Administrator terminal connected to image forming apparatus and client, image forming system including the same, and remote installing method for driver thereof

• US 8,860,980 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2009
• Issued: 10/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HP Printing Korea Co., Ltd. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Seo, Jung-soo
• Primary Examiner(s): Cordero, Marivelisse Santiago
• Assistant Examiner(s): Diaby, Moustapha
• Application Number:
  US12/609,367
• Publication Number:
  US 20100097650A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,810 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 3/1225 Software update, e.g. print driver, modules, plug-ins, fonts
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1288 in client-server-printer device configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers

Abstract

An administrator terminal connected to an image forming apparatus and a client, an image forming system including the same, and a method to remotely an install a driver. The method to remotely an install a driver in an administrator terminal connecting with at least one image forming apparatus and at least one client includes searching for at least one image forming apparatus connected to the administrator terminal, selecting at least one client sharing and using the searched image forming apparatus, selecting an image forming apparatus server according to a network connection type of the image forming apparatus, and installing the driver of the image forming apparatus on the at least one selected client through the selected image forming apparatus server. Thus, at least one client is selected among clients where the driver is installed, and the driver is simultaneously installed according to the selected clients, thereby saving time and cost and providing a convenience to a user.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program, including instructions, which is executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform a method comprising:

searching for at least one image forming apparatus by an administrator terminal;

determining a network connection type of the searched image forming apparatus;

selecting via a user interface one of the administrator terminal and at least one client connected to the image forming apparatus to be an image forming apparatus sever providing a driver installing program for the searched image forming apparatus in response to the determined network connection type;

installing a driver for the searched image forming apparatus on at least one client using the selected image forming apparatus server.

2. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 1, the method further comprising selecting via the user interface the administrator terminal to be the image forming apparatus sever when it is determined that the searched at least one image forming apparatus is locally connected to the administrator terminal.

3. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 1, the method further comprising selecting via the user interface a client to be an image forming apparatus sever when it is determined that the searched at least one image forming apparatus is locally connected to the client.

4. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 1, wherein the installing the driver for the searched image forming apparatus comprises:

sharing a driver installed in the determined image forming apparatus server; and

installing the driver for the searched image forming apparatus on the client using the shared driver installed in the image forming apparatus server.

5. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 1, wherein the installing the driver for the searched image forming apparatus comprises:

transmitting a copy of the installing program from the image forming apparatus server to the client and executing the copied installing program.

6. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises selecting a sharing name of the shared image forming apparatus.

7. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprise setting up a group including a plurality of clients, and the installing of the driver comprises installing the driver to the plurality of clients included in the set group.

8. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises installing an agent program, by the administrator terminal, for installing the driver on the client, wherein the installing of the driver comprises using the agent program.

9. A method to remotely install a driver for at least one image forming apparatus on at least one client by an administrator terminal, the method comprising:

searching for at least one image forming apparatus by an administrator terminal;

determining a network connection type of the searched image forming apparatus;

selecting via a user interface one of the administrator terminal and at least one client connected to the image forming apparatus to be an image forming apparatus sever providing a driver installing program for the searched image forming apparatus in response to the determined network connection type;

installing a driver for the searched image forming apparatus on at least one client using the selected image forming apparatus server.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising selecting via the user interface the administrator terminal to be the image forming apparatus sever when it is determined that the searched at least one image forming apparatus is locally connected to the administrator terminal.

11. The method according to claim 9, further comprising selecting via the user interface a client to be the image forming apparatus sever when it is determined that the searched at least one image forming apparatus is locally connected to the client.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the installing the driver for the searched image forming apparatus comprises:

sharing a driver installed in the determined image forming apparatus server; and

installing the driver for the searched image forming apparatus on the client using the shared driver installed in the image forming apparatus server.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein if the driver is previously installed in the client, the first controller controls the first communication unit to transmit a command for updating the previously installed driver, and

wherein the second controller updates the previously installed driver with the driver.

14. The method according to claim 9, wherein the installing the driver for the searched image forming apparatus comprises:

transmitting a copy of the installing program from the image forming apparatus server to the client and executing the copied installing program.

15. The method according to claim 9, further comprise setting up a group including a plurality of clients, and

wherein the installing of the driver comprises installing the driver to the plurality of clients included in the set group.

16. A system comprising an administrator terminal, at least one image forming apparatus and at least one client, the administrator terminal comprising:

a first communication unit which communicates with the at least one image forming apparatus and the at least one client, searches for the at least one image forming apparatus, and determines a network connection type of the searched image forming apparatus;

a user interface to allow a user to select one of the administrator terminal and at least one client connected to the image forming apparatus to be a image forming apparatus server providing a driver installing program for the searched image forming apparatus in response to the determined network connection type; and

a first controller which controls the communication unit to transmit a command to search for the at least one image forming apparatus and to install a driver for the searched image forming apparatus on at least one client using the selected image forming apparatus server,

the at least one client comprising;

a second communication unit which communicates with the selected image forming apparatus server; and

a second controller which installs the driver on the client using the selected image forming apparatus server when receiving a command for installing the driver from the first controller through the second communication unit.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein the user interface allows the user to select a administrator terminal to be the image forming apparatus server when it is determined that the searched at least one image forming apparatus is locally connected to the administrator terminal and to select a client to be the image forming apparatus sever when it is determined that the searched at least one image forming apparatus is locally connected to the client.

18. The system according to claim 16, wherein the first controller controls the first communication unit to transmit a command for sharing a driver installed in the selected image forming apparatus server;

and installing the driver for the searched image forming apparatus on the client using the shared driver installed in the image forming apparatus server.

19. The system according to claim 16, wherein the user interface allows the user to set up a group including a plurality of clients, and the first controller controls the first communication unit to transmit a command for installing the driver to the plurality of clients included in the set group.

20. The system according to claim 16, wherein the first controller controls the first communication unit to transmit a command for installing an agent program for installing the driver to the client, and

wherein the second controller installs the agent program on the client and installs the driver on the client using the agent program.