Information processing apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instruction therefor

• US 10,642,552 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2018
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Yamada, Kazutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhang, Fan
• Application Number:
  US16/014,049
• Publication Number:
  US 20190095156A1
• Time in Patent Office: 684 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1205 resulting in increased flexibility in print job configuration, e.g. job settings, print requirements, job tickets
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1208 resulting in improved quality of the output result, e.g. print layout, colours, workflows, print preview
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1225 Software update, e.g. print driver, modules, plug-ins, fonts
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1232 Transmitting printer device capabilities, e.g. upon request or periodically
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1247 by conversion to printer ready format
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1255 Settings incompatibility, e.g. constraints, user requirements vs. device capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1259 Print job monitoring, e.g. job status

Abstract

A non-transitory computer-readable medium stores instructions realizing a printer driver causing, when executed, a controller to output driver-executable information indicating a driver-executable drawing process executable by the printer driver designatable by an operating system to the operating system. The operating system is configured to instruct the printer driver to execute the driver-executable drawing process when a print instruction using the printer driver is received from an application installed in the information processing apparatus, determine whether a particular condition corresponding to a particular driver-executable drawing process of the driver-executable drawing process is satisfied, output driver-executable process information indicating the driver-executable drawing process including the particular driver-executable drawing process to the operating system when it is determined that the particular condition is satisfied, and output the driver-executable process information which does not include the particular driver-executable condition to the operating system when it is determined that the particular condition is not satisfied.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium for an information processing apparatus having a communication interface and a controller, the communication interface being configured to communicate with a printer, an operating system being installed in the information processing apparatus, the non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions being to cause the controller to assume a function of a drawing processor, the instructions causing, when executed, the information processing apparatus to execute:

determining whether a particular condition corresponding to a particular executable drawing process is satisfied, wherein the determining comprises;

obtaining printer related information input to the information processing apparatus;

determining that the particular condition is satisfied when a value of the printer related information indicates a first value; and

determining that the particular condition is not satisfied when the value of the printer related information is not the first value;

outputting executable process information, which includes information indicating the particular executable drawing process corresponding to the particular condition, to the operating system in response to determining that the particular condition is satisfied, outputting the executable process information, which does not include the information indicating the particular executable drawing process corresponding to the particular condition, to the operating system in response to determining that the particular condition is not satisfied, the operating system being configured to instruct the drawing processor to execute the particular executable drawing process when receiving the executable process information including the information indicating the particular executable drawing process corresponding to the particular condition, the operating system being configured not to instruct the drawing processor to execute the particular executable drawing process when not receiving the executable process information including the information indicating the particular executable drawing process corresponding to the particular condition; and

receiving a drawing instruction from the operating system after outputting the executable process information to the operating system.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1, wherein the instructions cause, when executed, the information processing apparatus to:

display an operation screen requesting a user to input the printer related information on a display of the information processing apparatus;

wherein obtaining the printer related information includes obtaining input information input through a user interface of the information processing apparatus after the operation screen is displayed; and

wherein the determining that the particular condition is satisfied includes determining that a value of the input information is the first value; and

wherein the determining that that the particular condition is not satisfied includes determining that the value of the input information is not the first value.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1,

wherein obtaining the printer related information includes obtaining printer characteristic information from the printer through the communication interface of the information processing apparatus;

wherein determining that the particular condition is satisfied includes determining that a value of the printer characteristic information indicates a first characteristic; and

wherein determining that the particular condition is not satisfied includes determining that the value of the printer characteristic information does not indicate the first characteristic.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1,

wherein obtaining the printer related information includes obtaining printer status information from the printer through the communication interface of the information processing apparatus;

wherein the determining that the particular condition is satisfied when a value of the printer status information indicates a first status; and

wherein determining that the particular condition is not satisfied when the value of the printer status information does not indicate the first status.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1, wherein the instructions cause, when executed, the information processing apparatus to output the executable process information to the operating system when receiving an output instruction to output the executable process information to the operating system.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 5,

wherein obtaining the printer related information includes obtaining storage information stored in a memory of the information processing apparatus before receiving the output instruction;

wherein determining that the particular condition is satisfied includes determining when a value of the storage information is the first value; and

wherein determining that the particular condition is not satisfied includes determining when the value of the storage information is not the first value.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 6,

wherein determining when the value of the storage information is the first value includes determining that the value is within a first range defined by a particular threshold value;

and

wherein determining when the value of the storage information is not the first value includes determining that the value is outside the first range.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1,

wherein obtaining the printer related information includes obtaining printer characteristic information;

wherein determining that the particular condition is satisfied when a value of the printer characteristic information is within a first range defined by a particular threshold value; and

wherein determining that the particular condition is not satisfied when the value of the printer characteristic information is outside the first range.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1,

wherein obtaining the printer related information includes obtaining process performance information indicating a process performance of the printer;

wherein determining that the particular condition is satisfied when a value of the process performance information is equal to or larger than a particular threshold value; and

wherein determining that the particular condition is not satisfied when the value of the process performance information is less than the particular threshold value.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1,

wherein obtaining the printer related information includes obtaining printer status information indicating a status of the printer;

wherein determining that the particular condition is satisfied when a value of the printer status information is within a first range; and

wherein determining that the particular condition is not satisfied when the value of the printer status information is outside the first range.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1,

wherein obtaining the printer related information includes obtaining capacity information indicating an available capacity of the printer;

wherein determining that the particular condition is satisfied when a value of the capacity information is less than a first value; and

wherein determining that the particular condition is not satisfied when the value of the capacity information is equal to or larger than the first value.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1, wherein the operating system is configured such that:

when the operating system receives image data and a drawing instruction from an application, the operating system instructs the drawing processor to execute the particular executable drawing process as instructed on the image data the operating system received by instructing the particular executable drawing process indicated by the output executable process information; and

when the operating system instructs a particular executable drawing process to the drawing processor, the operating system executes a process to reduce data amount on the image data received from the application and instructs the drawing processor to execute the particular executable drawing process on the image data on which the process to reduce the data amount has been executed.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1, wherein the operating system is configured such that:

when instructing the drawing processor to execute the particular executable drawing process, the operating system executes a process of dividing an image based on image data received from an application into a plurality of pieces and creates divided image data representing one of the plurality of pieces of the divided image data as a process of reducing data amount; and

the operating system instructs the drawing processor to execute a process of drawing the image based on the image data received from the application by repeatedly drawing the image based on the divided image data as the particular executable drawing process.

14. An information processing apparatus having a controller, an operating system being installed in the information processing apparatus, the controller configured to execute:

determining whether a particular condition corresponding to a particular executable drawing process is satisfied, wherein the determining comprises;

obtaining printer related information input to the information processing apparatus;

determining that the particular condition is satisfied when a value of the printer related information indicates a first value; and

determining that the particular condition is not satisfied when the value of the printer related information is not the first value;

outputting executable process information, which includes information indicating the particular executable drawing process corresponding to the particular condition, to the operating system in response to determining that the particular condition is satisfied, outputting the executable process information, which does not include the information indicating the particular executable drawing process corresponding to the particular condition, to the operating system in response to determining that the particular condition is not satisfied, the operating system being configured to instruct a drawing processor to execute the particular executable drawing process when receiving the executable process information including the information indicating the particular executable drawing process corresponding to the particular condition, the operating system being configured not to instruct the drawing processor to execute the particular executable drawing process when not receiving the executable process information including the information indicating the particular executable drawing process corresponding to the particular condition; and

receiving a drawing instruction from the operating system after outputting the executable process information to the operating system.