Server connected with image forming apparatus and client, image forming system having the same, and driver remote installation method of image forming apparatus

A server connected with an image forming apparatus and a client, an image forming system having the same and a driver remote installation method of an image forming apparatus, the method including selecting at least one client in which a driver of the image forming apparatus is to be installed by the server; selecting a type of the driver to be installed in the at least one selected client; installing an install manager to install the driver in the at least one selected client; and installing the selected driver in the at least one selected client using the install manager.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119 of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2008-0105005, filed on Oct. 24, 2008, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present general inventive concept relates to a server connected with an image forming apparatus and a client, an image forming system having the same and a driver remote installation method of an image forming apparatus, and more particularly, to a server connected with an image forming apparatus and a client, an image forming system having the same and a driver remote installation method of an image forming apparatus remotely installing a driver by each user group.

2. Description of the Related Art

An image forming apparatus forms an image to be printed on a paper. The image forming apparatus may be implemented as a printer, a photocopier, a facsimile machine, a multifunction device having two or more such, or the like.

Recently, the image forming apparatus has been widely used in office automation as a multifunction apparatus performing a scanning function, a facsimile function, etc., in addition to a printing function, outputting a document, etc. Accordingly, the image forming apparatus has been developed to have a high performance and expand upon an available inherent function to perform various functions, and an available function of the image forming apparatus may be restricted depending on a determined authority of a user.

Accordingly, to more efficiently administer an image forming system including at least one client personal computer (host apparatus) connected with an image forming apparatus on a network depending on the authority of a user, a driver of the image forming apparatus installed by each client is differently determined and administered through a system administrator.

In detail, the system administrator, that is, a server personal computer (PC), is remotely connected to each client to perform a remote installation such as distribution, installation and deletion of software such as a driver.

However, as the functions of the image forming apparatus increase in variety and the speed and capacity of the network become developed, the load of the system administrator administering clients further increases, and the functions which the system administrator administers per each client increases.

In general, regarding a driver of an image forming apparatus, it is normal to determine the driver using the authority of specific users.

However, in the image forming system according to the conventional remote installation, to install a driver to the client having the same using authority, the server is separately connected to each client to determine the type of a driver to be installed, and repeatedly performs the same installing work to each client.

Accordingly, the conventional installing process results in a large and unnecessary amount of time and cost, as well as inconvenience for an administrator repeatedly performing the same work.

SUMMARY

Example embodiments of the present general inventive concept provide a server connected with an image forming apparatus and a client, an image forming system having the same and a driver remote installation method of an image forming apparatus selecting at least one client of clients in which a driver is to be installed, concurrently performing a driver installation in each selected client to save unnecessary time and cost, and providing convenience to a system administrator.

The foregoing and/or other features and utilities of the present general inventive concept may be achieved by providing a driver remote installation method of an image forming apparatus which is connected with a server and at least one of a plurality of clients, the method including selecting the at least one client in which a driver of the image forming apparatus is to be installed by the server; selecting a type of the driver to be installed on the selected at least one client; installing an install manager to install the driver in the selected client; and installing the selected driver in the selected client using the install manager.

The installing the driver may include displaying an installation state of the driver of each selected client of the plurality of clients.

The selecting the at least one client may include determining a group that includes the selected at least one client.

The determining the group may include generating the group, adding the group, loading the group, editing the group, deleting the group, or a combination thereof.

The method may include storing information about the determined group.

The determining the group may include using group information previously stored.

The installing the driver may include copying an installation program of the selected driver in the selected at least one client.

The installing the driver may be performed in a background of the client.

The method may include displaying success or failure of the installation of the driver of each selected client in the server.

The method may include selecting to install the driver again with respect to a client in which the driver fails to be installed among the selected clients.

The method may include deleting the install manager, the installation program, or both with respect to a client in which the driver is installed among the selected clients.

The server may include one of the plurality of clients.

The foregoing and/or other features and utilities of the present general inventive concept may be achieved by providing a server which is connected with an image forming apparatus and at least one of a plurality of clients, the server including a communicating unit to communicate with the image forming apparatus and the at least one client; a user interface to select the at least one client in which a driver of the image forming apparatus is to be installed among the clients, and a type of the driver to be installed in the at least one client; and a control unit to install an install manager to install the driver in the at least one client, and to control the communicating unit to transmit a command to install the selected driver in the at least one client using the install manager corresponding to the selection of the client.

The server may include a display unit, and the control unit may control the communicating unit to receive installation information of the driver from the selected at least one client, and may control the display unit to display an installation state of the driver of any selected clients corresponding to the received installation information.

The user interface may determine a group which may include the selected at least one client.

The determining of the group may include generating the group, adding to the group, loading the group, editing the group, deleting the group, or a combination thereof.

The server may include a storing unit to store information about the determined group.

The control unit may determine the group using group information previously stored in the storing unit.

The control unit may transmit an installation program of the selected driver to the selected at least one client.

The communicating unit may receive information indicating success or failure of the installation of the driver from the selected client, and the display unit may display the success or failure of the installation of the driver of each selected client according to the received information.

The user interface may select installation of the driver again with respect to a client in which the driver fails to be installed among the selected clients.

The communicating unit may transmit a command to delete the install manager, the installation program, or both with respect to a client in which the driver is installed among the selected clients.

The foregoing and/or other features and utilities of the present general inventive concept may also be achieved by providing an image forming system which includes an image forming apparatus, a server and at least one of a plurality of clients, the server including: a first communicating unit to communicate with the image forming apparatus and the at least one client; a user interface to select the at least one client in which a driver of the image forming apparatus is to be installed among the clients, and a type of the driver to be installed in the at least one client; and a first control unit to install an install manager to install the driver in the at least one client, and to control the first communicating unit to transmit a command to install the selected driver in the at least one client using the install manager according to the selection of the client through the user interface, wherein the client includes a second communicating unit to communicate with the image forming apparatus and the server; and a second control unit to install the install manager and the selected driver in the at least one client upon receiving the command to install the install manager and the selected driver from the server through the second communicating unit.

The foregoing and/or other features and utilities of the present general inventive concept may also be achieved by providing a remote driver installation method including selecting at least one of a plurality of clients by a server, selecting a type of driver to be installed in the at least one client by the server, transmitting an installation manager to the at least one client from the server, and installing the driver in the at least one client using the installation manager.

The driver may drive an image forming apparatus connected to the server and the at least one client.

Any of the plurality of clients may operate as the server.

One of the plurality of clients may operate as the server in response to receiving verifiable administrative access information.

A plurality of clients may be selected to have the driver installed, and the driver may be installed in all of the selected clients concurrently.

The foregoing and/or other features and utilities of the present general inventive concept may also be achieved by providing a method of remotely installing a driver of an image forming apparatus in a plurality of clients by a server, the method including selecting a group of clients to receive the driver, and transmitting the driver from the server to the group of clients such that the driver is concurrently installed in the group of clients.

The method may further include transmitting an install manager from the server to the group of clients to install the driver.

The method may further include presenting a user interface at the server to be used by a user to select the group of claims and the driver.

The selection of the group by the user may include generation of a new group, loading a stored group, editing the stored group, adding to the stored group, deleting the stored group, or a combination thereof.

The method may further comprise presenting a progress report at the server which indicates a status of driver installation in each client in the group of clients.

The foregoing and/or other features and utilities of the present general inventive concept may also be achieved by providing a method of remotely installing a driver from a server to a plurality of clients, the method including selecting one of the clients to operate as the server, and transmitting the driver from the server concurrently to a group of clients to be installed in the clients receiving the driver.

The method may include selecting, at the server, one or more of the plurality of clients to be included in the group.

The foregoing and/or other features and utilities of the present general inventive concept may also be achieved by providing a recording medium having recorded thereon a program to cause a computer to perform a driver remote installation method of an image forming apparatus which is connected with a server and at least one of a plurality of clients, the method including selecting the at least one client in which a driver of the image forming apparatus is to be installed by the server; selecting a type of the driver to be installed on the selected at least one client; installing an install manager to install the driver in the selected client; and installing the selected driver in the selected client using the install manager.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to various exemplary embodiments of the present general inventive concept, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. The exemplary embodiments are described below so as to explain the present general inventive concept by referring to the figures. Repetitive description with respect to like elements of different embodiments may be omitted for the convenience of clarity.

FIG. 1is a schematic view illustrating the configuration of an image forming system10according to an exemplary embodiment of the present general inventive concept.

As illustrated inFIG. 1, the image forming system10according to the present exemplary embodiment may include an image forming apparatus100, and at least one client200-1,200-2,200-3, . . . ,200-n.

The image forming apparatus100may include an image forming unit (not shown), and may be implemented as a printer, a multifunction device performing more than two functions, etc., connectable to a network. Each of the at least one client200-1,200-2,200-3, . . . ,200-nmay be implemented as a host apparatus such as a personal computer (PC), etc.

If a plurality of clients are provided, a user may perform a login at each of the plurality of clients200-1,200-2,200-3, . . . ,200-nto use the image forming apparatus100.

In one of the plurality of clients200-1,200-2,200-3, . . . ,200-n, the user may perform a login of an administrator mode in which determining and changing with respect to all environments of the image forming apparatus100are available without a separate access restriction.

Here, the client in which the login of the administrator mode is performed may be remotely connected to other clients, and may perform an installation of software such as a driver of the image forming apparatus100to the connected clients. Accordingly, the client in which the login of the administrator mode is performed becomes able to perform a role of a server200, which is illustrated inFIG. 2and will be discussed in more detail later in this description.

The server200according to the present exemplary embodiment may select at least one client of the plurality of clients200-1,200-2,200-3, . . . ,200-nin which a predetermined driver is to be installed, and may concurrently perform the installation of the driver with respect to the at least one selected client. In the present exemplary embodiment, the login of the administrator mode may be available in all clients of the plurality clients200-1,200-2,200-3, . . . ,200-n, and the client in which the login of the administrator mode is performed becomes the server200. Also, in the present exemplary embodiment, the same type of a driver may be concurrently installed on a plurality of clients selected at once.

FIG. 2is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the server200according to an exemplary embodiment of the present general inventive concept.

As shown inFIG. 2, the server200may include a user interface210, a display unit220, a storage unit230, a communicating unit240and a control unit250.

The user interface210may receive a user command to select at least one of a plurality of clients200-1,200-2,200-3, . . . ,200-nin which the installation of a driver is desired, and may determine the type of the driver installed on the at least one selected client. More particularly, a user may determine a group including at least one of the plurality of clients200-1,200-2,200-3, . . . ,200nin which the user wants to install a driver of the image forming apparatus100, and may select the type of the driver to be installed with respect to the determined group in the display unit220through the user interface210. In this embodiment, the group determining may include at least one of generating, adding, loading, editing and deleting of a group.

The user interface210may receive an administrator ID and code (or password, etc.) as a login to an administrator mode from the user. The control unit150may confirm the user as a system administrator through the input administrator ID and code (or password, etc.).

The user interface210may include a keyboard, a mouse, etc., provided as an input device of the server200, and may include a graphic user interface (GUI) (hereinafter, also referred to as a “local user interface (LUI)”) generated by execution of a driver or a separate application to be displayed in the display unit220to receive a user input. If the user interface210includes a GUI, the server200may display a GUI in which at least one of the plurality of clients200-1,200-2,200-3, . . . ,200-nis selectable, and may receive a command to determine a group including at least one client selected by using the displayed GUI.

The display unit220may display a determining screen used to determine a group including at least one client of the plurality of clients200-1,200-2,200-3, . . . ,200-n, and an installation state of a driver of each client. More particularly, the display unit220may display a determining screen configured such that the plurality of clients200-1,200-2,200-3, . . . ,200-nincluded in the image forming system10can be selected, and may display an installation state of a driver of each client included in the determined group to a user.

The user may select the type of a driver which the user wants to install in a corresponding group through the user interface210according to a user group determining screen including at least one client displayed in the display unit220. The server200may transmit an installation program corresponding to the type of the driver to each client included to the corresponding group.

In the present exemplary embodiment, different types of drivers may be installed in each group. For example, if a user authority of the image forming apparatus100is different with respect to a group A and a group B, all drivers with respect to printing, scanning and facsimile may be installed to the group A, and only a driver with respect to printing may be installed to the group B. Accordingly, use of the image forming apparatus100by each group and by each user can be respectively restricted.

The display unit220may include, for example, a thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD), and a driving unit (not shown) driving the TFT-LCD.

FIGS. 3A to 3Fillustrate examples of a group determining screen according to an exemplary embodiment of the present general inventive concept.

As shown inFIG. 3A, the display unit220may display a determining screen in which a group to be determined is selectable to a user. More particularly, if the user selects a group determining menu, the control unit150may display information about a group previously determined to the user. The displayed information about the group may include a group name, a domain, information (e.g., IP) of the image forming apparatus which the corresponding group is allowed to use, a driver information, etc.

In the determining screen illustrated inFIG. 3A, the user may generate, add, edit or delete a new group. Also, the user may use information of a group previously stored in the storage unit230to determine a group. With respect to a predetermined group, the previously stored group information may include a client included in the group, driver installation information of each client, etc. According to the present exemplary embodiment, the server200may load group information stored in other client apparatuses, etc., as well as the storage unit230, and may display such information in the display unit220.

As illustrated inFIG. 3A, the displayed group determining screen may include UI buttons31,32,33and34respectively corresponding to generating (e.g., adding), editing (e.g., correcting), loading and deleting of a group.

The display unit220may display a login mode screen of an administrator mode to connect to the user group selected inFIG. 3A. More particularly, a login screen as illustrated inFIG. 3Bmay include input fields35,36and37to receive a group domain, an administrator ID and an administrator code (or password, etc.). The user may input the domain, administrator ID and administrator code in the login screen displayed inFIG. 3Bthrough the user interface210, and the server200may perform certification according to the input administrator ID and administrator code (or password, etc.).

If a user selects the new group UI button31inFIG. 3Ato generate a new group, the display unit220may display a computer name of at least one client included in a stored group as illustrated inFIG. 3Cto be selectable, and the user may select one or more clients in the stored group to be included in the newly generated group by using the user interface210.

If the selection of the one or more clients is completed, the user may store the generated group information by using the UI button38corresponding to the storing of the group information inFIG. 3C.

Also, as illustrated inFIG. 3D, the display unit220may display a screen to determine the type of a driver to be installed with respect to the determined group. The driver according to the present general inventive concept may include various applications, software (S/W), solutions, etc., used in a function expansion of the image forming apparatus100, in addition to a printer driver to be used with the image forming apparatus100, depending on the type of the image forming apparatus100. For example, as illustrated inFIG. 3D, a driver to be used with the application “Photo Thru 1.0” may be installed to the selected group of clients along with a “SCX—000 Printer Driver”.

Also, as illustrated inFIG. 3E, the display unit220may display a screen to determine an installation option of one or more of the drivers determined inFIG. 3D, and may uniformly display the determined group information as illustrated inFIG. 3Fto the user so that the user can easily confirm the selections.

As illustrated inFIGS. 3A to 3F, in the present exemplary embodiment, the determining of the user group including at least one client is exemplarily described. Alternatively, at least one client in which a driver is to be installed may be selected by a user to perform a remote installation without determining a group, if the user so desires.

The group information determined inFIGS. 3A to 3Fmay be stored in the storage unit230. The storage unit230may be implemented as an internal storage module such as a hard disk drive, a flash memory, etc., or an external storage module. Certification information used to certify an administrator mode may be further stored in the storage unit230of the server100according to the present exemplary embodiment.

The communicating unit240may perform communication with at least one client included in a corresponding group by referring to determined group information.

In detail, the server200may perform a data communication with each client through the communicating unit240, transmit a command to install a driver on a client selected to be included in the corresponding group, and continually receive and transmit state information about the driver installation from and to each client.

As illustrated inFIG. 4, an install manager may be installed in the server200and each client as a monitoring program of a driver remote installation and a data communication. Accordingly, the server200may perform a data communication with at least one client by a predetermined protocol, and may remotely perform a driver installation by using the install manager. The install manager may operate as an agent to efficiently perform a connection between the server200and each client, and communication of data such as various commands, state information, an installation program, etc. The install manager installed to the server200may become a remote install manager.

The communicating unit240may be implemented as wired or wireless communication modules connectable with an external device such as the image forming apparatus100and a client through a local or network connection by a predetermined protocol.

The control unit250may control the server200. More particularly, the control unit250may control the display unit220to display a group determining screen, that is, a determining screen to select at least one client to which a driver of the image forming apparatus100is installed, select at least one client included in a group by using the user interface210depending on the displayed determining screen, select the type of a driver installed to the group including the selected client, and remotely install the selected driver to at least one selected client, that is, the client included in the group.

In such an operation as this, the server200may include an install manager, that is, a monitoring module to receive and transmit a command or state information from and to each client included in the group, and to perform a driver remote installation. The monitoring module may be implemented as being added as a separate configuration element, or being included in the control unit250.

FIGS. 5A to 5Cillustrate a determining data file and a communication file generated according to the exemplary embodiment of the present general inventive concept.

A group determining information file according to the present exemplary embodiment includes GroupName.rgi, which is a group information file, and GroupName.xml, which is a group installation determining file. GroupName.rgi and GroupName.xml may be generated in determining a group, and as illustrated inFIG. 5A, GroupName.rgi may include domain information, a group name, an administrator ID and an administrator code of a determined group, and information about a client included in the group.

GroupName.xml may include an installation option commonly applied to the determined group, that is, information about a basic printer, a printer port, sharing, a driver determining, etc., and this file may be transmitted to each client with an installation command to be used in a remote installation of a driver.

If the installation command of the driver is transmitted to each client, the server200may transmit and receive information about an installation state to and from each client.FIG. 5Billustrates a data structure which may be used to transmit an information communication of an installation state, and as illustrated inFIG. 5B, the state information may include a client name, a client IP address, name of a driver (S/W) to be installed, an installation state information, etc.

FIG. 5Cillustrates a command which may be transmitted and received between the server200and each client, and as illustrated inFIG. 5C, the server200may transmit a corresponding command to a monitoring module of a client side to execute a command such as a remote installation, an installation result report log file request, an installation end, etc. A remote install manager of a server200side and a remote install manager of a client side may transmit and receive a command and state information through a network.

To remotely install a selected driver to at least one selected client, the control unit250may share a folder in which an installation program of the corresponding driver is stored, and copies the installation program of the shared folder to each client. Then, the control unit250may execute the copied installation program to remotely install the driver. In such a situation, the remote installation of the driver may be concurrently performed with respect to each client.

More particularly, if receiving an execute command, the control unit250, as illustrated inFIG. 5C, may execute an installation program copied to each client through a local path like [Setup.exe/I“<Path>\<configuration_filename>”/S/F“<Path>\<log_filename>”/T] to perform a remote installation with respect to a driver. Here, configuration_filename indicates a GroupName.xml file, and log_filename is an example of the case of manually designating an installation report log file.

The control unit250may receive the installation state information from each client included in the group, and may control the display unit220to display according to each client.

FIGS. 6A and 6Billustrate a display screen of an installation state of each client.

As illustrated inFIG. 6A, a display screen may include a graph61representing an installation degree of a driver with respect to the total number of clients, and a graph62representing an installation degree of each individual each client included in a group. Accordingly, a user can easily confirm the installation state of the total clients and of each client through the display unit220.

If a driver installation job is completed, as illustrated inFIG. 6B, the control unit250may control the display unit220to display a result screen representing indicators of success or failure of the installation of each client. Referring toFIG. 6B, the displayed result screen may include a display window63representing the number of an installed or successful client in each determined group, a list64displaying a client failing to be installed among clients included in a selected group, and a window65representing a failure list of a selected client.

A user may select through the user interface210whether to install again with respect to a client in which the driver fails to be installed depending on the display result of the display unit220. Also, the user may output an installation result report according to the result screen inFIG. 6B.

If the user selects to perform installing again with respect to a specific client failing to be installed, the control unit250performs again a remote installing of a driver with respect to the corresponding client. Also, at least one of the installation program and the install manager copied to the client in which the installation is completed may be deleted.

Also, the copying and installing operations of the installation program as described above may be performed in a background (that is, a silent mode) so that a user using the corresponding client will not be aware of the operations occurring in the corresponding client.

In the image forming system10illustrated inFIG. 1, each client may receive various commands to perform a remote installation of a driver from the server200, and may perform the installation of a determined driver depending on management of the server200. In these operations, an install manager may be installed to each client as a monitoring program (or an agent program), and the install manager may periodically transmit a state (an environment information), installation state information, etc., of the client to the server200.

Hereinafter, a driver remote installing process according to the image forming system10as described above will be described by referring toFIG. 7.

Referring toFIG. 7, a user may perform a login to an administrator mode in at least one client200-1,200-2,200-3, . . . ,200-n(S110). Certification with respect to an administrator ID and an administrator code of the login may be performed, and the client certifying the administrator may become the server200.

The server200may select at least one client in which a driver of the image forming apparatus100is to be installed among the clients200-1,200-2,200-3, . . . ,200-n(S120). The operation S120may include determining a group including at least one selected client. The group determining may include, for example, at least one of generating, adding, loading, editing, deleting and storing of a group. The determined group information may be stored in the storage unit230. In determining a group, a user may use group information previously stored, and the group information previously stored may include a client included in a predetermined group, driver installation information of each client, etc.

The server200may select the type of a driver installed in the client selected in the operation S120(S130).

A monitoring program, e.g., an install manager, may be installed in the server300and the selected client (S140). The installation of the operation S140may include executing a program previously installed, or updating to execute.

Then, the server200may copy an installation program corresponding to the type of the driver selected in the operation S130to the client selected in the operation S120(S150). The copying process of the operation S150may include sharing a folder in which the corresponding installation program is stored. The shared folder may be provided to one of a plurality of clients200-1,200-2,200-3, . . . ,200-nas well as the server200.

The server200may execute the installation program copied in the operation S150to install the driver (S160).

The server200may display to the user an installation state of each client in which the installation program is executed in the operation S160through the display unit220(S170). The displaying in the operation S170may include displaying success or failure of the driver installation in each client.

In an installation result of the operation S160, the server200may determine whether the driver is normally installed to each client (S180).

In the determining of the result in the operation S180, if the driver is normally installed to all clients selected in the operation S120, the server200may delete at least one of the installation program and the install manager copied to each client S190, and may end all remote installation operations.

In the determining of the result in the operation S180, if the driver is not normally installed to one or more of the clients, the user may select whether to install again the driver to a failing client through the user interface210(S200).

In the selection made in the operation S200, if the user selects to perform the installing again, the server200again performs the installing operation of the driver with respect to the corresponding client.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present general inventive concept, a server can concurrently perform a remote installation of a driver with respect to at least one client, and can display an installation state to a user and selectively perform the installation again with respect to a client in which the installation failed, thereby saving time and cost in a remote installation and supplying convenience to a user in an installation process.