Print driver for an extended printing device

• US 7,106,472 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2002
• Issued: 09/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Toor, Baljit S., Mao, Yonggui, Gomez, Jorge M., Bhakthavatsalam, Srinivas
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Kimberly
• Assistant Examiner(s): SCHLACK, SCOTT A
• Application Number:
  US10/286,119
• Publication Number:
  US 20040085572A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,412 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.15, 358/1.16, 358/1.14, 347/19, 710/8, 719/327, 719/328
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• 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 3/1211 Improving printing performance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1218 Reducing or saving of used resources, e.g. avoiding waste of consumables or improving usage of hardware resources
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1225 Software update, e.g. print driver, modules, plug-ins, fonts
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1284 Local printer device

Abstract

A print driver is provided for use in printing a document from a computing device to an extended printing device are provided, the extended printing device being based upon a base printing device. The print driver typically includes a base module configured to process at least one print operation involving printer-specific attributes of the extended printing device that are shared with the base printing device, and an interface module configured to enable an extended module to be added to the print driver to process at least one print operation involving printer-specific attributes of the extended printing device that are not shared with the base printing device.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium comprising a print driver for use in printing a document from a computing device to an extended printing device, the extended printing device being based upon a base printing device, the print driver comprising:

a base module configured to process at least one base print operation involving printer-specific attributes of the extended printing device that are shared with the base printing device; and

an interface module configured to enable an extended module to be added to the print driver to process at least one extended print operation involving printer-specific attributes of the extended printing device that are not shared with the base printing device; and

a plurality of printer interface libraries configured to provide user interface for adjusting print attributes of a print job;

wherein the printer interface libraries include an interface printer interface library, a base printer interface library included in the base module, and an extended printer interface library included in the extended module, the interface printer interface library being configured to receive function calls related to a print operation from an application programming interface of the computing device, and configured to process the function calls using at least one of the base printer interface library and the extended printer interface library.

2. A computer-readable medium comprising a print driver for use in printing a document from a computing device to an extended printing device, the extended printing device being based upon a base printing device, the print driver comprising:

a base module configured to process at least one base print operation involving printer-specific attributes of the extended printing device that are shared with the base printing device; and

an interface module configured to enable an extended module to be added to the print driver to process at least one extended print operation involving printer-specific attributes of the extended printing device that are not shared with the base printing device; and

a plurality of printer graphics libraries configured to perform graphics rendering operations involved in printing a print job on the extended printing device;

wherein the printer graphics libraries include an interface printer graphics library, a base printer graphics library included in the base module, and an extended printer graphics library included in the extended module, the interface printer graphics library configured to receive function calls related to rendering graphics in the print job from an application programming interface of the computing device, and configured to process the function calls using at least one of the base printer graphics library and the extended printer graphics library.

3. A computer-readable medium comprising a print driver for use in printing a document from a computing device to an extended printing device, the extended printing device being based upon a base printing device, the print driver comprising:

a base module configured to process at least one base print operation involving printer-specific attributes of the extended printing device that are shared with the base printing device; and

an interface module configured to enable an extended module to be added to the print driver to process at least one extended print operation involving printer-specific attributes of the extended printing device that are not shared with the base printing device; and

a plurality of language monitor libraries configured to receive a data stream headed to the extended printing device from a spooler, and to modify the data stream to include printer-specific commands;

wherein the language monitor libraries include an interface language monitor library, a base language monitor library included in the base module, and an extended language monitor library included in the extended module, the interface language monitor library being configured to interact with a parser of a print interface library of the print driver to monitor the data stream from the spooler for predetermined commands and data, the interface language monitor having a decision mechanism for determining whether to process function calls related to the predetermined commands and data using at least one of the base language monitor library and the extended printer language monitor library.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 3, wherein the interface language monitor is configured to delay processing of a base language monitor command by the base language monitor function library when an extended language monitor command is currently being processed by the extended language monitor library.

5. A method for use in printing a document with a print driver, the method comprising:

receiving a print-related function call from an operating system application programming interface at an interface module in a print driver, the print driver having a base module and an extended module; and

determining, at the interface module, which at least one of the base module and the extended module should process the function call;

wherein the function call is made to a printer interface library of the print driver, the printer interface library including an interface printer interface library, a base printer interface library and an extended printer interface library, the method further comprising;

receiving the function call at an interface printer interface library of the print driver;

determining whether the function call should be processed by a base printer interface library, an extended printer interface library, or both; and

processing the function call using the appropriate library or libraries.

6. A method for use in printing a document with a print driver, the method comprising:

receiving a print-related function call from an operating system application programming interface at an interface module in a print driver, the print driver having a base module and an extended module; and

determining, at the interface module, which at least one of the base module and the extended module should process the function call;

wherein the function call is made to a printer graphics library of the print driver, the printer graphics library including an interface printer graphics library, a base printer graphics library and an extended printer graphics library, the method further comprising;

receiving the function call at an interface printer graphics library of the print driver;

determining whether the function call should be processed by a base printer graphics library, an extended printer graphics library, or both; and

processing the function call using the appropriate library or libraries.

7. A method for use in printing a document with a print driver, the method comprising:

receiving a print-related function call from an operating system application programming interface at an interface module in a print driver, the print driver having a base module and an extended module;

determining, at the interface module, which at least one of the base module and the extended module should process the function call;

monitoring a data stream representative of the document directed to an extended printing device using a plurality of language monitor libraries; and

modifying the data stream with the language monitor libraries so as to include commands specific to the extended printing device

wherein the language monitor libraries include an interface language monitor library, a base language monitor library included in the base module, and an extended language monitor library included in the extended module, the method further comprising;

monitoring the data stream at the interface language monitor, at least in part by parsing the data stream using a parser of a printer interface library of the print driver and detecting predetermined commands and data therein; and

determining which at least one of the base language monitor library and the extended language monitor library should process the function calls for the predetermined commands and data.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

detecting whether there is a conflict between two or more function calls to be processed by the base language monitor library and extended language monitor library, and if so, delaying processing of one of the function calls.

9. A printing system, comprising:

an extended printing device based upon a base printing device, the extended printing device having printer-specific attributes including base attributes shared with the base printing device, and extended attributes not shared with the base printing device; and

a print driver for the extended printing device, the print driver including a base module configured to process one or more print operations involving the base attributes, and an extended module configured to process one or more print operations involving the extended attributes;

wherein the extended printing device further includes dual attributes, and the base module and the extended module are both configured to process at least one print operation involving the dual attributes.