Printer driver and application decoupling using event centric registration model

Abstract

Some embodiments of the invention provide a printer user interface (UI) component configured to handle presentation of information to a user during printing operations. The printer UI component may de-couple the rendering and configuration functionality provided by a printer driver from the presentation of information to end users, thereby reducing the risk that applications may crash or hang due to printer driver malfunction. In some embodiments, a registry of events upon which information should be presented to the user is established, and the printer UI component may be registered for some or all of these events, so that when the specified events occur the printer UI component may be invoked to cause information to be presented to the user.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A method for displaying print job related information, the method comprising:
 in response to a first printing event resulting from a request to print a print job, querying a repository for an identity of a first component registered for at least partially handling the first printing event; and   using the first component to cause information relating to the print job to be displayed, the first component being separate from an operating system of the computing device, and being separate from a printer driver associated with the print job.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the first component comprises a standalone executable that is separate from an application that initiated the print job. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the first component comprises a script. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the first printing event is an event raised by the operating system, an application, or the printer driver. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the first printing event is based on a status of the print job. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the method further comprises:
 receiving, with the first component, information associated with the print job from at least one of the operating system or the printer driver;   causing, with the first component, the information associated with the print job to be displayed;   receiving, with the first component, user input responsive to the information associated with the print job; and   passing, with the first component, the user input to at least one of the operating system or the printer driver.   
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein the user input provides context for the first printing event. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein the user input includes information authenticating a user. 
     
     
         29 . A system, comprising:
 a storage device that stores an operating system, an application separate from the operating system, and a printer driver for a printer; and   at least one processor configured to:
 in response to an event resulting from a status of a printing of a print job by the printer, determine an identity of a component to at least partially handling the event; 
 invoke the identified component; and 
 with the identified component, at least partially handling the event resulting from the status of the printing of the print job by the printer. 
   
     
     
         30 . The system of  claim 29 , wherein the identified component comprises a standalone executable application. 
     
     
         31 . The system of  claim 29 , wherein the identified component is in a scripting language. 
     
     
         32 . The system of  claim 29 , wherein at least partially handling the event resulting from the status of the printing of the print job by the printer comprises:
 receiving information associated with the print job from at least one of the operating system, the application, or the printer driver;   causing information associated with the print job to be displayed;   receiving user input; and   passing the user input to at least one of the operating system, the application, or the printer driver.   
     
     
         33 . The system of  claim 32 , wherein the user input provides context for the printing event. 
     
     
         34 . The system of  claim 32 , wherein the information associated with the print job represents a request to obtain a PIN, and wherein the user input includes the PIN. 
     
     
         35 . At least one non-volatile computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon which, in response to execution by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations, the operations comprising:
 in response to an attempt by a printer driver to display information associated with a status of a print job, determining an identity of a handler that is to be invoked; and   invoking the identified handler to cause the information associated with the status of the print job to be displayed.   
     
     
         36 . The non-volatile computer-readable medium of  claim 35 , wherein the handler comprises an application. 
     
     
         37 . The non-volatile computer-readable medium of  claim 35 , wherein the handler is a script. 
     
     
         38 . The non-volatile computer-readable medium of  claim 35 , wherein:
 the information associated with the status of the print job relates to a printing event triggered by the print job; and   the determining of the identity of the handler includes:
 querying a repository for an indication that the handler is to be invoked for occurrences of the printing event triggered by the print job. 
   
     
     
         39 . The non-volatile computer-readable medium of  claim 35 , wherein:
 the repository stores:
 an indication that the identified handler is to be invoked for occurrences of the printing event triggered by the print job; and 
 another indication that another handler is to be invoked for the occurrence of another printing event when triggered by another print job. 
   
     
     
         40 . The non-volatile computer-readable medium of  claim 35 , wherein the identified handler:
 receives the information associated with a print job from at least one of an operating system of the computing device, an application that initiated the print job, or the printer driver;   causes the information associated with the print job to be displayed;   receives user input in response to the information associated with the print job; and   passes the user input to at least one of the operating system, the application, or the printer driver.