JP2002196906A - Printer device and storage medium storing printer driver program - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To provide an environment for a printer user to easily update a printer driver. A printer driver adds version information at the time of printing (S21) and transmits print data to a printer (S22). On the other hand, upon receiving the print data (S23), the printer device 1 executes printing (S2).
4). At this time, the received version information data is compared with the version information data held in the printer body (S25), and if the version information on the printer device 1 side is newer, it is notified to the user's computer. After printing, if the version information of the printer device 1 is newer,
The printer device 1 instructs the Internet server computer 30 to download the printer driver stored therein to the user's computer (S26).

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a printer device connectable to a network printer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with the progress of OA and the remarkable spread of the Internet, various types of data have been transmitted / received or distributed / distributed through networks inside and outside offices. For example, software is distributed via a network. In addition, printer drivers, which are software necessary for printing from a computer to a printer, are frequently added and updated in order to meet various user needs.

[0003]

When printing is performed using a printer driver, if the versions are different, desired printing cannot be performed, and the user often feels inconvenience. Therefore, for example, it is required to easily update a printer driver via a network. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an environment in which a printer user can easily update a printer driver.

[0004]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, in a printer apparatus connected to a network and capable of transmitting and receiving data, a print data receiving means for receiving print data via the network, Version information receiving means for receiving the version information of the printer driver via a network, storage means for storing and holding the version information received by the version information receiving means, and printing the print data received by the print data receiving means The above object is achieved by providing a printing unit. According to the second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the printer driver is connected via the network to an Internet server computer that holds and distributes a printer driver, and the version receiving unit receives a notification that the printer driver has been updated. In this case, the printer driver version information stored in the storage unit is updated.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the invention, when the print data received by the print data receiving means is printed by the printing means, the version information receiving means is used. The printer further includes a notification unit that compares the received printer driver version information included in the print data with the version information stored and held in the storage unit, and notifies the user's computer if the latter is newer. It is characterized by having. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a function of instructing that a printer driver held in an Internet server computer be downloaded to a user's computer via the network. It is characterized by. According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, a transmission function for transmitting print data to a printer device, and when transmitting the print data by this transmission function,
The above object is achieved by a storage medium storing a printer driver program readable by a computer and a version information transmission function of simultaneously transmitting version information of the printer driver.

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an appearance of the printer device 1, and FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram thereof. The printer 1 includes a host interface 5, a program ROM (read only memory) 6, a font ROM 7, a panel interface 8, a CPU (central processing unit) 9, a RAM 10, an NV-R.
The controller 2 includes an AM 11, an engine interface 12, and an option RAM 14, an operation panel 4, and a printer engine 13. The printer device 1 is connected to an Internet server computer 30 and a user computer 40 via a network so as to be able to transmit and receive data.

Next, referring to the flowchart of FIG.
The processing procedure of the embodiment will be described. First, the administrator of the Internet server computer 30 saves a new printer driver in the Internet server computer (Step 10). Then, the Internet server computer 30 sends the e-mail to the user's printer.
Notifies the version information (step 11). on the other hand,
The printer device 1 updates the held printer driver information to the notified version (step 12) and holds the updated information.

Next, another embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, the user prints from his or her computer 40 to the printer device 1 (step 20). The printer driver adds the version information at the time of printing (step 21) and transmits the print data to the printer (step 22). On the other hand, the printer 1
Receives the print data (step 23), executes printing (step 24). At this time, the received version information data is compared with the version information data held in the printer body (step 25), and when the version information on the printer device 1 side is newer (step 25;
Y), notify the user's computer.

After printing, if the version information of the printer 1 is new (step 25; Y), the printer 1
To the Internet server computer 30,
An instruction to download the printer driver stored therein to the user's computer 40 is issued (step 2).
6). The Internet server computer 30 downloads the printer driver to the user's computer 40 (steps 27 and 28).

[0010]

According to the invention described in the claims, the printer can check and update the version of the printer driver, so that the user can always use the latest printer driver with improved functions to perform printing.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an appearance of a printer device.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of the printer device.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printer 5 Host interface 13 Printer engine 30 Internet server computer 40 User computer

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A printer device connected to a network and capable of transmitting and receiving data, a print data receiving means for receiving print data via the network, and receiving version information of a printer driver via the network. Version information receiving means, storage means for storing and holding the version information received by the version information receiving means, and printing means for printing the print data received by the print data receiving means. Printer device. 2. A printer connected to an Internet server computer holding and distributing a printer driver via the network, and when the version receiving unit receives a notification that the printer driver has been updated, a printer stored in the storage unit. The printer device according to claim 1, wherein the driver version information is updated. 3. When the print data received by the print data receiving means is printed by the printing means, the printer driver version information included in the print data received by the version information receiving means, and the storage means 3. The printer device according to claim 1, further comprising a notifying unit that compares the version information stored and held in the computer and, when the latter is newer, notifies the user's computer of the fact. 4. The apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a function of giving an instruction to download a printer driver stored in an Internet server computer to a user's computer via the network.
The printer device according to the above. 5. A transmission function for transmitting print data to a printer, and a version information transmission function for simultaneously transmitting version information of the printer driver when the print data is transmitted by the transmission function. A storage medium storing a printer driver program.