INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD, AND NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER-READABLE MEDIUM

• US 20130271780A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 10/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: SUGIYAMA, Mikiko
• Granted Patent: US 9,244,646 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.13
• 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 3/1254 Automatic configuration, e.g. by driver
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/127 by using hot folders, e.g. folder for which print settings or print data management rules are set in advance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1288 in client-server-printer device configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1297 Printer code translation, conversion, emulation, compression; Configuration of printer parameters

Abstract

An information processing apparatus comprises: a holding unit which holds pieces of device information of printing apparatuses already connected to the information processing apparatus, and pieces of information of hot folders corresponding to the already-connected printing apparatuses; a determination unit which determines a printing apparatus similar to a printing apparatus newly connected to the information processing apparatus among the already-connected printing apparatuses by comparing device information of the newly-connected printing apparatus with the pieces of device information of the already-connected printing apparatuses; and a generation unit which generates a hot folder corresponding to the newly-connected printing apparatus by copying information of a hot folder corresponding to the printing apparatus determined by the determination unit.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a holding unit configured to hold pieces of device information of printing apparatuses already connected to the information processing apparatus, and pieces of information of hot folders corresponding to the already-connected printing apparatuses;

a determination unit configured to determine a printing apparatus similar to a printing apparatus newly connected to the information processing apparatus among the already-connected printing apparatuses by comparing device information of the newly-connected printing apparatus with the pieces of device information of the already-connected printing apparatuses; and

a generation unit configured to generate a hot folder corresponding to the newly-connected printing apparatus by copying information of a hot folder corresponding to the printing apparatus determined by said determination unit.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit configured, in a case where a setting item of a print setting settable in the printing apparatus determined by said determination unit and a setting item of a print setting settable in the newly-connected printing apparatus have a difference, to display the setting item having the difference, and to display a screen for receiving a setting to the setting item having the difference in the hot folder corresponding to the newly-connected printing apparatus.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in a case where a plurality of printing apparatuses are connected to the information processing apparatus, said determination unit determines a printing apparatus most similar to the newly-connected printing apparatus among the plurality of printing apparatuses.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in a case where a plurality of printing apparatuses are similar to the newly-connected printing apparatus, said determination unit presents the plurality of similar printing apparatuses to a user, and determines a printing apparatus based on selection by the user.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said determination unit determines whether a printing apparatus is similar to the newly-connected printing apparatus, by comparing device names, driver names, and driver versions of the printing apparatuses included in the pieces of device information.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said determination unit determines, by using the number of coincident setting items of print settings settable in the printing apparatuses, whether a printing apparatus is similar to the newly-connected printing apparatus.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in a case where said holding unit holds pieces of information of a plurality of hot folders corresponding to the printing apparatus similar to the newly-connected printing apparatus, said generation unit generates a hot folder corresponding to the newly-connected printing apparatus by copying all the pieces of information of the plurality of hot folders.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a selection unit configured, in a case where said holding unit holds pieces of information of a plurality of hot folders corresponding to the printing apparatus similar to the newly-connected printing apparatus, to display information of a hot folder used to generate a hot folder corresponding to the newly-connected printing apparatus to allow a user to select the information of the hot folder from the pieces of information of the plurality of hot folders.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in a case where connection of a printing apparatus is canceled from the information processing apparatus, said holding unit deletes information of a hot folder corresponding to the connection-canceled printing apparatus.

10. An information processing method in an information processing apparatus, comprising:

holding, in a storage unit, pieces of device information of printing apparatuses already connected to the information processing apparatus, and pieces of information of hot folders corresponding to the already-connected printing apparatuses;

determining a printing apparatus similar to a printing apparatus newly connected to the information processing apparatus among the already-connected printing apparatuses by comparing device information of the newly-connected printing apparatus with the pieces of device information of the already-connected printing apparatuses; and

generating a hot folder corresponding to the newly-connected printing apparatus by copying information of a hot folder corresponding to the determined printing apparatus.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

in a case where a setting item of a print setting settable in the determined printing apparatus and a setting item of a print setting settable in the newly-connected printing apparatus have a difference, displaying the setting item having the difference, and displaying a screen for receiving a setting to the setting item having the difference in the hot folder corresponding to the newly-connected printing apparatus.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein in a case where a plurality of printing apparatuses are connected to the information processing apparatus, a printing apparatus most similar to the newly-connected printing apparatus is determined among the plurality of printing apparatuses.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein in a case where a plurality of printing apparatuses are similar to the newly-connected printing apparatus, the plurality of similar printing apparatuses are presented to a user, and a printing apparatus is determined based on selection by the user.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein whether a printing apparatus is similar to the newly-connected printing apparatus is determined by comparing device names, driver names, and driver versions of the printing apparatuses included in the pieces of device information.

15. The method according to claim 10, wherein whether a printing apparatus is similar to the newly-connected printing apparatus is determined by using the number of coincident setting items of print settings settable in the printing apparatuses.

16. The method according to claim 10, wherein in a case where pieces of information of a plurality of hot folders corresponding to the printing apparatus similar to the newly-connected printing apparatus are held, a hot folder corresponding to the newly-connected printing apparatus is generated by copying all the pieces of information of the plurality of hot folders.

17. The method according to claim 10, wherein, in a case where pieces of information of a plurality of hot folders corresponding to the printing apparatus similar to the newly-connected printing apparatus are held, information of a hot folder used to generate a hot folder corresponding to the newly-connected printing apparatus is selected from the pieces of information of the plurality of hot folders in accordance with an instruction from a user.

18. The method according to claim 10, wherein in a case where connection of a printing apparatus is canceled from the information processing apparatus, information of a hot folder corresponding to the connection-canceled printing apparatus is deleted.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as

a holding unit configured to hold pieces of device information of printing apparatuses already connected to the computer, and pieces of information of hot folders corresponding to the already-connected printing apparatuses,

a determination unit configured to determine a printing apparatus similar to a printing apparatus newly connected to the computer among the already-connected printing apparatuses by comparing device information of the newly-connected printing apparatus with the pieces of device information of the already-connected printing apparatuses, and

a generation unit configured to generate a hot folder corresponding to the newly-connected printing apparatus by copying information of a hot folder corresponding to the printing apparatus determined by said determination unit.