Facsimile and static presentation processing – Static presentation processing – Detail of medium positioning
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-12
2004-08-24
Lamb, Twyler (Department: 2622)
Facsimile and static presentation processing
Static presentation processing
Detail of medium positioning
C358S001100, C358S498000, C271S288000, C271S298000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06781709
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique of setting various pieces of information with regard to printing with a predetermined printing device, based on input data from an input unit according to the contents of a screen display area displayed for data input on a display unit.
2. Discussion of the Background
The software referred to as a printer driver and incorporated in a computer is generally required to cause a printer connecting with the computer to print computer-generated print data. The printer driver is a computer program that sets in the computer various pieces of information regarding the printer, for example, the functions of the printer, the interface, the font, and the control code, and controls the printer based on such information. A printer driver is provided for each model of the printer that carries out printing operations.
The user operates the computer to activate the printer driver incorporated in the computer, and causes a Properties dialog box to be displayed on a display. Various pieces of information can be set in this Properties dialog box; for example, information regarding the basic settings of printing such as the quality of printing and color correction, information regarding the settings of paper input such as selection of a feeder, and information regarding the settings of paper output such as selection of a destination of paper output. These various pieces of information are divided into a plurality of groups corresponding to their functions, for example, the basic settings, the settings of paper input, and the settings of paper output, and are classified in the form of separate cards or pop-up menu screens of a graphical user interface. The user selects a desired one among the plurality of cards for settings and inputs required data to set the information in the selected card.
When both the settings of paper input and the settings of paper output are required to be set, the background art requires the user to switch over the selected card. That is, in certain background art the paper input and paper output settings are not on the same card. As a result, the background art is not simple to operate. One idea is to pack both the settings of paper input and the settings of paper output in one card. The simple packing in one card, however, does not show the relationship between the paper input and paper output. As a result, this idea thus does not significantly improve the operability.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One object of the present invention is thus to solve the above problem of the background art and to improve the operability especially with regard to the settings of paper input and the settings of paper output in a printer by means of a printer driver.
At least part of the above and the other related objects is attained by a printing-related information setting apparatus that includes a display unit and an input unit and sets various pieces of information with regard to printing by a predetermined printing device, based on input data from the input unit according to the contents of a screen display area displayed for data input on the display unit. The printing-related information setting apparatus has a display control unit that causes a printing device image representing the printing device, a paper input settings display box showing information relating to paper input to the printing device, and a paper output settings display box showing information relating to paper output from the printing device to be displayed in a correlating manner in the screen display area.
This arrangement enables the printing device to be displayed in relation to both the paper input settings display box showing the paper input-related information and the paper output settings display box showing the paper output-related information. Unlike in the background art, the present invention does not require the user to switch over the selected card when the user carries out both the settings of paper input and the settings of paper output. The correlation clarifies the flow in the series of processing; that is, the paper input, the printing operation, and the paper output. As a result, this arrangement enhances operability in data input.
In accordance with one preferable application of the printing-related information setting apparatus, the display control unit includes a controller that causes an icon showing the appearance of the printing device to be displayed as the printing device image.
This arrangement enables the user to readily grasp the printing device with the icon or pictorial symbol, thus further enhancing operability in data input.
In accordance with another preferable application of the printing-related information setting apparatus, the display control unit includes a controller that locates the paper input settings display box on one side of the printing device image and the paper output settings display box on the other side of the printing device image.
This arrangement shows the series of processing, that is, the paper input, the printing operation, and the paper output, in this sequence that follows temporally, thus further enhancing operability in data input.
In the printing-related information setting apparatus having any of the above configurations, the display control unit may have a controller that causes a line relating the printer image unit to the paper input settings display box and a line relating the printer image unit to the paper output settings display box to be displayed in the screen display area.
This arrangement enables the user to understand the correlation using the lines at a single glance, thus further enhancing operability in data input.
In accordance with still another preferable application of the printing-related information setting apparatus, the display control unit includes: a paper input display unit that causes a plurality of images corresponding to a plurality of input paper holders set in the printing device to be displayed in the paper input settings display box; and a paper input distinguishable display unit that causes a specific image representing an available input paper holder currently usable in the printing device among the plurality of images displayed by the paper input display unit to be displayed in a distinguishable manner from images representing the other input paper holders.
In the case in which there are a plurality of input paper holders as paper feeders, this arrangement enables the user to distinguish an available input paper holder, which is currently usable, from the others while seeing the plurality of input paper holders. This accordingly further enhances operability in data input.
The printing-related information setting apparatus having the above structure may further include: an input paper holder selection unit that selects one out of the plurality of images displayed by the paper input display unit, based on the input data from the input unit; and an input paper holder setting unit that sets an input paper holder represented by the selected image as the available input paper holder currently usable in the printing device.
This arrangement enables the user to select a desired input paper holder through an operation of the input unit, thus further enhancing operability in data input.
In accordance with one preferable embodiment of the present invention, the printing-related information setting apparatus further has a residual paper quantity-related information input unit that receives a piece of information regarding a residual quantity of paper from the printing device. In this application, the display control unit includes a residual paper quantity display unit that causes the residual quantity of paper to be displayed, based on the received piece of information.
This arrangement enables the user who may be at a place remote from the printing device to readily check the residual quantity of paper, thus enhancing the efficiency of printing operations.
In accordance with another preferable embodiment of the present invention, th
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