and determines whether or not the printing date and time is from 9:00 to 17:00 from Monday to Friday.

  Further, for example, in the case of the output rule information shown in FIG. 7, the first determination unit 159 includes “prescription” in the job name of the print job converted by the conversion unit 153 and the text area ((X1, Y1 ), (X2, Y2)), it is determined whether or not “prescription” is included.

  The request source information storage unit 161 stores request source information regarding a request source that requests output of an output job. Here, the information indicated by the request source information includes the attribute of the user who requests the output of the output job, but is not limited to this. In the present embodiment, the information indicated by the request source information is described as an example of the attribute of the user who made the print request. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The request source information is information related to a user registered in advance in the output control device 100 used by the user who has requested printing (for example, an OS (Operating System) of the output control device 100 or rule-based printing). User information registered in an application or the like may be used.

  The request source information acquisition unit 163 acquires request source information from the request source information storage unit 161. Specifically, the request source information acquisition unit 163 is determined by the first determination unit 159 to satisfy the first condition included in the output rule information, and the second determination unit 165 requests acquisition of the request source information. Then, the request source information stored in the request source information storage unit 161 is acquired.

  When the first determination unit 159 determines that the first condition included in the output rule information is satisfied, the second determination unit 165 performs the second determination unit 165 for each second condition information included in the output rule information. It is determined whether or not the request source information acquired by the request source information acquisition unit 163 satisfies the second condition indicated by the second condition information.

  For example, in the case of the output rule information shown in FIG. 6, the second condition is none. In the present embodiment, the second determination unit 165 determines that the second condition is satisfied when there is no second condition.

  Further, for example, in the case of the output rule information shown in FIG. 7, if the use of printing is “presentation material creation”, the second condition is not present, so the second determination unit 165 performs “submission material creation”. Determines that the second condition is satisfied. However, if the usage of printing is “issue prescription”, the second condition is “the affiliation of the user who made the printing request is a doctor”. For this reason, if the attribute of the user who made the print request indicated by the request source information acquired by the request source information acquisition unit 163 is “doctor”, the second determination unit 165 sets the second condition. If the attribute of the user who made the print request indicated by the request source information is not “doctor”, it is determined that the second condition is not satisfied.

  When the first determination unit 159 determines that the first condition included in the output rule information is satisfied, the display control unit 167 determines a plurality of outputs (based on a plurality of pieces of usage information included in the output rule information). A use selection screen for selecting one of the uses for printing is displayed on the display device 107.

  Specifically, the display control unit 167 determines that the first determination unit 159 satisfies the first condition included in the output rule information and the second determination unit 165 includes the first rule included in the output rule information. When it is determined that two or more of the condition 2 is satisfied, an application selection screen is displayed on the display device 107.

  The output rule information includes two or more pieces of usage information, and the second determination unit 165 performs determination such that the second conditions corresponding to the two or more pieces of usage information all indicate no conditions. If it is clear that the user can use more than one printing application, the determination by the second determination unit 165 is omitted and the display control unit 167 displays the application selection screen. You may make it make it.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the application selection screen according to the present embodiment. The first determination unit 159 determines that the first condition included in the output rule information illustrated in FIG. 7 is satisfied, and the request source information. The attribute of the user who made the print request indicated by the request source information acquired by the acquisition unit 163 is “doctor”, and the second determination unit 165 includes two second rule included in the output rule information illustrated in FIG. The usage selection screen when it is determined that the condition 2 is satisfied is shown.

  The accepting unit 151 accepts a selection input for selecting one of a plurality of output (printing) uses included in the use selection screen, which is input from the input device 109 by the user.

  For example, in the usage selection screen shown in FIG. 8, if the user presses the OK button in a state where “Create presentation material” is selected as the usage of printing, the reception unit 151 displays “Submission material” as the usage of printing. The selection of “Create” is accepted. Further, for example, when the user presses the OK button in a state where “issue prescription” is selected as the print application on the use selection screen illustrated in FIG. 8, the reception unit 151 displays “prescription issue” as the print application. "Is accepted.

  When the first determination unit 159 determines that the first condition included in the output rule information is satisfied, the output setting application unit 169 includes the output included in the output rule information in the print job converted by the conversion unit 153. Apply settings.

  In the present embodiment, the output setting application unit 169 is determined by the first determination unit 159 to satisfy the first condition included in the output rule information, and is included in the output rule information by the second determination unit 165. When it is determined that one of the second conditions is satisfied, the print setting corresponding to the second condition is applied to the print job converted by the conversion unit 153. The output setting application unit 169 determines that the first determination unit 159 satisfies the first condition included in the output rule information, and the second determination unit 165 includes the second condition included in the output rule information. When it is determined that two or more are satisfied, the print setting corresponding to the use information indicating the use of the print whose selection is accepted by the accepting unit 151 is applied to the print job converted by the converting unit 153.

  For example, in the case of the output rule information shown in FIG. 6, since the second determination unit 165 determines that one second condition included in the output rule information is satisfied, the output setting application unit 169 is determined by the conversion unit 153. One-sided printing and monochrome printing are set for the converted print job, and the print destination of the print job is set to the accounting printer.

  Further, for example, in the case of the output rule information shown in FIG. 7, when the reception unit 151 accepts the selection of “create submission material” as the purpose of printing, the output setting application unit 169 displays the print job converted by the conversion unit 153. In addition, single-sided printing is set, character characters included in the patient name list are erased, and the print destination of the print job is set in the examination room printer.

  The output setting application unit 169 determines that the first determination unit 159 satisfies the first condition included in the output rule information, and the second determination unit 165 determines the second condition included in the output rule information. When it is determined that none of the above is satisfied, the print setting is not applied to the print job converted by the conversion unit 153, and printing is not executed.

  The output control unit 171 causes the output device 200 to output an output job (print a print job). In the present embodiment, the output control unit 171 converts the description of the print job to which the print setting is applied by the output setting application unit 169 into the description in the printer language used in the output device 200 of the print destination, and outputs the output To device 200. Note that the print destination output device 200 is the print destination applied in the print settings.

  In other words, when the second determination unit 165 determines that one second condition included in the output rule information is satisfied, the output control unit 171 sets the print setting for the printing application corresponding to the second condition. By transmitting the applied print job to the output device 200 of the print destination, the print job is output to the output device 200 of the print destination with the print setting for the purpose of the print.

  In addition, when the reception unit 151 receives a selection of a print setting corresponding to the usage information indicating the usage of printing, the output control unit 171 transmits a print job to which the print setting is applied to the output device 200 that is the printing destination. As a result, the print job is output to the output device 200 of the print destination with the print setting for the purpose of the print.

  The receiving unit 251 receives an output job to which the output setting is applied from the output control apparatus 100. In the present embodiment, the receiving unit 251 receives a print job to which print settings are applied from the output control apparatus 100.

  The output unit 253 outputs the output job received by the receiving unit 251. In the present embodiment, the output unit 253 prints the print job received by the receiving unit 251 with the applied print settings.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the rule-based printing process executed by the output control system 10 of the present embodiment.

  First, the reception unit 151 receives a print request from a user (input device 109) for a file or the like displayed on the display device 107 by the print request application (step S101).

  Subsequently, when the reception unit 151 receives a print request, the conversion unit 153 receives a file for which the print request has been made from the print request application as a print job, and describes the received print job (file) description in an intermediate language. (Step S103).

  Subsequently, the output rule information acquisition unit 157 stores the output rule information storage unit 155 when the conversion unit 153 converts the print job and the first determination unit 159 requests acquisition of the output rule information. A plurality of output rule information is acquired (step S105).

  Subsequently, for each output rule information acquired by the output rule information acquisition unit 157, the first determination unit 159 converts the first condition indicated by the first condition information included in the output rule information into the conversion unit 153. It is determined whether or not the print job converted by the above is satisfied (step S107).

  In this flowchart, it is not assumed that the print job converted by the conversion unit 153 satisfies the first condition information of two or more output rule information at the same time, and is acquired by the output rule information acquisition unit 157. An example of a case where it is assumed that the first condition information of one output rule information among a plurality of output rule information is satisfied or the first condition information of any output rule information is not satisfied. However, it is not limited to this.

  If the first determination unit 159 determines that the first condition information of any output rule information is not satisfied (No in step S107), the printing is not executed and the process ends.

  On the other hand, if the first determination unit 159 determines that the first condition included in the output rule information is satisfied (Yes in step S107), and the second determination unit 165 requests acquisition of request source information, a request is made. The source information acquisition unit 163 acquires the request source information stored in the request source information storage unit 161 (step S109).

  Subsequently, the second determination unit 165 indicates the second condition information for each second condition information included in the output rule information determined by the first determination unit 159 to satisfy the first condition. It is determined whether or not the request source information acquired by the request source information acquisition unit 163 satisfies the second condition (step S111).

  If the second determination unit 165 determines that none of the second condition information is satisfied (No in step S111), the process ends without executing printing.

  On the other hand, if it is determined by the second determination unit 165 that two or more pieces of second condition information are satisfied (Yes in step S111, Yes in S113), the display control unit 167 determines that 2 is determined by the second determination unit 165. The display device 107 displays a use selection screen for selecting one of the two or more printing uses based on the two or more use information included in the output rule information determined to satisfy the two or more second condition information. (Step S115).

  Subsequently, the accepting unit 151 accepts a selection input that is input from the user (input device 109) and that selects a desired printing application from two or more printing applications included in the application selection screen (step S1). S117).

  Subsequently, the output setting application unit 169 applies the print setting indicated by the print setting information corresponding to the use information indicating the use of the print received by the reception unit 151 to the print job converted by the conversion unit 153. (Step S119).

  On the other hand, if the second determination unit 165 determines that one second condition information is satisfied (Yes in step S111, No in S113), the output setting application unit 169 prints the print job converted by the conversion unit 153. Then, the print setting indicated by the print setting information corresponding to the second condition is applied (step S121).

  Subsequently, the output control unit 171 converts the description of the print job to which the print setting is applied by the output setting application unit 169 into the description in the printer language used in the output device 200 of the print destination, and the output device 200 (Step S123).

  Subsequently, the receiving unit 251 receives the output job to which the output setting is applied from the output control apparatus 100, and the output unit 253 prints the print job received by the receiving unit 251 with the applied print setting. (Step S125).

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, in the case of rule-based printing, when a plurality of printing applications (print settings) intended by the user are considered, the user can select the intended printing application, Execute printing with the print settings for the selected printing application.

  Therefore, according to the present embodiment, even in rule-based printing, the user can execute printing intended by the user simply by selecting the intended printing application. In particular, according to this embodiment, in order to perform intended printing, the user only has to select the intended use of printing, and the user does not need to change the print settings. It is possible to reduce the burden on the user when performing printing intended by the user.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, it is not necessary to prepare different printing rules for each user or output control device so that printing intended by the user can be executed even in rule-based printing. Since printing rules can be shared regardless of the output control device, the burden on the administrator who creates and manages the printing rules can be reduced.

(Modification)
In the above embodiment, the output rule information storage unit 155 has been described by taking a shared folder disclosed on the network 11 of the output control apparatus 100 as an example. However, as illustrated in FIG. 10, the output control system 1010 is a file server. 1300, and the shared folder of the file server 1300 disclosed on the network 11 may be used as the output rule information storage unit 155. In this way, it is not necessary to manage the output rule information in each output control device 100, and the output rule information can be centrally managed in the file server 1300.

  In the above embodiment, each output control device 100 includes the request source information storage unit 161 and the request control information is managed by each output control device 100. However, as illustrated in FIG. The control system 1010 may further include an authentication device 1400, and the authentication device 1400 may include a request source information storage unit 161 that stores request source information of each output control device 100. In this way, it is not necessary for each output control device 100 to manage the request source information, and the authentication device 1400 can centrally manage the request source information. Further, if each output control device 100 performs authentication when acquiring its own request source information from the authentication device 1400, the use of rule-based printing in a rule-based printing application can be strictly performed. it can.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the request source information is the attribute of the user who made the print request has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the identifier of the user, the attribute of the output control apparatus 100, and the like. Any information may be used as long as it is information related to a request source that requests printing of a print job and is necessary for using a rule-based printing application.

  When the request source information is a user identifier, the second condition is that, for example, the identifier of the user who made the print request is an identifier that can be printed for the corresponding printing application. Can be mentioned. When the request source information is an attribute of the output control apparatus 100, the second condition is, for example, an attribute of the output control apparatus 100 that has made the print request is an attribute that allows printing for the corresponding printing application. It is mentioned that.

(program)
The programs executed by the output control apparatus 100 according to the embodiment and the modification are files in an installable or executable format, such as a CD-ROM, a CD-R, a memory card, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), and a flexible disk. The program is stored in a computer-readable storage medium such as (FD).

  Further, the program executed by the output control apparatus 100 of the above embodiment and the modification may be provided by storing it on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and downloading it via the network. Further, the program executed by the output control device 100 of the above embodiment and the modification may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet. The program executed by the output control device 100 of the above embodiment and the modification may be provided by being incorporated in advance in a ROM or the like.

  The program executed by the output control apparatus 100 according to the embodiment and the modification has a module configuration for realizing the above-described units on a computer. As actual hardware, for example, the CPU reads out a program from the ROM to the RAM and executes the program, so that each functional unit is realized on the computer.

  In addition, the said embodiment and modification are shown as an example and are not intending limiting the range of invention. The above-described novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Output control system 11 Network 100-1 to 100-N (100) Output control apparatus 151 Reception part 153 Conversion part 155 Output rule information storage part 157 Output rule information acquisition part 159 1st determination part 161 Request origin information storage part 163 Request source information acquisition unit 165 Second determination unit 167 Display control unit 169 Output setting application unit 171 Output control unit 200-1 to 200-M (200) Output device 251 Reception unit 253 Output unit

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2015-026236

Claims (12)

A plurality of pieces of use information each indicating a use of a plurality of outputs; output setting information indicating an output setting for each use of the output; and a first condition for performing output using any of the plurality of output settings. An output rule information acquisition unit that acquires output rule information including:
A first determination unit that determines whether an output job satisfies a first condition indicated by the first condition information;
When satisfying the first condition, based on the plurality of usage information, a display control unit that displays on the display unit a usage selection screen for selecting one of the plurality of output usages;
A reception unit that receives a selection input for selecting one of the uses of the plurality of outputs;
An output control unit that causes the output device to output the output job with an output setting of the use of the output selected by the selection input;
An output control device comprising:   The output control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first condition is that a job name of the output job includes a first character string.   The output control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first condition is that a second character string is included in a text of the output job.   The output control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the first condition is that the second character string is included in a predetermined region of the text.   The output control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first condition is that an output date and time of the output job is included in a predetermined output period. The output rule information further includes, for each use of the output, second condition information indicating a second condition for performing output in the use,
A request source information acquisition unit that acquires request source information about a request source that requests output of the output job;
A second determination unit that determines whether the request source information satisfies the second condition indicated by the second condition information for each of the second condition information when the first condition is satisfied. When,
The display control unit displays the application selection screen on the display unit based on the plurality of application information when two or more of the second conditions are satisfied. The output control apparatus as described. The request source information indicates an attribute of a user who requests output of the output job,
The output control apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the second condition information is that the attribute of the user is an attribute that can be output for the application. The request source information indicates an identifier of a user who requests output of the output job,
The output control apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the second condition information is that the identifier of the user is an identifier that can be output for the application. The request source information indicates an attribute of the output control device that requests output of the output job,
The output control device according to claim 6, wherein the second condition information is that the attribute of the output control device is an attribute that can be output in the application.   The output control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output setting is at least one of a setting related to an output mode of the output job and a setting related to an output destination that outputs the output job. An output control system comprising an output control device and an output device,
The output control device includes:
A plurality of pieces of use information each indicating a use of a plurality of outputs; output setting information indicating an output setting for each use of the output; and a first condition for performing output using any of the plurality of output settings. An output rule information acquisition unit that acquires output rule information including:
A first determination unit that determines whether an output job satisfies a first condition indicated by the first condition information;
When satisfying the first condition, based on the plurality of usage information, a display control unit that displays on the display unit a usage selection screen for selecting one of the plurality of output usages;
A reception unit that receives a selection input for selecting one of the uses of the plurality of outputs;
An output control unit that transmits the output job to which the output setting of the use of the output selected by the selection input is applied, to the output device;
The output device is
A receiving unit for receiving an output job to which the output setting is applied;
An output unit for outputting the output job;
An output control system comprising: A plurality of pieces of use information each indicating a use of a plurality of outputs; output setting information indicating an output setting for each use of the output; and a first condition for performing output using any of the plurality of output settings. An output rule information acquisition step for acquiring output rule information including:
A first determination step of determining whether an output job satisfies a first condition indicated by the first condition information;
If the first condition is satisfied, a display control step for displaying on the display unit a usage selection screen for selecting one of the usages of the plurality of outputs based on the plurality of usage information;
An accepting step of accepting a selection input for selecting one of the plurality of output uses;
An output control step of causing the output device to output the output job with an output setting of the use of the output selected by the selection input;
A program that causes a computer to execute.

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