DRAG-AND-DROP PRINTING METHOD WITH ENHANCED FUNCTIONS

• US 20100214571A1
• Filed: 02/26/2009
• Published: 08/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Laboratory U.S.A., Inc. (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Systems Lab Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: LUO, Qi
• Application Number:
  US12/394,022
• Publication Number:
  US 20100214571A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• 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 3/1257 by using pre-stored settings, e.g. job templates, presets, print styles

Abstract

A drag-and-drop direct printing method with enhanced functions is described. A printing bin icon is provided on the computer'"'"'s desktop, and the user drags files onto the icon to print the files without manually opening them. The printing bin program allows a user to set basic printing property settings, select a printer, compose a page, etc. all without visibly opening the files or the full printing and print properties interface. Simple popup menus, such as a printing property setting menu, printer selection menu, page composition menu, etc. are provided to allow the user to accomplish these functions. In one embodiment, when a user drops a file in the printing bin icon, a popup menu allows the user to select one of multiple printing methods, such as print with current settings, change settings and print, select printer and print, compose page and print, etc.

Claims

1. A method implemented on a computer for printing a file, comprising:

(a) displaying a printing bin icon representing a printing bin program;

(b) in response to a file being dragged and dropped onto the printing bin icon, the printing bin program displaying a printing property settings menu indicating one or more printing property settings for printing the file;

(c) receiving a user input entered via the printing property settings menu for setting the printing property settings; and

(d) printing the file using the printing property settings set in step (c).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (d) includes automatically invoking an application associated with the file and a printer driver program.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the printing property settings menu includes a single screen.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(e) in response to a second user input associated with the printing bin icon, displaying the printing property settings menu;

(f) receiving a third user input entered via the printing property settings menu for setting the printing property settings; and

(g) store the printing property settings set in step (f).

5. A method implemented on a computer for printing one or more files, comprising:

(a) displaying a printing bin icon representing a printing bin program;

(b) in response to a file being dragged and dropped onto the printing bin icon, the printing bin program displaying a printer selection menu indicating a plurality of printers associated with the printing bin icon;

(c) receiving a user input entered via the printer selection menu for selecting one of the plurality of printers; and

(d) printing the file using the printer selected in step (c).

6. The method of claim 5, wherein step (d) includes automatically invoking an application associated with the file and a printer driver program.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

repeating steps (b) to (d) for a second file,

wherein in step (d) the files are printed using round-robin scheduling.

8. A method implemented on a computer for printing a plurality of files, comprising:

(a) displaying a printing bin icon representing a printing bin program;

(b) in response to one of the plurality of files being dragged and dropped onto the printing bin icon, the printing bin program displaying a page composition menu including a page template;

(c) receiving a user input entered via the page composition menu for forming a composed page, the composed page including one or more areas within the page template, each area containing one of the plurality of files;

(d) generating a new file representing the composed page; and

(e) printing the new file generated in step (d).

9. A method implemented on a computer for printing one or more files, comprising:

(a) displaying a printing bin icon representing a printing bin program;

(b) in response to one of the one or more files being dragged and dropped onto the printing bin icon, the printing bin program displaying a printing mode selection menu including two or more of;

a print with current settings mode, a change settings and print mode, a select printer and print mode, and a compose page and print mode;

(c) receiving a first user input entered via the printing mode selection menu selecting one of the printing modes;

(d) displaying a second menu based on the selected printing mode, the second menu being one of a printing property settings menu including one or more printing property settings for printing the file, a printer selection menu including a plurality of printers associated with the printing bin icon, and a page composition menu including a page template;

(e) receiving a second user input entered via the second menu; and

(f) printing the one or more files based on the second user input received in step (e).

10. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having a computer readable program code embedded therein for controlling a computer, the computer readable program code configured to cause the computer to execute a printing process, the process comprising:

(a) in response to one of the one or more files being dragged and dropped onto a printing bin icon, displaying a printing mode selection menu including two or more of;

a print with current settings mode, a change settings and print mode, a select printer and print mode, and a compose page and print mode;

(b) receiving a first user input entered via the printing mode selection menu selecting one of the printing modes;

(c) displaying a second menu based on the selected printing mode, the second menu being one of a printing property settings menu including one or more printing property settings for printing the file, a printer selection menu including a plurality of printers associated with the printing bin icon, and a page composition menu including a page template;

(d) receiving a second user input entered via the second menu; and

(e) printing the one or more files based on the second user input received in step (d).