JP2023170129A - program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a program to be used for managing a terminal that uses a printer so as to improve management of print settings on the terminal to be managed.SOLUTION: A management program 22 causes a PC 1 to perform: acquiring job logs 311 associated with a terminal ID of a terminal to be managed, out of job logs 311 stored in a server 3; reading distribution settings 232 of a setting file associated with the terminal ID; determining, for each of the acquired job logs 311, whether print settings included in the acquired job logs 311 are coincident with print settings indicated by the read distribution settings 232; and issuing a notification about mismatch of print settings regarding the terminal, on the basis of the presence of a mismatching job log 311. The job logs 311 are stored in the server 3 when printing based on a print instruction from the terminal to be managed is executed on a printer. The terminal has a setting file with print settings distributed thereto.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The technical field disclosed herein relates to a program used to manage a terminal that uses a printer.

Conventionally, techniques for managing terminals that use printers are known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a system including a plurality of personal computers (PCs), a printer, and an installation server. A configuration is disclosed in which the installer distributed to the PC is started, the installer reads a settings file, and the printer driver is installed in the PC using the print settings written in the settings file as default values.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-213132

As mentioned above, the administrator prepares a settings file in which print settings are written in advance, distributes the settings file to the terminals that use the printer, and the default values of the print settings are written to the settings file on those terminals. In a system where print settings are automatically changed, there is a high possibility that the changed print settings will be used when the printer is used from that terminal. In other words, when using the printer from that terminal, printing can be expected with the print settings intended by the administrator. However, due to a communication failure or the like during distribution, an appropriate settings file may not be distributed and the default values of the print settings may not be changed appropriately. Further, even if the default values of the print settings have been appropriately changed, the user may manually change the print settings when outputting a print instruction. In this way, even after the configuration file is distributed, printing may not be performed as intended by the administrator.

This specification is a program used to manage a terminal that uses a printer, and discloses a technique for improving the management of print settings in a managed terminal.

A program designed to solve this problem is a program executed by a management device that manages terminals to be managed, in which one or more terminals to be managed are registered, When a printer performs printing based on a print instruction from the managed terminal, a print log including print settings for the printing is stored in the first storage device in association with identification information of the managed terminal. A configuration file in which print settings are written is distributed to the managed terminal, and the managed terminal can change the default value of the print setting to the print setting written in the configuration file. and distribution information indicating print settings written in the configuration file distributed to the managed terminal is stored in a second storage device in association with identification information of the managed terminal to which it is distributed. out of the print logs stored in the first storage device, the print log associated with identification information of a specific terminal that is one of the terminals to be managed is stored in the management device. an acquisition process for acquiring; a read process for reading out the distribution information associated with the identification information of the specific terminal from the second storage device; and an acquisition process for each of the print logs acquired in the acquisition process. a determination process for determining whether the print settings included in the print log acquired in the process match the print settings indicated in the distribution information read in the read process; and the acquisition process. a notification process for notifying a mismatch in print settings for the specific terminal based on the fact that there is a print log that is determined to be inconsistent in the determination process in the print log acquired in the process. , is characterized by.

A program disclosed in this specification is installed in a management device, causes the management device to acquire a print log of printing based on a print instruction from a specific terminal that is one of the terminals to be managed, and obtains the acquired print log. When there is a print log that includes print settings that do not match the print settings written in the settings file distributed to the specific terminal, a management device is notified of the mismatch in the print settings at the specific terminal. This notification allows the administrator using the management device to understand that printing was performed on the specific terminal with print settings that were not intended by the administrator. As a result, the administrator takes steps to increase the possibility that printing will be performed using the print settings of the distributed configuration file, such as redistributing the configuration file or reminding employees not to change the settings. This increases the possibility that printing as intended by the administrator will be performed.

An information processing device incorporating the above program, a computer readable storage medium storing the program, and a control method for realizing the functions of the program are also new and useful.

According to the technology disclosed in this specification, a program used for managing a terminal that uses a printer, and a technology that improves the management of print settings in a managed terminal is realized.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of a PC. It is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a setting file. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of job log data. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of management processing. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a setting distribution list. 3 is a flowchart showing the procedure of setting determination processing. It is an explanatory view showing an example of the permissible number.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this embodiment, a process executed by a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as "PC") in which a program is installed will be described.

The PC 1 of this embodiment includes a controller 10 including a CPU 11 and a memory 12, as shown in FIG. PC1 is an example of a management device. The PC 1 also includes a user interface (hereinafter referred to as “user IF”) 13 and a communication interface (hereinafter referred to as “communication IF”) 14, which are electrically connected to the controller 10. . Note that the controller 10 in FIG. 1 is a general term for hardware and software used to control the PC 1, and does not necessarily represent a single piece of hardware that actually exists in the PC 1.

The CPU 11 executes various processes according to programs read from the memory 12 and based on user operations. The memory 12 stores various programs and various data. The memory 12 is also used as a work area when various processes are executed. The buffer included in the CPU 11 is also an example of memory. Note that an example of the memory 12 is not limited to a ROM, RAM, HDD, etc. built into the PC 1, but also a storage medium readable and writable by the CPU 11, such as a recording medium such as a CD-ROM or a DVD-ROM. Also good.

The user IF 13 includes hardware that displays a screen for notifying the user of information and hardware that accepts operations by the user. The user IF 13 may be a combination of a display that can display information and a mouse, keyboard, or the like that has an input reception function, or may include a touch panel that has a display function and an input reception function.

Communication IF 14 includes hardware for communicating with external devices. The communication standard of the communication IF 14 is Ethernet (registered trademark), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), USB, etc. The PC 1 may include multiple communication IFs 14 that support multiple communication standards. The PC 1 of this embodiment can be connected to the server 3 via the communication IF 14, for example, as shown in FIG. The server 3 may be a local server or a cloud server.

As shown in FIG. 1, the memory 12 of the PC 1 stores an operating system (hereinafter referred to as "OS") 21, a management program 22, and a setting distribution list 23. The management program 22 is an example of a program. The OS 21 is, for example, Windows (registered trademark), macOS (registered trademark), Linux (registered trademark), iOS (registered trademark), or Android (registered trademark).

The management program 22 of this embodiment is for managing the usage status of each printer by each terminal in an environment including one or more terminals and one or more printers, as shown in FIG. 1, for example. . In this embodiment, the administrator uses the management program 22 of the PC 1 to manage the terminals 110 and 120. Terminal 110 and terminal 120 are examples of terminals to be managed.

Each terminal has a built-in printer driver, which is a program for using the printer. A printer driver is a program that has a function of generating print data to be printed by a printer based on image data to be printed. In the example of FIG. 1, the terminal 110 is connected to a printer 130 and a printer 140, and a printer driver 111 corresponding to the printer 130 and a printer driver 112 corresponding to the printer 140 are installed in the terminal 110. ing. Further, the terminal 120 is connected to a printer 140, and a printer driver 121 corresponding to the printer 140 is built into the terminal 120.

For example, when adding printer 140 to a system including terminal 110, terminal 120, and printer 130, the administrator installs printer drivers 112 and 121 corresponding to printer 140 in terminal 110 and terminal 120, respectively. Each of the terminals 110 and 120 may obtain a printer driver installer by distributing it from an administrator or by downloading it from a server or the like.

The administrator can then create a configuration file for the printer 140 and distribute it to the terminals 110 and 120. The settings file is a file in which default values for each print setting item are written. Default values for all items of print settings that can be set in the printer driver may be written in the settings file, or values for only some items may be written. The settings file may be, for example, a file in which only items whose values are changed from default values provided in advance by the printer driver itself are written. Items whose values are changed include, for example, color settings, aggregate print settings such as 2in1, watermark settings, and double-sided print settings. Each terminal to which the configuration file is distributed can change the default value of the print settings of the printer driver to the print settings written in the distributed configuration file.

For example, an administrator who wants to restrict color printing on the printer 140 by the user of the terminal 120 distributes to the terminal 120 a settings file 51 in which monochrome printing is written as the default color setting value, as shown in FIG. 2, for example. For example, when installing the printer driver 121 for the printer 140, the terminal 120 can read each print setting written in the distributed setting file 51 and set it as the default setting of the printer driver 121. Note that the terminal 120 may store the distributed configuration file 51 in its memory and apply it as appropriate, or may delete it once the configuration is completed. The same applies to the terminal 110.

When the printer driver 121 corresponding to the printer 140 is installed, the user of the terminal 120 can use the terminal 120 to cause the printer 140 to execute printing. The terminal 120 starts the printer driver 121 corresponding to the specified printer 140, and sets the default print settings. However, after startup, the printer driver 121 can accept instructions from the user to change print settings. For example, a user who wants to print a color image in color can change the print settings to set color printing even if the default color setting is monochrome printing. The printer driver 121 sends a print command to the printer 140 using the print settings that were set when receiving the print execution instruction.

Further, in this embodiment, each of the terminals 110 and 120 is connected to a common server 3. Each of the terminals 110 and 120 is configured to, when transmitting a print command to the printer, transmit history information indicating the print history regarding the transmitted print command to the server 3. Regarding the configuration in which each terminal 110 and 120 transmits history information, for example, a printer driver may have a function of generating and transmitting history information, or a program other than the printer driver may generate history information. A dedicated program for performing and transmitting may be built into each terminal 110, 120.

When the server 3 receives history information from the terminals 110 and 120, the server 3 stores a record including the received history information in the job log database (hereinafter referred to as "job log DB") 31 shown in FIG. 1 as a job log 311. Remember. The server 3 is an example of a first storage device. The server 3 may add and store the history information sent from each terminal 110 and 120 in the job log DB 31 in the order in which it was received without distinguishing between them, or may add the history information to the job log DB 31 in the order in which it was received, or may add it to the job log DB 31 for each sender device, the date of reception, etc. It may be classified and memorized.

Note that generation and transmission of history information may be performed by each printer 130, 140 instead of being performed by each terminal 110, 120. Specifically, each printer 130, 140 is configured to send history information regarding the print command to the server 3 when receiving a print command or executing printing based on the received print command. It's okay. In other words, a program for generating and transmitting history information may be built into each printer. For example, when each printer executes printing using color colorants, it generates history information that includes information indicating color printing as a setting value of a color setting item.

Each job log 311 stored in the job log DB 31 includes, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, information regarding print instructions and information regarding print settings. Specifically, the job log 311 contains information regarding print instructions, such as information on the date and time when printing was executed, a printer ID that is information that identifies the printer to which the print command was sent, and the information on which the print command was sent. It includes a terminal ID, which is information that identifies the terminal. Further, the job log 311 includes, as information regarding print settings, for example, information on setting values for each item of print settings. The job log 311 is an example of a print log.

The job log 311 may include, as information regarding print settings, information on setting values for all items that can be set in the printer driver, or may include only setting values for some items. For example, if the printer driver is configured to generate history information, the printer driver may be able to accept selections of print setting items to be included in the job log 311. Note that the job log 311 may or may not include information indicating an image to be printed.

Some printers have, for example, a function to aggregate received print data and print it, or a function to generate and print an image in which a watermark is combined with the received print data. In that case, the print command may include an instruction to cause the printer to perform a function. If the print command includes a function execution instruction, the job log 311 may include information about the execution instruction.

An administrator using the PC 1 of this embodiment uses the management program 22 built into the PC 1 to check the print settings used in each terminal 110, 120 to be managed. The procedure of management processing by the management program 22 will be explained with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This management process is executed by the CPU 11 of the PC 1, for example, when the management program 22 is started. The management program 22 may reside in the PC 1 and start executing the management process at regular timing, or it may accept an execution instruction from the administrator after startup and start executing the management process based on the execution instruction. . The processing in the following description and each processing step in the flowchart basically shows the processing of the CPU 11 according to instructions written in the management program 22.

In the management process, the CPU 11 first reads the setting distribution list 23 from the memory 12 of the PC 1 (S101). S101 is an example of read processing. In this case, the memory 12 of the PC 1 is an example of a second storage device. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the settings distribution list 23 is a list that stores information indicating print settings distributed to each terminal using a settings file in association with identification information indicating the terminal to which the print settings have been distributed. When distributing configuration files, the administrator creates a configuration distribution list 23 and stores it in the memory 12 of the PC 1. If the settings distribution list 23 is already stored in the memory 12, the administrator may create another settings distribution list or add information about the settings file to be distributed this time to the existing settings distribution list 23. You can also remember it.

As shown in FIG. 5, each record of the settings distribution list 23 includes information such as distribution target information 231, distribution settings 232, distribution date and time 233, usage date and time 234, and confirmation date and time 235. The distribution target information 231 is information indicating a combination of a terminal ID indicating a terminal to which a configuration file is distributed and a printer ID indicating a printer corresponding to the configuration file. The printer ID is information that identifies a printer corresponding to a printer driver for which default values of print settings are set based on a settings file. Information indicating a printer driver may be included instead of the printer ID. The setting distribution list 23 includes one record for each combination of distribution target information 231.

The distribution settings 232 is information indicating print settings written in the distributed settings file. Distribution settings 232 are an example of distribution information. The distribution date and time 233 indicates, for example, the date and time when the configuration file was distributed, the date and time when the printer driver to which the configuration file is applied was installed, or the date and time when the distributed configuration file was set as the default settings of the printer driver. It is information. The distribution date and time 233 is an example of timing based on distribution of the configuration file.

The usage date and time 234 and the confirmation date and time 235 are information written after the configuration file is distributed, and are blank when the configuration distribution list 23 is created. The date and time of use 234 is information indicating the date and time when the printer indicated by the printer ID was used from the terminal indicated by the terminal ID. The confirmation date and time 235 is information on the date and time when it was confirmed that printing was performed using the print settings written in the settings file. Details regarding the usage date and time 234 and the confirmation date and time 235 will be described later.

In addition, in S101, the CPU 11 may manage all the terminals whose information is included in the setting distribution list 23 and read all the records included in the setting distribution list 23, or read out all the records included in the setting distribution list 23, or read out all the records included in the setting distribution list 23, or read out all the records included in the setting distribution list 23. It is also possible to accept a designation of a group, a terminal or a printer to be managed, and read only the records of the designated management target.

Further, the setting distribution list 23 is not limited to the memory 12 of the PC 1, but may be stored in the server 3, or may be stored in another server or the like. In that case, the CPU 11 may read the necessary information from the device in which the setting distribution list 23 is stored in S101. The device in which the setting distribution list 23 is stored is an example of a second storage device.

The CPU 11 first determines whether information has been written in the confirmation date and time 235 for each record in the read setting distribution list 23 (S102). As will be described later, when the management program 22 confirms that the print settings that match the distributed settings file have been used, it writes the date and time of the confirmation in the confirmation date and time 235.

If it is determined that information has been written in the confirmation date and time 235 (S102: YES), the CPU 11 determines whether the elapsed time from the written confirmation date and time 235 exceeds a predetermined release time ( S103). S103 is an example of a determination as to whether the cancellation conditions are satisfied. The release time is an example of the first time. The release time may be settable by the administrator or may be a fixed value.

If it is determined that the predetermined release time has exceeded (S103: YES), the CPU 11 deletes the confirmation date and time 235 of the record (S104). After S104, or if it is determined that no information has been written in the confirmation date and time 235 (S102: NO), the CPU 11 determines whether or not the print settings of the record match the settings file. The record is set as a judgment target (S105). On the other hand, if it is determined that the elapsed time from the confirmation date and time 235 has not exceeded the release time (S103: NO), the CPU 11 uses the record as a judgment target for determining whether the print settings match the settings file. No record.

The management program 22 does not consider a record in which the confirmation date and time 235 is written as a judgment target for checking print settings until the elapsed time after the confirmation date and time 235 exceeds the release time. If it is confirmed that the print settings that match the distributed settings file have been used, there is a high possibility that the settings file has been properly reflected, so the judgment of whether the print settings match or not can be omitted. This can reduce the processing load involved in making such decisions.

If NO is determined in S103, or after S105, the CPU 11 determines whether there is a next record that has not been processed in S102 to S105 among the records read in S101 (S106). . If it is determined that the next record exists (S106: YES), the CPU 11 performs the determination from S102 regarding the next record.

On the other hand, even if it is confirmed that the print settings that match the distributed settings file have been used, the situation may have changed if a longer period of time has passed since the confirmation. For example, the user of the terminal may have changed. The management program 22 of this embodiment erases the confirmation date and time 235 when the elapsed time from the confirmation date and time 235 becomes long, and again judges whether the print settings match.

When determining that the determination of the confirmation date and time 235 has been completed for all records read as management targets (S106: NO), the CPU 11 determines whether there are any records added to the determination targets in S105 ( S111). If it is determined that there is no record to be determined (S111: NO), the CPU 11 ends the management process.

If it is determined that there is a record to be determined (S111: YES), the CPU 11 executes a setting determination process to determine the print settings used for the record to be determined (S115). The procedure of the setting determination process will be explained with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

In the setting determination process, the CPU 11 acquires the job log 311 from the job log DB 31 stored in the server 3 (S201). Note that the CPU 11 may acquire all the job logs 311 included in the job log DB 31, or may acquire only the job logs 311 stored after the previous execution of the management process.

Then, the CPU 11 sequentially executes the following process for each record to be determined. First, the CPU 11 extracts the job log 311 corresponding to one of the records to be determined from among the job logs 311 acquired in S201 (S202). Specifically, the CPU 11 extracts the job log 311 that includes a pair of terminal ID and printer ID that matches the distribution target information 231 of the record to be determined. S202 is an example of acquisition processing. The terminal with the terminal ID extracted in S202 is an example of a specific terminal.

The CPU 11 determines whether or not the job log 311 extracted in S202 exists (S203). If it is determined that there is a job log 311 corresponding to the record to be determined (S203: YES), the CPU 11 writes the current date and time in the use date and time 234 of the record in the setting distribution list 23 (S205). If information has been written in the usage date and time 234, the CPU 11 may overwrite it.

Further, the CPU 11 compares the print setting information included in the extracted job log 311 and the distribution setting 232 of the record to be determined. For example, the CPU 11 determines for each print setting item whether or not there is a job log 311 in which the setting value of the distribution setting 232 of the record to be judged does not match the setting value of the print setting of the job log 311. (S211). S211 is an example of determination processing.

Note that even if the set values do not match, the CPU 11 may determine that they match if the change is to an acceptable set value. For example, regarding the color setting item, if the setting value in the setting distribution list 23 is for monochrome printing and the setting value in the job log 311 is for color printing, it is determined that they do not match, and the setting value in the setting distribution list 23 is for color printing. If it is printing and the setting value of the job log 311 is monochrome printing, it may be determined that they match.

If it is determined that there are job logs 311 whose setting values do not match (S211: YES), the CPU 11 counts the number of job logs 311 that do not match (S212). The number obtained in S212 is an example of a value indicating the frequency of job logs 311 whose setting values do not match the print settings of the distributed settings file, and is an example of a frequency value.

Then, the CPU 11 determines whether the number obtained in S212 is within an allowable range (S213). For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the management program 22 stores the allowable number of print settings that are allowed to be changed from the default settings for each print setting item to be determined. The allowable number is an example of a threshold value indicating high frequency. For example, if the allowable number of color setting items is "5" and the number of job logs 311 obtained in S212 is 5 or less, the CPU 11 determines YES in S213.

If it is determined that the number of job logs 311 that do not match is not within the allowable range (S213: NO), the CPU 11 selects the information indicating the terminal indicated by the terminal ID of the record to be determined and the print setting item that does not match. A notification including the information is performed (S214). S214 is an example of notification processing. The CPU 11 causes the user IF 13 of the PC 1 to display a warning message including, for example, the terminal name or the user name using the terminal, the mismatched item name, the used setting value, and the like. Instead of displaying the information on the user IF 13, the CPU 11 may, for example, send an e-mail to the administrator's e-mail address, send a voice message, or send multiple notifications in parallel. Also good.

Depending on the content of the document, you may want to print with settings other than those set in the settings file. The management program 22 of this embodiment notifies the user when the number of mismatched job logs 311 exceeds the permissible number, and does not notify the user when the number does not exceed the allowable number, thereby increasing the degree of freedom in management. In particular, the management program 22 of this embodiment calculates the number of mismatched job logs 311 for each print setting item and compares it with the permissible number for each item. This allows for greater flexibility in managing print settings.

Note that the determination of whether or not it is within the allowable range is not limited to the number of job logs 311 that do not match, but may be determined based on the ratio of job logs 311 that do not match among the extracted job logs 311, for example. If the judgment is based on the number of pieces, the calculation becomes simple. If the determination is based on the ratio, it will be more acceptable to users who perform a large number of printing operations.

If there is no job log 311 with a matching setting value, that is, if it is determined that the setting value of this item matches the distribution setting 232 for all extracted job logs 311 (S211: NO), or if there is a mismatch. If it is determined that the number of job logs 311 is within the allowable range (S213: YES), or after S214, the CPU 11 determines whether the following item exists (S215). If it is determined that the next item exists (S215: YES), the CPU 11 returns to S211 and makes a determination regarding the next item.

Note that the management program 2 may be able to select items for which setting values are to be determined. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the CPU 11 may make judgments only on items for which allowable number values are set, and may not make judgments on items for which allowable number values are not set. . Alternatively, the management program 2 may determine only the items described in the distributed configuration file, and may not determine the items that are not described. In this case, in S215, the CPU 11 determines whether or not there are any items that have not been subjected to the determination in S211 among the items to be determined. By being able to select an item to be determined, the management program 22 can notify of a print setting mismatch for the selected item, but does not make a determination for the unselected item. Therefore, for items that are not subject to determination, the user of the terminal to be managed is given a degree of freedom in print settings.

If it is determined that the following item does not exist (S215: NO), the CPU 11 determines that the setting values of all extracted job logs 311 match the distribution settings 232 for all items for the record to be determined. It is determined whether or not (S221). If it is determined that the setting values match for all items (S221: YES), the CPU 11 writes the current date and time in the confirmation date and time 235 of the record in the settings distribution list 23 (S222). Note that if information has already been written in the confirmation date and time 235, the CPU 11 may overwrite the current date and time. The timing at which S222 was executed is an example of timing based on the fact that there is no print log that is determined to be inconsistent.

When it is determined that there is no job log 311 corresponding to the distribution target information 231 of the record to be determined (S203: NO), or when it is determined that there are items whose setting values do not match (S221: NO), or , S222, the CPU 11 determines whether there is a next record to be determined (S231). If it is determined that there is a record (S231: YES), the CPU 11 returns to S202 and extracts the job log 311 corresponding to the next record. If it is determined in S105 of the management process that processing has been completed for all records targeted for determination (S231: NO), the CPU 11 ends the setting determination process and returns to the management process.

Returning to the explanation of the management process in FIG. 4. After the setting determination process in S115, the CPU 11 determines whether there is a record in the setting distribution list 23 in which the usage date and time 234 is not written (S121). If it is determined that there is a record for which the usage date and time 234 is not written (S121: YES), the CPU 11 determines whether the elapsed time from the distribution date and time 233 of the record exceeds a predetermined notification time ( S122). S122 is an example of determining whether or not the notification conditions are satisfied. The notification time is an example of the second time. The notification time may be settable by the administrator or may be a fixed value.

If it is determined that the notification time has been exceeded (S122: YES), the CPU 11 instructs the terminal corresponding to the terminal ID of the record to notify that the printer corresponding to the printer ID of the record is available. A notification instruction to do so is transmitted (S123). S123 is an example of notification processing. The terminal that receives the notification instruction displays a message to the effect that the printer is available on a display or the like.

If the job log 311 has never been stored since the configuration file was distributed, that is, if the printer corresponding to the printer ID in the record has not been used from the terminal corresponding to the terminal ID in the record for a long time, It is also possible that the user of the terminal is not aware that the printer is available. Since the management program 22 of this embodiment notifies the terminal that the printer is available for use, it is possible to increase the operating rate of the printer. Note that the management program 22 may notify not only the terminal but also the PC 1 of similar information, or may notify that the notification instruction has been transmitted.

Note that if the management program 22 determines YES in S122, it sends notification information including information indicating the terminal ID and printer ID to which the notification instruction is to be sent to the user IF 13 of the PC 1 before sending the notification instruction in S123. It may also be possible to accept a selection as to whether or not to display the information and transmit the notification instruction. In that case, the CPU 11 may proceed to S123 and transmit the notification instruction if it accepts the selection to send, and may skip S123 and not send the notification instruction if it accepts the selection not to send. .

If it is determined that there is no record for which the usage date and time 234 is not written (S121: NO), or for the record for which the usage date and time 234 is not written, it is determined that the elapsed time from the distribution date and time 233 does not exceed the notification time. If so (S122: NO), or after S123, the CPU 11 ends the management process.

Note that the storage location of the job log DB 31 is not limited to the server 3. For example, the terminals 110 and 120 or the printers 130 and 140 may transmit the generated job log 311 to the PC 1, and the PC 1 may store the job log DB 31. In this case, the memory 12 of the PC 1 is an example of the first storage device. If the PC 1 stores the job log DB 31, there is no communication load when acquiring the job log 311 in S201 of the setting determination process.

Furthermore, each terminal may store the generated job log 311 in its own memory. In this case, the memory of each terminal is an example of the first storage device. In this case, the job log 311 does not need to include the terminal ID. The management program 22 may acquire the job log 311 from each terminal and execute management processing for each terminal from which the job log 311 is acquired.

Further, each of the terminals 110 and 120 may transmit the generated job log 311 together with a print command to the printer, and cause the printer to store the job log 311. Alternatively, each printer may generate the job log 311 based on the received print command, and store the generated job log 311 in its own memory. In this case, printers 130 and 140 are examples of first storage devices. In this case, the job log 311 does not need to include the printer ID. The management program 22 may acquire job logs 311 from each of the printers 130 and 140, and execute management processing for each terminal that is the sender of the print command.

If the job log 311 is stored in the PC 1, each terminal, or each printer, there is no need to prepare the server 3. If the job log 311 is stored in each terminal or each printer, the communication load for storing the job log 311 is reduced. When the number of terminals to be managed is smaller than the number of printers, by storing the job log 311 in each terminal, the communication load for the PC 1 to acquire the job log 311 is also reduced. Further, when the number of printers is smaller than the number of terminals to be managed, by storing the job log 311 in each printer, the communication load for the PC 1 to acquire the job log 311 is also reduced.

On the other hand, if the job log 311 is stored in the server 3, the security of the PC 1 is increased, and there is no need for each terminal or each printer to be activated when the job log 311 is acquired. Further, the PC 1 can acquire all the job logs 311 from the server 3 at once. Note that the job log 311 stored in the server 3 may continue to be accumulated until deleted by an administrator or the like, or may be automatically deleted after a predetermined period of time has passed after being stored, or may be automatically deleted after a predetermined period of time has passed since being stored. When more than a certain amount of information is accumulated, the oldest information may be automatically deleted.

As described above in detail, the management program 22 of this embodiment acquires the print job log 311 based on a print instruction from one of the managed terminals 110 and 120, and among the acquired job logs 311, , when there is a job log 311 that includes print settings that do not match the print settings written in the settings file distributed to the terminals 110 and 120, the PC 1 is notified of the mismatch of print settings at the terminals. Thereby, the administrator using the PC 1 can understand that printing has been performed on the terminal that does not have the print settings intended by the administrator. As a result, it is expected that the administrator will take steps to increase the possibility that printing will occur as intended by the administrator, such as redistributing configuration files and warning terminal users not to change settings. .

Note that this embodiment is merely an example, and does not limit the present invention in any way. Therefore, the technology disclosed in this specification is naturally capable of various improvements and modifications without departing from the gist thereof. For example, the management device may be a tablet computer or a smartphone instead of the PC 1. Further, the printer may be a multifunction device, a copy machine, or a fax machine.

Further, for example, the data configurations shown in each figure are merely examples, and the types and order of included information are not limited to the illustrated examples. For example, the settings distribution list 23 includes the distribution settings 232 indicating the print settings written in the distributed settings file, but it also includes information indicating the distributed settings file, for example, information indicating the path of the settings file. It's okay if it is. In that case, in step S201 of the setting determination process, the CPU 11 may read the setting file based on the path of the setting file, obtain print setting information written in the setting file, and compare it with the job log 311.

Further, in S103 of the management process of this embodiment, it is assumed that it is determined whether or not to be determined according to the elapsed time from the confirmation date and time 235, but this determination is not limited to the determination based on the elapsed time. For example, after writing the confirmation date and time 235, it may be determined according to the number of times the management process has been executed, or it may be determined based on a cancellation instruction from the administrator. Furthermore, the procedure for determining whether or not to make a determination based on the confirmation date and time 235 (S102 to S106 of the management process) may be omitted. In other words, even if there is no job log 311 whose print settings do not match the settings file, the determination may be made every time. In that case, there is no need to store the confirmation date and time 235 of the settings distribution list 23.

Furthermore, in S122 of the management process of this embodiment, it is determined whether or not to notify based on the elapsed time since the configuration file was distributed, but this determination is not limited to the elapsed time. For example, the determination may be made in accordance with the consecutive number of times the job log 311 has not been extracted in the post-distribution management process. Furthermore, it may be possible to accept settings for each terminal as to whether or not it should be targeted for notification. Further, the procedure for notifying when the service is not being used (S121 to S123 of the management process) may be omitted. In that case, there is no need to store the usage date and time 234 of the setting distribution list 23.

Furthermore, although the management program 22 of this embodiment notifies you when the print settings of the job log 311 do not match the distributed settings file, even if they match, the management program 22 does not notify you that they match. good. Furthermore, in this embodiment, if the number of job logs 311 that do not match is within the allowable range, notification is not made. However, if there is one or more items that do not match, all may be notified. For example, information on the number of job logs 311 that do not match may also be notified.

Further, in this embodiment, the server 3 stores the received job logs 311 in order, but it may also store only the latest job log 311 and delete the other job logs 311. In other words, the server 3 may be configured to store only the latest job log 311 for each pair of terminal ID and printer ID. In this case, the PC 1 acquires only the latest job log 311 in S201 of the setting determination process. Further, even if a plurality of job logs 311 are stored in the server 3, the PC 1 may be configured to acquire only the latest job log 311 in S201 of the setting determination process, or It may also be possible to accept a selection of whether to acquire only the job log 311 or multiple job logs 311. If only the latest job log 311 is acquired, there are fewer job logs 311 to be judged on print settings, and the processing load can be reduced. On the other hand, if a plurality of job logs 311 are acquired, discrepancies up to the allowable number can be tolerated.

Further, in this embodiment, each terminal has a built-in printer driver, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, each terminal may have a so-called driverless configuration in which the OS is pre-equipped with a general-purpose printing program and does not use a printer driver. In addition to the general-purpose program included in the OS, each terminal may include an application program for a predetermined printer. In that case, each terminal may set default values for the print settings of its application program based on the distributed settings file. Even with this configuration, the administrator can grasp the usage status of the printer by notifying the administrator when the print settings of the job log 311 and the print settings of the distributed settings file do not match.

Furthermore, in any of the flowcharts disclosed in the embodiments, the execution order of a plurality of processes in any plurality of steps can be arbitrarily changed or executed in parallel as long as there is no inconsistency in the processing contents.

Furthermore, the processing disclosed in the embodiments may be executed by a single CPU, multiple CPUs, hardware such as an ASIC, or a combination thereof. Further, the processes disclosed in the embodiments can be realized in various forms such as a recording medium recording a program for executing the processes, or a method.

1 PC
3 Server 110, 120 Terminal 130, 140 Printer

Claims (14)

A program executed by a management device that manages terminals to be managed, in which one or more terminals to be managed are registered, and the program executes printing based on a print instruction from the terminal to be managed. is performed on the printer, a print log including the print settings for the printing is stored in the first storage device in association with the identification information of the managed terminal, and the managed terminal has the print settings. A configuration file in which is written is distributed, and the managed terminal is capable of changing the default value of the print setting to the print setting written in the configuration file, and the managed terminal is configured to Distribution information indicating print settings written in the configuration file is stored in a second storage device in association with identification information of the managed terminal that is a distribution destination,
The management device,
an acquisition process of acquiring, from among the print logs stored in the first storage device, the print log associated with identification information of a specific terminal that is one of the terminals to be managed;
a reading process of reading the distribution information associated with the identification information of the specific terminal from the second storage device;
For each of the print logs acquired in the acquisition process, print settings included in the print log acquired in the acquisition process and print settings indicated in the distribution information read out in the read process. and a judgment process for determining whether or not they match.
a notification process for notifying a mismatch in print settings for the specific terminal based on the presence of the print log that was determined to be inconsistent in the determination process in the print log acquired in the acquisition process;
to execute,
A program characterized by: In the program according to claim 1,
The management device,
If there is no print log that is determined to be inconsistent in the determination process among the print logs acquired in the acquisition process, the determination process is not executed thereafter until a cancellation condition is met;
A program characterized by: In the program according to claim 2,
The cancellation condition is such that an elapsed time from a timing based on the fact that there is no print log that is determined to be inconsistent in the determination process with the print log acquired in the acquisition process has exceeded a first time. and
A program characterized by: In the program according to claim 1,
The management device,
From the timing based on the distribution of the configuration file to the specific terminal, if the print log associated with the identification information of the specific terminal is not acquired and the notification condition is met, the printer is distributed to the specific terminal. execute a notification process to notify that it is available for use,
A program characterized by: The program according to claim 4,
The notification condition is that the elapsed time from the timing based on the distribution of the configuration file to the specific terminal exceeds a second time;
A program characterized by: In the program according to claim 1,
In the notification process,
If the print log acquired in the acquisition process includes the print log that is determined to be inconsistent in the determination process, the print settings indicated in the distribution information read in the read process are If the frequency value indicating the frequency of the print logs determined to be inconsistent exceeds a threshold value indicating high frequency, a mismatch in the print settings for the specific terminal is notified, and if the frequency value does not exceed the threshold value, the Do not notify of discrepancies in print settings for specific terminals,
A program characterized by: The program according to claim 6,
In the notification process,
If the print logs acquired in the acquisition process include print logs that are determined to be inconsistent in the determination process, the number of print logs that are determined to be inconsistent in the determination process is a frequency value, and if the frequency value exceeds the threshold value, a mismatch in print settings for the specific terminal is notified; if the frequency value does not exceed the threshold value, a mismatch in print settings for the specific terminal is not notified. ,
A program characterized by: The program according to claim 6,
The program is provided with the threshold value for each item of print settings written in the settings file, and causes the management device to obtain the frequency value for each item of print settings;
In the notification process,
If the print logs acquired in the acquisition process include the print logs that are determined not to match in the determination process, whether or not the frequency value exceeds the threshold value for each print setting item. If there is an item for which the frequency value exceeds the threshold value, a discrepancy in print settings for the specific terminal is notified, and if there is no item for which the frequency value exceeds the threshold value, the print settings for the specific terminal are notified. do not notify discrepancies,
A program characterized by: In the program according to claim 1,
The program is capable of selecting an item to be judged in the judgment process from among the print setting items written in the setting file,
In the judgment process,
Among the print setting items written in the setting file, the item selected as a judgment target is the print setting included in the print log acquired in the acquisition process and the print setting read out in the read process. determining whether or not the print settings shown in the distributed information match, and not determining whether or not they match for items that are not selected as a determination target;
A program characterized by: The program according to claim 1,
In the acquisition process,
obtaining the latest print log associated with identification information of the specific terminal among the print logs stored in the first storage device;
In the judgment process,
determining whether the print settings included in the latest print log acquired in the acquisition process match the print settings indicated in the distribution information read in the read process;
In the notification process,
When it is determined that the latest print log acquired in the acquisition process does not match in the determination process, a notification of a mismatch in print settings for the specific terminal is notified;
A program characterized by: In the program according to claim 1,
The second storage device is a memory included in the management device,
In the read processing,
reading the distribution information associated with the identification information of the specific terminal from the memory, which is the second storage device;
A program characterized by: The program according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
In the acquisition process,
When the print log associated with the identification information of the specific terminal is acquired from the server that is the first storage device, and the printer performs printing based on the print instruction from the managed terminal, the print log including print settings for the print is stored in the server;
A program characterized by: The program according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
In the acquisition process,
When the print log associated with the identification information of the specific terminal is acquired from the printer, which is the first storage device, and the printer performs printing based on a print instruction from the managed terminal, , the print log including print settings for the printing is stored in association with identification information of the managed terminal;
A program characterized by: The program according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
In the acquisition process,
The print log is acquired from the specific terminal, which is the first storage device, in association with identification information of the specific terminal, and in the specific terminal, printing is performed by the printer based on the print instruction from the specific terminal. the print log including the print settings for the print is stored in the specific terminal;
A program characterized by:

Images