To use peripheral devices such as an image forming apparatus from the information processing apparatus, a specific device driver (printer driver in the case of the image forming apparatus) corresponding to the peripheral devices must generally be installed in a processing system (hereinafter, operating system (OS)) that operates on the information processing apparatus. When the image forming apparatus is used, the printer driver is activated from an application, setting necessary for printing is carried out, and the image forming apparatus is driven. Image data acquired from the application is then transferred to the image forming apparatus. This enables printing of an image on paper.
In communication between the image forming apparatus and the printer driver, not only print data is transmitted from the printer driver, but also a print communication protocol utilizing information from the apparatus side is widely used. By this protocol, even in an image forming apparatus where a memory loadage is small, the printer driver can always check the state of a memory as information to achieve stable printing execution and realize display of abundant apparatus state information to be checked on the information processing apparatus side and a message to a user. Such a system has been widely commercialized and used.
Further, as discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-309617, there has been proposed an idea of achieving installation and environment construction by matching image forming apparatus and printer driver functions, which are equivalent in arbitrary OSs, with any OS. This idea is not realized by an operation at the printer driver but by accessing the printer adaptor where an apparatus directly connected to the image forming apparatus or via a network serves as a host.
However, as illustrated in FIG. 15A, there is a printing system including a basic printer driver where only a standard print protocol operates. In such a system, functions concerning memory checking, calibration, and adaptation to the image forming apparatus information, which have been realized by the independent communication protocol, cannot be achieved.
In the printer conversion system discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-309617, setting such as connection of a printer adaptor to the image forming apparatus must be made beforehand for bidirectional communication.
To address the above problems automatic construction of a system is necessary that needs no presetting for the printer adaptor, and can easily use printing functions using bidirectional communication similar to that of the conventional case, which is realized only by carrying out the conventional work of installing the printer driver into the image forming apparatus by the user. Further, even when there is a printer adaptor that has been already used in a local network, a system must be achieved, which automatically detects the apparatus, and notifies the user of its result as a choice of a usable environment, and the user can automatically use it.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds