Network system, method and apparatus for processing information, and control program

• US 7,065,564 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2001
• Issued: 06/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Machida, Haruo
• Primary Examiner(s): Follansbee, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hu, Jinsong
• Application Number:
  US10/011,975
• Publication Number:
  US 20020083131A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,652 Days
• Field of Search: 709/222, 717/178, 358/1.15
• US Class Current: 709/222
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Property information of a driver is newly set or updated via a simple operation on a network. First, property information is created. When a driver is installed or updated, the created property information associated with the driver is transmitted from a server device to a client device, which in turn sets the property information of the driver.

Claims

1. An information processing device that communicates with a client device, comprising:

selecting means for selecting at least one client device from plural client devices;

setting means for setting whether or not to install property information with driver information via a user interface, wherein the property information includes a plurality of setting values for the driver information;

recognition means for recognizing the at least one client device to which the property information is to be installed; and

transmission control means of controlling a process of transmitting, to the at least one client device selected by the selecting means, the property information and a setup command to set up the property information when the setting means sets to install the property information with the driver information.

2. An information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the setup command includes a command to control the at least one client device so as to register the property information in an OS.

3. An information processing device according to claim 2, further comprising management means of managing the property information for each printing device registered in the OS,

wherein the transmission control means controls a process of transmitting, to a printing device, property information corresponding to the printing device.

4. An information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the setup command includes a command to control the driver information so that the driver information reads the property information.

5. An information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the transmission control means controls a process of transmitting the property information in response to a driver setting start command inputted at the information processing device.

6. An information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the transmission control means controls a process of automatically reading property information generated by driver information in the information processing device and outputting the property information to the at least one client device.

7. An information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the setup command is transmitted by using a simple object access protocol.

8. A method, in an information processing device that communicates with a client device, for processing information, the method comprising the steps of:

selecting at least one client device from plural client devices;

setting whether or not to install property information with driver information via a user interface, wherein the property information includes a plurality of setting values for the driver information;

recognizing the at least one client device to which the property information is to be installed; and

controlling a process of transmitting, to the at least one client device selected in the selecting step, the property information and a setup command to set up the property information when the setting step sets to install the property information with the driver information.

9. A method for processing information according to claim 8, wherein the setup command includes a command to control the at least one client device so as to register the property information in an OS.

10. A method for processing information according to claim 9, further comprising the step of managing the property information for each printing device registered in the OS,

wherein the transmission control step includes a step of controlling a process of transmitting, to a printing device, property information corresponding to the printing device.

11. A method for processing information according to claim 8, wherein the setup command includes a command to control the driver information so that the driver information reads the property information.

12. A method of processing information according to claim 8, wherein the transmission control step includes a step of controlling a process of transmitting the property information in response to a driver setting start command inputted at the information processing device.

13. A method of processing information according to claim 8, wherein the transmission control means controls a process of automatically reading property information generated by driver information in the information processing device and outputting the property information to the at least one client device.

14. A method for processing information according to claim 8, wherein the setup command is transmitted by using a simple object access protocol.

15. A control program stored on a computer-readable medium and executed, in an information processing device that communicates with a client device, to control a process comprising the steps of:

selecting at least one client device from plural client devices;

setting whether or not to install property information with driver information via a user interface, wherein the property information includes a plurality of setting values for the driver information;

recognizing the at least one client device to which the property information, is to be installed; and

controlling a process of transmitting, to the at least one client device selected in the selecting step, the property information and a setup command to set up the property information when the setting step sets to install the property information with the driver information.

16. A control program according to claim 15, wherein the setup command includes a command to control the at least one client device so as to register the property information in an OS.

17. A control program according to claim 16, wherein the process further includes the step of managing the property information for each printing device registered in the OS,

wherein the transmission control step includes a step of controlling a process of transmitting, to a printing device, property information corresponding to the printing device.

18. A control program according to claim 15, wherein the setup command includes a command to control the driver information so that the driver information reads the property information.

19. A control program according to claim 15, wherein the transmission control step includes a step of controlling a process of transmitting the property information in response to a driver setting start command inputted at the information processing device.

20. A control program according to claim 15, wherein the transmission control step includes a step of controlling a process of automatically reading property information generated by driver information in the information processing device and outputting the property information to the at least one client device.

21. A control program according to claim 15, wherein the setup command is transmitted by using a simple object access protocol.

22. An information processing device that communicates with a client device, comprising:

selecting means for selecting at least one client device from plural client devices;

setting means for setting whether or not to install property information with driver information via a user interface, wherein the property information includes a plurality of setting values for the driver information;

recognition means of recognizing the at least one client device to which the driver information is to be installed; and

transmission control means of controlling a process of transmitting the driver information to the at least one client device selected by the selecting means without waiting for a driver information transmission request from the at least one client device,

wherein the transmission control means further controls a process of transmitting the property information to the at least one client device when the setting means sets to install the property information with the driver information.

23. An information processing device according to claim 22, wherein the transmission control means further controls a process of transmitting a command to set up the driver information.

24. An information processing device according to claim 23, wherein the setup command includes a command to control the at least one client device so as to register the property information in an OS.

25. An information processing device according to claim 23, wherein the setup command includes a command to control the driver information so that the driver information reads the property information.

26. An information processing device according to claim 23, wherein the setup command is transmitted by using a simple object access protocol.

27. An information processing device according to claim 23, wherein the transmission control means controls a process of transmitting the property information in response to a setup command issued at the information processing device.

28. An information processing device according to claim 22, further comprising management means of managing the property information for each printing device registered in the OS,

wherein the transmission control means controls a process of transmitting, to a printing device, property information corresponding to the printing device.

29. An information processing device according to claim 22, wherein the transmission control means controls a process of transmitting the property information in response to a driver setting start command inputted at the information processing device.

30. An information processing device according to claim 22, wherein the information processing device automatically reads property information generated by driver information in the information processing device and outputs the property information to the at least one client device.

31. An information processing device according to claim 22, wherein the transmission control means controls a process of transmitting property information together with the driver information to the at least one client device.

32. An information processing device according to claim 22, wherein the transmission control means controls a process of transmitting the property information in response to a property information transmission request from the at least one client device.

33. A method, in an information processing device that communicates with a client device, for processing information, the method comprising the steps of:

selecting at least one client device from plural client devices;

setting whether or not to install property information with driver information via a user interface, wherein the property information includes a plurality of setting values for the driver information;

recognizing the at least one client device to which the driver information is to be installed;

controlling a process of transmitting the driver information to the at least one client device selected in the selecting step without waiting for a driver information transmission request from the at least one client device; and

controlling a process of transmitting the property information to the at least one client device when the setting step sets to install the property information with the driver information.

34. A method for processing information according to claim 33, wherein the transmission control step further includes a step of controlling a process of transmitting a command to set up the driver information.

35. A method for processing information according to claim 34, wherein the setup command includes a command to control the at least one client device so as to register the property information in an OS.

36. A method for processing information according to claim 34, wherein the setup command includes a command to control the driver information so that the driver information reads the property information.

37. A method for processing information according to claim 34, wherein the setup command is transmitted by using a simple object access protocol.

38. A method for processing information according to claim 34, wherein the transmission control step includes a step of controlling a process of transmitting the property information in response to a setup command issued at the information processing device.

39. A method for processing information according to claim 33, further comprising the step of managing the property information for each printing device registered in the OS,

wherein the transmission control step includes a step of controlling a process of transmitting, to a printing device, property information corresponding to the printing device.

40. A method for processing information according to claim 39, wherein the transmission control step includes a step of controlling a process of transmitting the property information in response to a driver setting start command inputted at the information processing device.

41. A method for processing information according to claim 33, wherein the information processing device automatically reads property information generated by driver information in the information processing device and outputs the property information to the at least one client device.

42. A method for processing information according to claim 33, wherein the transmission control means includes a step of controlling a process of transmitting property information together with the driver information to the at least one client device.

43. A method for processing information according to claim 33, wherein the transmission control means controls a process of transmitting the property information in response to a property information transmission request from the at least one client device.

44. A control program stored on a computer-readable medium and executed, in an information processing device that communicates with a client device, to control a process comprising the steps of:

selecting at least one client device from plural client devices;

setting whether or not to install property information with driver information via a user interface, wherein the property information includes a plurality of setting values for the driver information;

recognizing the at least one client device to which the driver information is to be installed;

controlling a process of transmitting the driver information to the at least one client device selected in the selecting step and a command to set up the driving information, without waiting for a driver information transmission request from the at least one client device;

controlling a process of transmitting the property information to the at least client device when the setting step sets to install the property information with the driver information.

45. A control program according to claim 44, wherein the transmission control step further includes a step of controlling a process of transmitting a command to set up the driver information.

46. A control program according to claim 45, wherein the setup command includes a command to control the at least one client device so as to register the property information in an OS.

47. A control program according to claim 45, wherein the setup command includes a command to control the driver information so that the driver information reads the property information.

48. A control program according to claim 45, wherein the setup command is transmitted by using a simple object access protocol.

49. A control program according to claim 44, wherein the process further comprises the step of managing the property information for each printing device registered in the OS,

wherein the transmission control step includes a step of controlling a process of transmitting, to a printing device, property information corresponding to the printing device.

50. A control program according to claim 44, wherein the transmission control step includes a step of controlling a process of transmitting the property information in response to a driver setting start command inputted at the information processing device.

51. A control program according to claim 44, wherein the process includes a step of controlling the information processing device to automatically read property information generated by driver information in the information processing device and output the property information to the at least one client device.

52. A control program according to claim 44, wherein the transmission control step includes a step of controlling a process of transmitting the property information in response to a setup command inputted at the information processing device.

53. A control program according to claim 44, wherein the transmission control step includes step of controlling a process of transmitting property information together with the driver information to the at least one client device.

54. A control program according to claim 44, wherein the transmission control step includes a step of controlling a process of transmitting the property information in response to a property information transmission request from the at least one client device.