Method, apparatus, computer program, and computer readable storage media for configuring a printer driver

• US 8,797,558 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2010
• Issued: 08/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SOFHA GmbH (Orell Füssli AG)
• Original Assignee: Sofha GmbH Gesellschaft Fur Soft-Und Hardware
• Inventors: Oeters, Christoph, Tasci, Nusret
• Primary Examiner(s): Poon, King
• Assistant Examiner(s): BARNES, TED W
• Application Number:
  US12/715,281
• Publication Number:
  US 20100220347A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,618 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 358/1.13
• 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 3/1205 resulting in increased flexibility in print job configuration, e.g. job settings, print requirements, job tickets
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1208 resulting in improved quality of the output result, e.g. print layout, colours, workflows, print preview
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1257 by using pre-stored settings, e.g. job templates, presets, print styles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server

Abstract

A method and apparatus for configuring a printer driver where default settings of a printer on which a job is to be printed are queried by a printer driver of a client computer. The default settings can be, for example, stored in the printer itself, or in a storage medium or in a database in some other location that is accessible to the client computer. Depending on the default settings of the printer, default settings of the driver are configured.

Claims

1. A method for configuring a printer driver with settings, the method comprising:

storing at least values which are assignable to the settings, wherein;

each setting is composed of a name and an assigned value;

each setting causes defining a configuration of the printer driver;

at least a part of the settings is defined as default settings having default values; and

the settings comprise first level settings and second level settings arranged hierarchically so that the second level settings are subordinate to the first level settings, wherein a change of value of one of the first level settings automatically triggers a change in value of a plurality of the second level settings, but a change in value of one of the plurality of second level settings does not trigger a change in value of the one of the first level settings;

querying by the printer driver default settings of a printer on which a job is to be printed;

automatically configuring default settings of the printer driver based on the default settings of the printer, wherein default values assigned to the second level settings are configured consistent to default values assigned to the first level settings;

receiving by the printer driver a first default value for the one of the first level settings;

automatically, depending on consistency requirements, assigning by the printer driver second default values to the plurality of second level settings in response to receiving the first default value;

receiving by the printer driver a third value as change in the first default value for the one of the first level settings; and

automatically, depending on consistency requirements, assigning by the printer driver fourth default values to the plurality of second level settings in response to the change in the first default value.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the queried printer provides the default settings to the printer driver.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the querying is performed via a printer port of a computer on which the printer driver is installed.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the querying is performed via a network management protocol.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the default settings are provided in private modules of a management information base.

6. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

performing a consistency test by the printer driver before configuring the default settings of the printer driver, wherein the consistency test covers the default values of the plurality of second level settings corresponding to each of the first level settings.

7. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

configuring the second level settings compatible with the first level settings after configuring the one of the first level settings.

8. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

providing default values for the plurality of second level settings for each combination of default values of the first level settings.

9. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

locally storing by the printer driver default values of the first level settings together with corresponding default values of the plurality of second level settings.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein in response to receiving by the printer driver the third value as change in the first default value for the one of the first level settings, refraining from automatically assigning a corresponding default value to a second one of the plurality of second level settings in response to determining that the second one of the plurality of second level settings is assigned a user-defined value.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the job is printed with settings modified by the printer driver.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining by the printer driver that the user-defined value is inconsistent with the third value assigned to the one of the first level settings; and

providing an alert in response to the determining.

13. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

locally storing default values of the first level settings together with corresponding default values of the plurality of second level settings configured by a user.

14. The method according to claim 13 further comprising:

during configuration of a particular one of the first level settings, configuring by the printer driver corresponding ones of the plurality of second level settings assigned by the user for a corresponding value of the particular one of the first level settings.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the job is printed with settings modified by the printer driver.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the values of the first level settings are configured to be set independent of other settings, and the values of the second level settings depend on the values of the first level settings.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein the values of the first level settings dictate at least one first behavior of the printer and the values of the second level settings dictate at least one second behavior of the printer.

18. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor and storing computer program instructions therein, the processor being operable to execute the computer program instructions, the computer program instructions for configuring a printer driver according to the method of claim 1.

19. A non-transitory computer readable storage media on which a program is stored for execution by a computer, after it has been loaded into a memory of the computer, the program adapting the computer to configure a printer driver according to the method of claim 1.