Associating an object with a print driver on a display

• US 8,245,149 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2007
• Issued: 08/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Ito, Daisuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Tieu, Benny Q
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rust, Eric A
• Application Number:
  US11/777,485
• Publication Number:
  US 20080024818A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,859 Days
• Field of Search: 715/764, 715/769, 358/1.15
• US Class Current: 715/769
• 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 3/1236 Connection management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services

Abstract

The convenience for a user can be improved when a printer apparatus is used through an information processing apparatus. The information processing apparatus includes: an associating unit for associating an object with a printer driver corresponding to a printer apparatus and a network port relating to a communication with the printer apparatus when the communication with the printer apparatus is established, and releasing the association between the object and the printer driver corresponding to the printer apparatus and the network port relating to the communication with the printer apparatus when the communication with the printer apparatus is not established; and an object control unit for performing control to display on a display apparatus a first object associated by the associating unit with a printer driver corresponding to a first printer apparatus and a network port relating to a communication with the first printer apparatus, and a second object associated with a printer driver corresponding to a second printer apparatus different from the first printer apparatus and a network port relating to a communication with the second printer apparatus as the same object.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus, comprising:

a determination unit constructed to determine, when a communication is established between the information processing apparatus and a printer apparatus, whether or not a user of the information processing apparatus is authorized to use the printer apparatus, wherein the printer apparatus is detected using a first communication system based on a short distance wireless communication and the communication is established using a second communication system based on a wireless communication for sending a job from the information processing apparatus to the printer apparatus;

an installation unit constructed to install, when the communication is established between the information processing apparatus and the printer apparatus, a specific printer driver corresponding to the printer apparatus, if the specific printer driver has not been installed in the information processing apparatus;

an associating unit constructed to associate an object with the specific printer driver and a network port relating to the communication between the information processing apparatus and the printer apparatus when the determination unit determines that the user of the information processing apparatus is authorized to use the printer apparatus, and to release the association between the object and the specific printer driver and the network port when the communication between the information processing apparatus and the printer apparatus is not established;

an object control unit constructed to control displaying of an object indicating the printer apparatus,

wherein when the information processing apparatus communicates with a plurality of printer apparatuses, the object control unit controls displaying such that a plurality of objects indicating the respective printer apparatuses are represented by a same object on a display apparatus, wherein the same object is provided with a name indicating that a communication is established between the information processing apparatus and the printer apparatus, and wherein even if (a) the installation unit installs a respective printer driver corresponding to the different one of the plurality of printer apparatuses when communication is established between the information processing apparatus and the corresponding printer apparatus, and (b) the associating unit associates each of the plurality of objects with the installed respective printer driver and a network port relating to a communication between the information processing apparatus and the corresponding printer apparatus, the object control unit controls displaying such that the same object can be commonly used by the plurality of installed printer drivers, and wherein the object control unit controls displaying of the object when authentication of the printer apparatus detected using the first communication system is successful and the communication is established between the information processing apparatus and the detected printer apparatus using the second communication system;

a non-transitory computer-readable memory constructed to store computer-executable process steps; and

a processor constructed to function as at least one of the units by executing the computer-executable process steps stored in the memory.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a printer driver corresponding to a first printer apparatus and a printer driver corresponding to a second printer apparatus different from the first printer apparatus are retained.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a job applying unit constructed to apply a job relating to a file to the printer apparatus corresponding to the specific printer driver and the network port through the specific printer driver and the port associated with the object, when the file is dragged and dropped on the object displayed on the display apparatus.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the communication is not established with the printer apparatus, the associating unit releases the association between the object and the specific printer driver corresponding to the printer apparatus and the network port relating to the communication with the printer apparatus, and wherein the object control unit clears display of the object corresponding to the printer apparatus and displayed on the display apparatus based on the release of the association by the associating unit.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the printer apparatus has a wireless communication capability.

6. An information processing method for use with an information processing apparatus comprising a non-transitory computer-readable memory constructed to store computer-executable process steps, and a processor constructed to execute the computer-executable process steps to perform the method, the method comprising:

a determination step configured to determine, when a communication is established between the information processing apparatus and a printer apparatus, whether or not a user of the information processing apparatus is authorized to use the printer apparatus, wherein the printer apparatus is detected using a first communication system based on a short distance wireless communication and the communication is established using a second communication system based on a wireless communication for sending a job from the information processing apparatus to the printer apparatus;

an installation step configured to install, when the communication is established between the information processing apparatus and the printer apparatus, a specific printer driver corresponding to the printer apparatus, if the specific printer driver has not been installed in the information processing apparatus;

an associating step of associating an object with the specific printer driver and a network port relating to the communication between the information processing apparatus and the printer apparatus when the determination step determines that the user of the information processing apparatus is authorized to use the printer apparatus, and of releasing the association between the object and the specific printer driver and the network port when the communication between the information processing apparatus and the printer apparatus is not established; and

an object control step of controlling displaying of an object indicating the printer apparatus,

wherein when the information processing apparatus communicates with a plurality of printer apparatuses, the object control step controls displaying such that a plurality of objects indicating the respective printer apparatuses are represented by a same object on a display apparatus, wherein the same object is provided with a name indicating that a communication is established between the information processing apparatus and the printer apparatus, and wherein even if (a) the installation step installs a respective printer driver corresponding to a different one of the plurality of printer apparatuses when the communication is established between the information processing apparatus and the corresponding printer apparatus, and (b) the associating step associates each of the plurality of objects with the installed respective printer driver and a network port relating to a communication between the information processing apparatus and the corresponding printer apparatus, the object control step controls displaying such that the same object can be commonly used by the plurality of installed printer drivers, and wherein the object control step controls displaying of the object when authentication of the printer apparatus detected using the first communication system is successful and the communication is established between the information processing apparatus and the detected printer apparatus using the second communication system.

7. The information processing method according to claim 6, further comprising applying a job relating to a file to the printer apparatus corresponding to the specific printer driver and the network port through the specific printer driver and the port associated with the object, when the file is dragged and dropped on the object displayed on the display apparatus.

8. The information processing method according to claim 6, wherein when the communication is not established with the printer apparatus, the associating step releases the association between the object and the specific printer driver corresponding to the printer apparatus and the network port relating to the communication with the printer apparatus, and wherein the control performing step clears display of the object corresponding to the printer apparatus and displayed on the display apparatus based on the release of the association.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute an information processing method for use with an information processing apparatus, the information processing method comprising:

determining, when a communication is established between the information processing apparatus and a printer apparatus, whether or not a user of the information processing apparatus is authorized to use the printer apparatus, wherein the printer apparatus is detected using a first communication system based on a short distance wireless communication and the communication is established using a second communication system based on a wireless communication for sending a job from the information processing apparatus to the printer apparatus;

installing, when the communication is established between the information processing apparatus and the printer apparatus, a specific printer driver corresponding to the printer apparatus, if the specific printer driver has not been installed in the information processing apparatus;

associating an object with the specific printer driver and a network port relating to the communication between the information processing apparatus and the printer apparatus when the determination step determines that the user of the information processing apparatus is authorized to use the printer apparatus, and of releasing the association between the object and the specific printer driver and the network port when the communication between the information processing apparatus and the printer apparatus is not established; and

controlling displaying of an object indicating the printer apparatus,

wherein when the information processing apparatus communicates with a plurality of printer apparatuses, the object control step controls displaying such that a plurality of objects indicating the respective printer apparatuses are represented by a same object on a display apparatus, wherein the same object is provided with a name indicating that a communication is established between the information processing apparatus and the printer apparatus, and wherein even if (a) the installation step installs a respective printer driver corresponding to a different one of the plurality of printer apparatuses when the communication is established between the information processing apparatus and the corresponding printer apparatus, and (b) the associating step associates each of the plurality of objects with the installed respective printer driver and a network port relating to a communication between the information processing apparatus and the corresponding printer apparatus, the object control step controls displaying such that the same object can be commonly used by the plurality of installed printer drivers, and wherein the object controlling step controls the displaying of the object when authentication of the printer apparatus detected using the first communication system is successful and the communication is established between the information processing apparatus and the detected printer apparatus using the second communication system.