Updateable printer driver, information processing apparatus, and computer-readable recording medium recording therein printer driver

• US 8,786,869 B2
• Filed: 09/07/2010
• Issued: 07/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Araki, Shigeo
• Primary Examiner(s): RUDOLPH, VINCENT M
• Application Number:
  US12/923,148
• Publication Number:
  US 20110058205A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,414 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 358/1.13
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1203 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. print management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1225 Software update, e.g. print driver, modules, plug-ins, fonts

Abstract

A printer driver includes: a core driver performing a constraining process to a print setting based on function information containing a constraint for the print setting and stored in a storage unit, and being enabled to accept an addition of a plug-in, wherein the core driver expands basic function information corresponding to the core driver onto a memory as information having a tree structure, when plug-in function information corresponding to the plug-in is stored in the storage unit, the core driver expands the plug-in function information on the memory as information having a tree structure, the core driver merges the information expanded from the plug-in function information into the information expanded from the basic function information, and the core driver performs the constraining process to a print setting based on a parent-and-child relation in a tree structure of the information thus merged.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium comprising computer-readable program codes for a printer driver including a core driver, the core driver performing a constraining process to a print setting based on function information containing a constraint for the print setting stored in a storing unit, that when executed on a computer cause the core driver to perform operations, wherein:

the core driver expands basic function information that corresponds to the core driver on a memory as first level information in a manner maintaining architectural relation of the basic function information, wherein

the basic function information includes, in a child level of function information that indicates a basic function that is included in the core driver, descriptions of

setting value information indicating a setting value that is selectable of the basic function indicated by the function information, and

constraint information indicating constraint processing about the basic function indicated by the function information;

the core driver expands plug-in function information that corresponds to a plug-in on the memory as second level information in a manner maintaining architectural relation of the plug-in function information,

the plug-in function information includes descriptions of

setting value information indicating a setting value that is selectable of expansion function indicated by the function information in a child level of function information indicating the expansion function that is included in the plug-in,

constraint information indicating constraint processing about the basic function included in the core driver in a same level of the setting value information, and

combining information that indicates the basic function applied with constraint processing indicated by the constraint information on a parent level of the constraint information;

the core driver combines the first level information expanded from the basic function information with the second level information expanded from the plug-in function information in a manner where

information in a level same or under the child level of the combination information described in the plug-in function information becomes information in a level same or under the child level of the function information indicating the basic function designated by the combination information,

the function information being described in the basic function information; and

the core driver performs constraint processing to the print setting based on the first level information that is combined with the second level information.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 1, wherein

the basic function information includes, in the child level of the constraint information, condition information indicating condition on which the constraint processing indicated by the constraint information is performed, and

the plug-in function information has a description of condition information, on the child level of the constraint information, that indicates condition on which constraint processing indicated by the constraint information is performed, the condition being related to the expansion function included in the plug-in.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 1, wherein

the core driver includes a setting control unit, in the first level information which is combined with the second level information, that generates software component group that provides parent level with information that child level has and/or that is received from the child level,

a control unit, among the software component group,

is located at an uppermost level in the first level information which is combined with the second level information,

works as an interface to other module constituting core driver, and

performs constraint processing of print setting based on information obtained from each of the software components that are the child level thereof.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the core driver includes a setting managing module, the setting managing module uses a Document Object Model (DOM) parser to expand the function information described in an Extensible Markup Language (XML) format as a DOM tree on the memory.

5. An information processing apparatus, comprising:

a memory installed with a printer driver including a core driver performing a constraining process to a print setting based on function information, containing a constraint for the print setting and stored in a storage unit of the information processing apparatus, and being enabled to accept an addition of a plug-in, and

a processor configured to implement the printer driver such that;

the core driver expands basic function information corresponding to the core driver on a memory as first level information in a manner maintaining architectural relation of the basic function information, wherein

the basic function information includes, in a child level of function information that indicates a basic function that is included in the core driver, descriptions of

setting value information indicating a setting value that is selectable of the basic function indicated by the function information, and

constraint information indicating constraint processing about the basic function indicated by the function information;

the core driver expands plug-in function information that corresponds to a plug-in on the memory as second level information in a manner maintaining architectural relation of the plug-in function information,

the plug-in function information includes descriptions of

setting value information indicating a setting value that is selectable of expansion function indicated by the function information in a child level of function information indicating the expansion function that is included in the plug-in,

constraint information indicating constraint processing about the basic function included in the core driver in a same level of the setting value information, and

combining information that indicates the basic function applied with constraint processing indicated by the constraint information on a parent level of the constraint information;

the core driver combines the first level information expanded from the basic function information with the second level information expanded from the plug-in function information in a manner where information in a level same or under the child level of the combination information described in the plug-in function information becomes information in a level same or under the child level of the function information indicating the basic function designated by the combination information, the function information being described in the basic function information; and

the core driver performs constraint processing to the print setting based on the first level information that is combined with the second level information.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the basic function information includes, in the child level of the constraint information, condition information indicating condition on which the constraint processing indicated by the constraint information is performed, and

the plug-in function information has a description of condition information, on the child level of the constraint information, that indicates condition on which constraint processing indicated by the constraint information is performed, the condition being related to the expansion function included in the plug in.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the core driver includes a setting control unit, in the first level information which is combined with the second level information, that generates software component group that provides parent level with information that child level has and/or that is received from the child level,

a control unit, among the software component group,

is located at an uppermost level in the first level information which is combined with the second level information,

works as an interface to other module constituting core driver, and

performs constraint processing of print setting based on information obtained from each of the software components that are the child level thereof.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the core driver includes a setting managing module, the setting managing module uses a Document Object Model (DOM) parser to expand the function information described in an Extensible Markup Language (XML) format as a DOM tree on the memory.