Information processing apparatus, method of controlling the same, and non-transitory computer-readable medium configured to generate a control job for occupying communication with a peripheral device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10019207-B2
Application number	US-201715422043-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 1, 2017
Priority date	Feb 22, 2016
Publication date	Jul 10, 2018
Grant date	Jul 10, 2018

Abstract

An information processing apparatus capable of operating an application. The apparatus includes a generation unit configured to generate a control job for occupying communication with a peripheral device, wherein the control job is stored in a job queue, and is different from a print job that is stored in the job queue due to require print processing and a deletion unit configured to delete the control job stored in the job queue. If a status of the control job stored in the job queue is processing, communication with the peripheral device via a communication unit is occupied by an application that has created the control job, and, after communication for the application is completed, the deletion unit deletes the control job stored in the job queue.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An information processing apparatus capable of operating an application, the apparatus comprising:
a generation unit configured to generate a control job for occupying communication with a peripheral device, wherein the control job is stored in a job queue, and is different from a print job that is stored in the job queue due to require print processing; and
a deletion unit configured to delete the control job stored in the job queue,
wherein, if a status of the control job stored in the job queue is processing, communication with the peripheral device via a communication unit is occupied by an application that has created the control job, and, after communication for the application is completed, the deletion unit deletes the control job stored in the job queue,
wherein the generation unit and the deletion unit are implemented by a processor of the information processing apparatus.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a processing unit configured to process jobs stored in the job queue,
wherein the processing unit determines whether the job to be processed out of the jobs stored in the job queue is the control job, and if the job is the control job, controls the status to be processing until the deletion unit deletes the control job.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein a Bidi extension JavaScript included in a v4 printer driver executes the processing unit.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein information indicating that a job is a control job and information for uniquely identifying the application that has generated the control job are added to the control job.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the pieces of added information are added as a job name of the control job.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5 , further comprising a monitoring unit configured to monitor the status of the control job stored in the job queue, wherein, based on the job name of the control job, the monitoring unit specifies the control job generated by the application as a monitoring target.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, if a status of the control job stored in the job queue is processing, information about a sheet held by the peripheral device is obtained via the occupied communication by the application.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7 , further comprising an edit unit configured to edit the obtained information about the sheet,
wherein, if the edited information about the sheet is sent via the occupied communication from the application, the control job is deleted from the job queue, and
wherein the edit unit is implemented by the processor of the information processing apparatus.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, if a status of the control job stored in the job queue is processing, information of status of the peripheral device is obtained via the occupied communication by the application.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a determination unit configured to determine whether a processing target job is the control job,
wherein, if it is determined that the processing target job is the control job, a retry response is notified to a port monitor,
wherein, if it is determined that the processing target is not the control job, a print instruction and a success response are notified to the port monitor, and
wherein the determination unit is implemented by the processor of the information processing apparatus.

11. A method of controlling an information processing apparatus capable of operating an application, the information processing apparatus having a memory that stores instructions and a processor that executes the instructions to perform the method, the method comprising:
generating a control job for occupying communication with a peripheral device, wherein the control job is stored in a job queue, and is different from a print job that is stored in the job queue due to require print processing; and
deleting the control job stored in the job queue,
wherein, if a status of the control job stored in the job queue is processing, communication with the peripheral device via a communication unit is occupied by the application that has created the control job, and, after communication for the application is completed, the control job stored in the job queue is deleted.

12. The method according to claim 11 , further comprising determining whether a job to be processed out of jobs stored in the job queue is the control job, and, if it is determined that the job to be processed is the control job, control is performed such that the status of the job to be processed becomes processing until the control job is deleted.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein, if it is determined that the job to be processed is the control job, a Bidi extension JavaScript included in a v4 printer driver controls the status of the job to be processed to be processing until the control job is deleted.

14. The method according to claim 11 , wherein information indicating that a job is a control job and information for uniquely identifying the application that has generated the control job are added to the control job.

15. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the pieces of added information are added as a job name of the control job.

16. The method according to claim 11 , wherein, if a status of the control job stored in the job queue is processing, information about a sheet held by the peripheral device is obtained via the occupied communication by the application.

17. The method according to claim 16 , further comprising editing the obtained information about the sheet, wherein, if the edited information about the sheet is sent via the occupied communication from the application, the control job is deleted from the job queue.

18. The method according to claim 11 , wherein, if a status of the control job stored in the job queue is processing, information of status of the peripheral device is obtained via the occupied communication by the application.

19. The method according to claim 11 , further comprising determining whether a processing target job is the control job, wherein, if it is determined that the processing target job is the control job, a retry response is notified to a port monitor, and wherein, if it is determined that the processing target is not the control job, a print instruction and a success response are notified to the port monitor.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program that causes a computer to function as:
a generation unit configured to generate a control job for occupying communication with a peripheral device, wherein the control job is stored in a job queue, and is different from a print job that is stored in the job queue due to require print processing; and
a deletion unit configured to delete the control job stored in the job queue,
wherein, if a status of the control job stored in the job queue is processing, communication with the peripheral device via a communication unit is occupied by an application that has created the control job, and, after communication for the program is completed, the deletion unit deletes the control job stored in the job queue.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Kitagawa Kan
• Kawaura Toshinori

Classifications

• G06F3/1284

  Local printer device · CPC title

• G06F3/1205

  resulting in increased flexibility in print job configuration, e.g. job settings, print requirements, job tickets · CPC title

• G06F3/126

  Job scheduling, e.g. queuing, determine appropriate device · CPC title

• G06F3/1236 Primary

  Connection management · CPC title

• G06F3/125

  Page layout or assigning input pages onto output media, e.g. imposition · CPC title