Computer-readable storage medium for an information processing apparatus and a printing system for providing a selectable processing channel between the information processing apparatus and a printer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10514872-B2
Application number	US-201816143733-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 27, 2018
Priority date	Sep 29, 2017
Publication date	Dec 24, 2019
Grant date	Dec 24, 2019

Abstract

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing computer readable instructions that are executable by a computer in an information processing apparatus is provided. The information processing apparatus has a display interface, an operation interface, and a communication interface, and is connected with a printer through the communication interface. The computer readable instructions, when executed by the computer, causing the computer to control the display interface to display a setting screen to accept entry of print settings applicable to the printer, including a first special setting which is feasible to a first channel but infeasible to a second channel, and in response to a specific operation related to the first special setting to the setting screen through the operation interface, determine the first channel to be a processing channel to be used to cause the printer to print the image.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing computer readable instructions that are executable by a computer in an information processing apparatus, the information processing apparatus comprising a display interface, an operation interface, and a communication interface through which the information processing apparatus is connected with a printer, the information processing apparatus comprising a first channel and a second channel each configured to cause the printer to print an image through the communication interface based on image data, the computer readable instructions, when executed by the computer, causing the computer to:
control the display interface to display a setting screen, the set screen being configured to accept entry of print settings applicable to the printer, the print settings including a first special setting, the first special setting being feasible to the first channel but infeasible to the second channel; and
in response to a specific operation to the setting screen through the operation interface, the specific operation being an operation related to the first special setting, determine the first channel to be a processing channel to be used to cause the printer to print the image.

2. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 1 ,
wherein the setting screen is a single screen, in which all of the print settings that are feasible to at least one of the first channel and the second channel are displayed.

3. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 1 ,
wherein the setting screen includes a first screen and a second screen, the second screen being configured to be displayed in response to an operation to the first screen,
wherein the first screen contains a print setting feasible to both the first channel and the second channel but does not contain the first special setting among the print settings applicable to the printer, and
wherein the second screen contains the first special setting among the print settings applicable to the printer.

4. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 3 ,
wherein the specific operation includes the operation to the first screen to cause the display interface to display the second screen.

5. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 1 ,
wherein the specific operation includes an operation to enter the first special setting through the setting screen.

6. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 1 ,
wherein the print settings applicable to the printer includes a second special setting, the second special setting being feasible to the second channel but infeasible to the first channel,
wherein, based on entry of the first special setting, the computer readable instructions cause the computer to limit entry of the second special setting through the setting screen.

7. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 1 ,
wherein, in response to a print commanding operation to the operation interface, the computer readable instructions cause the computer to control the display interface to display the setting screen.

8. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 1 ,
wherein one of the first channel and the second channel is a channel to process the image data for the image to be printed by the printer through a first rasterization process, and
wherein the other of the first channel and the second channel is a channel to process the image data for the image to be printed by the printer through a second rasterization process, the second rasterization process being different from the first rasterization process.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 1 ,
wherein one of the first channel and the second channel is a channel, through which the computer readable instructions cause the information processing apparatus to rasterize the image data, and
wherein the other of the first channel and the second channel is a channel, through which the computer readable instructions cause the printer to rasterize the image data.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 1 ,
wherein an operating system in the information processing apparatus includes a print controlling function,
wherein one of the first channel and the second channel is a channel to cause the printer to print the image without using the print controlling function, and
wherein the other of the first channel and the second channel is a printer to print the image by use of the print controlling function.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 1 ,
wherein, based on absence of the specific operation to the setting screen, the computer readable instructions cause the computer to determine the second channel to be the processing channel prior to commanding the printer to print the image.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 1 ,
wherein, in response to entry of a command to the computer to start printing the image through the operation interface, the computer readable instructions cause the computer to output data for commanding the printer to print the image to the printer, the data being processed through one of the first channel and the second channel determined to be the processing channel.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 1 ,
wherein the printer includes:
a first-typed printer being feasible to print the image based on first data for commanding the printer to print the image, the first data being processed through the first channel, the first-typed printer being infeasible to print the image based on second data for commanding the printer to print the image, the second data being processed through the second channel;
a second-typed printer being infeasible to print the image based on the first data, the second-typed printer being feasible to print the image based on the second data; and
a third-typed printer being feasible to print the image based on the first data and on the second data, and

wherein the computer readable instructions cause the computer to display the same setting screen to accept entry of the print settings applicable to the printer regardless of a type of the printer being connected with the information processing apparatus among the first-typed printer, the second-typed printer, and the third-typed printer.

14. A printing system comprising an information processing apparatus and a printer, the information processing apparatus and the printer being configured to communicate with each other in conformity with a predetermined communication protocol, the printing system comprising channels configured to cause the printer to print an image based on image data, the channels including:
a first channel configured to cause the information processing apparatus to conduct a first rasterization process to generate first rasterized data, and cause the printer to receive the first rasterized data and print an image based on the first rasterized data; and
a second channel configured to cause the printer to conduct a second rasterization process to generate second rasterized data and print the image based on the second rasterized data,
wherein the information processing apparatus is configured to:
display a setting screen, the setting screen being configured to accept entry of print settings applicable to the printer, the print settings including a first special setting, the first special set

Assignees

• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Mizutani Aiko
• Kusumoto Naoki

Classifications

• G06F3/1205

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

• G06F3/1209 Primary

  resulting in adapted or bridged legacy communication protocols, e.g. emulation, protocol extension · CPC title

• G06F3/1258 Primary

  by updating job settings at the printer · CPC title

• G06F3/1244

  Job translation or job parsing, e.g. page banding · CPC title

• H04N1/00352 Primary

  Input means (H04N1/00411 takes precedence; input arrangements for computers G06F3/00) · CPC title