INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD, AND STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20120281245A1
• Filed: 04/30/2012
• Published: 11/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Mitsui, Akihiro
• Granted Patent: US 9,785,445 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.13
• 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 3/1206 resulting in increased flexibility in input data format or job format or job type
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1225 Software update, e.g. print driver, modules, plug-ins, fonts
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A printer driver and an advanced UI application are associated with each other during installation, and the advanced UI application is activated in a different process using a COM when the printer driver is called.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus using a database configured to be stored a path of a user interface application and a identifier in the case that the user interface application is installed, the information processing apparatus comprising:

an acquisition unit configured to acquire an identifier of a user interface application from a setup file of a printer driver in the case that the printer driver is installed;

an addition unit configured to add the identifier acquired by the acquisition unit to driver information, associated with a model of the printer driver to be installed, in the database;

a determination unit configured to determine, in the case that an application performed instructions to display a user interface of the printer driver, whether the identifier is registered in the driver information associated with the model information for specifying which of the printer drivers is to be used in the database;

an acquisition unit configured to acquire the path of the user interface application using the identifier in the case that the determination unit determines that the identifier is registered in the database; and

an activation unit configured to activate the user interface application in a different process from an application process.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the activation unit is configured to activate the user interface application in a similar process to the application process in the case that the determination unit determines that the identifier is not registered in the database.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a further determination unit configured to determine whether the identifier is registered in the driver information associated with the model of the printer driver in the case that the printer driver is called to display a shared tab among printer drivers, and wherein the information processing apparatus further comprises a display unit configured to display a screen on which sharing of a printer cannot be set.

4. An information processing apparatus in which a user interface application is activated in a different process from an application process, the information processing apparatus comprising:

a reflection unit configured to reflect setting of a user interface on a print ticket;

a storage unit configured to store a setting, which is not included in the print ticket, in a registry;

a reading unit configured to read the setting from the registry; and

an addition unit configured to add the read setting to a property bag in the case that the user interface application is activated from a filter pipeline process,

wherein a filter receives the setting added to the property bag, and performs print processing.

5. An information processing method using a database configured to be stored a path of a user interface application and a identifier in the case that the user interface application is installed, the information processing method comprising:

acquiring an identifier of a user interface application from a setup file of a printer driver in the case that the printer driver is installed;

adding the acquired identifier to driver information associated with a model of the printer driver to be installed in a database;

determining, in the case that an application performed instructions to display a user interface of the printer driver, whether the identifier is registered in the drive information associated with the model information for specifying which of the printer drivers is to be used in the database; and

acquiring the path of the user interface application using the identifier in the case it is determined that the identifier is registered in the database, and activating the user interface application in a different process from an application process.

6. The information processing method according to claim 5, wherein the user interface application is activated in a similar process to the application process in the case it is determined that the identifier is not registered in the database.

7. The information processing method according to claim 6, further comprising:

determining whether the identifier is registered in the driver information associated with the model of the printer driver in the case that the printer driver is called to display a shared tab among printer drivers, and displaying a screen on which sharing of a printer cannot be set.

8. A carrier medium carrying a program which on execution by a computer causes the computer to perform the method of claim 5.

9. A carrier medium carrying a program which on execution by a computer causes the computer to perform the method of claim 6.

10. A carrier medium carrying a program which on execution by a computer causes the computer to perform the method of claim 7.

12. A carrier medium carrying a program which on execution by a computer causes the computer to implement the method of claim 10.

11. An information processing method in which a user interface application is activated in a different process from an application process, the method comprising:

reflecting setting of a user interface on a print ticket;

storing a setting, which is not included in the print ticket, in a registry; and

reading the setting from the registry;

adding the read setting to a property bag in the case that the user interface application is activated from a filter pipeline process,

wherein a filter receives the setting added to the property bag, and performs print processing.