Patent ID: 8074180
Filing Date: 2011-12-06
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. An information processing apparatus managed by a multi-task operating system which displays a plurality of windows for displaying information on a display device, the information processing apparatus comprising: an operation unit that allows a user to input instructions; a print processing unit that controls a printing device to print an image based on data that is designated with a print instruction input through the operation unit; a first acquiring unit that acquires a window handle for each of the plurality of windows displayed on the display device, in response to a print preview instruction input through the operation unit, the window handles including a first window handle for a first window which has been generated by a task based on a first application software dealing with first user data and a second window handle for a second window which has been generated by a task based on a second application software dealing with second user data; a second acquiring unit that acquires, for each of the plurality of windows identified by the window handles, application identification information for identifying an application software corresponding to a task of displaying information in each of the windows; an application registering unit that registers at least two application software including the first application software and the second application software; a window registering unit that selects windows corresponding to the at least one application software registered by the application registering unit, from among the plurality of windows identified by the window handles based on the application identification information acquired for each of the windows, and that registers the window handles for the selected windows, wherein each of the plurality of windows is a display configured to be activated by clicking itself; an operation screen display unit that displays, on the display device, an operation screen indicating the windows identified by the window handles registered by the window registering unit, for selecting one of the windows in the operation screen as a preview object; a first image data generating unit that, in response to the print preview instruction, generates a first print preview image data that shows a print output result obtained when the print processing unit controls the printing device to print an image based on data displayed on the first window based on the first application software; a first preview unit that displays a first preview image based on the first print preview image data of the first window based on the first application software in a print preview window on the display device, wherein the first preview unit displays a first setting change button configured to change the first preview image displayed by the first preview unit when clicked; a second image data generating unit that, while the first preview image of the first window based on the first application software is displayed in the print preview window, in response to selecting the second window from among the windows identified by the window identification information registered by the window registering unit as the preview object through the operation screen, generates a second print preview image data that shows a print output result obtained when the print processing unit controls the printing device to print an image based on data displayed on the second window which is based on the second application software and is selected as the preview object; and a second preview unit that displays a second preview image based on the second print preview image data of the second window based on the second application software in the print preview window on the display device while the first preview image of the first window based on the first application software is displayed in the print preview window, wherein the second preview unit displays a second setting change button configured to change the second preview image displayed by the second preview unit when clicked.