ADMINISTRATOR TERMINAL CONNECTED TO IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND CLIENT, IMAGE FORMING SYSTEM INCLUDING THE SAME, AND REMOTE INSTALLING METHOD FOR DRIVER THEREOF

• US 20100097650A1
• Filed: 10/30/2009
• Published: 04/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HP Printing Korea Co., Ltd. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Seo, Jung-soo
• Granted Patent: US 8,860,980 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1204 resulting in reduced user or operator actions, e.g. presetting, automatic actions, using hardware token storing data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1225 Software update, e.g. print driver, modules, plug-ins, fonts
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1288 in client-server-printer device configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers

Abstract

An administrator terminal connected to an image forming apparatus and a client, an image forming system including the same, and a method to remotely an install a driver. The method to remotely an install a driver in an administrator terminal connecting with at least one image forming apparatus and at least one client includes searching for at least one image forming apparatus connected to the administrator terminal, selecting at least one client sharing and using the searched image forming apparatus, selecting an image forming apparatus server according to a network connection type of the image forming apparatus, and installing the driver of the image forming apparatus on the at least one selected client through the selected image forming apparatus server. Thus, at least one client is selected among clients where the driver is installed, and the driver is simultaneously installed according to the selected clients, thereby saving time and cost and providing a convenience to a user.

Claims

1. A method to remotely install a driver in an administrator terminal connecting with at least one image forming apparatus and at least one client, the method comprising:

searching for at least one image forming apparatus connected to the administrator terminal;

selecting at least one client sharing and using the searched image forming apparatus;

selecting an image forming apparatus server according to a network connection type of the image forming apparatus; and

installing the driver of the image forming apparatus on the at least one selected client through the selected image forming apparatus server.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the selecting the image forming apparatus server comprises selecting the administrator terminal or one of the at least one client as the image forming apparatus server.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein if the searched image forming apparatus is locally connected to the administrator terminal or one of the at least one client, the selecting the image forming apparatus server comprises selecting the locally connected administrator terminal or the locally connected one of the at least one client as the image forming apparatus server.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising selecting a sharing name of the shared image forming apparatus.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising sharing the driver of the image forming apparatus installed in the image forming apparatus server,

wherein the installing the driver comprises using the shared driver.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an installing manager for installing the driver on the selected client,

wherein the installing the driver comprises using the installing manager.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the selecting the at least one client comprises setting up a group including the selected clients, and

the installing the driver comprises installing the driver to the at least one client included in the set group.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein when the driver is previously installed in the client, the installing the driver comprises updating the previously installed driver.

9. An administrator terminal connected to at least one image forming apparatus and at least one client, the administrator terminal comprising:

a communication unit which communicates with the at least one image forming apparatus and the at least one client;

a user interface which allows a user to select at least one client sharing and using the image forming apparatus and select an image forming apparatus server according to a network connection type of the image forming apparatus; and

a controller which controls the communication unit to transmit a command to search for at least one connected image forming apparatus, and to install a driver of the image forming apparatus on the at least one selected client through the selected image forming apparatus server.

10. The administrator terminal according to claim 9, wherein the user interface allows the user to select the administrator terminal or one of the at least one client as the image forming apparatus server.

11. The administrator terminal according to claim 10, wherein if the searched image forming apparatus is locally connected to the administrator terminal or one of the at least one client, the user interface allows the user to select the locally connected administrator terminal or the locally connected one of the at least one client as the image forming apparatus server.

12. The administrator terminal according to claim 9, wherein the user interface allows the user to select a sharing name of the shared image forming apparatus.

13. The administrator terminal according to claim 9, wherein the controller controls the communication unit to transmit a command for sharing the driver of the image forming apparatus installed in the image forming apparatus server, and using the shared driver.

14. The administrator terminal according to claim 9, wherein the controller controls the communication unit to transmit a command for installing an installing manager for installing the driver to the selected client, and using the installing manager to install the driver.

15. The administrator terminal according to claim 9, wherein the user interface allows the user to set up a group including the selected clients, and

the controller controls the communication unit to transmit a command for installing the driver to the at least one client included in the set group.

16. The administrator terminal according to claim 9, wherein if the driver is previously installed in the client, the controller controls the communication unit to transmit a command for updating the previously installed driver.

17. An image forming system comprising an administrator terminal, at least one image forming apparatus and at least one client,

the administrator terminal comprising:

a first communication unit which communicates with the at least one image forming apparatus and the at least one client;

a user interface which allows a user to select at least one client sharing and using the image forming apparatus and select an image forming apparatus server according to a network connection type of the image forming apparatus; and

a first controller which controls the first communication unit to transmit a command to search for at least one connected image forming apparatus, and to install a driver of the image forming apparatus on the at least one selected client through the selected image forming apparatus server, and

the at least one client comprising;

a second communication unit which communicates with the image forming apparatus server and the administrator terminal; and

a second controller which installs the driver on the client through the image forming apparatus server when receiving the command for installing the driver from the administrator terminal through the second communication unit.

18. A method to remotely install a driver in an administrator terminal connected to at least one image forming apparatus and a plurality of clients, the method comprising:

searching for at least one image forming apparatus connected to the administrator terminal;

selecting two or more clients from the plurality of clients sharing and using the searched image forming apparatus;

selecting an image forming apparatus server according to a network connection type of the image forming apparatus; and

installing the driver of the image forming apparatus on the two or more clients simultaneously through the selected image forming apparatus server.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the selecting the image forming apparatus server comprises selecting the administrator terminal or one of the two or more clients as the image forming apparatus server.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein if the searched image forming apparatus is locally connected to the administrator terminal or one of the at least one client, the selecting the image forming apparatus server comprises selecting the locally connected administrator terminal or the locally connected one of the two or more clients as the image forming apparatus server.