Driverless architecture for printing systems

• US 8,773,687 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2009
• Issued: 07/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Liu, Yue
• Primary Examiner(s): Cordero, Marivelisse Santiago
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILLS, LAWRENCE E
• Application Number:
  US12/399,799
• Publication Number:
  US 20100225957A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,950 Days
• Field of Search: 719/321, 358/1.1, 358/1.15, 358/1.16
• 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 3/1227 Printer definition files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1232 Transmitting printer device capabilities, e.g. upon request or periodically
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers

Abstract

Techniques are provided for allowing an application program to print to a new or updated printing device on a network without the user having to perform any updates or reconfigurations that are required with conventional print drivers. The techniques include techniques for retrieving new or updated printing device capabilities data from the printing device on the network, converting the retrieved printing device capabilities to a printer description file, generating print job tickets based on the printer description file, and submitting the print job tickets to the printing device as part of the submission of print jobs to the printing device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for printing to a Web Service-enabled printing device, comprising:

retrieving, from the Web Service-enabled printing device, printing device capabilities data that describes current capabilities of the Web Service-enabled printing device and includes default print job ticket data that specifies a set of default print job settings values for the Web Service-enabled printing device;

generating, based upon both the printing device capabilities data, a printer description file that conforms to the PostScript Printer Description (PPD) file format and includes print job ticket generation information that includes one or more default print job settings values from the set of default print job settings values included in the printing device capabilities data;

generating a print job ticket based on the print job ticket generation information included in the printer description file that conforms to the PPD file format, wherein the print job ticket specifies one or more print job settings values that are to be used to process a print job on the Web Service-enabled printing device and wherein the one or more print job settings values include at least one of the one or more default print job settings values from the set of default print job settings values included in the printing device capabilities data; and

submitting the print job ticket to the Web Service-enabled printing device.

2. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the retrieving printing device capabilities data is performed using Web Service discovery protocol and comprises:

sending a Web Service probe message to the Web Service-enabled printing device at the Web Service-enabled printing device'"'"'s IP address;

receiving, from the Web Service-enabled printing device, a Web Service port number;

requesting, from the Web service-enabled printing device, printing device capabilities data by using the Web Service protocol to communicate with the Web Service-enabled printing device on a port on the Web Service-enabled printing device with the Web Service port number; and

receiving, from the Web Service-enabled printing device, the printing device capabilities data.

3. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the print job ticket generation information included in the printer description file includes PPD extension information that includes one or more of a tree structure, a port number or a protocol name.

4. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the printer description file is used to generate a user interface;

the user interface displays the capabilities of the Web Service-enabled printing device; and

user-specified print settings are received through the user interface.

5. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 4, wherein generating a print job ticket further comprises generating the print job ticket based on the user-specified print settings.

6. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 5, wherein:

the user-specified print settings are included in print data,

generating a print job ticket based on the user-specified print settings comprises generating the print job ticket based on print data, and

the computer-implemented method further comprises submitting the print data to the Web Service-enabled printing device.

7. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 6, wherein the print job ticket and the print data are submitted to the Web Service-enabled printing device as a single print job.

8. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 7, wherein the print job ticket is included as PDL comment data in the print data.

9. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the set of default print job settings values for the Web Service-enabled printing device includes default print jobs settings values for all of the features currently supported by the Web Service-enabled printing device.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium for printing to a Web Service-enabled printing device, the non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when processed by one or more processors, causes:

retrieving, from the Web Service-enabled printing device, printing device capabilities data that describes current capabilities of the Web Service-enabled printing device and includes default print job ticket data that specifies a set of default print job settings values for the Web Service-enabled printing device;

generating, based upon both the printing device capabilities data, a printer description file that conforms to the PostScript Printer Description (PPD) file format and includes print job ticket generation information that includes one or more default print job settings values from the set of default print job settings values included in the printing device capabilities data;

generating a print job ticket based on the print job ticket generation information included in the printer description file that conforms to the PPD file format, wherein the print job ticket specifies one or more print job settings values that are to be used to process a print job on the Web Service-enabled printing device and wherein the one or more print job settings values include at least one of the one or more default print job settings values from the set of default print job settings values included in the printing device capabilities data; and

submitting the print job ticket to the Web Service-enabled printing device.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 10, wherein the retrieving printing device capabilities data is performed using Web Service discovery protocol and comprises:

sending a Web Service probe message to the Web Service-enabled printing device at the Web Service-enabled printing device'"'"'s IP address;

receiving, from the Web Service-enabled printing device, a Web Service port number;

requesting, from the Web service-enabled printing device, printing device capabilities data by using the Web Service protocol to communicate with the Web Service-enabled printing device on a port on the Web Service-enabled printing device with the Web Service port number; and

receiving, from the Web Service-enabled printing device, the printing device capabilities data.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 10, wherein the print job ticket generation information included in the printer description file includes PPD extension information that includes one or more of a tree structure, a port number or a protocol name.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 10, wherein:

the printer description file is used to generate a user interface;

the user interface displays the capabilities of the Web Service-enabled printing device; and

user-specified print settings are received through the user interface.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 13, wherein generating a print job ticket further comprises generating the print job ticket based on the user-specified print settings.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 14, wherein:

the user-specified print settings are included in print data,

generating a print job ticket based on the user-specified print settings comprises generating the print job ticket based on print data, and

the non-transitory computer-readable medium further comprises additional instructions which, when processed by the one or more processors, causes submitting the print data to the Web Service-enabled printing device.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 15, wherein the print job ticket and the print data are submitted to the Web Service-enabled printing device as a single print job.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 16, wherein the print job ticket is included as PDL comment data in the print data.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 16, wherein the set of default print job settings values for the Web Service-enabled printing device includes default print jobs settings values for all of the features currently supported by the Web Service-enabled printing device.

19. An apparatus for printing to a Web Service-enabled printing device, the apparatus comprising a memory storing instructions which, when processed by one or more processors, causes:

retrieving, from the Web Service-enabled printing device, printing device capabilities data that describes current capabilities of the Web Service-enabled printing device and includes default print job ticket data that specifies a set of default print job settings values for the Web Service-enabled printing device;

generating, based upon both the printing device capabilities data, a printer description file that conforms to the PostScript Printer Description (PPD) file format and includes print job ticket generation information that includes one or more default print job settings values from the set of default print job settings values included in the printing device capabilities data;

generating a print job ticket based on the print job ticket generation information included in the printer description file that conforms to the PPD file format, wherein the print job ticket specifies one or more print job settings values that are to be used to process a print job on the Web Service-enabled printing device and wherein the one or more print job settings values include at least one of the one or more default print job settings values from the set of default print job settings values included in the printing device capabilities data; and

submitting the print job ticket to the Web Service-enabled printing device.

20. The apparatus as recited in claim 19, wherein the retrieving printing device capabilities data is performed using Web Service discovery protocol and comprises:

sending a Web Service probe message to the Web Service-enabled printing device at the Web Service-enabled printing device'"'"'s IP address;

receiving, from the Web Service-enabled printing device, a Web Service port number;

requesting, from the Web service-enabled printing device, printing device capabilities data by using the Web Service protocol to communicate with the Web Service-enabled printing device on a port on the Web Service-enabled printing device with the Web Service port number; and

receiving, from the Web Service-enabled printing device, the printing device capabilities data.