IP Library Granted Patent US 12688749
Granted Patent B2
US 12688749 · App. 19/050,158 · Granted Jul 21, 2026

Non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing printing control program, printing control device, printing method

Inventor: Atsushi Yumoto (Shiojiri, JP)
Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
G07F17/266G06F3/1222G06F3/1236G06F3/1238G06F3/1292
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12688749
App. No.
19/050,158
Granted
Jul 21, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a printing control program, the printing control program causing a computer to execute transmission processing, billing processing, and settlement processing. In the transmission processing, print data is transmitted to a printer. In the billing processing, billing is received in a sales server in which a vendor of an operating system of the computer sells an application program. In the settlement processing, settlement is performed when the print data is transmitted and printing is successful in the printer.

Claims (31)

1 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a printing control program configured to assist an OS general-purpose printing program that provides printing functions usable for a plurality of types of printers, the printing control program causing a computer to execute:

transmission processing of transmitting print data to a printer;

billing processing of receiving billing in a sales server in which a vendor of an operating system of the computer sells an application program; and

settlement processing of performing settlement when the print data is transmitted and printing is successful in the printer.

2 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing the printing control program according to claim 1 , wherein the printing control program is a Print Support Application.

3 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing the printing control program according to claim 2 , wherein the sales server is a sales server that downloaded the Print Support Application to the computer.

4 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing the printing control program according to claim 1 , wherein, in the transmission processing, the print data is transmitted to the printer via a general-purpose printer driver.

5 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing the printing control program according to claim 1 , wherein, in the settlement processing,

a point is counted when a price for billing is paid in the billing processing,

transmission of the print data by the transmission processing is prohibited when a current holding point is insufficient for a price point, which is a price of the printing, and

settlement is performed by subtracting the price point from the holding point when the print data is transmitted in the transmission processing and the printing is successful.

6 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing the printing control program according to claim 5 , wherein, in the transmission processing,

the print data is transmitted to the printer via a general-purpose printer driver when the holding point is not insufficient for the price point, and

an error is notified to the general-purpose printer driver when the holding point is insufficient for the price point.

7 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing the printing control program according to claim 1 , wherein the print data includes a password corresponding to authority to use the printer.

8 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing the printing control program according to claim 7 , wherein the print data includes the password in a header of an Internet Printing Protocol.

9 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing the printing control program according to claim 7 , wherein the print data includes the password in an Attribute of an Internet Printing Protocol.

10 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing the printing control program according to claim 7 , wherein the print data includes the password in a Page Description Language.

11 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing the printing control program according to claim 1 , wherein in the settlement processing,

a point is counted when a price for billing is paid in the billing processing, and

when the printing is successful, a price point, which is a price of the printing, is subtracted from a current holding point based on an Attribute of an Internet Printing Protocol.

12 . A printing control device comprising:

a memory configured to store an OS general-purpose printing program that provides printing functions usable for a plurality of types of printers, and a printing control program that assists the OS general-purpose printing program; and

a processor configured to execute the printing control program to cause the processer to serve as

a transmission processing unit configured to transmit print data to a printer;

a billing processing unit configured to receive billing in a sales server in which a vendor of an operating system of the printing control device sells an application program; and

a settlement processing unit configured to perform settlement when the print data is transmitted and printing is successful in the printer.

13 . A printing method executed by a printing control program configured to assist an OS general-purpose printing program that provides printing functions usable for a plurality of types of printers, the printing method comprising:

transmission processing of a computer transmitting print data to a printer;

billing processing of the computer receiving billing in a sales server in which a vendor of an operating system of the computer selling an application program; and

settlement processing of the computer performing settlement when the print data is transmitted and printing is successful in the printer.