METHOD OF DATA COMMUNICATION BETWEEN APPLICATION PROGRAM AND PRINTER DRIVER, AND PROGRAM THEREFOR

• US 20100149586A1
• Filed: 11/18/2009
• Published: 06/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Natori, Hideo
• Granted Patent: US 9,298,522 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.150
• 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 3/1224 Client or server resources management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1284 Local printer device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/544 Buffers; Shared memory; Pipes

Abstract

An application program creates a named shared memory and calls an ExtEscape function, whereby a user interface module of an XPS printer driver stores return data in the named shared memory.

Claims

1. A method of communicating data between an application program unit and a printer driver unit which operate in an operating system, comprising:

a step of the application program unit generating a named object and notifying the printer driver unit of at least name information, which is for accessing the named object, via an API provided by the operating system;

a step of the printer driver unit referring to the named object based upon the name information and generating return data from information obtained as well as generation-result information indicating whether generation of the return data succeeded or failed;

a step of the printer driver unit storing the return data and the generation-result information in the named object;

a step of the application program unit referring to the generation-result information; and

a step of the application program unit referring to the return data, which has been stored in the named object, based upon the generation-result information.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the application program unit and the printer driver unit are each capable of operating in same process or in separate processes.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the application program unit operates in a 32-bit process and the printer driver unit operates in a 64-bit process.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the named object is a named shared memory, and the API is an ExtEscape function.

5. A data processing apparatus having an application program unit and a printer driver unit which operate in an operating system, wherein:

said application program unit generates a named object and notifies said printer driver unit of at least name information, which is for accessing the named object, via an API provided by the operating system;

said printer driver unit stores return data in the named object based upon the name information; and

said application program unit refers to the return data that has been stored in the named object.

6. A computer-readable storage medium storing an application program for causing a computer to function as:

a notification unit which generates a named object and notifies a printer driver of at least name information, which is for accessing a named object, via an API provided by an operating system;

a generation-result reference unit which, upon discriminating result of processing from the API, refers to generation-result information that has been generated by the printer driver and stored in the named object; and

a return-data reference unit which refers to the return data, which has been stored in the named object, based upon the generation-result information.

7. A computer-readable storage medium storing a printer driver program for causing a computer to function as:

a creation unit which refers to a named object based upon name information and generates return data from information obtained as well as generation-result information indicating whether generation of the return data succeeded or failed; and

a storage unit which stores the return data and the generation-result data in the named object.

8. A computer-readable storage medium storing an application program for causing a computer to function as:

a named object generation unit which generates a named object;

a call unit which calls a function by designating a vendor-specific code, which is for acquiring vendor-specific information, and the name of the named object; and

a vendor-specific information acquisition unit which ignores result of processing the function and acquires the vendor-specific information from the named object.

9. A computer-readable storage medium storing a printer driver program for causing a computer to function as:

a vendor-specific information generation unit which discriminates a vendor-specific code in response to calling of a function that has been designated by the vendor-specific code, which is for acquiring vendor-specific information from an application program, and the name of a named object, and generates the vendor-specific information if an event of the function is indicated; and

vendor-specific information storage unit which stores the vendor-specific information, which has been generated by said vendor-specific information generation unit, in the named object based upon the name of the named object.

10. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as:

a named object generation unit which generates a named object;

a call unit which calls a function by designating a vendor-specific code, which is for acquiring vendor-specific information, and the name of the named object;

a vendor-specific information generation unit which discriminates a vendor-specific code in response to calling of a function that has been designated by the vendor-specific code, which is for acquiring vendor-specific information from an application program, and the name of a named object, and generates the vendor-specific information if an event of the function is indicated;

vendor-specific information storage unit which stores the vendor-specific information, which has been generated by said vendor-specific information generation unit, in the named object based upon the name of the named object; and

a vendor-specific information acquisition unit which ignores result of processing the function and acquires the vendor-specific information from the named object.