Print control program and medium and information processing apparatus

• US 7,719,703 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2004
• Issued: 05/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Oshima, Masamichi, Shirai, Kenichi, Kurotsu, Noriyoshi, Morooka, Hidekazu, Kikuchi, Koji, Kitagata, Kei, Kayama, Hiroyuki, Wanda, Koichiro, Yagita, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman; Mark K
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rodriguez; Lennin R
• Application Number:
  US10/775,090
• Publication Number:
  US 20040160613A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,288 Days
• Field of Search: 707/10, 358 114- 116, 715/736, 235/462.15
• US Class Current: 358/1.14
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1212 achieving reduced delay between job submission and print start
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1261 by using alternate printing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1263 based on job priority, e.g. re-arranging the order of jobs, e.g. the printing sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1288 in client-server-printer device configuration

Abstract

A print control program executed by an information processing apparatus, which spools print data created and spooled via a print data creation module such as a printer driver again and concurrently performs the re-spooling and output of the print data to a resending destination or an alternate device. It is thereby possible to speed up a throughput of the output on alternation of printing or resending.

Claims

1. A non-transitory storage medium having a print control program to be executed by a computer stored therein in a computer-readable form, wherein the program comprises:

a spooling step of spooling print data created and spooled via a printer driver;

an outputting step of outputting the spooled print data to an original destination printer;

a changing step of changing a printing destination from the original destination printer to an alternation destination printer before said spooling step has completed the spooling of the print data and before said outputting step has completed the outputting of the spooled print data to the original destination printer; and

a control step of canceling the outputting of the spooled print data to the original destination printer without canceling the spooling of the print data, concurrently performing the spooling of a portion of the print data which has not yet been spooled such that the spooling is performed after a portion of the print data already spooled without restarting from the beginning, and performing the outputting of a portion of the print data spooled before the changing in said changing step to the alternation destination printer.

2. The storage medium according to claim 1, wherein, on alternation or resending of said print data, said control step continues the spooling of the data already spooled before the alternation or resending.

3. The storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the program further comprises:

an ID creation step of creating a first ID issued correspondingly to the print data created via said printer driver and a second ID to the print data spooled in said spooling step apart from said first ID; and

a management step of performing job management corresponding to the second ID created in said ID creation step.

4. The storage medium according to claim 3, wherein the first ID is an ID issued via an OS.

5. The storage medium according to claim 3, wherein the program further comprises:

a notification step of notifying said second ID to an alternation destination printer specified of a plurality of printers via an alternate setting screen;

an identification step of identifying the print data to be alternated based on said second ID notified in said notification step; and

a reading step of reading the print data identified in said identification step,

wherein said control step concurrently processes the spooling of the print data in said spooling step and said reading step.

6. The storage medium according to claim 5, wherein each of said plurality of printers has port information set up correspondingly.

7. An information processing apparatus for exerting print control, comprising:

a spooling unit, adapted for spooling print data created and spooled via a print data creation module;

an outputting unit, adapted for outputting the spooled print data to an original destination printer;

a changing unit, adapted for changing a printing destination from the original destination printer to an alternation destination printer before said spooling unit has completed the spooling of the print data and before said outputting unit has completed the outputting of the spooled print data to the original destination printer; and

a control unit, adapted for canceling the outputting of the spooled print data to the original destination printer without canceling the spooling of the print data, concurrently performing the spooling of a portion of the print data which has not yet been spooled such that the spooling is performed after a portion of the print data already spooled without restarting from the beginning, and performing the outputting of a portion of the print data spooled before the changing by said changing unit to the alternation destination printer;

wherein at least one of the units is a hardware unit.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein, on alternation or resending of said print data, said control unit continues the spooling of the data already spooled before the alternation or resending.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising:

an ID creation unit, adapted for creating a first ID issued correspondingly to the print data created via the print data creation module and a second ID to the print data spooled by said spooling unit apart from said first ID; and

a management unit, adapted for performing job management corresponding to the second ID created by said ID creation unit.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the first ID is an ID issued via an OS.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising:

a notification unit, adapted for notifying said second ID to an alternation destination printer specified of a plurality of printers via an alternate setting screen;

an identification unit, adapted for identifying the print data to be alternated based on said second ID notified by said notification unit; and

a reading unit, adapted for reading the print data identified by said identification unit,

wherein said control unit concurrently performs the spooling of the print data by said spooling unit and the reading by said reading unit.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein each of said plurality of printers has port information set up correspondingly.