METHOD, APPARATUS, COMPUTER PROGRAM, AND COMPUTER READABLE STORAGE MEDIA FOR CONFIGURING A PRINTER DRIVER

• US 20100220347A1
• Filed: 03/01/2010
• Published: 09/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SOFHA GmbH (Orell Füssli AG)
• Original Assignee: SOFHA GmbH (Orell Füssli AG)
• Inventors: Tasci, Nusret, Oeters, Christoph
• Granted Patent: US 8,797,558 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.130
• 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 3/1205 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 3/1257 by using pre-stored settings, e.g. job templates, presets, print styles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server

Abstract

A method and apparatus for configuring a printer driver where default settings of a printer on which a job is to be printed are queried by a printer driver of a client computer. The default settings can be, for example, stored in the printer itself, or in a storage medium or in a database in some other location that is accessible to the client computer. Depending on the default settings of the printer, default settings of the driver are configured.

Claims

1. A method for configuring a printer driver comprising:

querying by the printer driver default settings of a printer on which a job is to be printed; and

configuring default settings of the printer driver based on the default settings of the printer.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the queried printer provides the default settings to the printer driver.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the querying is performed via a printer port of a computer on which the printer driver is installed.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the querying is performed via a network management protocol.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the default settings are provided in private modules of a management information base.

6. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

performing a consistency test by the printer driver before configuring the default settings.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the default settings comprise first level default settings and second level default settings lower than the first level default settings, wherein the second level default settings depend on the first level default settings.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the default settings have a hierarchical structure.

9. The method according to claim 7 further comprising:

configuring second level default settings compatible with the first level default settings after configuring a setting at the first level.

10. The method according to claim 7 further comprising:

providing a set of second level default settings for each combination of values of the first level default settings.

11. The method according to claim 7 further comprising:

locally storing by the printer driver values of the first level default settings together with corresponding second level default settings.

12. The method according to claim 7 further comprising:

configuring by the printer driver a set of second level default settings during configuration of a corresponding first level default setting unless the set of the second level default settings have been replaced by user specific settings.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the job is printed with settings modified by the printer driver.

14. The method according to claim 7 further comprising:

locally storing values of the first level default settings together with the corresponding second level default settings configured by a user.

15. The method according to claim 14 further comprising:

during configuration of a first level default setting, configuring by the printer driver the corresponding set of second level default settings assigned by the user for the corresponding value of the first level default setting.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the job is printed with default settings modified by the printer driver.

17. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor and storing computer program instructions therein, the processor being operable to execute the computer program instructions, the computer program instructions for configuring a printer driver according to the method of claim 1.

19. A computer readable storage media on which a program is stored for execution by a computer, after it has been loaded into a memory of the computer, the program adapting the computer to configure a printer driver according to the method of claim 1.

18. (canceled)

20. (canceled)