Adaptive graphical user-interface for a network peripheral

摘要

A printer controller system includes a process for generating and displaying an adaptive graphical user interface of a current configuration and current capabilities of a networked digital copier connected to a local area network. The process includes the process steps of requesting from a user's work station a current configuration and current capabilities of a digital copier, transmitting, in response to the request, an interrogation command to the digital copier over the local area network, receiving from the digital copier current configuration and capabilities information of the digital copier, retrieving digital copier configuration and capability libraries based on the received information and generating a graphical user interface using data within the retrieved libraries, displaying a graphical user interface including a representative graphical image of the digital copier in its current configuration and with its current capabilities, displaying at least one user-selectable menu of job options for selecting job options which are appropriate for the current configuration and current capabilities of the digital copier based on the received configuration and capabilities information, storing, upon entering a user-selected option from the menu of options, at least one user-selected option, re-displaying the image of the digital copier set to perform at least one specific job option based on the stored at least one user-selected option, downloading to the digital copier job option information of the digital copier based on at least one user-selected job option and a configuration of the re-displayed representative image of the digital copier, and setting the job options of the digital copier based on the downloaded job option information.