JP5768342B2 - Print control system and data control method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a print control system and a data control method in which a client uses a printer driver of a print server.

  In recent years, image forming apparatuses have increased in function and sophistication, and setting of print functions has become complicated and difficult for users. Specifically, it is difficult for the user to set printing conditions on the printer driver screen. Such a printer driver is a software program designed so that other programs can be operated with respect to a specific program without bothering the printer hardware and the internal “language”. This printer driver is for controlling the printer, and is for processing output data. Different printers require different codes and commands to operate the printer correctly and use their special functions and capabilities. The application program can accurately communicate with various printers by using a printer driver that handles all the slightly different functions of each printer instead of the application program. In Windows (registered trademark) 95/98, MacOS, and the like, the printer driver is managed by the OS. Here, a mechanism for registering a one-click icon is disclosed for the purpose of improving the convenience of the user in print settings (Patent Document 1).

  On the other hand, the Windows (registered trademark) OS has a point-and-print function that allows a network printer to print without manually installing a new printer driver. The point-and-print function is a function that allows a user to create a connection to a remote printer without preparing an installation medium such as a disk. When the driver of the print server is updated or a function is added, the client automatically downloads the latest update program and the like, so that the same function as the print server can be used.

  However, the one-click icon registered on the UI of the conventional printer driver can usually be used only by the created user. If a one-click icon is created and registered on a print server that uses the point-and-print function, the icon can be used in common for all clients.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and a print control system and a data control method that can increase the flexibility of a registered one-click icon in a system environment using a point-and-print function. The purpose is to provide.

A print control system according to an aspect of the present invention is a print control system including a server having a printer driver, and one or more information processing apparatuses that acquire the printer driver and commonly use the printer driver. the server sets a plurality of printing functions, included in the symbol information indicating a generating means for generating a symbol representing a plurality of printing functions that are set, the information relating to symbols created by the creation means, said Setting means for setting an attribute as to whether information relating to a symbol is shared or not shared among the plurality of information processing apparatuses, and a first memory for storing the symbol information when sharing is set by the setting means And a first local folder that stores the symbol information when non-sharing is set by the setting means, and the information The processing apparatus includes: an acquisition unit that acquires symbol information stored in the first storage unit; a second storage unit that stores symbol information acquired by the acquisition unit; and a symbol stored in the second storage unit First display control means for displaying information on a display screen.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a data control method comprising: a server having a printer driver; and one or more information processing apparatuses that acquire the printer driver and commonly use the printer driver. The data control method according to claim 1, wherein the server sets a plurality of printing functions, creates a symbol representing the set printing functions, and shows information relating to the symbol created by the creating step A setting step of setting an attribute included in the symbol information to share or not share information related to the symbol between the plurality of information processing apparatuses; and first when the sharing is set by the setting step A first storage step for storing in a storage means and storing in a first local folder if non-sharing is set, The information processing apparatus acquires a symbol information stored in the first storage unit and stores the symbol information in the second storage unit, and displays the symbol information stored in the second storage unit on a display screen. A first display control step.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a print control system and a data control method that can increase the flexibility of a registered one-click icon in a system environment that uses a point-and-print function.

1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a print control system in Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a print server according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a print control system according to the first embodiment. The block diagram which shows an example of a function structure of a preparation means. The figure which shows an example of the printing function setting screen of a one-click icon. The figure which shows an example of the one click icon creation screen. The figure which shows an example of an attribute information setting screen. The figure which shows an example of one-click icon information. The figure which shows the preservation | save destination of each information. The block diagram which shows an example of a function structure of a display control means. The figure explaining the example of a change of one click icon display order information. The figure explaining the example which changes the kind of one-click icon. The figure explaining the example which does not reflect the change of a printing function to another user. The figure explaining the example of non-display of a share one click icon. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a one-click icon registration process according to the first embodiment. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a one-click icon display process according to the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a print control system according to a second embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the registry setting written at the time of installation. The figure which shows an example of one-click icon information. The figure which shows an example of a one click icon order. FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of processing at the time of point and print in the second embodiment. The flowchart which shows an example of the process of GenerateCopyFilePaths. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a one-click icon registration process according to the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a print setting screen according to the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a one-click icon creation screen according to the second embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a one-click icon display process according to the second embodiment.

  Embodiments of a print control system and a data control method according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present specification, “printing condition” and “printing function” are used as synonymous terms. Further, “symbol” is used as a term of a broad concept including an image such as an icon.

[Example 1]
<System configuration and hardware configuration>
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a print control system according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, an image forming apparatus 10, an information processing server (print server) 20, and information processing apparatuses (clients) 30, 40, and 50 are connected to the print control system via a network. Hereinafter, the image forming apparatus will be described using an MFP (Multifunction Peripheral) as an example.

  The MFP 10 has a scan function, a copy function, a printer function, a facsimile function, and the like mounted in a single housing. The MFP 10 prints print data in accordance with a print job sent from each client or the print server 20. Specifically, the MFP 10 converts the print data included in the print job into a recording medium such as paper according to the print function data included in the print job (paper orientation, duplex, aggregation, bookbinding, staple, punch, enlargement / reduction, etc.). Print on.

  The print server 20 is installed with a printer driver for using the MFP 10. Each client downloads the printer driver of the print server 20 and can print using the printer driver. That is, the system shown in FIG. 1 performs print control using a function equivalent to the Windows (registered trademark) point-and-print function.

  Next, the hardware configuration of the print server 20 will be described. Note that the hardware configuration of each client is the same as the hardware configuration of the print server 20, and a description thereof will be omitted. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the print server 20 according to the embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the print server 20 includes a control unit 21, a main storage unit 22, an auxiliary storage unit 23, an external storage device I / F unit 24, a network I / F unit 26, an input unit 27, and a display unit 28. Including.

  The control unit 21 is a CPU that controls each device, calculates data, and processes in a computer. The control unit 21 is an arithmetic device that executes a program stored in the main storage unit 22, receives data from the input device or the storage device, calculates and processes the data, and outputs the data to the output device or the storage device.

  The main storage unit 22 is a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), or the like, and a storage device that stores or temporarily stores programs and data such as an OS and application software that are basic software executed by the control unit 21. It is.

  The auxiliary storage unit 23 is an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or the like, and is a storage device that stores data related to application software and the like.

  The external storage device I / F unit 24 is an interface between the print server 20 and a storage medium 25 (for example, a flash memory) connected via a data transmission path such as USB (Universal Serial Bus).

  Further, a predetermined program is stored in the storage medium 25, and the program stored in the storage medium 25 is installed in the print server 20 via the external storage device I / F unit 24, and the installed predetermined program is printed Executable by the server 20.

  The network I / F unit 26 has a communication function connected via a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or a WAN (Wide Area Network) constructed by a data transmission path such as a wired and / or wireless line. This is an interface between the device and the print server 20.

  The input unit 27 includes a keyboard having cursor keys, numeric input, various function keys, and the like, a mouse for selecting keys on the display screen of the display unit 28, a slice pad, and the like. The input unit 27 is a user interface for a user to give an operation instruction to the control unit 21 or input data.

  The display unit 28 is configured by a CRT, LCD, or the like, and performs display according to display data input from the control unit 21.

<Functional configuration>
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the print control system according to the first embodiment. In the example illustrated in FIG. 3, the print server 20 includes an authentication unit 200, a creation unit 202, a registry 204, a local folder 206, a display control unit 208, a storage change unit 210, and a setting change unit 212. The client 30 includes an authentication unit 300, an acquisition unit 302, a registry 304, a local folder 306, a customization unit 308, and a display control unit 310. The clients 40 and 50 have the same functions as the client 30. First, the function of the print server 30 will be described.

  The authentication unit 200 performs login authentication of a user and / or an administrator. The creation unit 202 receives a plurality of print settings from the print function setting screen of the printer driver displayed on the display unit 28, and creates a one-click icon (symbol) representing a plurality of set print conditions.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the creation unit 202. As shown in FIG. 4, the creation unit 202 includes a function setting unit 220, an icon creation unit 222, and an attribute setting unit 224.

  The function setting unit 220 accepts settings of a plurality of print functions by selecting a print function by an administrator from the print setting function screen of the printer driver.

  The icon creating unit 222 associates the selected icon or the created icon with a plurality of printing functions set by the function setting unit 220. The icon creation unit 222 may cause an administrator to select an existing icon, or may create a new icon by the administrator.

  The attribute setting unit 224 accepts setting of icon attribute information. The attribute setting unit 224 acquires attribute information by being input or selected by the administrator from the attribute setting screen of the printer driver. Here, the attribute information includes a one-click icon name, a comment, a one-click icon type, a sharing method, a usable user list, and the like. Details of the attribute information will be described later.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a one-click icon print function setting screen. The example shown in FIG. 5 is an example in which the administrator selects a reference icon and sets the print function based on the print function set for the selected icon. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the setting value of the print function that the administrator wants to change is changed based on the print function corresponding to the selected icon.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a one-click icon creation screen. In the example shown in FIG. 6, a one-click icon is newly created. The example shown in FIG. 6 is an example in which the icon displayed in the icon display area a11 is changed by pressing each radio button or selecting an icon part from the pull-down menu. Using the one-click icon creation screen shown in FIG. 6, the administrator can create a new one-click icon.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the attribute information setting screen. In the example illustrated in FIG. 7, the attribute information includes a one-click icon name, a comment, a one-click icon sharing (type), and a sharing one-click icon sharing method. The screen shown in FIG. 7 is displayed on the display unit 28 by naming the screen shown in FIG. 6 and pressing the save button b18.

  One-click icon sharing (type) will be described. A shared one-click icon is an icon that can be used by a client by a point-and-print function. The self-one-click icon means an icon that can be used only by the user or administrator who created the icon. The attribute information may include a usable user list and the like.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the attribute setting means 224 can select whether to use a shared one-click icon or a self-click icon (one-click icon that can only be used by the user), and set which one to use. Can do. As an icon sharing method, the attribute setting unit 224 can select whether to reflect the change of the icon to other users, and can set which one to use.

  If the one-click icon sharing and the sharing click icon sharing method can be operated only with the administrator authority, the user authority may be grayed out so that the operation cannot be performed.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of one-click icon information. Here, the one-click icon information includes attribute information in addition to icon image information, ID, name, and a plurality of printing functions.

  FIG. 8A shows an example of the format of one-click icon information. FIG. 8B shows a specific example of the format shown in FIG. The setting information list indicates the printing function set in this one-click icon.

  The available user list indicates user names that can use the shared one-click icon. If you want to limit the users of the shared one-click icon, you can include your username in this list. Thereby, even a shared one-click icon can be used only by a user whose name is in the available user list. The user name put on the list may be a login user name of the PC. Further, if the available user list is empty, it indicates that it can be used by all users.

  Moreover, if ID numbering rules are attached to the ID with the shared one-click icon and the self-one-click icon, both can be prevented from attaching the same ID. For example, a rule may be determined in which the shared one-click icon is in the 1000s and the one-click icon is in the 200s.

  Returning to FIG. 3, the registry 204 stores shared one-click icon information, default one-click icon information, and the like. The default one-click icon is a one-click icon in which a general print function is set and is originally set in the printer driver. Therefore, the default one-click icon is read only once at the time of installation and is only referred to thereafter. On the other hand, the shared one-click icon can be added not only during installation but also at any timing after registration, or the contents of the added icon can be changed or deleted.

  The local folder 206 stores its one-click icon information, one-click icon display order information, and the like. The one-click icon display order information is information that determines the order in which one-click icons are displayed on the display screen. Specifically, the one-click icon display order information is, for example, a list of one-click icon IDs, and is an icon having a higher priority from the top of the list.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a storage destination of each information. FIG. 9A shows information stored in the registry 204. As described above, the registry 204 stores default one-click icon information and shared one-click icon information. The data stored in the registry can be transferred to the registry of another device by using the Windows (registered trademark) function.

  FIG. 9B shows information stored in the local folder 206. As described above, the local folder 206 stores own one-click icon information and one-click icon display order information. Note that the data stored in the local folder 206 cannot be accessed from other devices, and is used only by the print server 20.

  Returning to FIG. 3, the display control unit 208 displays various screens of the printer driver on the display unit 28. When displaying the print setting function screen, the display control unit 208 controls display of the one-click icon based on the one-click icon display order information of the local folder 206. Hereinafter, functions for displaying a one-click icon will be described.

  FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the display control unit 208. As shown in FIG. 10, the display control unit 208 includes a determination unit 280, a deletion unit 282, and an addition unit 284.

  The determination unit 280 determines whether or not the one-click icon included in the display order information of the one-click icon is stored in the registry 204 or the local folder 206. If it is determined that the data is stored in each storage destination, the determination unit 280 displays the information on the display screen based on the display order information.

  The deletion unit 282 deletes, from the one-click icon display order information, the one-click icon ID that is determined not to be stored in each storage destination (the registry 204 or the local folder 206) by the determination unit 280.

  The adding means 284 adds an ID to the end of the one-click icon display order information when one-click icons that are not included in the one-click icon display order information are stored in each storage destination. Further, the adding means 284 adds the one-click icon display order information and displays the one-click icon on the display screen.

  Returning to FIG. 3, the attribute changing unit 210 changes the attribute included in the symbol information. For example, the attribute changing unit 210 can change the type of the one-click icon from “shared” to “non-shared” and from “non-shared” to “shared”. This can be done by displaying on the display unit 28 a screen for changing the attribute information included in the symbol information. The attribute changing unit 210 receives a change in the type of the one-click icon instructed by the user and changes the setting. The attribute changing unit 210 also changes the storage location of the one-click icon information when the type of the one-click icon is changed.

  The function changing unit 212 changes the print function setting included in the one-click icon information. At this time, if the function of the one-click icon information is changed, the function changing unit 212 may overwrite the setting change or create a new one-click icon with the changed printing function.

  The function change of shared one-click icon information will be described. Since the shared one-click icon can be used by other users, when the administrator changes the setting, the change is basically reflected to the other users. However, depending on the administrator, when the function of the shared one-click icon is changed, there is a case where it is not desired to reflect it on other users. Therefore, when the administrator changes the setting of the shared one-click icon function, the reflection information indicating whether or not to reflect the change is included in the symbol information. For example, the sharing one-click icon sharing method options shown in FIG. 7 indicate reflection information.

  When changing the setting of the function of the shared one-click icon, the function changing unit 212 copies the shared one-click icon information to the local folder 206 if the reflected information indicates that the change is not reflected. Change the function of shared one-click icon information. Thereby, since the data in the registry 204 is not changed, other users cannot use the changed shared one-click icon.

  In this case, one-click icon information with the same ID exists in both the registry 204 and the local folder 206, but the display control unit 208 may display the local folder 206 with priority.

  In addition, when changing the setting of the shared one-click icon function, the function changing unit 212 changes the setting of the shared one-click icon function in the registry 204 if the reflection information indicates that the change is reflected. Thereby, the content changed by the administrator can be reflected to other users.

  Next, functions of the client 30 shown in FIG. 3 will be described. The client 30 includes an authentication unit 300, an acquisition unit 302, a registry 304, a local folder 306, a customization unit 308, and a display control unit 310.

  Since the authentication unit 300, the registry 304, the local folder 306, and the display control unit 310 are the same as the authentication unit 200, the registry 204, the local folder 206, and the display control unit 208 of the print server 20, their descriptions are omitted.

  The acquisition unit 302 takes over the data in the registry 204 of the print server 20 to the registry 304 using the Windows (registered trademark) function. This enables printing on the client side using the point-and-print function.

  The customizing means 308 copies the shared one-click icon information in the registry 304 and saves it in the local folder 306, customizes the one-click icon information in the local folder 306 for itself, and saves it in the local folder 306.

  At this time, an ID different from the one-click icon of the copy source is assigned to the one-click icon copied and stored in the local folder 306. As a result, the shared one-click icon and the user's own one-click icon coexist, and the user can use both the one-click icons before and after the change.

  The authentication unit 200, the creation unit 202, the display control unit 208, the function change unit 212, and the attribute change unit 210 of the print server 20 are realized by the control unit 21, the main storage unit 22 as a work memory, and the like. Can be realized by the auxiliary storage means 23 or the like. The authentication unit 300, the customization unit 308, and the display control unit 310 of the client 30 are realized by a control unit, a main storage unit as a work memory, and the acquisition unit 302 is realized by a network I / F unit. 304 and the local folder 306 can be realized by an auxiliary storage unit or the like.

<Specific example>
Hereinafter, the functions and processes described above will be described using specific examples.

(Change display order information)
First, the change of the one-click icon display order information will be described. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of changing the one-click icon display order information.

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 11, the one-click icon display order information lists one-click icon IDs included in each one-click icon information. “One-click icon display order data” shown in FIG. 11 means that icons are displayed in the order of an icon having an ID of “1011”, an icon having an ID of “2011”,.

  Shared one-click icon information and own one-click icon information are obtained from the registry 204 and the local folder 206, respectively.

  The determination unit 280 determines whether the one-click icon described in the one-click icon display order information is stored in the registry 204 or the local folder 206. In the example illustrated in FIG. 11, since icons “2011” and ID “1012” exist in each storage destination, the determination unit 280 displays one-click icons in the order of ID “2011” and ID “1012”.

  The deletion unit 282 deletes the icons of ID “1011” and ID “2014” in the one-click icon display order information from the one-click icon display order information, because the icons do not exist in each storage destination.

  The adding unit 284 confirms whether there is any one-click icon in the local folder 206 that is not included in the one-click icon display order information. In the example illustrated in FIG. 11, the ID “2012” is in the local folder 206 and is not included in the one-click icon display order information. The adding unit 284 displays the one-click icon with the ID “2012” on the display unit 28 and adds it to the end of the one-click icon display order information.

  In addition, the adding unit 284 confirms whether there is a shared one-click icon in the registry 204 that is not included in the one-click icon display order information. In the example shown in FIG. 11, the IDD “1013” is in the registry 204 and is not included in the one-click icon display order information. The adding unit 284 displays the ID “1013” on the display unit 28 and adds it to the end of the one-click icon display order information.

  Therefore, the one-click icon display order information is finally “new one-click icon display order information” shown in FIG. If there is a user restriction (usable user list) in the shared one-click icon information, the display control unit 208 checks the usable user list and does not display the one-click icon for a user whose name is in the list. Thus, the user restriction of the one-click icon can be performed.

(Change type of one-click icon)
Next, an example of changing the type of the one-click icon will be described. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of changing the type of the one-click icon. The example shown in FIG. 12 is an example in which the shared one-click icon with the ID “1024” is changed to the one-click icon.

To change the type of the one-click icon,
(1) The one-click icon having the same setting as the information of the original one-click icon may be stored in a different storage destination and set to another type. (2) The original one-click icon information may be deleted.

  When the attribute changing unit 210 changes the ID “1024” from the one-click icon type “Common” (shared) to “Private” (self), the attribute changing unit 210 first converts the one-click icon information of the ID “1024” into the local folder. A new copy is created in 206.

  Further, the attribute changing unit 210 newly allocates the ID of the one-click icon newly created in the local folder 206. For example, since there is a one-click icon of ID “2018”, the next number “2019” is set as a new ID.

  Next, the attribute changing unit 210 changes the setting to “Private” because the OCType (one-click icon type) is the one-click icon. Do not change other settings. Finally, if the attribute changing unit 210 deletes the one-click icon information of the original ID “1024”, the change of the one-click icon type is completed.

  Thereby, the type of the one-click icon once set can be changed. The same operation can be performed when the type of the one-click icon is changed from “Private” to “Common”.

(Non-reflection process)
Next, an example in which the change of the printing function by the administrator is not reflected on other users will be described. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the change of the printing function is not reflected on other users. Basically, if the administrator changes the print function, the data in the registry 204 is reflected to other users. Therefore, if the shared one-click icon is stored in the registry 204 and the printing function of the shared one-click icon is changed, the printing function of the other user's one-click icon is usually changed.

  Accordingly, a case is considered in which even if the printing function of the shared one-click icon is changed, the printing function of the shared one-click icon is not reflected on other users. When the function changing unit 212 obtains the printing function of the shared one-click icon from the registry 204, if the shared one-click icon is designated as a “do not reflect changes” icon, a copy of the icon is saved in the local folder 206. To do. Next, the printing function of the shared one-click icon stored in the local folder 206 may be changed so that the data in the local folder 206 can be viewed thereafter.

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 13, UpdateWhenChanged is registered as “No” for the shared one-click icon with ID “1024”. Here, UpdateWhenChanged is reflection information indicating whether or not the change is reflected, and is included in the one-click icon information. The reflection information is information set when the one-click icon is created (see FIG. 7), and the setting can be changed at an arbitrary timing.

  The function changing unit 212 stores a copy in the local folder 206 for the shared one-click icon whose reflection information is “No”. The function changing unit 212 changes the function of the shared one-click icon stored in the local folder 206 when changing the printing function of the shared one-click icon whose reflection information is “No”.

  Thereafter, when displaying the shared one-click icon on the display unit 28, if there is an icon with the same ID in the registry 204 and the local folder 206, the display control means 208 prioritizes the icon stored in the local folder 206. And display it.

  Note that the function changing unit 212 directly changes the function of the shared one-click icon in the registry 204 for the shared one-click icon whose reflection information is “YES”.

  Thereby, based on reflection information, the change of the printing function of a shared one click icon can be made non-reflecting or reflecting to other users.

(Hidden processing)
Next, an example in which even a shared one-click icon is not displayed on a display screen by a specific user will be described. FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining an example of non-display of the shared one-click icon.

  Normally, when the shared one-click icon is deleted from the registry 204, the icons of other users are also deleted. If you delete a shared one-click icon, the other user's icon will not be deleted. When deleting is specified, the user who has performed the deletion will refer to the icon instead of actually deleting it. You can make it impossible.

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 14, for example, it is assumed that AAA to whom the user authority is given deletes the shared one-click icon information. However, it is assumed that other users do not want to delete this shared one-click icon. In this case, the attribute setting unit 224 adds information “NoDisplay: AAA” to the one-click icon information.

  When displaying the one-click icon on the display screen, the display control unit 208 checks NoDisplay and does not display the icon on the display screen if there is a login user name.

  Thereby, it looks as if the one-click icon has been deleted in “AAA”, and “BBB” can continue to use the one-click icon. Note that the user name set in NoDisplay may be “CCC”, which is an administrator, regardless of UserLimit. In this case, the administrator “CCC” is a one-click icon unnecessary for himself / herself, but is a one-click icon necessary for other users. Therefore, in order to hide only himself / herself, “CCC” is displayed in NoDisplay. Should be set.

<Operation>
Next, the operation of the print control system will be described.

(registration process)
FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a one-click icon registration process according to the first embodiment. In step S <b> 11 illustrated in FIG. 15, the creation unit 202 displays a creation screen for a one-click icon on the display unit 28.

  In step S12, the user inputs or selects an attribute of the one-click icon from the attribute setting screen and sets it.

  In step S13, the attribute setting unit 224 determines whether the logged-in user is an administrator. If the determination result in step S13 is YES (administrator), the process proceeds to step S14, and if the determination result is NO (not an administrator), the process proceeds to step S15. The administrator determination can be performed by storing the administrator's user name and checking whether the login name is the same as the administrator's user name.

  In step S14, the attribute setting unit 224 makes it possible to select whether to use the shared one-click icon or the self-one-click icon on the attribute setting screen (see FIG. 7). At this time, the user checks one of the radio buttons. The selected information is included in the attribute information as the type of one-click icon. At this time, if the user is not an administrator, only one-click icon can be created.

  In step S15, the user instructs the completion of the creation of the one-click icon by pressing the OK button on the attribute setting screen.

  In step S16, the attribute setting unit 224 determines whether the type of the one-click icon is a shared one-click icon. If the determination result in step S16 is YES (shared one-click icon), the process proceeds to step S17, and if the determination result is NO (own one-click icon), the process proceeds to step S18.

  In step S <b> 17, the attribute setting unit 224 stores, in the registry 204, one-click icon information indicating information related to the created one-click icon.

  In step S <b> 18, the attribute setting unit 224 stores the one-click icon information indicating the information related to the created one-click icon in the local folder 206.

  In step S <b> 19, the creation unit 202 adds the ID of the created one-click icon to the end of the list of one-click icon display order information stored in the local folder 206.

  Thereby, the administrator of the print server 20 can select whether the created one-click icon is only for himself (non-shared) or shared.

(Display processing)
Next, the one-click icon display process will be described. FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a one-click icon display process according to the first embodiment. In step S21 shown in FIG. 16, the display control unit 208 displays the printer driver UI on the display screen.

  In step S <b> 22, the display control unit 208 acquires default one-click icon information from the registry 204. In step S 23, the display control unit 208 acquires shared one-click icon information from the registry 204.

  In step S <b> 24, the display control unit 208 acquires the one-click icon information from the local folder 206. In step S <b> 25, the display control unit 208 acquires one-click icon display order information from the local folder 206.

  In step S26, the determination unit 280 determines whether the one-click icon of the display order information is in the shared one-click icon information (registry 204) or the own one-click icon information (local folder 206). If the determination result in step S26 is YES (yes), the process proceeds to step S27, and if the determination result is NO (none), the process proceeds to step S28.

  In step S27, the display control unit 208 displays the one-click icon on the display screen based on the one-click icon display order information. In step S28, the deletion unit 282 deletes the one-click icon ID that is not in the registry 204 or the local folder 206 from the one-click icon display order information.

  In step S29, the display control unit 208 determines whether step S26 has been performed for all the one-click icons in the display order information. If the determination result in step S29 is YES (all ends), the process proceeds to step S30, and if the determination result is NO (not complete), the process returns to step S26.

  In step S30, the adding unit 284 determines whether the one-click icon information not included in the one-click icon display order information is stored in the registry 204 or the local folder 206. If the determination result in step S30 is YES (present), the process proceeds to step S31, and if the determination result is NO (none), the process ends.

  In step S31, the adding unit 284 adds the ID of the one-click icon determined to be “Yes” in step S30 to the end of the one-click icon display order information, and displays the one-click icon on the display screen.

  Thereby, the one-click icon can be correctly displayed also in the print control system according to the embodiment. In the conventional printer driver, since the one-click icon (default one-click icon) stored in the registry is unchanged, the processing after step S26 shown in FIG. 16 is unnecessary.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, the flexibility of the registered one-click icon can be enhanced in a system environment using point-and-print.

[Example 2]
Next, a print control system according to the second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, a point-and-print DLL (dynamic link library) is used as a method for transferring (copying) the shared one-click icon from the print server to the client. Note that the hardware configuration of the print server and client in the second embodiment is the same as the hardware configuration shown in FIG.

<Functional configuration>
FIG. 17 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the print control system according to the second embodiment. The print server 60 illustrated in FIG. 17 includes a printer driver UI 601, a point and print DLL 602, a registry 603, a driver installation folder 604, a local folder 605, and a point and print folder 606.

  The printer driver UI 601 has functions corresponding to the creation unit 202, display control unit 208, attribute change unit 210, and function change unit 212 described in the first embodiment. The printer driver UI 601 provides the user with a one-click icon display and a one-click icon editing method. The printer driver UI 601 refers to, adds, deletes, and changes information related to the one-click icon in each storage, presents the one-click icon information to the user, and manages the data of the one-click icon.

  The point-and-print DLL 602 is a module necessary for transferring files in an arbitrary folder from the print server 60 to the client 70 at the time of point-and-print. The point-and-print DLL 602 is provided with an appropriate export function and writes an appropriate value in a registry 603 described later. As a result, it becomes possible for Windows (registered trademark) to take over files other than the configuration file of the printer driver at the time of point-and-print. The DLL is a kind of software and is a library using dynamic linking. The DLL is implemented by separating various functions from the program so that they can be commonly used from a plurality of programs.

  The printer driver UI 601 and the point and print DLL 602 can be implemented as modules, for example.

  The registry 603 describes settings for causing Windows (registered trademark) to copy a predetermined file from the print server 60 to the client 70 at the time of point-and-print.

  FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of registry settings written at the time of installation. The registry key shown in FIG. 18 is created by creating a key “CopyFile \ arbitrary name” after “\ HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SYSTEM \ CurrentControlSet \ Control \ Print \ Printers \ driver name”, and then subkeys shown in FIG. Three are created. In the second embodiment, “\ HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SYSTEM \ CurrentControlSet \ Control \ Print \ Printers \ DriverA \ CopyFile \ OneClickData” is created. The registry 603 is written by the printer driver UI 601 when the printer driver is installed.

Each subkey shown in FIG. 18 will be described.
(1) Directory
-The default value of the directory where the file to be copied is placed on the client 70 is specified.-The directory name of the copy source and destination can actually be changed with the GenerateCopyFilePathsAPI of the point and print DLL 602.-Windows (Register Assuming that the version of the trademark is Windows XP (registered trademark), "C: \ Documents and Settings \ All Users \ Application Data \ DriverA \ OneClickData" is written (2) File
-A list of copied files in the directory specified by Directory is specified-File name of shared_oneclick.json describing shared one-click icon information is written (3) Module
-Point and Print DLL file name is specified-Point and Print DLL must be a DLL that implements GenerateCopyFilePaths () and SpoolerCopyFileEvent API
GenerateCopyFilePaths operates on both the print server 60 and the client 70, and is used to specify the copy source and copy destination folder names. If it does not do anything, it uses the directory path specified by the Directory subkey. In the second embodiment, the client 70 and the print server 60 are used because the path of Common Application Data may be different. SpoolerCopyFileEvent operates on the client 70 and notifies events such as point-and-print connection start / end. The file name of the point-and-print DLL 602 is “ppmodule.dll”, which is written.

  Returning to FIG. 17, the driver installation folder 604 is a Windows (registered trademark) system folder in which a configuration file of the printer driver is arranged. In this folder 604, default one-click icon information and default one-click icon order are arranged.

  The default one-click icon information is information on one-click icons that can be used in the initial state. The one-click icon information includes information such as a one-click icon ID, a display name, a comment, and print settings. The default one-click icon order (display order information) describes the arrangement order of default one-click icons. Since changing the configuration file of the printer driver is prohibited, these pieces of information are not changed. An example of the one-click icon information and an example of the one-click icon order are shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, respectively.

  FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of one-click icon information. As shown in FIG. 19, the one-click icon information includes a one-click icon IDb11, a display name b12, a comment b13, and a print setting b14.

  FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating an example of the one-click icon order. In the example illustrated in FIG. 20, icons are displayed in the order of “2 in 1” and “2 in 1 duplex”, for example, from the upper left.

  Returning to FIG. 17, the local folder 605 stores user one-click icon information and user one-click order. The user one-click icon information includes information on a one-click icon (own one-click icon) used only by the user himself / herself.

  The user one-click order is a default one-click icon information, shared one-click icon information, user one-click icon (one-click icon) information, and a display that is displayed on the UI used by the user by combining all one-click icons. The order is described. One-click icons can be added and the order can be changed from the user interface provided by the printer driver UI 601.

  The point-and-print folder 606 stores one-click icon information that can be transferred from the print server 60 to the client 70. A user who has administrator authority on the print server 60 side can add a one-click icon to this folder 606. The addition and order of the one-click icons can be performed from the user interface provided by the printer driver UI 601.

  The registry 603, the driver installation folder 604, the local folder 605, and the point and print folder 606 can be realized by a storage such as an auxiliary storage unit.

  The client 70 includes a printer driver UI 701, a point and print DLL 702, a registry 703, a point and print folder 704, a local folder 705, and a driver installation folder 706.

  The printer driver UI 701 includes the customization unit 308 and the display control unit 310 described in the first embodiment. The printer driver UI 701 is the same as the printer driver UI 601 except that it only refers to the point and print folder 704.

  The point-and-print DLL 702, the registry 703, the local folder 705, and the driver installation folder 706 are the same as the point-and-print DLL 602, the registry 603, the local folder 605, and the driver installation folder 604, respectively.

  In the point-and-print folder 704, the shared one-click icon information stored in the point-and-print folder 606 is copied at the time of point-and-print, and the copied information is stored.

<Operation>
Next, the operation of the print control system in the second embodiment will be described. FIG. 21 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of processing at the time of point and print in the second embodiment. In step S41 shown in FIG. 21, the user designates a printer installed on the print server 60 side and executes point-and-print.

  In step S42, the OS (for example, Windows (registered trademark)) of the print server 60 performs processing for copying and installing a printer driver configuration file from the print server 60 to the client 70. The printer driver configuration file is a printer driver UI. , Point and print DLL, default one-click icon information, and default one-click icon order.

  In steps S43 and S44, both the print server 60 and the client 70 call the point-and-print DLL GenerateCopyFilePaths () API. The name of the point-and-print DLL is a file specified by the Module key shown in FIG. This API includes, as arguments, a file copy source folder path, a file copy destination folder path, and a flag indicating whether the print server 60 or the client 70 is currently called.

  The directory name of the file copy source and the directory name of the file copy destination are set to the folder path set by the Directory key shown in FIG. The point and print DLL can change the copy source folder and the copy destination folder by rewriting and returning the paths of these directories if necessary.

  In step S <b> 45, the OS (for example, Windows (registered trademark)) of the client 70 acquires the path of the point-and-print folder 704 of the client 70.

  In steps S <b> 46, S <b> 47, and S <b> 48, the client 70 copies the folder in the point and print folder 606 of the print server 60 to the point and print folder 704 of the client 70.

(GenerateCopyFilePaths processing)
FIG. 22 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the process of GenerateCopyFilePaths. In step S51 shown in FIG. 22, the print control system determines whether the process of GenerateCopyFilePaths is being executed on the print server side. If the determination result in step S51 is YES, the process ends. If the determination result is NO, the process proceeds to step S52.

  Since the copy source directory is not changed from the default value even in the print server 60, the value may be returned as it is. Therefore, when the print server 60 executes the process, the process may be terminated.

  In step S52, for the copy destination directory of the client 70, the print control system acquires the directory path of ComonApplicationData acquired using SHGetSpecialFolderPath.

  In step S53, the print control system generates a path of the copy destination folder on the client 70 because the acquired directory path may differ depending on the version of Windows (registered trademark), and returns the path. For example, “driver name \ OneClickData” is linked to the acquired path.

  In step S54, Windows (registered trademark) copies the file group specified by the Files key from the directory set by the Directory key of the print server 60 to the copy destination folder of the client 70.

  As a result, the shared one-click icon information is copied from the point and print folder 606 of the print server 60 to the point and print folder 704 of the client 70.

(One-click icon creation process)
FIG. 23 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the one-click icon registration process according to the second embodiment. In step S <b> 61 illustrated in FIG. 23, the printer driver UI 601 displays a one-click icon creation screen on the display unit 28.

  Screen transition until the one-click icon creation screen is displayed will be described with reference to FIGS. 24 and 25. FIG. FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating an example of a print setting screen according to the second embodiment. On the print setting screen shown in FIG. 24, the user performs arbitrary print settings, and presses the “Register Easy Settings” button to save the set contents as a one-click icon.

  FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating an example of a one-click icon creation screen according to the second embodiment. When the “Register Easy Settings” button shown in FIG. 24 is pressed, a creation screen shown in FIG. 25 is displayed.

  Returning to FIG. 23, in step S62, the printer driver UI 601 receives the icon name and comment of the one-click icon from the creation screen shown in FIG.

  In step S63, the printer driver UI 601 determines whether the logged-in user is an administrator. If the determination result in step S63 is YES (administrator), the process proceeds to step S64, and if the determination result is NO (not an administrator), the process proceeds to step S66. The administrator determination can be performed by storing the administrator's user name and checking whether the login name is the same as the administrator's user name.

  In step S64, the printer driver UI 601 makes it possible to select a shared one-click icon or a user (self) one-click icon on the creation screen shown in FIG. 25 (see FIG. 25). At this time, the user checks one of the radio buttons. The selected information is included in the attribute information as the type of one-click icon. At this time, if the user is not an administrator, only the user (self) one-click icon can be created.

  In step S65, the user instructs the completion of the creation of the one-click icon by pressing the OK button on the creation screen.

  In step S66, the user instructs the completion of creation of the one-click icon by pressing the OK button on the creation screen.

  In step S67, the printer driver UI 601 determines whether the type of the one-click icon is a shared one-click icon. If the determination result in step S67 is YES (shared one-click icon), the process proceeds to step S68. If the determination result is NO (user one-click icon), the process proceeds to step S69.

  In step S <b> 68, the printer driver UI 601 saves shared one-click icon information indicating information related to the created one-click icon in the point-and-print folder 606.

  In step S <b> 69, the printer driver UI 601 stores user one-click icon information indicating information related to the created one-click icon in the local folder 605.

  In step S <b> 70, the printer driver UI 601 adds the ID of the created one-click icon to the end of the list of one-click icon orders stored in the local folder 605.

  In step S71, the printer driver UI 601 updates the display screen so that the newly created one-click icon is displayed on the display screen.

  Thereby, the administrator of the print server 60 can select whether the created one-click icon is only for himself (non-shared) or shared.

(Display processing)
FIG. 26 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a one-click icon display process according to the second embodiment. In step S81 shown in FIG. 26, the printer driver UI 601 displays the printer driver UI on the display screen.

  In step S <b> 82, the printer driver UI 601 acquires default one-click icon information from the driver installation folder 604.

  In step S <b> 83, the printer driver UI 601 acquires shared one-click icon information from the point-and-print folder 606.

  In step S <b> 84, the printer driver UI 601 acquires user one-click icon information from the local folder 605.

  In step S85, the printer driver UI 601 determines whether the one-click icon order exists in the local folder 605. If the determination result in step S85 is YES (yes), the process proceeds to step S87. If the determination result is NO (not present), the process proceeds to step S86.

  In step S86, the printer driver UI 601 copies the default one-click icon order from the driver installation folder 604, and saves the copied order in the local folder. The printer driver UI 601 handles this order as a one-click icon order. In this process, since the one-click icon order does not exist in the local folder 605 immediately after the printer driver is installed, the default one-click icon order is used as an initial setting.

  In step S87, the printer driver UI 601 confirms whether each file of the one-click icon order is in one-click icon information, shared one-click information, or one-click icon information, and displays the confirmed icon. The printer driver UI 601 deletes the ID of the one-click icon that cannot be confirmed from the one-click icon order.

  In step S88, the printer driver UI 601 checks whether there is shared one-click icon information not included in the one-click icon order in the point-and-print folder 606, and adds it to the end of the one-click icon order and displays it on the UI. To do.

  Thereby, the consistency of the one-click icon information and the one-click icon order can be maintained.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, a point-and-print DLL (dynamic link library) can be used as a method for transferring the shared one-click icon from the print server to the client.

  The program executed by the print server or client of the embodiment is an installable or executable file, such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), or the like. The program is provided by being recorded on a computer-readable recording medium.

  Further, the program executed by the print server or client of the embodiment may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by being downloaded via the network. Further, the program executed by the print server or client according to the embodiment may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

  Further, the program executed by the print server or client according to the embodiment may be provided by being incorporated in advance in a ROM or the like.

  The program executed by the print server and the client according to the embodiment has a module configuration including the above-described units. As actual hardware, a CPU (processor) reads the program from the storage medium and executes it. Each of the above means is loaded on the main storage device, and each of the above means is generated on the main storage device.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said Example as it is, A component can be deform | transformed and embodied in the range which does not deviate from the summary in an implementation stage. Moreover, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the above embodiments. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiments.

10 MFP
20 Print server 30, 40, 50 Client 200 Authentication unit 202 Creation unit 204 Registry 206 Local folder 208 Display control unit 210 Attribute change unit 212 Setting change unit 300 Authentication unit 302 Acquisition unit 304 Registry 306 Local folder 308 Customization unit 310 Display control unit 220 Function setting means 222 Icon creation means 224 Attribute setting means 280 Determination means 282 Deletion means 284 Addition means 601 and 701 Printer driver UI
602, 702 Point and print DLL
603, 703 Registry 604, 706 Driver installation folder 605, 705 Local folder 606, 704 Point and print folder

JP 2000-222159 A

Claims (20)

A print control system comprising a server having a printer driver, and one or more information processing apparatuses that acquire the printer driver and commonly use the printer driver,
The server
Creating means for setting a plurality of printing functions and creating a symbol representing the set printing functions;
A setting unit configured to set an attribute as to whether the information related to the symbol is shared or not shared among the plurality of information processing devices included in the symbol information indicating the information related to the symbol generated by the generating unit;
A first storage means for storing the symbol information when sharing is set by the setting means;
A first local folder for storing the symbol information when non-shared is set by the setting means;
With
The information processing apparatus includes:
Obtaining means for obtaining symbol information stored in the first storage means;
Second storage means for storing symbol information acquired by the acquisition means;
First display control means for displaying symbol information stored in the second storage means on a display screen;
A printing control system comprising: The first storage means is a first registry capable of transferring stored information to the information processing apparatus;
The print control system according to claim 1, wherein the second storage unit is a second registry in which information is inherited from the first registry. The server
Attribute change means for changing the set sharing or non-sharing,
The attribute changing means is
Symbol information saved in the first local folder is saved and changed in the first registry when changed from non-shared to shared, and symbols saved in the first registry when changed from shared to non-shared The print control system according to claim 2, wherein information is saved and changed in the first local folder. The symbol information includes reflection information indicating whether or not the setting change of the printing function is reflected to other users,
The server
When changing the setting of the printing function included in the symbol information stored in the first registry, if the reflection information cannot be reflected, the symbol information is copied to the first local folder, and the copied symbol A function changing means for changing a setting of a printing function included in the information and changing a setting of a printing function included in the symbol information stored in the first registry if the reflection information can be reflected. The print control system according to 2 or 3. The symbol information includes identification information for identifying the symbol,
The server
Second display control for preferentially displaying symbols stored in the first local folder on the display screen when symbol information including the same identification information is stored in the first local folder and the first registry. The print control system according to claim 4, further comprising means. The information processing apparatus includes:
A second local folder for storing symbol information related to the symbol created by the information processing apparatus;
The first display control means includes
Determination means for determining whether a symbol included in the display order information indicating the display order of the symbols is stored in the second local folder or the second registry;
The print control system according to claim 2, wherein the symbols determined to be stored by the determination unit are displayed based on the display order information. The first display control means includes
The print control system according to claim 6, further comprising a deletion unit that deletes the symbol determined not to be stored by the determination unit from the display order information. The first display control means includes
When a symbol not included in the display order information is stored in the second local folder or the second registry, the information processing apparatus further includes an adding unit that adds the symbol to the display order information.
The print control system according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the symbol added by the adding means is displayed. The symbol information includes non-display information indicating a user name that does not display the symbol on the display screen,
The first display control means includes
9. The print control system according to claim 2, wherein when the display disabled information included in the symbol information includes a user who has logged in to the information processing apparatus, the symbol is not displayed. The first storage means is a first folder for transferring information to the information processing apparatus using a point-and-print DLL,
The print control system according to claim 1, wherein the second storage unit is a second folder in which information is inherited from the first folder. A data control method in a print control system comprising: a server having a printer driver; and one or a plurality of information processing apparatuses that acquire the printer driver and commonly use the printer driver,
The server
A creation step for setting a plurality of printing functions and creating a symbol representing the set printing functions;
A setting step for setting an attribute as to whether the information related to the symbol is shared or not shared among the plurality of information processing devices included in the symbol information indicating the information related to the symbol generated by the creating step;
A first saving step of saving in the first storage means when sharing is set in the setting step, and saving in a first local folder when non-sharing is set;
Have
The information processing apparatus includes:
An acquisition step of acquiring symbol information stored in the first storage means;
A second storage step of storing the symbol information acquired in the acquisition step in a second storage means;
A first display control step of displaying symbol information stored in the second storage means on a display screen;
A data control method. The first storage means is a first registry capable of transferring stored information to the information processing apparatus;
12. The data control method according to claim 11, wherein the second storage means is a second registry in which information is inherited from the first registry. The server
An attribute change step for changing the set sharing or non-sharing;
A step of saving and changing the symbol information stored in the first local folder, or saving and changing the symbol information stored in the first registry in the first local folder. The data control method according to claim 12. The symbol information includes reflection information indicating whether or not the setting change of the printing function is reflected to other users,
The server
When changing the setting of the printing function included in the symbol information stored in the first registry, if the reflection information cannot be reflected, the symbol information is copied to the first local folder, and the copied symbol A function changing step of changing a setting of a printing function included in the information, and changing a setting of a printing function included in the symbol information stored in the first registry if the reflection information can be reflected. 14. A data control method according to 12 or 13. The symbol information includes identification information for identifying the symbol,
The server
When symbol information including the same identification information is stored in the first local folder and the first registry, a second display control that preferentially displays the symbol stored in the first local folder on the display screen The data control method according to claim 14, further comprising a step. The information processing apparatus includes:
A third storage step of storing the symbol information relating to the symbol created by the information processing apparatus in the second local folder;
The first display control step includes:
A determination step of determining whether a symbol included in display order information indicating a display order of the symbols is stored in the second local folder or the second registry;
The data control method according to any one of claims 12 to 15, wherein the symbols determined to be stored in the determination step are displayed based on the display order information. The first display control step includes:
The data control method according to claim 16, further comprising a deletion step of deleting, from the display order information, symbols determined not to be stored in the determination step. The first display control step includes:
When a symbol not included in the display order information is stored in the second local folder or the second registry, the method further includes an adding step of adding the symbol to the display order information.
The data control method according to claim 16 or 17, wherein the symbol added by the adding step is displayed. The symbol information includes non-displayable information indicating a user name that does not display the symbol information on the display screen,
The first display control step includes:
The data control method according to any one of claims 12 to 18, wherein when the display disabled information included in the symbol information includes a user who has logged into the information processing apparatus, the symbol is not displayed. The first storage means is a first folder for transferring information to the information processing apparatus using a point-and-print DLL,
The data control method according to claim 11, wherein the second storage means is a second folder in which information is inherited from the first folder.

Images