# US 2025/0147704 A1 · External control apparatus and recording medium > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2025/0147704 A1 - Document ID: US20250147704A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 18/929,699 - Filed: 2024-10-29 - Published: 2025-05-08 - Earliest claimed: 2023-11-02 - Assignees: Konica Minolta, Inc. - Applicants: Konica Minolta, Inc. - Inventors: Kazuma MARUYAMA; Masatsugu KOUGUCHI; Hiroyuki OOYAMA - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20250147704A1 ## CPC - G06F 3/1204: {resulting in reduced user or operator actions, e.g. presetting, automatic actions, using hardware token storing data} - G06F 3/1257: {by using pre-stored settings, e.g. job templates, presets, print styles} - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract Disclosed is an external control apparatus of a printer. The printer includes an engine that performs printing on a sheet and a controller that generates raster data to be provided to the engine. The external control apparatus includes: a hardware processor that controls, from an outside of the printer, a color management and adjustment function of the engine and a color management and adjustment function of the controller. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An external control apparatus of a printer, wherein: the printer includes an engine that performs printing on a sheet and a controller that generates raster data to be provided to the engine, and the external control apparatus comprises: a hardware processor that controls, from an outside of the printer, a color management and adjustment function of the engine and a color management and adjustment function of the controller. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The external control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a storage that stores color management setting information in which color management target setting, sheet print setting information, and printer information including engine information indicating the engine and controller information indicating the controller are associated with each other, wherein the hardware processor controls a color management and adjustment function of the engine and a color management and adjustment function of the controller on a basis of the color management setting information. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The external control apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: an acceptor that accepts specification of sheet print setting information included in the color management setting information stored in the storage, wherein the hardware processor controls the color management and adjustment function of the engine and the color management and adjustment function of the controller on the basis of the color management target setting associated with the specified sheet print setting information. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The external control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the hardware processor acquires, from the controller, sheet information managed by the controller, and updates the acquired sheet information as a part of printer information including controller information indicating the controller stored in the storage. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The external control apparatus according to claim 4, wherein when the hardware processor fails to acquire sheet information managed by the controller from the controller, the hardware processor acquires sheet information managed by the engine from the engine, and updates the acquired sheet information as a part of printer information including engine information indicating the engine stored in the storage. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The external control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the hardware processor acquires sheet information related to the printer from an external apparatus other than the engine and the controller, and updates the acquired sheet information as a part of printer information including engine information indicating the engine or controller information indicating the controller that is stored in the storage. ### Claim 7 (depends on 2) The external control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the hardware processor acquires latest sheet information from the engine or the controller immediately before the color management and adjustment of the engine or the color management and adjustment of the controller, and in a case where a sheet to be subjected to the color management and adjustment is not set in any sheet feed tray of the printer, the hardware processor stops execution of the color management and adjustment and issues an error notification indicating that the sheet to be subjected to the color management and adjustment is not set. ### Claim 8 (depends on 4) The external control apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the sheet information includes a list of sheet feed trays, and information indicating a sheet type and a sheet passing direction for each of the sheet feed trays. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The external control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the color management and adjustment function of the engine includes an adjustment function related to a maximum density of an image printed by the engine, an adjustment function related to density balance, or an adjustment function related to a density, and the color management and adjustment function of the controller includes an adjustment function related to a density of an image to be printed by the engine corresponding to the controller for each sheet type, or a profile creation function. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The external control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the hardware processor automatically executes a color verification function after the color management and adjustment of the engine or the color management and adjustment of the controller is completed. ### Claim 11 (depends on 2) The external control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the hardware processor has a function of searching for a printer in a network and acquiring printer information of the printer, and when a printer of the same model as the engine information and the controller information included in first color management setting information exists in the network after the first color management setting information is stored in the storage, the hardware processor creates second color management setting information including engine information and controller information related to the printer of the same model by diverting the first color management setting information. ### Claim 12 A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program causing a computer connected to a printer including an engine that performs printing on a sheet and a controller that generates raster data to be provided to the engine through a network, to perform: functioning as a control unit that controls a color management and adjustment function of the engine and a color management and adjustment function of the controller from an outside of the printer.