Patent Application
20240256199
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, a control method for the information processing apparatus, and a storage medium.
An information processing apparatus such as a client terminal equipped with a general purpose printer driver, which uses an industry-standard protocol such as the internet printing protocol (IPP), is known. Examples of the general purpose printer driver include a local printer driver that is directly connected to a printer, and a cloud printer driver that transmits print data to a cloud print service.
The general purpose printer driver is able to communicate with, for example, printers provided by a plurality of printer vendors, and hence by using the general purpose printer driver included in the information processing apparatus, a user is able to transmit the print data from the information processing apparatus to the printer or the cloud printer service without installing a vendor-specific printer driver in the information processing apparatus.
On the other hand, since the general purpose printer driver needs to generate print data interpretable by printers provided by various printer vendors, functions of the general purpose printer driver are limited, and hence setting items that can be set as print settings are limited. In order to extend functions of the information processing apparatus equipped with such the general purpose printer driver, an extension application that extends a print setting function is installed in the information processing apparatus (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication (Kokai) No. 2021-124791). As a result, the information processing apparatus is able to realize display control of a user interface (UI) on which vendor-specific print settings can be configured and generation of print data including the vendor-specific print settings based on setting values set on the UI.
According to the prior art described above, however, there may be a case that it is not possible to implement mixed-sheet printing in which a plurality of pages is printed and a predetermined print setting such as a sheet setting is different among the plurality of pages. For example, in the case that the printer designated by the user does not have the capability of the mixed-sheet printing, even though the information processing apparatus is able to generate print data corresponding to the mixed-sheet printing, it is not possible to implement the mixed-sheet printing.
The present invention provides an information processing apparatus that is capable of implementing mixed-sheet printing in which a predetermined print setting is different among pages, a control method for the information processing apparatus, and a storage medium.
Accordingly, the present invention provides an information processing apparatus that causes a printing apparatus to execute mixed-sheet printing, in which printing of a plurality of pages is performed and a predetermined print setting is different among the pages, the information processing apparatus comprising a controller configured or programmed to function as an obtaining unit that obtains intermediate data including the predetermined print setting of each of the plurality of pages, a determining unit that determines whether or not the printing apparatus has a capability of the mixed-sheet printing, a generating unit that generates print data for causing the printing apparatus to execute the mixed-sheet printing based on the intermediate data, and a transmitting unit that transmits the print data generated by the generating unit to the printing apparatus. In a case that the printing apparatus does not have the capability of the mixed-sheet printing, the generating unit obtains the predetermined print settings included in the intermediate data in order of the pages to be printed, and generates a plurality of pieces of print data based on a plurality of pieces of divided intermediate data obtained by dividing the intermediate data based on differences among the predetermined print settings of the plurality of pages.
According to the present invention, it is possible to implement the mixed-sheet printing in which the predetermined print setting is different among the pages.
Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.
The present invention will now be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings showing embodiments thereof.
First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described.
It should be noted that in
In addition, the cloud print server 102, the application management server 103, and the online support server 105 may be a server system that includes a plurality of information processing apparatuses. By the cloud print server 102, the application management server 103, and the online support server 105 being the server system that includes the plurality of information processing apparatuses, the processing load can be distributed among the plurality of information processing apparatuses. Moreover, the cloud print server 102, the application management server 103, and the online support server 105 may be virtually configured inside one physical information processing apparatus.
The client terminal 101, which is the information processing apparatus such as a personal computer (PC), a tablet, or a smartphone, is a terminal that is directly operated by a user. Arbitrary application software is executable on the client terminal 101. The client terminal 101 includes an operating system (OS) 313, a cloud printer driver 311, a local printer driver 314, a print setting extension application 312, and a document generating application 315 as basic software.
The cloud print compatible printers 104 is a device that actually performs printing on recording media such as sheets and is an image forming apparatus that converts print data received via the network 107 into image data and prints the image data on the sheets. The cloud print compatible printers 104 receives print data, which has been generated by the cloud printer driver 311 of the client terminal 101, via the cloud print server 102. In addition, the cloud print compatible printers 104 directly receives print data, which has been generated by the local printer driver 312 of the client terminal 101, from the client terminal 101 without via the cloud print server 102.
The cloud print server 102 is a server apparatus, which provides a cloud print service 321, and receives a print instruction and the print data from the outside. Furthermore, the cloud print server 102 transmits the received print data to a designated printer, for example, the cloud print compatible printers 104.
The application management server 103, which is a server apparatus that provides an application management service 331, holds and manages various kinds of applications. The application management server 103 receives identification information of an application and a download request of the application from the client terminal 101, and then transmits the application identified from the received identification information to the client terminal 101.
The online support server 105, which is a server apparatus that provides an online support service 351, provides the client terminal 101 with an extension setup information file in which information for extending functions of the client terminal 101 has been described.
The control unit 211 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 212 and a memory 213, and controls the overall operation of the client terminal 101. The CPU 212 loads a program stored in the storage unit 214 into the memory 213 and executes the program loaded into the memory 213. The memory 213, which is a main memory of the CPU 212, is used as a working area, and a temporary storage area for loading various kinds of programs. The storage unit 214 is a nonvolatile storage device such as a hard disk or a solid state drive (an SSD), and stores digital data. The network communication unit 215 performs input/output of the digital data into/from the cloud print server 102, the application management server 103, the cloud print compatible printer 104, the online support server 105, and so forth via the network 107. The display unit 216 is a device such as a liquid crystal display for displaying visual information. The operating unit 217 is a device such as a keyboard or a mouse which accepts input operations from the user. It should be noted that a device such as a touch panel which is equipped with the functions of both the display unit 216 and the operating unit 217 may be used.
Next, the hardware configuration of the cloud print server 102 will be described.
The control unit 221 includes a CPU 222 and a memory 223, and controls the overall operation of the cloud print server 102. The CPU 222 loads a program stored in the storage unit 224 into the memory 223 and executes the program loaded into the memory 223. The memory 223, which is a main memory of the CPU 222, is used as a working area, and a temporary storage area for loading various kinds of programs. The storage unit 224 is a nonvolatile storage device such as a hard disk or an SSD, and stores digital data. The network communication unit 225 performs input/output of the digital data into/from the client terminal 101, the cloud print compatible printer 104, and so forth via the network 107.
It should be noted that in the description of the first embodiment of the present invention, although the cloud print server 102 is configured by one information processing apparatus that has the hardware configuration shown in
Next, the hardware configuration of the application management server 103 will be described.
The control unit 231 includes a CPU 232 and a memory 233, and controls the overall operation of the application management server 103. The CPU 232 loads a program stored in the storage unit 234 into the memory 233 and executes the program loaded into the memory 233. The memory 233, which is a main memory of the CPU 232, is used as a working area, and a temporary storage area for loading various kinds of programs. The storage unit 234 is a nonvolatile storage device such as a hard disk or an SSD, and stores digital data. The network communication unit 235 performs input/output of the digital data into/from the client terminal 101 and so forth via the network 107. The display unit 236 is a device such as a liquid crystal display for displaying visual information. The operating unit 237 is a device such as a keyboard or a mouse which accepts input operations from the user. It should be noted that a device such as a touch panel which is equipped with the functions of both the display unit 236 and the operating unit 237 may be used.
It should be noted that in the description of the first embodiment of the present invention, although the application management server 103 is configured by one information processing apparatus that has the hardware configuration shown in
Next, the hardware configuration of the cloud print compatible printer 104 will be described.
The control unit 241 includes a CPU 242 and a memory 243, and controls the overall operation of the cloud print compatible printer 104. The CPU 242 loads a program stored in the storage unit 244 into the memory 243 and executes the program loaded into the memory 243. The memory 243, which is a main memory of the CPU 242, is used as a working area, and a temporary storage area for loading various kinds of programs. The storage unit 244 is a nonvolatile storage device such as a hard disk or an SSD, and stores digital data.
The network communication unit 245 carries out communications with apparatuses connected via the network 107. For example, the network communication unit 245 receives the print data from the client terminal 101 and the cloud print server 102 via the network 107. Furthermore, the network communication unit 245 transmits information indicating a status of the cloud print compatible printer 104 such as an error to an external apparatus. The display unit 246 is a device for displaying information, such as a touch panel or a light emitting diode (an LED) that is provided on the cloud print compatible printer 104. The operating unit 247 is a device that accepts input operations from the user, and includes hard keys such as a numeric keypad, and a touch panel.
The printing unit 248 is a device that carries out a printing process by performing a sequence of operations including sheet feeding, printing, and sheet discharging with respect to sheets prepared in a cassette (not shown) or a tray (not shown). The method of the printing is an electrophotographic method, an inkjet method, or the like. A duplex unit that is used for the sheet discharging, and a finishing device that performs stapling, punching, and so forth are also included in the printing unit 248.
It should be noted that in the description of the first embodiment of the present invention, although the cloud print compatible printer 104 is a single function printer equipped with only a printing function, the cloud print compatible printer 104 is not limited to the single function printer. For example, the cloud print compatible printer 104 may be a multi-function printer (a multi-function peripheral) equipped with a scanner function and a fax function as well as the printing function.
Next, the hardware configuration of the online support server 105 will be described.
The control unit 251 includes a CPU 252 and a memory 253. The CPU 252 controls the overall operation of the online support server 105. The memory 253 is used in the processing executed by the CPU 252. The storage unit 254 is a memory device such as a hard disk drive (an HDD) or an SSD. The extension setup information file that is a file, in which the information for extending the functions provided by the client terminal 101 has been described, is stored in the storage unit 254. The network communication unit 255 is an interface for the online support server 105 to communicate with the client terminal 101. The online support server 105 receives a request to obtain a file stored in the storage unit 254 from the client terminal 101 via the network communication unit 255 and transmits the file corresponding to the request to the client terminal 101. The display unit 256 is a device such as a liquid crystal display for displaying visual information. The operating unit 257 is a device such as a keyboard or a mouse which accepts input operations from the user. It should be noted that a device such as a touch panel which is equipped with the functions of both the display unit 256 and the operating unit 257 may be used.
It should be noted that in the description of the first embodiment of the present invention, although the online support server 105 is configured by one information processing apparatus that has the hardware configuration shown in
Next, registration of the cloud print compatible printer 104 in the printing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.
As shown in
The cloud print service 321, which has received the printer registration request from the cloud print compatible printer 104, transmits a uniform resource locator (URL) for printer registration to the cloud print compatible printer 104. For example, when the user accesses the URL from the cloud print compatible printer 104, an input screen for inputting a user ID and a password is displayed on the display unit 246 of the cloud print compatible printer 104. The user inputs a user ID and a password for using the cloud print service 321 into the input screen. When user authentication using the user ID and the password that have been inputted is successful, i.e., when login of the user is successful, the cloud print service 321 transmits a request to obtain information required for the printer registration (an obtaining request) to the cloud print compatible printer 104.
In response to this obtaining request, the cloud print compatible printer 104 executes predetermined commands and performs a registration processing for the capability information. The predetermined commands are commands that are prepared in order to register the capability information in the cloud print service 321. The capability information is information that indicates functions installed in the cloud print compatible printer 104, and is information required for the user to set print settings at the time of printing such as double-sided printable information, color printable information, and stapling possible information.
As the capability information of the cloud print compatible printer 104, in addition to item names and attribute values that are defined as industry-standard specifications by the IPP, the cloud print compatible printer 104 also stores item names and attribute values that are independently defined by the printer vendor. The item names defined as the industry-standard specifications by the IPP are, for example, “sheet size”, “sheet type”, and “color mode”. On the other hand, the item name independently defined by the printer vendor is, for example, “mixed-sheet printing”. In the first embodiment of the present invention, the “mixed-sheet printing” is an item for setting whether or not to perform printing according to a sheet size of each page when printing a document in which the sheet size is different among pages. In the first embodiment of the present invention, in the case that the capability information of the printer includes the “mixed-sheet printing”, it is assumed that the printer is able to interpret settings (in the first embodiment of the present invention, the sheet sizes) of the respective pages based on the print data and perform the printing according to the settings.
In addition to the “mixed-sheet printing”, “save job in printer”, “job name abbreviation”, and “stapleless binding” are the item names independently defined by the printer vendor. The “save job in printer” is a setting item for setting whether or not to save the print data received by the printer from the cloud print service 321 in the printer even after printing the print data. The “job name abbreviation” is a setting item for setting whether or not to abbreviate a name assigned to the print data and display the abbreviated name when displaying bibliographic information of the print data received by the printer from the cloud print service 321 on the display unit of the printer. The “stapleless binding” is a setting item for setting whether or not to bind output sheets (a printed matter) based on the print data received by the printer from the cloud print service 321 together without using staples. Binding without using staples means binding the output sheets together by, for example, pressure bonding.
It should be noted that printer vendor-independently-defined attribute values (i.e., printer vendor-specific attribute values) may be defined as the attribute values corresponding to the item names defined as the industry-standard specifications by the IPP. For example, “folding setting” is an item name defined by the IPP. On the other hand, “saddle folding”, which is one of attribute values of the “folding setting”, is a function that folds and outputs (discharges) one or more sheets at once without binding them using staples, and is an attribute value independently defined by the printer vendor (i.e., a printer vendor-specific attribute value).
In the capability information registration processing, the cloud print compatible printer 104 notifies the cloud print service 321 of the capability information according to the IPP as a communication protocol. In the capability information registration processing, the cloud print compatible printer 104 notifies the cloud print service 321 of the item names shown in
The cloud print service 321 registers the capability information notified from the cloud print compatible printer 104. Specifically, the cloud print service 321 generates a print queue for the cloud print compatible printer 104 and associates the notified capability information with the print queue.
Next, the client terminal 101 accepts a printer adding operation, which is a setup operation of the cloud print compatible printer 104 performed by the user (a step S3002). The printer adding operation is, for example, an operation to select an object on a printer setting screen shown in
The OS 313, which has accepted the printer search instruction, determines whether or not it is holding an access token for the cloud print service 321. In the case of determining that the OS 313 is not holding the access token, the OS 313 displays a screen (not shown) for inputting user information (a login name and a password). The OS 313 transmits the user information inputted into this screen to the cloud print service 321, and requests user authentication and the access token (a step S3003).
The cloud print service 321 carries out an authentication processing that performs the user authentication by using the user information received from the client terminal 101 (a step S3004). Upon completing the authentication processing, the cloud print service 321 notifies the client terminal 101 of the result of the authentication processing.
In the case that the user authentication is successful in the step S3004, the OS 313 of the client terminal 101 obtains the access token from the cloud print service 321 (a step S3005).
On the other hand, in the case that the user authentication is unsuccessful (the user authentication has failed) in the step S3004, the cloud print service 321 notifies the OS 313 of the client terminal 101 of an authentication error (a step S3006). The OS 313 of the client terminal 101 stops the processing based on information on the received authentication error (a step S3007). In the case that the access token cannot be obtained, the OS 313 of the client terminal 101 ends the registration processing for the cloud print compatible printer 104.
In the case that the OS 313 is holding the access token, or in the case that the access token has been obtained in the step S3005, the OS 313 transmits a request to obtain printer information, to which the access token has been attached, to the cloud print service 321 (a step S3008).
In response to the request to obtain the printer information (the obtaining request), the cloud print service 321 transmits the printer information to the client terminal 101 (a step S3009). The printer information is information indicating a printer that the user identified by the access token attached to the obtaining request is permitted to use. The printer information includes a printer name of the printer that the user is permitted to use and an HWID of the printer that the user is permitted to use.
It should be noted that concurrently with the processes performed in the step S3008 and the step S3009, the OS 313 of the client terminal 101 searches for printers connected to the same network 107 to which the client terminal 101 is connected. This search is a device search using mDNS, Bonjour, or the like.
The OS 313 displays a list of printers on an area 502 of the printer setting screen based on the printer information obtained from the cloud print service 321 and information on printers detected by the search for the printers connected to the network 107. Among the printers displayed on the area 502, “Cloud Printer 001”, “Cloud Printer 002”, and “Cloud Printer 003” are printers indicated by the printer information obtained from the cloud print service 321, that is, printers whose capability information has already been registered in the cloud print service 321. Examples of an icon displayed for such printers include an icon 503 shown in
In the area 502, the user selects the icon corresponding to the printer that the user wants to register in the client terminal 101, for example, selects the icon for the cloud print compatible printer 104.
The OS 313 of the client terminal 101 inquires of the cloud print service 321 about the capability information of the cloud print compatible printer 104 corresponding to the icon selected by the user (a step S3010). Which setting items in the capability information the OS 313 inquires about are determined by the specifications of the OS 313 and are set in the OS 313 in advance. In the step S3010, the OS 313 specifies the setting items set in advance and inquires of the cloud print service 321 about the capability information of the cloud print compatible printer 104. The setting items set in advance are setting items defined as standard specifications by the IPP, and are, for example, the setting items such as the “sheet size”, the “sheet type”, and the “color mode”.
The cloud print service 321 responds to the client terminal 101 with the capability information of the cloud print compatible printer 104 (a step S3011). It should be noted that in the first embodiment of the present invention, although the capability information registered in the cloud print service 321 at the time of registration in the step S3001 is transmitted to the client terminal 101 in the step S3011, the capability information registered in the cloud print service 321 may be transmitted to the client terminal 101 at a timing other than the time of registration in the step S3001. For example, when the capability information of the cloud print compatible printer 104 is changed, the changed capability information registered in the cloud print service 321 may be transmitted to the client terminal 101. Furthermore, the user may issue an instruction to update the capability information on a user interface provided by the cloud print service 321, and the capability information updated according to the instruction to update the capability information may be transmitted to the client terminal 101.
Furthermore, the cloud print service 321 may obtain the capability information from the cloud print compatible printer 104 at the timing of the step S3010, and may transmit the obtained capability information to the client terminal 101.
In the step S3011, the cloud print service 321 responds to the client terminal 101 with the attribute values and the default values, which correspond to the setting items designated by the client terminal 101. Here, the attribute values with which the cloud print service 321 responds to the client terminal 101 are all the attribute values registered in the cloud print service 321 irrespective of whether or not they are the attribute values defined as standards. The default values are values that are initially set when the client terminal 101 displays the print setting screen. It should be noted that in the case that the attribute values for the setting items about which the client terminal 101 has inquired are not stored in the cloud print service 321, the cloud print service 321 does not respond to the OS 313.
Next, based on the device identification information and the printer name of the printer corresponding to the icon selected by the user, the OS 313 starts installation of the cloud printer driver 311. Next, the OS 313 generates a print queue of the cloud printer driver 311 having basic device capability information bundled with the OS 313 (a step S3012).
The device capability information means definition information required to generate print setting capability information of the printer driver, and means, for example, information described in extensible markup language (XML) such as PrintDeviceCapabilities.
Next, the OS 313 uses the capability information obtained from the cloud print service 321 to update the device capability information constituting the cloud printer driver 311.
With the above steps, the installation of the cloud printer driver 311 is completed. By performing the processing up to here, it becomes possible to transmit the print data from the client terminal 101 to the print queue for the cloud print compatible printer 104 generated in the cloud print service 321.
Next, the OS 313 starts an installation processing of an application that is associated with the cloud print compatible printer 104 and extends functions of the cloud printer driver 311.
First, the OS 313 carries out an identification additional information adding processing with respect to the device identification information. The identification additional information adding processing is a processing required when obtaining an extension setup information file 700 shown in
The OS 313 transmits a request to search for the extension setup information file 700 shown in
It should be noted that in the online support service 351, in addition to the extension setup information file 700, in which the identification information of the print setting extension application has been described, the extension setup information file, in which the identification information of the printer driver has been described, has been stored. In the extension setup information file in which the identifier of the printer driver has been described, the identifier of the printer driver has been described in the “PackageFamilyName”. Furthermore, in “PrinterHardwareId” of this extension setup information file, device identification information that does not include the identification additional information has been described.
As described above, both the extension setup information file, in which the identifier of the printer driver has been described, and the extension setup information file, in which the identifier of the print setting extension application has been described, have been stored in the online support service 351. Thus, in order to obtain a necessary extension setup information file as appropriate, the OS 313 controls whether or not to add the identification additional information to the device identification information.
The online support service 351, which has received the search request, identifies the extension setup information file in which the “PackageFamilyName” within the file matches the device identification information with the identification additional information designated by the search request.
As a result of the search, in the case that the extension setup information file 700 including the targeted device identification information has been stored in the online support service 351, the online support service 351 returns the extension setup information file 700 to the OS 313 (a step S3014). At this time, the contents of the extension setup information file 700 are written into the registry of the OS 313. Next, the OS 313 associates the extension setup information file 700 obtained from the online support service 351 with the print queue generated in the step S3012, and installs the extension setup information file 700 (a step S3015). Next, the OS 313 extracts an application ID from the extension setup information file 700 (a step S3016). The application ID is an identifier defined by the “PackageFamilyName” in the extension setup information file 700. The processing so far is the processing performed in the case that the extension setup information file 700 including the targeted device identification information has been stored in the online support service 351.
On the other hand, as the result of the search, there is a case that the extension setup information file 700 including the targeted device identification information has not been stored in the online support service 351. The OS 313 carries out the process of a step S3017 in the case that it could not receive the extension setup information file 700 within a predetermined time period after the issuance of the search request in the step S3013, or in the case that it has received an error notification from the online support service 351. In the step S3017, the OS 313 completes the installation of the cloud printer driver, and stops the installation processing of the application.
Further, in the case that the extension setup information file 700 has been obtained from the online support service 351 and the application ID has been extracted in the step S3016, the OS 313 carries out the process of a step S3018. In the step S3018, the OS 313 transmits a request to search for an application corresponding to the extracted application ID to the application management service 331. The application management service 331 stores applications, which run on the client terminal 101, and application IDs, which are identifiers of the applications, in association with each other. The applications and the application IDs have been registered in advance in the application management service 331 by the vendor that provides the cloud print compatible printer 104.
In the case that the print setting extension application 312 corresponding to the application ID designated by the client terminal 101 is held in the application management service 331, the application management service 331 returns the print setting extension application 312 to the client terminal 101 (a step S3019). The OS 313 installs the obtained print setting extension application 312 in association with the print queue on the client side (a step S3020). The OS 313 stores the application ID as information of the print queue in the registry. Furthermore, the print setting extension application 312 is set in the OS 313 so that it provides an event notification to the OS 313 at a timing when the print queue associated with this application is set on the print setting screen. After the power of the client terminal 101 is turned on and the OS 313 is started, the installed print setting extension application 312 is started, and after the print setting extension application 312 is started, it runs as a background task.
On the other hand, there is a case that the print setting extension application 312 corresponding to the application ID designated by the client terminal 101 is not held in the application management service 331. The OS 313 stops the installation processing of the application in the case that it could not obtain the application within a predetermined time period after the issuance of the search request in the step S3018, or in the case that it has received an error notification from the application management service 331 (a step S3021). In this case, the generated print queue and the cloud printer driver 311 are installed in association with each other, and the processing is ended without the print setting extension application 312 being associated with the print queue.
It should be noted that although in the above description, the predetermined character string is added to the device identification information of the cloud print compatible printer 104 to search for the extension setup information file, this is not limitative. For example, in the case that the file for the installation of the printer driver is distinguishable, the search may be conducted without adding the predetermined character string.
Next, a processing of transmitting the print data from the client terminal 101 to the cloud print compatible printer 104 in the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.
As shown in
Next, the OS 313 inquires of the cloud print service 321 about the capability information of the cloud print compatible printer 104 (a step S802). Which setting items in the capability information the OS 313 inquires about are determined by the specifications of the OS 313 in advance. The capability information obtained at this timing is information of the same setting items as those obtained in the step S3001 of
The cloud print service 321 responds to the OS 313 with the capability information of the cloud print compatible printer 104 based on the list transmitted by the Get-Pinter-Attributes (a step S803). For example, it is assumed that a media size attribute is designated by the Get-Pinter-Attributes (the IPP). In the case that the cloud print service 321 is holding the media size attribute, the cloud print service 321 responds to the OS 313 with a value (A4, B5, Letter, or the like) associated with the media size attribute. On the other hand, in the case that the cloud print service 321 is not holding the media size attribute, the cloud print service 321 does not respond to the OS 313 with the value associated with the media size attribute. It should be noted that the capability information obtained in the step S803 is the capability information corresponding to the list transmitted from the OS 313 irrespective of the type and the capability of the printer.
The OS 313 updates the device capability information by using the capability information obtained from the cloud print service 321. The OS 313 adds the capability information obtained in the step S803 to the device capability information generated in the step S3012 of
Next, the OS 313 provides an event notification to the print setting extension application 312 (a step S805). Specifically, the OS 313 notifies the print setting extension application 312 of an event and an application programming interface (an API), which is used to edit the device capability information.
Upon receiving this event, the print setting extension application 312 inquires of the cloud print service 321 about the capability information of the cloud print compatible printer 104 (a step S806). In the step S806, the inquiry about the capability information of printer vendor-specific setting items and setting items including the printer vendor-specific attribute values is made. Even in the step S806, as with the step S802, the inquiry is made by using the Get-Pinter-Attributes, and the capability information is obtained by designating the item names of the setting items to be inquired about as item names. It should be noted that although in the first embodiment of the present invention, the capability information of the printer vendor-independently-defined setting items and the setting items including the printer vendor-independently-defined attribute values is obtained in the step S806, this is not limitative. In the step S806, for example, the setting items that have already been obtained in the obtainment of the capability information by the OS 313 may be obtained as well.
Upon receiving the inquiry from the print setting extension application 312, the cloud print service 321 responds to the print setting extension application 312 (a step S807). It should be noted that the response method used here is the same as in the step S803 described above. In the first embodiment of the present invention, in the step S807, the cloud print service 321 transmits the capability information of the cloud print compatible printer 104, which is stored in the cloud print service 321, as a response. It should be noted that in the step S807, upon receiving the inquiry from the print setting extension application 312, the cloud print service 321 may obtain the capability information from the cloud print compatible printer 104 and may transmit the obtained capability information to the print setting extension application 312.
Upon obtaining the capability information from the cloud print service 321, the print setting extension application 312 edits the device capability information, which is managed by the OS 313, via a configuration information object (a step S808). The configuration information object is a data group required to edit the device capability information. The print setting extension application 312 cannot directly edit the device capability information held by the OS 313. For this reason, the print setting extension application 312 uses the configuration information object to change the device capability information held by the OS 313. For example, the print setting extension application 312 edits the device capability information by converting the capability information such as the “stapleless binding”, the “save job in printer”, and the “mixed-sheet printing” that are obtained in the step S807 into the device capability information and adding the converted device capability information to the configuration information object. By carrying out the processes up to the step S808, the printer vendor-specific setting items and the printer vendor-specific attribute values as well as the capability information of the standard setting items obtained through the inquiry made by the OS 313 are added to the device capability information.
Next, the print setting extension application 312 passes the edited device capability information to the OS 313 (a step S809). The OS 313 stores the device capability information, which has been obtained from the print setting extension application 312, in association with the print queue.
Upon updating the device capability information, the OS 313 enables an object that triggers a UI screen of the print setting extension application 312 to be displayed (a step S810). The object that triggers the UI screen of the print setting extension application 312 to be displayed is, for example, the object 904 on the print setting initial screen shown in
When the object 904 is selected by the user, the OS 313 starts the print setting extension application 312 (a step S811). The started print setting extension application 312 displays the UI screen of the print setting extension application 312, and more specifically, displays an extended print setting screen shown in
It should be noted that in the case that the print setting extension application 312 is not associated with the selected print queue, a standard print setting screen shown in
Returning to
For example, an output sheet size of a setting item 1001 shown in
As described above, the print setting extension application 312 is able to convert the device capability information including the printer vendor-specific setting items into the setting values and display the extended print setting screen. In addition, the print setting extension application 312 is also able to display the printer vendor-specific setting items on the extended print setting screen according to its own implementations. Thus, it is possible to set the setting items and the setting values, which cannot be set on the standard print setting screens shown in
The user selects an object 1002 on the extended print setting screen. The object 1002 is an object for confirming the print settings. The print setting extension application 312 provides the function of allowing the user to arbitrarily change the print settings, and in the case that the print settings have been changed, stores their setting values. For example, it is assumed that the user has changed the output sheet size from “A4” to “Letter” on the extended print setting screen. In this case, the print setting information held by the print setting extension application 312 changes from “A4” to “Letter”. When the object 1002 is selected, the print setting extension application 312 obtains the print setting information set on the extended print setting screen and passes the print setting information to the OS 313. After passing the print setting information to the OS 313, the print setting extension application 312 ends the display of the extended print setting screen (a step S812). When the process of the step S812 is completed, the print setting initial screen shown in
When the user selects an object 905 on the print setting initial screen, the document generating application 315 gives a printing instruction to the OS 313 (a step S813). The OS 313 carries out a process related to printing based on the printing instruction received from the document generating application 315. Specifically, the OS 313 generates intermediate data, and passes the generated intermediate data and the print setting information edited on the print setting screen to the print setting extension application 312 (a step S814). The intermediate data is data that is generated before it is converted into the print data such as page description language (PDL), and is, for example, XML Paper Specification data (XPS data). The print setting information is also included in the intermediate data.
The print setting extension application 312 generates the print data based on the obtained intermediate data (a step S815). The print data means, for example, PDL such as a portable document format (PDF) file. In addition, the print setting extension application 312 generates the print capability information based on the obtained print setting information. Specifically, the print capability information is information in which the print setting information is described by the attribute values defined by the IPP.
The print setting extension application 312 passes the generated print data and the print capability information to the OS 313 (a step S816). The processes of the step 814 to the step S816 are processes carried out in the case that the print setting extension application 312 associated with the print queue has been installed in the client terminal 101.
In the case that the print setting extension application 312 has not been installed in the client terminal 312, the OS 313 of the client terminal 101 generates the XPS data and edits a page layout. In addition, the OS 313 converts the XPS data into a predetermined format to generate the print data and the print capability information. The predetermined format is, for example, PDF or PWG-Raster format.
The OS 313 transmits the print data and the print capability information passed from the print setting extension application 312 or the print data and the print capability information generated by the OS 313 to the cloud print service 321 (a step S818).
The cloud print service 321 transmits the print data and the print capability information received from the client terminal 101 to the cloud print compatible printer 104 (a step S819). It should be noted that although in the first embodiment of the present invention, when the cloud print service 321 has received the print data and the print capability information, the received print data and the received print capability information are transmitted to the cloud print compatible printer 104, this is not limitative. For example, the cloud print compatible printer 104 may regularly inquire of the cloud print service 321 to obtain unprinted print data and the print capability information corresponding to the unprinted print data.
By carrying out the processes shown in
Next, the processing that is carried out by the client terminal 101 will be described.
As shown in
In the case of being determined in the step S1202 that the access token for the cloud print service 321 has been stored, the print setting extension application installation processing proceeds to a step S1206, which will be described below.
In the case of being determined in the step S1202 that the access token for the cloud print service 321 has not been stored, the CPU 212 transmits an authentication request to the cloud print service 321 (a step S1203). Next, the CPU 212 receives a URL, which is used to display the screen for inputting the user information, from the cloud print service 321. As described above, the user information is the login name and the password. Next, the CPU 212 accesses the received URL, and displays the above screen on the display unit 216 (a step S1204).
The CPU 212 transmits the user information, which has been inputted into the above screen, to the cloud print service 321 (see, for example, the step S3003). The cloud print service 321 performs the user authentication by using the user information received from the client terminal 101, and when the user authentication is successful, the cloud print service 321 transmits the access token to the client terminal 101.
The CPU 212 obtains the access token from the cloud print service 321 (a step S1205) (see, for example, the step S3005). Next, the print setting extension application installation processing proceeds to the step S1206. It should be noted that in the case that the user authentication is unsuccessful, the cloud print service 321 notifies the client terminal 101 of an authentication error (see, for example, the step S3006). In the case of receiving this notification, the print setting extension application installation processing is ended (see, for example, the step S3007).
In the step S1206, the CPU 212 transmits a request to obtain the printer information, to which the stored access token or the access token obtained in the step S1205 has been attached, to the cloud print service 321 (see, for example, the step S3008). In response to the request to obtain the printer information (the obtaining request), the cloud print service 321 transmits the printer information to the client terminal 101 (see, for example, the step S3009). As described above, the printer information is the information indicating the printer that the user identified by the access token attached to the obtaining request is permitted to use. As described above, the printer information includes the printer name of the printer that the user is permitted to use and the HWID of the printer that the user is permitted to use.
Next, the CPU 212 displays a list of printers corresponding to the printer information obtained from the cloud print service 321 on the area 502 of the printer setting screen displayed on the display unit 216 (a step S1207).
Next, the CPU 212 determines whether or not the printer has been selected (a step S1208). The CPU 212 stands by until the printer is selected. When the printer is selected (YES in the step S1208), the CPU 212 transmits a request to obtain the capability information of the selected printer to the cloud print service 321 (a step S1209) (see, for example, the step S3010). Here, the CPU 212 inquires of the cloud print service 321 about the setting items registered in advance in the OS 313.
Next, based on the capability information obtained from the cloud print service 321, the CPU 212 updates the device capability information stored in the client terminal 101 and generates a print queue (a step S1210) (see, for example, the step S3012).
Next, the CPU 212 transmits a request to obtain the extension setup information file 700 to the online support service 351 (a step S1211) (see, for example, the step S3013). This obtaining request includes the HWID of the printer. Next, the CPU 212 determines whether or not obtaining of the extension setup information file 700 is successful (the extension setup information file 700 has been successfully obtained) (a step S1212). In the case of being determined in the step S1212 that obtaining of the extension setup information file 700 is unsuccessful (the extension setup information file 700 has not been successfully obtained), the print setting extension application installation processing is ended (see, for example, the step S3017).
In the case of being determined in the step S1212 that obtaining of the extension setup information file 700 is successful, the CPU 212 carries out the following processing. That is, the CPU 212 installs the extension setup information file 700, which has been obtained from the online support service 351, in association with the print queue generated in the step S1210 (see, for example, the step S3015). Next, the CPU 212 extracts an application ID from the extension setup information file 700 (see, for example, the step S3016). Next, the CPU 212 transmits a request to obtain the print setting extension application 312 corresponding to the extracted application ID to the application management service 331 (a step S1213) (see, for example, the step S3018).
Next, the CPU 212 determines whether or not obtaining of the print setting extension application 312 is successful (the print setting extension application 312 has been successfully obtained) (a step S1214). In the case of being determined in the step S1214 that obtaining of the print setting extension application 312 is unsuccessful (the print setting extension application 312 has not been successfully obtained), the print setting extension application installation processing is ended (see, for example, the step S3021).
In the case of being determined in the step S1214 that obtaining of the print setting extension application 312 is successful, the CPU 212 installs the obtained print setting extension application 312 (a step S1215) (see, for example, the step S3020). In addition, the CPU 212 registers an application ID of the print setting extension application 312 in association with the print queue. Furthermore, the CPU 212 makes an event registration indicating the timing of notification in the OS 313. Here, in the case that a print queue associated with the print setting extension application 312 has been selected on the print setting screen displayed by the document generating application 315, the registration is made so that the print setting extension application 312 is notified of an event. After that, the print setting extension application installation processing is ended.
As shown in
Next, the CPU 212 determines whether or not the obtainment of the capability information is completed (a step S1303). The CPU 212 stands by until the obtainment of the capability information is completed. When the obtainment of the capability information is completed (YES in the step S1303), the CPU 212 performs a device capability information updating processing (a processing to update the device capability information) by using the obtained capability information (a step S1304). As a result, the capability information of the setting items that are not obtained by the OS 313 is also stored in the client terminal 101. It should be noted that the details of the device capability information updating processing performed in the step S1304 will be described below with reference to
Next, the CPU 212 enables an object that triggers the UI screen of the print setting extension application 312 to be displayed (see, for example, the step S810). As a result, the object 904 on the print setting initial screen shown in
Next, the CPU 212 determines whether or not an instruction to display the print setting screen by the print setting extension application 312 has been accepted (a step S1305). The instruction to display the print setting screen by the print setting extension application 312 is, for example, an instruction that is issued based on a user operation such as the selection of the object 904.
In the case of being determined in the step S1305 that the instruction to display the print setting screen by the print setting extension application 312 has not been accepted, the print control processing proceeds to a step S1312, which will be described below.
In the case of being determined in the step S1305 that the instruction to display the print setting screen by the print setting extension application 312 has been accepted, the print control processing proceeds to a step S1306, which will be described below. In the step S1306, based on the device capability information updated in the step S1304, the CPU 212 determines whether or not the printer which becomes a transmission destination of the print data (the printer to which the print data will be transmitted) has the capability of the mixed-sheet printing (the step S1306). For example, in the case that the device capability information updated in the step S1304 includes a description of the mixed-sheet printing (for example, “ns0000: MixedPageMediaPrinting”), it is determined that the printer which becomes the transmission destination of the print data has the capability of the mixed-sheet printing. In this case, the print control processing proceeds to a step S1308, which will be described below.
On the other hand, in the case that the device capability information updated in the step S1304 does not include the description of the mixed-sheet printing, it is determined in the step S1306 that the printer which becomes the transmission destination of the print data does not have the capability of the mixed-sheet printing. In this case, the print control processing proceeds to a step S1307.
In the step S1307, the CPU 212 determines whether or not to implement the mixed-sheet printing by causing the print setting extension application 312 to divide a job. For example, in the step S1307, in the case that a predetermined setting for causing to display the setting item 1003 for performing setting of the mixed-sheet printing has been made, it is determined that the mixed-sheet printing will be implemented by causing the print setting extension application 312 to divide the job. In this case, the print control processing proceeds to the step S1308. In the step S1308, based on the device capability information, the CPU 212 causes the display unit 216 to display an extended print setting screen on which the setting of the mixed-sheet printing can be performed. The extended print setting screen on which the setting of the mixed-sheet printing can be performed is, for example, the extended print setting screen shown in
On the other hand, in the step S1307, in the case that the predetermined setting for causing to display the setting item 1003 for performing setting of the mixed-sheet printing has not been made, it is determined that the mixed-sheet printing will not be implemented by causing the print setting extension application 312 to divide the job. In this case, the print control processing proceeds to a step S1309. In the step S1309, based on the device capability information, the CPU 212 causes the display unit 216 to display an extended print setting screen on which the setting of the mixed-sheet printing cannot be performed. The extended print setting screen on which the setting of the mixed-sheet printing cannot be performed is, for example, the extended print setting screen shown in
Next, the CPU 212 determines whether or not an instruction to end the display of the extended print setting screen has been issued (a step S1310). The CPU 212 stands by until the instruction to end the display of the extended print setting screen is issued. When the instruction to end the display of the extended print setting screen is issued (YES in the step S1310), the CPU 212 edits the print setting information by using the setting values set on the extended print setting screen displayed on the display unit 216 (a step S1311). For example, in the case that a checkbox of the setting item 1003 on the extended print setting screen shown in
Next, the CPU 212 determines whether or not the print setting extension application 312 has received the intermediate data from the OS 313 (a step S1312).
In the case of being determined in the step S1312 that the print setting extension application 312 has not received the intermediate data from the OS 313, the print control processing returns to the step S1305. On the other hand, in the case of being determined in the step S1312 that the print setting extension application 312 has received the intermediate data from the OS 313, the CPU 212 carries out a print data generating processing based on the intermediate data received by the print setting extension application 312 (a step S1313). It should be noted that the details of the print data generating processing performed in the step S1313 will be described with reference to
In addition, based on the print setting information received by the print setting extension application 312, the CPU 212 generates the print capability information described with the attribute values defined by the IPP. In the print capability information, in addition to the attribute values defined by the IPP, other attribute values can also be freely described. Therefore, the printer vendor-independently-defined setting items and the printer vendor-independently-defined attribute values can also be described in the print capability information.
Next, the CPU 212 provides the generated print data and the generated print capability information to the OS 313 (a step S1314). The OS 313 transmits the print data and the print capability information, which has been received via the print queue, to the cloud print service 321. After that, the print control processing is ended.
As shown in
In the case of being determined in the step S1401 that the capability information obtained in the step S1302 does not include the item for the mixed-sheet printing, the device capability information updating processing is ended.
On the other hand, in the case of being determined in the step S1401 that the capability information obtained in the step S1302 includes the item for the mixed-sheet printing, the CPU 212 adds a description regarding the mixed-sheet printing to the device capability information (a step S1402). Specifically, the CPU 212 adds “ns0000: MixedPageMediaPrinting” indicating whether or not to perform the mixed-sheet printing, and “ns0000: Off” and “ns0000: On” that are its “Option”, which are shown in 603 of
As shown in
In the case of being determined in the step S1501 that the information indicating the mixed-sheet printing is not included in the print setting information of the intermediate data obtained from the OS 313, the CPU 212 generates the print data based on the intermediate data obtained from the OS 313 (a step S1511). After that, the print data generating processing is ended.
On the other hand, in the case of being determined in the step S1501 that the information indicating the mixed-sheet printing is included in the print setting information of the intermediate data obtained from the OS 313, the print data generating processing proceeds to a step S1502. In the step S1502, based on the device capability information updated in the step S1304, the CPU 212 determines whether or not the printer which becomes the transmission destination of the print data has the capability of the mixed-sheet printing. The method of determination used in the step S1502 is the same as the method of determination used in the step S1306.
In the case of being determined in the step S1502 that the printer which becomes the transmission destination of the print data does not have the capability of the mixed-sheet printing, the print data generating processing proceeds to a step S1503. In the step S1503, the CPU 212 holds data of a head page of the intermediate data obtained from the OS 313 in the storage unit 214 as data of a first page of a first job. The processes from the step S1503 to a step S1510 which will be described below, are processes for generating print data that enables the printer, which does not have the capability of the mixed-sheet printing, to implement the mixed-sheet printing.
Next, the CPU 212 holds a sheet size of the head page of the intermediate data obtained from the OS 313 in the storage unit 214 in association with the first job (a step S1504). Next, the CPU 212 refers to the intermediate data obtained from the OS 313, and determines whether or not there is a next page according to a print order of pages (a step S1505).
In the case of being determined in the step S1505 that there is the next page, the CPU 212 obtains a sheet size of the next page from the intermediate data obtained from the OS 313 (a step S1506). Next, the CPU 212 determines whether or not the sheet size obtained in the step S1506 is the same as a sheet size of a previous page (a step S1507).
In the case of being determined in the step S1507 that the sheet size obtained in the step S1506 is the same as the sheet size of the previous page, the print data generating processing proceeds to a step S1508. In the step S1508, the CPU 212 holds, in the storage unit 214, data of the page of the intermediate data obtained from the OS 313 whose sheet size has been obtained in the step S1506 as data of the next page following the previous page in the job of the previous page of the page. After that, the print data generating processing returns to the step S1505.
On the other hand, in the case of being determined in the step S1507 that the sheet size obtained in the step S1506 is not the same as the sheet size of the previous page, the print data generating processing proceeds to a step S1509. In the step S1509, the CPU 212 holds, in the storage unit 214, the data of the page of the intermediate data obtained from the OS 313 whose sheet size has been obtained in the step S1506 as data of a first page in a new job different from the job of the previous page of the page. Next, the CPU 212 holds the sheet size obtained in the step S1506 in the storage unit 214 in association with the new job (for example, a second job) (a step S1510). After that, the print data generating processing returns to the step S1505. In this way, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the processing, in which the job is divided based on the sheet size, is performed.
Here, an example of the intermediate data generated by the processes from the step S1503 to the step S1510 will be described by using
In the intermediate data shown in
In the case of being determined in the step S1505 that there is no next page, the CPU 212 generates a plurality of pieces of print data corresponding to the plurality of divided jobs, respectively. Specifically, based on the plurality of pieces of divided intermediate data held in the storage unit 214, the CPU 212 generates the plurality of pieces of print data corresponding to each divided job. At this time, the sheet size associated with each divided job is set as the sheet size of the print setting of each divided job. After that, the print data generating processing is ended.
In the case of being determined in the step S1502 that the printer which becomes the transmission destination of the print data has the capability of the mixed-sheet printing, the print data generating processing proceeds to a step S1513. In the step S1503, based on the intermediate data obtained from the OS 313, the CPU 212 generates one piece of print data for performing the mixed-sheet printing. After that, the print data generating processing is ended. The one piece of print data includes the information indicating the mixed-sheet printing as the print setting. Furthermore, it is assumed that the one piece of print data is in a format such as PDF that has a sheet size for each page, and each page has a set sheet size. In the case that the information indicating the mixed-sheet printing is included in the obtained print data, the cloud print compatible printer 104 interprets the setting of the sheet size of each page in the print data and prints based on the sheet size of each page. As a result, the mixed-sheet printing is implemented.
According to the first embodiment described above, in the case that the printer which becomes the transmission destination of the print data does not have the capability of the mixed-sheet printing, the sheet sizes included in the intermediate data are obtained in order of pages to be printed, and based on the plurality of pieces of divided intermediate data obtained by dividing the intermediate data based on differences among the sheet sizes of the respective pages, the plurality of pieces of print data is generated. As a result, it is possible to implement the mixed-sheet printing in which the sheet size (a sheet size setting, i.e., a setting as to the sheet size) is different among the pages.
Moreover, in the first embodiment described above, in the case that the printer which becomes the transmission destination of the print data has the capability of the mixed-sheet printing, one piece of print data is generated in which the sheet size is set for each page. As a result, the printer equipped with the capability of the mixed-sheet printing can perform the mixed-sheet printing as one job without dividing the job. As a result, it is possible to prevent a print history from being divided into multiple parts and to prevent another job from being executed in between the divided jobs, which may occur when the job is divided.
Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, in the case that the printer which becomes the transmission destination of the print data has the capability of the mixed-sheet printing, the extended print setting screen including the setting item 1003 is displayed on the display unit 216. As a result, in the case that the printer which becomes the transmission destination of the print data has the capability of the mixed-sheet printing, it is possible to accept an instruction to execute the mixed-sheet printing.
In addition, in the first embodiment described above, in the case that the printer which becomes the transmission destination of the print data does not have the capability of the mixed-sheet printing and the predetermined setting for causing to display the setting item 1003 has been made, the extended print setting screen including the setting item 1003 is displayed on the display unit 216. As a result, even in the case that the printer which becomes the transmission destination of the print data does not have the capability of the mixed-sheet printing, it is possible to accept the instruction to execute the mixed-sheet printing.
It should be noted that although in the first embodiment described above, data of the divided job (i.e., the divided intermediate data) and the sheet size associated with the divided job are held in the storage unit 214, these data may be held in a storage means other than the storage unit 214, for example, the memory 213.
Moreover, although in the first embodiment described above, as an example of the mixed-sheet printing, the case that the sheet sizes are mixed within the print document has been described, the mixed-sheet printing may be used for printing in which the setting such as a sheet orientation setting (a setting as to a sheet orientation), a page aggregation setting (a setting as to page aggregation), or a one-sided printing/double-sided printing setting (a setting as to whether to perform one-sided printing or double-sided printing, i.e., a setting indicating one of one-sided printing and double-sided printing) is different among pages instead of the sheet size setting. It should be noted that the page aggregation means printing multiple pages on one sheet. For example, as for the sheet orientation, there are cases where a document has mixed portrait and landscape pages. In the mixed-sheet printing performed with respect to the document having mixed portrait and landscape pages, in the print data generating processing shown in
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The second embodiment is basically the same as the first embodiment in terms of configurations and operations, and differs from the first embodiment described above in that the printer having the capability of the mixed-sheet printing is configured to be able to interpret print data that includes print settings of a plurality of documents, switch the print setting for each document, and execute printing. Therefore, the configurations and operations that are the same as those in the first embodiment will not be described, only the configurations and operations that differ from those of the first embodiment will be described below. As print data that will be transmitted to such a printer, the client terminal 101 generates print data that includes print settings of a plurality of documents designated by the user and includes the print setting differing for each document.
As shown in
In the case of being determined in the step S1702 that the printer which becomes the transmission destination of the print data has the capability of the mixed-sheet printing, the CPU 212 obtains a sheet size of a head page from intermediate data obtained from the OS 313. The CPU 212 holds the obtained sheet size in the memory 213 (a step S1703).
Next, the CPU 212 generates print data in which the head page in the intermediate data obtained from the OS 313 becomes a first page of a first document (a step S1704). In the step S1704, the CPU 212 sets the sheet size obtained in the step S1703 as a sheet size of the first document. The CPU 212 holds the generated print data in the storage unit 214. Next, the CPU 212 refers to the intermediate data obtained from the OS 313, and determines whether or not there is a next page according to a print order of pages (a step S1705).
In the case of being determined in the step S1705 that there is the next page, the CPU 212 obtains a sheet size of the next page from the intermediate data obtained from the OS 313 (a step S1706). Next, the CPU 212 determines whether or not the sheet size obtained in the step S1706 is the same as the sheet size held in the memory 213 (a step S1707). The sheet size held in the memory 213 is the sheet size held in the step S1703 or the sheet size updated in a step S1710, which will be described below.
In the case of being determined in the step S1707 that the sheet size obtained in the step S1706 is the same as the sheet size held in the memory 213, the print data generating processing shown in
In the case of being determined in the step S1707 that the sheet size obtained in the step S1706 is not the same as the sheet size held in the memory 213, the print data generating processing shown in
In the case of being determined in the step S1705 that there is no next page, the print data generating processing shown in
In the case of being determined in the step S1702 that the printer which becomes the transmission destination of the print data does not have the capability of the mixed-sheet printing, the CPU 212 obtains the sheet size of the head page from the intermediate data obtained from the OS 313. The CPU 212 holds the obtained sheet size in the memory 213 (a step S1711).
Next, the CPU 212 generates print data in which the head page in the intermediate data obtained from the OS 313 becomes a first page (a step S1712). In the step S1712, the CPU 212 sets the sheet size obtained in the step S1711 as a sheet size of the print setting of the print data. The CPU 212 holds the generated print data in the storage unit 214. Next, the CPU 212 refers to the intermediate data obtained from the OS 313, and determines whether or not there is a next page according to the print order of pages (a step S1713).
In the case of being determined in the step S1713 that there is the next page, the CPU 212 obtains a sheet size of the next page from the intermediate data (a step S1714). Next, the CPU 212 determines whether or not the sheet size obtained in the step S1714 is the same as the sheet size held in the memory 213 (a step S1715). The sheet size held in the memory 213 is the sheet size held in the step S1711 or the sheet size updated in a step S1718, which will be described below.
In the case of being determined in the step S1715 that the sheet size obtained in the step S1714 is the same as the sheet size held in the memory 213, the print data generating processing shown in
In the case of being determined in the step S1715 that the sheet size obtained in the step S1714 is not the same as the sheet size held in the memory 213, the print data generating processing shown in
In the case of being determined in the step S1713 that there is no next page, the print data generating processing shown in
In the step S1701, in the case that the information indicating the mixed-sheet printing is not included in the above print setting information, the CPU 212 performs the process of a step S1719 that is the same as the process of the step S1511 described above. After that, the print data generating processing shown in
In the second embodiment described above, in the case that the printer which becomes the transmission destination of the print data has the capability of the mixed-sheet printing, one piece of print data, in which the sheet size is set for each document, is generated. As a result, the printer does not need to interpret the sheet size of each page based on the received print data, and the processing load on the printer can be further reduced than in the configuration of the first embodiment described above.
It should be noted that although in the second embodiment described above, the sheet size is held in the memory 213 in the step S1703 and in the step S1711, the sheet size may be held in the storage unit 214.
Moreover, although in the second embodiment described above, the print data generated in the step S1704, the print data generated in the step S1712, and the print data generated in other steps of
Embodiment(s) of the present invention can also be realized by a computer of a system or apparatus that reads out and executes computer executable instructions (e.g., one or more programs) recorded on a storage medium (which may also be referred to more fully as a ‘non-transitory computer-readable storage medium’) to perform the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s) and/or that includes one or more circuits (e.g., ASIC) for performing the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s), and by a method performed by the computer of the system or apparatus by, for example, reading out and executing the computer executable instructions from the storage medium to perform the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s) and/or controlling the one or more circuits to perform the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s). The computer may comprise one or more processors (e.g., central processing unit (CPU), micro processing unit (MPU)) and may include a network of separate computers or separate processors to read out and execute the computer executable instructions. The computer executable instructions may be provided to the computer, for example, from a network or the storage medium. The storage medium may include, for example, one or more of a hard disk, a random-access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a storage of distributed computing systems, an optical disk (such as a compact disc (CD), digital versatile disc (DVD), or Blu-ray Disc (BD)™), a flash memory device, a memory card, and the like.
While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.
This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-010273, filed on Jan. 26, 2023, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-010273 | Jan 2023 | JP | national |
