Systems and methods for remotely managing and configuring driver settings

• US 8,305,602 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2006
• Issued: 11/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Ferlitsch, Andrew R., Borchers, Gregory E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Popovici, Dov
• Application Number:
  US11/537,433
• Publication Number:
  US 20080079975A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,230 Days
• Field of Search: 358 111- 116
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1205 resulting in increased flexibility in print job configuration, e.g. job settings, print requirements, job tickets
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1226 Discovery of devices having required properties
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1253 Configuration of print job parameters, e.g. using UI at the client
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1288 in client-server-printer device configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services

Abstract

A method for managing printer settings is described. Physical printers in electronic communication with a network are discovered. Installed printers, configured with a printer driver, are discovered. The physical printers are associated with the installed printers. One or more default print settings are specified. The one or more default print settings of at least one of the installed printers are updated.

Claims

1. A method for managing printer settings comprising:

discovering, at a computing device, physical printers in electronic communication with a network;

discovering, at the computing device, installed printer drivers via querying at least one spooler to enumerate the installed printer drivers;

associating, at the computing device, the physical printers with the installed printer drivers;

specifying, at the computing device, one or more default print settings; and

updating, at a remote computing device, the one or more default print settings of at least one of the installed printer drivers to the specified one or more default print settings.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising obtaining information about the installed printer drivers.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising storing the information about the installed printer drivers in an installed printer database.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more default print settings are specified remotely from the remote computing device that stores the installed printer drivers.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising specifying the discovered physical printers into one or more groups of physical printers.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising specifying the one or more default print settings for the one or more groups of physical printers.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising identifying at least one of the installed printer drivers based on the one or more groups of physical printers specified.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising querying one of a physical printers for at least one of the physical printer'"'"'s default settings.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising using a subnet or range of communication addresses to discover the physical printers.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining communication addresses for the physical printers associated with each of the discovered installed printer drivers.

11. An apparatus for managing printer driver settings comprising:

a processor;

a memory in electronic communication with the processor;

instructions stored in the memory, the instructions being executable by the processor to;

discover physical printers in electronic communication with a network;

discover installed printer drivers via querying at least one spooler to enumerate installed printer drivers;

associate the physical printers with the installed printer drivers;

specify one or more default print settings; and

update, at a remote computing device, the one or more default print settings of at least one of the installed printer drivers to the specified one or more default print settings.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the instructions are further executable to obtain information about the installed printer drivers.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the instructions are further executable to store the information about the installed printer drivers in an installed printer database.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the one or more default print settings are specified remotely from the remote computing device that stores the installed printer drivers.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the instructions are further executable to specify the discovered physical printers into one or more groups of physical printers.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the instructions are further executable to specify the one or more default print settings for the one or more groups of physical printers.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the instructions are further executable to identify at least one of the installed printer drivers based on the one or more groups of physical printers specified.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the instructions are further executable to query one of the physical printers for at least one of a physical printer'"'"'s default settings.

19. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the instructions are further executable to determine communication addresses for the physical printers associated with each of the discovered installed printer drivers.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising executable instructions for managing printer settings, the instructions being executable to:

discover physical printers in electronic communication with a network;

discover installed printer drivers via querying at least one spooler to enumerate installed printer drivers;

associate the physical printers with the installed printer drivers;

specify one or more default print settings; and

update, at a remote computing device, the one or more default print settings of at least one of the installed printer drivers to the specified one or more default print settings.