JPH09265361A - Peripheral equipment installation system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a peripheral equipment installation system capable of making even a user without expert knowledge and experience capable of easily installing a peripheral equipment. SOLUTION: In the storage device 9 of a host computer 7, installation information and machine kind information are stored beforehand. In the case of installing a printer 3 to a personal computer 1, the personal computer 1 transmits the machine kind information to the host computer 7 first. Then, the host computer 7 retrieves the installation information corresponding to the received machine kind information from the storage device 9 and returns it to the personal computer 1. Corresponding to it, the personal computer 1 executes the installation of the printer 3 based on the installation information received from the host computer 7.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a peripheral equipment installation system for installing peripheral equipment in a terminal processing unit connected to a central processing unit via a communication line.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when a peripheral device such as a printer or a scanner is installed in a processing device such as a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as a personal computer), after physically connecting the peripheral device with a connecting cable or the like, It was necessary to do some kind of operation.

For example, various data including software programs necessary for installing the peripheral device are stored in a floppy disk or the like attached to the peripheral device, and appropriate data corresponding to the model of the personal computer or the like is selected from the data. I had to pick out things, load them into my computer in the proper order, and run them.

[0004]

However, in the installation work of such peripheral devices, if the software program or other data read by the personal computer does not correspond to the model of the personal computer, or the reading order is wrong, Peripheral devices cannot operate normally. Therefore, this kind of installation work is generally a complicated work while looking at the manual, and is extremely difficult for a user who has no specialized knowledge or experience.

Therefore, the present invention has been made for the purpose of providing a peripheral equipment installation system in which even a user having no specialized knowledge or experience can easily install peripheral equipment.

[0006]

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention In order to achieve the above object, the present invention according to claim 1 installs a peripheral device in a terminal processing unit connected to a central processing unit through a communication line. A peripheral device installation system for storing the installation data including the software program necessary for installing the peripheral device, which is provided in the central processing unit, and is associated with the characteristic data of the terminal processing device and the peripheral device. Installation data storage means and a characteristic data transmission means provided in the terminal processing device and transmitting the characteristic data to the central processing device when the peripheral device is installed, and the characteristic data transmission device provided in the central processing device. The installation data obtained by searching the installation data storage means based on the characteristic data received from the means is returned to the terminal processing device. And location data return means, provided in the terminal processing unit, is characterized by comprising, an installation execution means for executing the installation of the peripheral device based on the established data received from said installation data returning means.

In the present invention thus constructed, the peripheral equipment can be installed as follows. First, the central processing unit is provided with installation data storage means for storing installation data including a software program necessary for installing the peripheral device in association with the characteristic data of the terminal processing device and the peripheral device. When the peripheral device is installed, the characteristic data transmitting means of the terminal processing device transmits the characteristic data to the central processing unit.

Then, the installation data return means of the central processing unit returns the installation data obtained by searching the installation data storage means on the basis of the characteristic data received from the characteristic data transmission means to the terminal processing apparatus. . In response to this, the installation execution means of the terminal processing device executes the installation of the peripheral device based on the installation data received from the installation data return means. Therefore, the user only has to physically connect the peripheral device to the terminal processing device and then transmit the characteristic data through the characteristic data transmitting means. By this operation, the peripheral device is installed almost automatically. can do. Therefore, by using the peripheral equipment installation system of the present invention, even a user who does not have specialized knowledge or experience can easily install the peripheral equipment.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect, whether or not the central processing unit or the terminal processing unit needs to process a software program provided in advance in the terminal processing unit. Is further provided with a processing determination means for determining based on the characteristic data, and a program processing means for processing the software program when the processing determination means determines that the software program requires processing. Is characterized by.

According to the present invention, whether or not the software program pre-installed in the terminal processing device needs to be processed,
When the processing judging means judges based on the characteristic data and it is judged that the processing is necessary, the program processing means processes the software program. That is, when the peripheral device is installed, the software program pre-installed in the terminal processing device may need to be modified such as rewriting data. Processing can be performed.

For this reason, it is possible to favorably prevent a user from forgetting to process the software program or making a mistake in the method of processing to cause trouble. Therefore, in the present invention, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 1, there is an effect that the peripheral device can be installed more easily and reliably.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first or second aspect, the terminal processing device includes a success / failure determination means for determining whether or not the peripheral device has been installed successfully. When the central processing unit or the terminal processing unit determines that the success / failure determination unit fails to install the peripheral device, the characteristic data used for searching the installation data is partially changed and the installation is performed. It is characterized in that a reprocessing means for repeating the processing is provided.

According to the present invention, the success / failure determination means determines whether or not the peripheral device has been installed successfully, and when it is determined that the installation is unsuccessful, the reprocessing means is used for searching the installation data. Change some data and repeat the above installation process. If the characteristic data is partially damaged, the installation data retrieved based on the characteristic data may not correspond to the terminal device and the peripheral device, and installation of the peripheral device may fail.

In the present invention, even in such a case, the reprocessing means changes a part of the characteristic data and repeats the above-mentioned installation processing. Therefore, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 1 or 2, Therefore, the peripheral device can be installed more reliably. The reprocessing means may be provided in either the central processing unit or the terminal processing unit. When the reprocessing unit is provided in the central processing unit, for example, the installation data is searched, and when the reprocessing unit is provided in the terminal processing unit, the characteristic data is transmitted. Therefore, the above installation process may be repeated.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration according to any one of the first to third aspects, the peripheral device is a printer. Printers are extremely popular among peripheral devices and are used by a wide range of users from beginners to experts. Therefore, the printer
There is a particularly strong demand for easy installation even for beginners. In the present invention, since the printer can be easily installed as described above, the effects of the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3 become more remarkable.

[0016]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a peripheral device installation system to which the present invention is applied. As shown in FIG. 1, this system includes a personal computer 1 as a terminal processing device installed in an office or home of a user (user).
A printer 3 as a peripheral device connected to the personal computer 1, a host computer 7 on the manufacturer side connected to the personal computer 1 via a communication line 5, and a storage device 9 connected to the host computer 7. I have it.

The personal computer 1 has a CPU 1a and a ROM.
1b, RAM 1c, an interface 1d for transmitting and receiving signals to and from the printer 3, a communication control device 1e for performing data communication with the host computer 7 via the communication line 5, and data exchange of respective elements thereof. A bus 1f connected to the computer and a PC storage device 1g for storing a PC setting file, a printer driver and the like.

The communication line 5 may be a general telephone line, the Internet, satellite communication, or the like. The storage device 9 includes a personal computer 1 and a printer 3.
It stores a database in which model information as the characteristic data and the installation information as the installation data necessary for installing the printer 3 on the personal computer 1 are associated with each other.
That is, the storage device 9 corresponds to installation data storage means,
The host computer 7 and the storage device 9 correspond to a central processing unit.

The above model information is the manufacturer code (PC manufacturer code) of the PC 1 indicating the manufacturer,
It is configured to include a model code (PC model code) indicating a model, a version, a CPU code indicating a CPU type, and a manufacturer code (PR manufacturer code) and model code (PR model code) of the printer 3, and the installation information is The personal computer 1 includes driver software for driving the printer 3 and a printer description file to be read by the printer 3.

Next, the installation process of the printer 3 in this system will be described. FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing exchange of signals in the processing. When the printer 3 is physically connected to the personal computer 1 with a connecting cable or the like and then a predetermined key input is performed on the personal computer 1, the personal computer 1 sends an installation information request to the host computer 7.

When the host computer 7 receives the installation information request from the personal computer 1, the host computer 7 executes the processes shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. As shown in FIG.
When the processing is started, first, a model information request is transmitted to the personal computer 1 in S1 (S is a step; the same applies hereinafter), and then in S3, the system waits until model information is received from the personal computer 1.

As shown in FIG. 2, the host computer 7
Upon receiving the model information request from the personal computer 1, the personal computer 1 sends the model information request to the printer 3. The model information request sent from the host computer 7 to the personal computer 1 requests all of the above model information.
The model information request to be sent to
The manufacturer code and PR model code are required. Upon receiving the model information request from the personal computer 1, the printer 3 informs the personal computer 1 of the model information (PR maker code,
Send the PR model code). Upon receiving the model information from the printer 3, the personal computer 1 adds the model information (PC maker code, etc.) that it possesses to the model information and transmits it to the host computer 7.

An example of this model information is shown in FIG.
The model information 70 illustrated in FIG. 5A includes a PC manufacturer code 71, a PC model code 72, a version 73, and a CP.
In addition to the U code 74, PR manufacturer code 75, and PR model code 76, the free memory capacity 7 of the personal computer 1
7 and free disk capacity 78.

Returning to FIG. 3, when model information is received from the personal computer 1 (S3: YES), the process proceeds to S5 to S13 in sequence, and PC maker code, PC model code, version, CPU code, PR maker code, And P
The processing is sequentially distributed according to the R model code. In Fig. 3, the PC maker code, PC model code,
Version, CPU code, PR manufacturer code, PR
The model codes are "F", "0005",
Although the cases of "5", "F", "F", and "0005" have been illustrated, the processing is similarly performed in other cases.

When the model information is identified in S5 to S13, FIG.
Then, the process proceeds to S15 to search the storage location in the database of the storage device 9 for the installation information according to the model information. In subsequent S17, the installation information stored in the storage location is read from the database of the storage device 9.

An example of this installation information is shown in FIG.
Shown in Installation information 80 illustrated in FIG. 5B
Is composed of driver software 83 for the personal computer 1 to drive the printer 3 and a printer description file 85 to be read by the printer 3.

Returning to FIG. 4, in S19 following S17,
It is determined whether or not the PC setting file exists in the model information transmitted from the personal computer 1. If the PC setting file does not exist (S19: NO),
If the PC setting file exists (S19: YES), the PC setting file is rewritten in S21, and then S2.
Move to 3. In S23, the installation information is transmitted to the personal computer 1. When the PC setting file is rewritten in S21, the rewritten PC setting file is added to this installation information and transmitted.

Upon receiving the installation information from the host computer, the personal computer 1 executes the processing shown in FIG. When the process is started, the installation process is first executed in S51. In this installation processing, the printer description file is transmitted to the printer 3 among the installation information transmitted from the host computer 7 (see FIG. 2), and the driver software can be executed by the CPU 1a of the personal computer 1 itself so that the PC storage device can be executed. This is a process of storing it at a predetermined position within 1 g.

Normally, the installation of the printer 3 is completed by the above processing. However, if the model information sent from the PC 1 to the host computer 7 is partially damaged,
In some cases, the installation information retrieved based on the model information does not correspond to the personal computer 1 and the printer 3, and the installation of the printer 3 may fail. Therefore, the personal computer 1 determines whether or not the installation (installation) has succeeded in subsequent S53. If it succeeds (S53: YES), the process is terminated as it is, and if it fails (S53: NO), S55.
Move to. In S55, it is determined whether or not to retry (reprocess). For example, a message such as "Retry (Y / N)" is displayed on the screen of the personal computer 1, and a key input of "Y" or "N" is waited for. When the retry is not performed (S55: NO), the process is terminated as it is, and when the retry is performed (S55: YES), the process proceeds to S57, and the retry request is transmitted to the host computer 7 as shown by the broken line in FIG. To finish.

Returning to FIG. 4, the host computer 7 transmits the installation information in S23, and then S2.
The process proceeds to step 5 and it is determined whether a retry request is received. If the retry request is not returned even after the lapse of the predetermined time (S25: NO), it is determined that the installation of the printer 3 is successful, and the process is ended. When the retry request is returned (S25: YES), the process proceeds to S27, the model information is partially corrected, and the processes in S5 and subsequent steps are repeated. Further, the personal computer 1 also executes the processing of FIG. 6 each time the host computer 7 shifts to the processing of S23 (see the dashed line in FIG. 2).

Here, in S27, for example, the model information is changed in order from the lower PR model code to all options, and the processes in S5 and thereafter are executed at any time. By doing so, the installation of the printer 3 can be surely successful. If successful, a negative determination is made in S25, and the host computer 7 ends the process.

In step S27, the status of the personal computer 1 when the retry request is returned and the model information corrected until the success is made into a database in association with each other.
The model information may be corrected using the database. In this case, compared to the case where the model information is sequentially changed to all options, the printer 3 can be installed more quickly and successfully.

As described above, in this peripheral equipment installation system, the user only has to physically connect the printer 3 to the personal computer 1 and then send an installation information request through the personal computer 1, and this operation automatically The printer 3 can be installed. Therefore, even if the user has no specialized knowledge or experience, the printer 3 can be easily installed. Further, in this system, the personal computer 1 on the user side receives the driver software and the like from the host computer 7 on the manufacturer side when the printer is installed. Therefore, even if the software necessary for purchasing the printer 3 is lost after purchasing the personal computer 1, the printer 3 can be installed without any trouble.

Further, in this system, since the PC setting file is automatically rewritten (S21), it is possible to prevent the user from forgetting the rewriting or making a mistake in the rewriting method, and thereby preventing troubles. You can Furthermore, in the present system, even if the installation of the printer 3 fails, the retry (reprocessing) can be repeated while changing the model information (S27) by transmitting the retry request. It can be performed more reliably.

In the above embodiment, the process of transmitting model information by the personal computer 1 (see FIG. 2) is performed by the characteristic data transmitting means, the processes of S5 to S23 are performed by the installation data returning device, and the process of S51 is performed by the installation. Means, the processing of S19 is the processing determination means, the processing of S21 is the program processing means,
The process of S53 corresponds to success / failure determination means, and the process of S27 corresponds to reprocessing means.

Further, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be implemented in various forms without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the personal computer 1 automatically transmits the model information when the model information request is transmitted from the host computer 7, but the user may transmit the model information by key input. . However, when the model information is automatically transmitted as in the above-described embodiment, it is possible to prevent the key input error and the like and to install the printer 3 more reliably. The rewriting of the PC setting file (S21) may be executed by the personal computer 1 itself by receiving necessary data from the host computer 7. Further, the model information may be corrected by the personal computer 1, and the corrected model information may be transmitted again to the host computer 7. In this case, it is preferable to receive from the host computer 7 data that indicates which part of the model information should be corrected.

Furthermore, the present invention can be applied to the installation of peripheral equipment other than the printer 3. However, the printer 3 is extremely popular among peripheral devices and is used in a wide range of layers from beginners to experts. Therefore, there is a strong demand for the printer 3 to be easily installed even by a beginner. Therefore, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the effect of the present invention becomes more remarkable. Further, in the above-described embodiment, data such as model information and installation information is transmitted and received between the personal computer 1 on the user side and the host computer 7 on the manufacturer side. However, when the present invention is implemented by a company or the like, Similar processing may be performed between the host computer of the company and the personal computer of each department.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a peripheral device installation system to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing exchange of signals in processing of the system.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a process of a host computer in the process.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a process of a host computer in the process.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating model information and installation information in the processing.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a process of a personal computer in the process.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... PC 3 ... Printer 5 ...
Communication line 7 ... Host computer 9 ... Storage device

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A peripheral equipment installation system for installing peripheral equipment in a terminal processing equipment connected to a central processing equipment via a communication line, said peripheral equipment installation system being provided in said central processing equipment, said terminal processing equipment and said peripheral equipment. Installation data storage means for storing installation data including a software program necessary for installing the peripheral device in association with the device characteristic data, and the characteristic data when the peripheral device is installed in the terminal processing device. Characteristic data transmitting means for transmitting to the central processing device, and the installation data obtained by searching the installation data storage means based on the characteristic data received from the characteristic data transmitting means provided in the central processing device. To the terminal processing device, and installation data returning means for returning to the terminal processing device, and receiving from the installation data returning means provided in the terminal processing device. Peripheral device installation system comprising the, an installation execution means for executing the installation of the peripheral device based on the installation data. 2. The processing determination means for determining, based on the characteristic data, whether the central processing unit or the terminal processing unit needs to process a software program provided in advance in the terminal processing unit, The peripheral device installation system according to claim 1, further comprising: a program processing unit that processes the software program when the processing determination unit determines that the software program needs to be processed. 3. The terminal processing device comprises a success / failure judging means for judging whether or not the peripheral device has been installed successfully, and the central processing unit or the terminal processing device has the success / failure judging means for the peripheral area. The reprocessing means for changing the characteristic data used to retrieve the installation data and repeating the installation process when it is determined that the installation of the device has failed is provided. Item 2. The peripheral device installation system according to item 2. 4. The peripheral device installation system according to claim 1, wherein the peripheral device is a printer.