Image forming apparatus and method thereof

• US 9,218,150 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2010
• Issued: 12/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Takagi, Yoshihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): ZONG, HELEN
• Application Number:
  US12/882,411
• Publication Number:
  US 20110075177A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,924 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server

Abstract

A system is provided in which printer driver update work is not required, and in addition, print queue creation work can be hidden. When a virtual printer driver is installed, a generic printer driver is installed in the system without creating a print queue. Then, for execution of printing, the installed generic printer driver is used to create the print queue, and a print job is input to the print queue.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a first installation unit configured to install a first printing related program corresponding to a plurality of types of image forming apparatuses; and

a second installation unit configured to install a second printing related program along with the installation of the first printing related program by the first installation unit, without fixing an output destination of the second printing related program,

wherein the second printing related program is executed when output data corresponding to data received from the first printing related program is transmitted to an output destination by using an object, wherein the output destination is set according to a user'"'"'s selection in the object, and wherein at least one processor functions as the units.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a selection unit configured to select one image forming apparatus from among a plurality of image forming apparatuses as the output destination; and

a setting unit configured to, in response to the selection made by the selection unit, set a port which sets the selected image forming apparatus as the output destination for the object of the second printing related program,

wherein the first printing related program generates intermediate data that can be interpreted by a plurality of types of printing related programs, and the second printing related program generates, from the intermediate data, data that can be processed by the selected image forming apparatus corresponding to the port set by the setting unit, and wherein the at least one processor functions as the units.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first printing related program is a program which is used for printing a document, not directly but indirectly, for a physical output device.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second installation unit installs a new second printing related program according to a version of the already installed second printing related program in the information processing apparatus.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second printing related program is different from the first printing related program and is a generic printer driver which can perform the printing directly for a plurality of models of image forming apparatuses.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the second printing related program uses common functions included in compatible models.

3. A control method carried out in an information processing apparatus comprising:

a first installation step of installing a first printing related program corresponding to a plurality of types of image forming apparatuses; and

a second installation step of installing a second printing related program along with the installation of the first printing related program in the first installation step, without fixing an output destination of the second printing related program,

wherein the second printing related program is executed when output data corresponding to data received from the first printing related program is transmitted to an output destination by using an object, wherein the output destination is set according to a user'"'"'s selection in the object.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

a selection step of selecting one image forming apparatus from among a plurality of image forming apparatuses; and

a setting step of setting, in response to the selection made by the selection unit, a port which sets the selected image forming apparatus as the output destination for the object of the second printing related program,

wherein the first printing related program generates intermediate data that can be interpreted by a plurality of types of printing related programs, and the second printing related program generates, from the intermediate data, data that can be processed by the selected image forming apparatus corresponding to the port set for the second printing related program in the setting step.

5. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores a program for causing a computer to execute the method according to claim 3.

10. The information processing method according to claim 3, wherein the first printing related program is a program which is used for printing a document, not directly but indirectly, for a physical output device.

11. The information processing method according to claim 3, wherein the second installation unit installs a new second printing related program according to a version of the already installed second printing related program in the information processing apparatus.

12. The information processing method according to claim 3, wherein the second printing related program is different from the first printing related program and is a generic printer driver which can perform the printing directly for a plurality of models of image forming apparatuses.

13. The information processing method according to claim 11, wherein the second printing related program uses common functions included in compatible models.