JP2020071693A - Information processing apparatus, control method therefor, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information processing device, a control method thereof, and a program capable of setting only a printer in which a customized printer driver operates correctly among printers in the search range of a printer used for printing as an installation target printer. When a customized printer driver 302a is installed on a client computer 1, if the customization setting file 310 of the driver set 114 contains the installer setting information 312 and the installer setting information 312 contains the printer search range information. Among the printers in the search range, output ports are created with all the IP addresses of the printers in which the specific customization information 313a of the customization setting file 310 and the corresponding printer information match. [Selection diagram] Fig. 9

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, a control method thereof, and a program, and more particularly, to an information processing apparatus that performs a customized printer driver installation process, a control method thereof, and a program.

  Conventionally, when a file such as a document or a figure created on a computer is printed from an application, it is general to use a printer driver to convert drawing data into a page description language and send it to a printer. At that time, the print settings such as the type of paper, double-sided, color, and paper feed method are performed by the user interface for print settings included in the application or the user interface for print settings provided by the printer driver (hereinafter, also referred to as UI). Done using.

  Further, in order to meet various demands regarding printing, it is desired to release a printer driver for individual use in which initial values of various print settings are changed. In order to quickly respond to the above demand, there is a customization tool that can change the setting value of the printer driver before installation. With the customization tool, for example, the initial value of the setting value of the printer driver can be changed to a setting value different from the factory shipment value. Further, in the customization tool, the output port of the printer to be used for printing can be designated in advance, thereby omitting the new creation and setting of the output port performed by the user at the time of installation.

  There is also known a server PC that specifies a search range for searching for a printer connected to a network and automatically installs a printer driver in a user PC that manages printers existing in the search range (for example, patents). Reference 1).

  Therefore, even if a customized printer driver can be automatically installed in the user PC if the printer search range is specified, the convenience for the user and the network administrator can be further improved. It is thought to be possible.

JP 2004-171513 A

  However, it is troublesome for the user to automatically install the customized printer driver in the user PC by using the method of Patent Document 1 and the conventional method of customizing the printer driver as they are. For example, the user customizes the printer driver using the customization tool on the user PC and uploads the customized printer driver to the server PC. In addition, the user needs to specify the printer search range as a setting on the server PC side, which is troublesome. In addition, there is also a problem that it is necessary to operate a server PC that provides a printer driver, and management costs are high. Further, even for printers within the search range, the customized printer driver may not operate properly depending on the contents of customization.

  The present invention has been made in view of at least one of the above problems. That is, it is an object of the present invention to provide an information processing apparatus, a control method thereof, and a program, which can improve the convenience of a user when customizing a printer driver and designating a search range of a printer used for printing. And one of them. Another object of the present invention is to provide an information processing apparatus capable of installing only a printer in which a customized printer driver operates correctly among printers within the search range, a control method thereof, and a program. Especially.

  An information processing apparatus according to claim 1 of the present invention is an information processing apparatus that performs an installation process of the printer driver customized by adding a customization setting file to a driver set including a printer driver. At this time, a first judgment means for judging whether or not there is installer setting information in the customization setting file, and a connection of the installer setting information when the first judgment means judges that the installer setting information exists Second determining means for determining whether or not the port information is information on a search range including a search start IP address and a search end IP address; and the connection port information by the second determining means is the search range information. If it is determined that the search start IP address and the search end A search unit that sequentially searches for a printer connected to the information processing apparatus using an IP address, printer-related information in the customization setting file, and printer-related information of the printer sequentially searched by the search unit. A third determination means for determining whether the corresponding printer information matches, and among the printers searched in the order, output ports are set at all IP addresses of the printers for which the printer-related information and the printer information match. It is characterized by comprising a first installation means for creating and performing an installation process.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to enhance user convenience when customizing a printer driver and designating a search range of a printer used for printing. Further, among the printers within the search range, only the printer in which the customized printer driver operates correctly can be the installation target printer.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a system including a client computer as an information processing device according to the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of the client computer in FIG. 1A. 3 is a block diagram of a print processing system in a client computer. FIG. It is a figure which shows the module of a driver set in FIG. 1B, and the structure of a file. It is a figure which shows the module of a customization tool in FIG. 1B, and the structure of a file. It is a figure which shows the module of a driver set and the structure of a file which were customized by the customization tool. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state where a screen of a [basic] tab of the print setting UI of the selected model is displayed. FIG. 4B is a diagram showing a state in which a screen of a [device setting] tab of the print setting UI in FIG. 4A is displayed. It is a flow chart which shows the procedure of the customization processing by a customization tool. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the detailed customization setting process of step S503 of FIG. 5A. It is a schematic diagram of a license agreement dialog. It is a schematic diagram of a model selection dialog for customization. It is a schematic diagram of a folder specification dialog of a driver set that is a customization source. It is a schematic diagram of a progress dialog showing the progress of the confirmation process of the driver set as the customization source. It is a schematic diagram of a model selection dialog for customization. It is a schematic diagram of a detailed customization setting dialog. It is a schematic diagram of the creation dialog of the customized driver set. It is a schematic diagram of a folder specification dialog of an output destination of customization. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a dialog during creation of a customized driver set. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a screen of a [Device Management] tab of the print setting UI activated from the customization tool according to the first exemplary embodiment is displayed. FIG. 8B is a diagram showing an output port setting dialog displayed when the output port setting button in FIG. 8A is pressed. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of installation processing of a customized printer driver by the installer included in the customized driver set according to the first exemplary embodiment. 10 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a modified example of the printer information confirmation processing in step S905 in FIG. 9 using device configuration information according to the second embodiment. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of a modified example of the printer information confirmation processing in step S905 in FIG. 9 using authentication information according to the third embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1A is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a system including client computers 1a to 1c (hereinafter collectively referred to as client computer 1) as information processing apparatuses according to the present invention.

  This system includes a client computer 1 and printers 2a to 2n (hereinafter collectively referred to as printer 2) capable of receiving and printing print data in a page description language (hereinafter referred to as PDL) format. These can be connected and communicated via a network 3 represented by a local area network (LAN). The printer 2 may be a single function printer (SFP) having only a printing function or a multifunction printer (MFP) having a printing function, a scanning function, and a copying function.

  1B is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the client computer 1 in FIG. 1A.

  A CPU 101 (Central Processing Unit) controls the entire client computer 1 according to a program stored in a ROM (Read Only Memory) 111, a RAM 112 of the main storage device 102, or an auxiliary storage device 105.

  A RAM (Random Access Memory) 112 is also used as a work area when the CPU 101 performs various processes.

  The auxiliary storage device 105 stores an application (hereinafter referred to as an application) 113, a printer driver set 114, a customization tool 115 for the driver set 114, an operating system (OS) 116, and the like. The application 113, the driver set 114, and the customization tool 115 can be added to the auxiliary storage device 105 via an unillustrated CD-ROM, USB memory, or network 3.

  An input device such as a pointing device 109 such as a keyboard 108 or a mouse / touch panel is a device for a user to give various instructions to the client computer 1 through the input I / F 103.

  The output I / F 104 is an interface for outputting data to the outside, and outputs the data to an output device such as the monitor 110.

  The communication I / F 106 is connected to the printer 2 via the network 3, and transmits PDL format print data and receives printer information of the printer 2.

  The common data system bus 107 is used for exchanging respective data between the above hardware modules constituting the client computer 1.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a print processing system in the client computer 1.

  This print processing system is a driver print system that performs printing by using an XPS (XML Paper Specification) file format as spool data, and operates on the OS 116. Note that, in the present embodiment, a series of cases in which a Version 4 printer driver (also referred to as a V4 printer driver) that uses an XPS file as spool data is customized is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it can be applied to the customization processing of the V3 printer driver.

  The print manager 218, the GDI to XPS conversion module 207, the filter pipeline manager 212, and the port monitor 219 are modules included in the OS 116. Here, the GDI is a graphics component that generates an image printed by the printer 2. That is, the GDI to XPS conversion module 207 has a function of converting data drawn in GDI into XPS data. The filter pipeline manager 212 is a module that performs a filter print process that is a feature of the XPS print path. The XPS print pass refers to a process in which print data is passed to the printer driver 302 in the XPS file format, the printer driver 302 that receives the file converts the print data into the PDL format, and outputs the print data to the printer 2. The port monitor 219 controls communication between the printer 2 and the print manager 218 and printer driver 302 that access the printer 2. That is, the printer driver 302 issues a print instruction to the printer 2 via the port monitor 219. Further, the print manager 218 communicates with the printer 2 via the port monitor 219 to perform AutoConfig. The GDItoXPS conversion module 207, the configuration module 208, and the filter pipeline manager 212 are modules included in the printer driver 302 but provided by the OS 116. The configuration module 208 can edit print setting information using the print setting editing module 208a provided by the printer driver 302. The print setting editing module 208a is written in a script language called JavaScript (registered trademark), and edits print setting information using a driver property bag 208b and a queue property bag 208c provided by the printer driver 302. Here, the driver property bag 208b refers to a memory area in which a data group used as model-dependent information of the printer 2 is held, and the queue property bag 208c is a memory in which a data group associated with a print queue is held. Refers to the area.

  The driver property bag 208b is a data group used as model-dependent information of the printer 2, and after the printer driver 302 is installed, this data group is held in a specific area in the OS 116 as read-only. The data group of the driver property bag 208b is set based on the files included in the driver set described later.

  The cue property bag 208c is an XML definition file of a Key-Value pair, can be used by registering it in the OS 116, and can be edited with a certain authority regarding Value. Also, the XML definition file of the queue property bag 208c can be described in the print setting definition file GPD. Here, in this embodiment, after the installer 301 (FIG. 3A) performs a normal installation process, the customization setting file 310 (FIG. 3C) is registered in the queue property bag 208c, thereby realizing customization of the printer driver 302. .. The details of the process in which the installer 301 registers the customization information 313 in the queue property bag 208c will be described later, so please refer to it. It should be noted that the normal installation process here means an installation process when the printer driver 302 is not customized.

  The printer driver 302 and each filter of the filter pipeline manager 212 are stored as the printer driver 302 in the auxiliary storage device 105 of FIG. 1B. The GDI print application 201 and the XPS print application 202 are stored as the application 113 in the auxiliary storage device 105 of FIG. 1B. Hereinafter, the GDI print application 201 is abbreviated as the GDI application 201, and the XPS print application 202 is abbreviated as the XPS application 202. The user uses an input device such as a keyboard 108 or a pointing device 109 typified by a touch panel / mouse or the like, and executes print processing using the GDI application 201 or the XPS application 202 displayed on the monitor 110 of the output device. .. The printing process is performed by sequentially performing the three processes of selecting the printer 2, creating print settings, converting drawing data.

  First, the printer used for printing is selected from the printers 2a to 2n in FIG. 1A. In this embodiment, the case where the printer 2a is selected will be described below. From the user's point of view, selecting the printer 2a is synonymous with selecting the printer driver 302 corresponding to the printer 2a used for printing. A print queue (not shown) is used to select the printer driver 302.

  Next, print settings are created. For print settings, the application 113 first reserves a memory area for print settings in the RAM 112. Then, the application 113 calls the configuration module 208 of the printer driver 302, creates print setting data, and stores the print setting data in the secured memory area for print setting. The GDI application 201 uses a binary DEVMODE 203 as print setting data, and the XPS application 202 uses a PrintTicket 204 described in markup language XML. The DEVMODE 203 has a standard area defined by the OS 116 and an extension area independently defined by the printer driver 302. The PrintTicket 204 is print setting information described in XML format, and the standard area and the extended area are described according to the namespace. Since the print setting data also includes model-specific information, the configuration module 208 uses the model-dependent file (GPD) 209 to create print setting data. The DEVMODE 203 or PrintTicket 204 holds the print settings, and the application 113 directly rewrites the values to change the print settings. The model-dependent file (GPD) 209 is a print setting definition file called GPD, and can describe the capability of the device, the optional configuration of the device, and the definition of the queue property bag 208c associated with the print queue.

  The dedicated settings depending on the printer 2a are set by the user interface of the printer extension 210. The printer driver 302 changes the setting depending on the printer 2a of the DEVMODE 203 or the PrintTicket 204 according to the setting of the user interface. Since the print settings of the PrintTicket 204 are described in the XML format, it is easy for the XPS application 202 to directly change and rewrite all the set values, but the user interface of the printer extension 210 may be used to change the settings. The printer extension 210 is a kind of the printer driver 302, but is installed as software different from the printer driver 302.

  The print settings are created each time a document is printed. However, the printer extension 210 saves options such as optional equipment of the printer 2a and environment settings for each user in the registry database 205 of the OS 116. When the registry database 205 cannot be used, the printer extension 210 stores the setting in the application data 220. The default value of the print setting is stored in the registry database 205 by the print manager 218 of the OS 116. The registry database 205 and the application data 220 are stored in the auxiliary storage device 105.

  When the print settings are confirmed, the user executes print processing from the application 113. When printing from the GDI application 201, the drawing data is sent to the GDI to XPS conversion module 207, which is a module of the OS 116, and the XPS spool file 206 is generated. At this time, the GDI to XPS conversion module 207 calls the configuration module 208 to convert the print setting from the DEVMODE 203 to the PrintTicket 204. At the time of conversion, the print setting editing module 208a is used by the configuration module 208.

  On the other hand, when printing from the XPS application 202, the XPS application 202 itself may generate the XPS file, or the OS 116 may generate the XPS file according to a drawing command from the XPS application 202. Whichever generation method is used, the XPS spool file 206 is generated during printing.

  When the XPS spool file 206 is generated by the print instruction from the GDI application 201 or the XPS application 202, the process in the print filter pipeline 211 for the generated XPS spool file 206 is performed. The print filter pipeline 211 performs a filter printing process on the XPS spool file 206 through a plurality of filters of the filter pipeline manager 212. In addition, the print filter pipeline 211 manages the number and order of filters in the filter printing process with the filter configuration file 216. In this embodiment, the filters in the following filter pipeline manager 212 are composed of three filters. The first is a communication filter 213 having a mechanism for communicating with the printer 2a. The second is a layout filter 214 having a mechanism for performing layout processing such as bookbinding printing, stamping, and page aggregation. The third is a renderer filter 215 that has a mechanism for rendering the XPS spool file 206 and converting it into PDL format print data. The print data in the PDL format is managed by the print manager 218 that manages the schedule of print processing, and is sequentially registered as a print job in a queue (queue). When the printer 2a is ready to print, the PDL format print data is transmitted through the port monitor 219 in the order of registration in the queue. Thus, the main role of the printer driver 302 is to convert the print data from the application 113 into the PDL format, and the print processing is performed through the printer 2a.

  FIG. 3A is a diagram showing a configuration of modules and files of the driver set 114.

  The driver set 114 includes an installer 301 and a printer driver 302. Further, the printer driver 302 includes an INF file 303 in which installation settings are described, a driver UI module 306, a graphics module 304, and a model-dependent file 305. The installer 301 is an execution module that installs the printer driver 302 in the OS 116 based on the description of the INF file 303. In response to a request from the user to install the printer driver 302, the OS 116 loads the installer 301 from the auxiliary storage device 105 into the RAM 112 and executes it using the CPU 101. In the present embodiment, the printer driver 302 is compatible with a plurality of printer models such as SFP and MFP, and the INF file 303 includes information on how to install the printer driver 302 in the OS 116 according to the plurality of printer models. Has been done. When the printer driver 302 is installed in the OS 116, the user selects the model of the printer to be installed and the designation of the printer (here, the printer 2a) as the output destination of the printer 2, and the installation is executed. As in the system shown in FIG. 1A, the plurality of printers 2a to 2n may be different printer models in the system. Therefore, it is necessary to manage the corresponding model of the printer driver 302, the initial value of the print settings, and the print job for each of the printers 2a to 2n. When installing the printer driver 302, the OS 116 generates an object called a printer queue, which represents the printer 2a of the output destination, and holds it in the OS 116, and associates it with this printer queue to configure the configuration module of the printer driver 302 and print settings. Manage initial values. When the printer driver 302 is installed in the OS 116, the print setting request and the print request from the application 113 can be processed by the module of the printer driver 302 and can be printed by the output destination printer 2a. When receiving the print settings for the printer 2a from the application 113, the OS 116 loads the corresponding driver UI module 306 in the RAM 112 and executes it by the CPU 101. Upon execution of the execution, the print setting UI 400 is displayed on the monitor 110. An example of the operation screen of the print setting UI 400 is shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B. The print setting UI 400 is composed of a plurality of tabs, and generates print settings by a user operation and accepts device settings from the output destination printer 2a. The screen 410 of the [Basic] tab in FIG. 4A is a screen for print settings, and various UI controls for print settings such as double-sided printing and color printing are arranged. In response to an operation on the UI control via the keyboard 108 or the pointing device 109, the driver UI module 306 generates print settings desired by the user. The screen 420 of the [Device Settings] tab in FIG. 4B is a screen for managing the paper discharge options and the device options of the output destination printer 2a such as the duplex unit.

  In order to meet various user demands, printer manufacturers sell paper ejection options and duplex units as hardware (device options) that can be installed in the printer. For example, a finisher, which is hardware for stapling a printed output, is expensive and is generally sold as a device option sold separately from the standard configuration of a printer. That is, in order to staple the printed output, it is necessary to attach the corresponding finisher to the printer 2a as the output destination. For users who rarely use the double-sided printing function, some low-priced printers can perform double-sided printing only when a double-sided unit is attached as a device option. In order to deal with these situations, it is necessary to manage which device option is attached to the output destination printer 2a. When communication with the printer 2a is possible, the current device option setting can be acquired from the output destination printer 2a via the network 3 by pressing the device information acquisition button 3202. Based on the acquired device information, the driver UI module 306 reflects the mounting information of the device option in the printer 2a, which is the current output destination, in the device option list 421. If the communication with the printer 2a is not possible, the UI control 423 is displayed by accepting the user selection of one of the items in the device option list 421, and the setting contents can be changed manually. Upon receiving the device option settings on the screen 420 of the [Device Settings] tab, the driver UI module 306 controls the UI control of the print settings that cannot be used as the print settings of the output destination printer 2a on the screen 410 of the [Basic] tab. Is displayed in a state where cannot be selected. When various print settings are generated by a user operation on the screen of each tab of the print setting UI 400 and finally the “OK” button 401 is pressed, the driver UI module 306 causes the OS 116 to set the print setting and the device. Outputs the settings and ends the print setting request.

  Next, the operation when a print request from the application 113 is received will be described. The OS 116 loads the corresponding driver UI module 306 on the RAM 112 and executes it on the CPU 101. In response to the execution, the graphics module 304 generates PDL format print data for the print request. The print setting output by the print setting request is passed to the graphics module 304 when the print request is issued from the application 113. The graphics module 304 converts the print data in the PDL format, which is further generated in response to the print setting, to enable double-sided printing, color printing, etc. in the printer 2a as the output destination.

  The printer driver 302 of this embodiment corresponds to each of the printers 2a to 2n of different models. The printing functions and device options supported by each of the printers 2a to 2n differ depending on the corresponding model. The support information for the print function and device option for each model is summarized in the model-dependent file 305. By referring to the model-dependent file 305 when the driver UI module 306 is executed, the UI control displayed in the print setting UI 400 is changed, and only the print functions and device options supported by the model are displayed.

  The customization tool 115 is a tool for customizing the driver set. In the present embodiment, for the sake of explanation, a case where the driver set 114 is customized will be described. The modules and files of the customization tool 115 have the configuration shown in FIG. 3B. The customization tool 115 includes a tool 307, tool data 308, and a pseudo API module 309 that is an OS processing emulator. When the printer driver 302 customized by using the customized driver set 114a with the customization tool 115 is installed, a print setting different from the print setting initial value of the print setting UI 400 determined at the time of factory shipment can be set as the initial value. Hereinafter, the customized printer driver 302 will be referred to as a customized printer driver 302a. By opening the print setting UI 400 immediately after installing the customized printer driver 302a on the OS 116, the customized state can be confirmed. For example, as shown in FIG. 4A, the print setting at the time of factory shipment is a print setting in which the double-sided setting is off, the color mode is color, and the staple is not performed. On the other hand, when the customized printer driver 302a is installed, the print settings different from those at the time of factory shipment such as double-sided setting ON, color mode monochrome, and staple upper left are applied as initial values.

  FIG. 3C shows a configuration diagram of modules and files of the driver set 114a that has been customized by the customization tool 115 based on the driver set 114 of FIG. 3A. The difference between FIG. 3A and FIG. 3C is only the customization setting file 310. The customization setting file 310 includes tool setting information 311, customization information 313, and installer setting information 312. The tool setting information 311 includes information such as the version of the driver set 114 that is the source of customization and the version of the customization tool 115 that does not directly affect customization. The customization information 313 includes information about initial values of print settings set by the user. The installer setting information 312 is composed of information necessary for installing the customized printer driver 302a, such as the IP address of the output port and the printer model information. Although these are divided into separate files for convenience, each information may be stored in one file. After customization, the tool 307 adds the customization setting file 310 to the driver set 114. When the customized printer driver 302a is installed in the OS 116 using the customized driver set 114a, the installer 301 applies the customized setting to the printer queue according to the customized setting file 310. By this application, print settings different from those at the time of factory shipment are applied as initial values of the printer driver 302 after installation.

  Customization processing by the customization tool 115 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 5A. This process is started when the OS 116 loads the tool 307 of the customization tool 115 from the auxiliary storage device 105 into the RAM 112 and requests the CPU 101 to execute the process in response to a user instruction. The main body of the processing of this flowchart is the tool 307 unless otherwise specified. In the present embodiment, the case where the tool 307 is wizard-type software for displaying a plurality of dialogs and performing display setting in the order required for setting will be described as an example. The tool 307 does not need to be limited to the wizard-type software and may be a single dialog software or the like.

  First, the tool 307 displays the license agreement dialog 600 shown in FIG. 6A on the monitor 110 (step S501). When the user presses the “Yes” button 601 using the pointing device 109, it is determined that the license agreement is accepted, and the process proceeds to step S502.

  In step S502, the model selection dialog 610 to be customized shown in FIG. 6B is displayed. The model selection dialog 610 is a dialog for designating a folder path of a driver set 114 that is a source of customization and selecting a model to be customized from models corresponding to the driver set 114. When the reference button 611 is pressed, the tool 307 requests the OS 116 to display the OS standard folder designation dialog 620 shown in FIG. 6C on the monitor 110. After that, when the user designates the pointing device 109 on the folder designation dialog 620, the OS 116 returns the folder path information of the driver set 114, which is the customization source, to the tool 307. The tool 307 confirms whether the driver set 114 existing at the folder path position corresponds to the customization tool 115. This confirmation processing is performed based on the configuration of the driver set 114, the description of the INF file 303, and the presence or absence of the Export function of the driver UI module 306. The confirmation process, the decompression process when each module of the driver set 114 is compressed and stored, and the backup file copy process may take time. Therefore, during these processes, a progress dialog 630 showing the progress of the process shown in FIG. 6D is displayed in front of the model selection dialog 610. When the tool 307 determines that the driver set 114 can be customized, the model selection dialog 610 to be customized shown in FIG. 6E is displayed on the monitor 110. The specified folder path is displayed in the text box 612, and the name of the model corresponding to the driver set 114 of the specified folder path is listed in the list box 613. A check box 614 exists before each model name in the list box 613. If one or more check boxes 614 of the model to be customized are checked, the "Next" button 615 can be operated. Upon receiving the depression, the tool 307 proceeds to step S503. In addition, the model with the check box 614 checked is the model group designated as the customization target.

  In step S503, the tool 307 executes detailed customization setting processing. Details of this processing will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 5B.

  First, the tool 307 displays the detail customization setting dialog 700 shown in FIG. 7A (step S511), and accepts an operation on the detail customization setting dialog 700 by the user (step S512). The detailed customization setting dialog 700 has a list view 701 that displays a model group designated as a customization target. In this embodiment, the name of each model is shown as the printer name as shown in FIG. 7A. In the list view 701, one model is in the selected state, and the pointing device 109 can change the selected model.

  Further, the list view 701 displays the customization status regarding the setting items such as print settings, favorites, stamps, device settings / administrator settings, and port settings. The character "changed" is displayed for a customized setting item among these setting items. When one of the models is selected in the list view 701 and the setting button 702 is pressed (YES in step S513), a screen 410 ([Basic] tab of the print setting UI 400 of the selected model is displayed for detailed customization. 4A) is displayed (step S514). The display process of the print setting UI 400 is realized by calling the driver UI module 306 using the pseudo API module 309 which is an emulator of the OS process. When the driver UI module 306 is called, the customization information 313 customized previously is passed. As a result, the customization information 313 previously customized can be applied and displayed on the initial display of the print setting UI 400. The driver UI module 306 performs the response to the operation on the print setting UI 400 and the process of generating the print setting. Since the print setting UI 400 uses the driver UI module 306 included in the driver set 114, the print setting can be performed with the same operation feeling as the operation of the print setting from the normal application 113, and the resulting print setting is obtained as the customized setting. be able to. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and conversely, by determining that the call is from the pseudo API module 309, it is possible to perform a behavior different from the print setting from the normal application 113. is there. In this embodiment, the screen 420 of the [Device Settings] tab of the print setting UI 400 is the screen shown in FIG. 4B when called from the application 113. On the other hand, when the print setting UI 400 is called from the pseudo API module 309, the screen 420 of the [Device setting] tab is the screen shown in FIG. 8A. Specifically, instead of the IP address setting button 425 of FIG. 4A, an output port setting button 801 is displayed in FIG. 8A. When the pressing of the output port setting button 801 is detected, the output port setting dialog 810 is displayed as shown in FIG. 8B. In the output port setting dialog 810, the user can select how to set the output port when installing the customized printer driver 302a. For example, if the user selects 811 not to be set (specified at installation) in the output port setting dialog 810, the user sets the output port using the UI displayed at the time of installation. Further, the user may select the fixed IP address setting 812 in the output port setting dialog 810 and further set the IP address of the printer to be output, which is one of the printers 2, in the edit box for setting the IP address. In this case, the installer 301 reads the IP address set in the output port setting dialog 810 at the time of installation as connection port information and automatically creates and installs the output port. On the other hand, the user may select the search address setting 813 in the output port setting dialog 810 and further set the search start IP address and the search end IP address as the search range. That is, there is a case where the IP address used for searching for the printer of the output destination is accepted by specifying the range. In this case, the installer 301 searches the printer 2 on the network 3 for a printer (hereinafter referred to as an installation target printer) that automatically outputs from the search range set in the output port setting dialog 810 during installation. After that, the installation process is performed by using all the IP addresses of the printers to be installed that are searched for as output ports.

  Although the output port setting dialog 810 is shown in FIG. 8B, the present invention is not limited to this. The detailed behavior of the customized printer driver 302a at the time of installation will be described later, so please refer to it. In the print setting UI 400, when the “OK” button 401 is pressed to close the UI (YES in step S515), the detailed customization setting group for the currently selected model is saved (step S516), and the process returns to step S511. .. On the other hand, in the print setting UI 400, if any button other than “OK” is pressed to close the UI (NO in step S515), the process directly returns to step S511.

  If the "next" button 703 is pressed in the detail customization setting dialog 700 (NO in step S513, YES in step S518), the detail customization setting process of step S503 is ended (step S519). On the other hand, when the "cancel" button 704 is pressed in the detailed customization setting dialog 700 (NO in step S513 and NO in step S518), the process returns to step S512.

  Returning to FIG. 5A, as the final step of the customization processing by the customization tool 115, the tool 307 executes the output processing of the customized driver set 114a (for example, installer package) (step S504). The tool 307 displays the creation dialog 710 of the customized driver set 114a shown in FIG. 7B. The creation dialog 710 of the customized driver set 114a has a reference button 711 for designating a save destination folder path of the customized driver set 114a. When the reference button 711 is pressed, the tool 307 requests the OS 116 to display the OS standard folder designation dialog 720 shown in FIG. 7C on the monitor 110. After that, when the pointing device 109 receives the designation from the user, the OS 116 returns the folder path information to the tool 307. The tool 307 displays the folder path information returned from the OS 116 in the save destination text box 712. The creation dialog 710 of the customized driver set 114a has a UI control 713 for designating a custom code. The custom code received by the UI control 713 is stored in the customized driver set 114a as the tool setting information 311 of the customization setting file 310. After the printer driver 302 is installed in the OS 116, the custom code and the version information of the driver that is the base can be confirmed in the dialog displayed when the version information button 424 of the print setting UI 400 is pressed. Upon pressing the save button 715 (FIG. 7B) of the creation dialog 710 of the customized driver set 114a, the tool 307 displays the creating dialog 730 of the customized driver set 114a shown in FIG. 7D on the monitor 110. In order to protect the driver set 114, which is the source of the customized printer driver 302a, it is necessary to copy the entire driver set 114 and create a customized driver set 114a as another driver set. This process takes a relatively long time. Therefore, the progress dialog 730 of the creating dialog 730 of the customized driver set 114a displays the progress of processing. Finally, the customization setting generated in the detailed customization setting process of step S503 is additionally stored as a customization setting file 310 in a copy of the driver set 114. As a result, the customized driver set 114a as shown in FIG. 3C is completed, and this processing ends. The data set included in the customized driver set 114 completed by a series of processes and the installer 301 function as a so-called driver installer package.

  As described above, according to the processes of FIGS. 5A and 5B, the customization tool 115 receives the output port search range from the user on the screen shown in FIG. 8B when customizing the printer driver 302. As a result, it is possible to enhance the convenience for the user when customizing the printer driver and designating the search range of the printer used for printing.

  Next, the installation process of the customized printer driver 302a using the customized driver set 114a in this embodiment will be described using the flowchart of FIG. Unless otherwise specified, the installer 301 is the main body of the processing of this flowchart. Further, in the client computer 1, the installation destination of the customized printer driver 302a is assumed to be the client computer that has executed the customization processing of FIG. 5A. However, it is not limited to this. For example, the customized driver set 114a can be distributed to another computer, and the processor of the other computer can cause the printer driver to be installed.

  This processing starts when the OS detects that the executable file of the installer 301 included in the customized driver set 114a has been double-clicked by the pointing device 109 or the like, and the OS starts the installer 301.

  First, it is checked whether or not there is installer setting information 312 in the customization setting file 310 (step S901). If there is no installer setting information 312 (NO in step S901), normal installation processing is performed (step S910). A typical specific example of normal installation processing is shown below. As one specific example, first, the target printer on the network 3 is searched from the printer 2, and the search result is listed and notified to the user. When the user selects a printer from the notified list, the printer driver 302 is installed in the selected printer. As another specific example, first, the IP address of the installation target printer is received from the user in advance without performing the search. The installer 301 creates a connection port based on the received IP address and installs the printer driver 302. In the present embodiment, hereinafter, when described as a normal installation process, it means the process shown in the former specific example of searching for and installing a printer on the network 3.

  If the installer setting information 312 is present (YES in step S901), it is checked whether the connection port information of the installer setting information 312 is the search IP address information (step S902). If the connection port information is not the search IP address information but the fixed IP address information (NO in step S902), an output port is created using the set IP address and installation is performed (step S909).

  On the other hand, when the connection port information is the search IP address information (YES in step S902), the printer 2 on the network 3 is searched for all printers included in the search range. After that, an output port is created using the IP address of the found printer and installation processing is performed. Specifically, first, the IP address is sequentially specified from the search start IP address to start the device search processing (step S903). At this time, the search start IP address and the search end IP address may be used to display a UI indicating that the device search process is to be performed.

  Next, it is checked whether the device having the designated IP address is a printer (step S904). As a method of checking whether the printer is a printer, the printer model of the designated IP address is compared with the printer model information in the installer setting information 312 in the customization setting file 310. If it is a printer (YES in step S904), the process proceeds to step S905. If not (NO in step S904), the process proceeds to step S907 to increment the search IP address.

  In step S905, printer information confirmation processing is executed to confirm whether or not the specific customization information 313a (printer related information) and the printer information of the printer of the specified IP address (hereinafter referred to as the confirmation target printer) match. To do. The specific customization information 313a is a part of the customization information 313, and indicates, for example, paper feed / discharge information, finisher information, and account information. The installer 301 communicates via the network 3 with the printer information corresponding to the specific customization information 313a and acquires it from the printer to be confirmed, and confirms whether the acquired printer information matches the specific customization information 313a. As a result of this confirmation, if the acquired printer information and the specific customization information 313a match, it is determined that the confirmation target printer is the installation target printer, and if not, the confirmation target printer is installed. Judge that the printer is not a target.

  If the result of the printer information confirmation processing in step S905 is that the confirmation target printer is the installation target printer (YES in step S905a), an output port is created with the specified IP address and installation is performed (step S906). .. Then, the search IP address is incremented (step S907). On the other hand, if the determination result of the printer information confirmation processing in step S905 is that the confirmation target printer is not the installation target printer (NO in step S905a), the installation is not performed and the process directly proceeds to step S907 to set the search IP address. Increment.

  The processes of steps S904 to S907 are performed up to the search end IP address (step S908), and this process ends.

  According to this embodiment, when the printer driver 302 having the search range set and customized is installed in the client computer 1, the printer 2 is in the search range and the printer information thereof matches the specific customization information 313a. Is confirmed. As a result, only the printer in which the customized printer driver 302a operates properly can be set as the installation target printer.

  A modified example of the printer information confirmation processing in step S905 in FIG. 9 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Here, in the present embodiment, the device configuration information (printer related information) is defined in the customization setting file 310 during the detailed customization setting process of FIG. 5B. Specifically, when the setting contents of the device option in the device option list 421 of the screen 420 of the [Device Settings] tab in FIG. 8A are changed, the device configuration information indicating the changed device option is customized in the setting file. Add to 310. The device configuration information refers to information such as whether there is a duplex unit or what is attached to the paper discharge option.

  In the first embodiment, as described above, in the printer information confirmation processing, it is confirmed whether or not the specific customization information 313a and the printer information acquired from the printer to be confirmed corresponding to this are the same. On the other hand, the printer information confirmation processing of the present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that it confirms whether or not the device configuration information and the printer information acquired from the corresponding printer to be confirmed match. Except for this difference, the present embodiment has the same hardware and software configuration as that of the first embodiment, and therefore, the same components will be denoted by the same reference numerals and duplicate description will be omitted.

  In FIG. 10, first, it is checked whether or not there is device configuration information in the customization setting file 310 (step S1001). If there is no device configuration information (NO in step S1001), the printer to be confirmed is determined to be the printer to be installed (step S1006), and this processing ends. If there is device configuration information (YES in step S1001), the printer to be checked is communicated with to obtain printer information corresponding to the device configuration information (step S1002). Next, it is confirmed whether the acquired printer information matches the device configuration information of the customization setting file 310 (step S1003). As a result of this confirmation, if the acquired printer information and the device configuration information match (YES in step S1003), it is determined that the printer is an installation target printer (step S1004), and this processing ends. On the other hand, if not (NO in step S1003), it is determined that the printer is not a target for installation (step S1005), and this processing ends.

  According to this embodiment, when the printer driver 302 is customized, not only the search range is set, but also the device configuration information is defined. When the customized printer driver 302 is installed in the client computer 1, it is confirmed whether the printer 2 is in the search range and the printer information matches the device configuration information. As a result, only the printer in which the customized printer driver 302a operates properly can be set as the installation target printer.

  A modified example of the printer information confirmation processing in step S905 in FIG. 9 according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Here, in this embodiment, the authentication information (printer related information) is defined in the customization information 313 in the detailed customization setting process of FIG. 5B. Specifically, when the authentication information is registered using the UI displayed by pressing the setting button 426 on the screen 420 of the [Device settings] tab in FIG. 8A, the authentication information is added to the customization information 313. ..

  In the first embodiment, as described above, in the printer information confirmation processing, it is confirmed whether or not the specific customization information 313a and the printer information acquired from the printer to be confirmed corresponding to this are the same. On the other hand, in the printer confirmation processing of the present embodiment, not only the confirmation in the first embodiment but also the authentication information included in the customization information 313 and the authentication information of the confirmation target printer are confirmed (the authentication processing is performed. ), Which is different from Example 1. Except for this difference, the present embodiment has the same hardware and software configuration as that of the first embodiment, and therefore, the same components will be denoted by the same reference numerals and duplicate description will be omitted.

  It should be noted that the authentication information is information that is authenticated in order to specify a user when printing using the printer 2 or when operating the printer 2. Generally, a user account is registered in the printer 2 in advance, and it is determined at the time of printing or logon that the user is permitted to perform the operation. In this embodiment, as the authentication information set in the customization setting file 310, the installation process is performed in a state in which the ID for each department to which each user specified by the user account belongs is also registered. After that, the user of the client computer 1 sets the authentication information using the UI displayed when the user turns on the authentication function and presses the setting button 426 on the print setting UI 400 of FIG. 4B when printing the print data. To do. When the user operation is completed by pressing the "OK" button 401, the client computer 1 sends the set authentication information to one of the printers 2 serving as an output port. If the transmitted authentication information can be authenticated, the printer that is the transmission destination can receive the print data from the client computer 1 and can print the print data. In other words, a printer that does not register the ID of the department to which it belongs cannot print such print data from the client computer 1 because it cannot perform such authentication. Therefore, it does not make sense to use that printer as the installation target printer. Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the installer 301 performs the printer information confirmation processing, if the ID for each department to which the user belongs is included in the customization information 313, the authentication can be performed using any of the IDs. Determine the printer as the printer to be installed. This will be specifically described below with reference to FIG.

  In FIG. 11, first, as in the first embodiment, it is confirmed whether or not the specific customization information 313a and the printer information acquired from the printer to be confirmed corresponding thereto match (step S1100). As a result of this confirmation, if they do not match (NO in step S1100), it is determined that the printer to be confirmed is a printer not to be installed (step S1105), and this processing ends.

  On the other hand, as a result of the confirmation in step S1100, if they match (YES in step S1100), the process advances to step S1101 to confirm whether or not there is authentication information in the customization setting file 310 (step S1101). If there is no authentication information (NO in step S1101), the printer to be confirmed is determined to be the printer to be installed (step S1106). On the other hand, if there is the authentication information (YES in step S1101), the authentication process is performed by communicating with the confirmation target printer.

  As a result of the authentication processing, it is determined whether or not authentication by any of the department IDs, which is the authentication information of the customization setting file 310, has been performed by the confirmation target printer (step S1102). If the confirmation target printer has been authenticated (YES in step S1103), the confirmation target printer is determined to be the installation target printer (step S1104), and this processing ends. On the other hand, if the confirmation target printer has not been authenticated (NO in step S1103), the confirmation target printer is determined to be a non-installation target printer (step S1105), and this processing ends.

  According to this embodiment, when the printer driver 302 is customized, not only the search range is set, but also the authentication information is defined in the customization information. When the customized printer driver 302 is installed in the client computer 1, it is confirmed whether the printer 2 is within the search range and can be authenticated by the authentication information defined in the customized information. As a result, only the printer 2 in the search range of the printer 2 in which the customized printer driver 302a operates correctly can be set as the installation target printer.

[Other Examples]
Needless to say, the object of the present invention can be achieved by supplying a storage medium storing a program code of software for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments to the apparatus. At this time, the computer (or CPU or MPU) including the control unit of the supplied device reads and executes the program code stored in the storage medium.

  In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the function of the above-described embodiment, and the program code itself and the storage medium storing the program code constitute the present invention.

  As the storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, a flexible disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a CD-R, a magnetic tape, a non-volatile memory card, a ROM or the like can be used.

  An OS (basic system or operating system) running on the device performs some or all of the processing based on the instructions of the program code, and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments. It goes without saying that cases are included.

  Further, the program code read from the storage medium may be written in a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted in the device or a function expansion unit connected to the computer to realize the functions of the above-described embodiments. Needless to say, it is included. At this time, the CPU or the like included in the function expansion board or function expansion unit performs a part or all of the actual processing based on the instruction of the program code.

1 Client Computer 2 Printer 3 Network 114 Driver Set 115 Customization Tool 301 Installer 302 Printer Driver 307 Tool 310 Customization Setting File 311 Tool Setting Information 312 Installer Setting Information 313 Customization Information

Claims (11)

An information processing apparatus for performing an installation process of the printer driver customized by adding a customization setting file to a driver set including a printer driver,
First determining means for determining whether or not there is installer setting information in the customization setting file during the installation process,
When it is determined by the first determining means that the installer setting information is present, it is determined whether or not the connection port information of the installer setting information is a search range information including a search start IP address and a search end IP address. Second determining means for
When the connection port information is determined to be the information of the search range by the second determination means, the connection to the information processing apparatus is performed using the search start IP address and the search end IP address. A search means for sequentially searching for printers,
Third determining means for determining whether or not the printer-related information of the customization setting file and the printer information corresponding to the printer-related information of the printers sequentially searched by the searching means match.
Among the printers searched in the order, first installation means for creating an output port and performing an installation process with all the IP addresses of the printers in which the printer related information and the printer information match each other is provided. Information processing device.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second installation unit that performs a normal installation process when the first determination unit determines that the installer setting information does not exist.   When the second determination means determines that the connection port information is not the information of the search range, it is determined that the connection port information is information of a fixed IP address, and the output port is set to the fixed IP address. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a third installation unit that creates and performs an installation process.   4. The information processing according to claim 1, wherein the printer-related information is a part of information of initial values of print settings set when the printer driver is customized. apparatus.   The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the printer-related information is device configuration information indicating contents of a device option changed when the printer driver is customized. .. The printer-related information further includes authentication information registered when the printer driver is customized,
The third determination means performs an authentication process using the authentication information on a printer in which a part of the information of the initial value of the print setting matches the printer information among the printers searched in the order. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the printer-related information and the printer information are determined to match when authenticated.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the authentication information is a user account and an ID for each department to which each user specified by the user account belongs.   8. The information processing according to claim 1, wherein a screen for setting the search start IP address and the search end IP address according to a user operation is displayed during the customization. apparatus. A method for controlling an information processing apparatus for performing a process of installing the customized printer driver by adding a customization setting file to a driver set including a printer driver,
A first determining step of determining whether installer setting information is present in the customization setting file during the installation process;
When it is determined that the installer setting information is present in the first determining step, it is determined whether or not the connection port information of the installer setting information is information of a search range including a search start IP address and a search end IP address. A second determination step to
When it is determined that the connection port information is the information of the search range in the second determination step, the connection information is connected to the information processing apparatus using the search start IP address and the search end IP address. A search step for sequentially searching for printers,
A third determining step of determining whether or not the printer-related information of the customization setting file and the printer information corresponding to the printer-related information of the printers sequentially searched in the searching step match.
Among the printers searched in the order, an installation step of creating an output port and performing an installation process with all IP addresses of the printers in which the printer-related information and the printer information match each other.   A program for executing the control method according to claim 9. A program for customizing a driver set including a printer driver and an installer for the printer driver,
In the information processing device,
A first receiving step of receiving a range of an IP address used for searching for a printer as an output destination as the customization information of the printer driver;
A second receiving step of receiving customization of initial values of print settings as the customization information of the printer driver;
A program for executing the customization information received in the first reception process and the second reception process and an output process for outputting the driver set.

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