JP2000224366A - Composite image forming system, facsimile transmission control method and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a composite image forming system that enhances the operability in the case of conducting facsimile transmission and can fax with the same image drawing output as a print output. SOLUTION: In the composite image forming system consisting of a host system 100 and a printer 112 executing a facsimile transmission function, a FAX driver is used to conduct setting processing of transmission attribute information and transmission destination information and informs a printer driver of the set transmission attribute information and transmission destination information. The printer driver converts a document from an application program on the host system 100 into an output image control instruction to the printer 112 and generates a facsimile transmission control instruction from the transmission destination information and transmits an output control instruction including them to the printer 112.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a composite image forming system including an external device such as a host computer, a printing device having a facsimile transmission function, and a control device for controlling the printing device, and a facsimile transmission control method therefor. , And a storage medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a multifunction printer having a printer function and a facsimile transmission function, an image input from a host computer connected to the printer is printed out or transmitted by facsimile.

In this type of multifunction printer, in its operation mode, it is set so that printout is performed based on an operation instruction from a host computer, and facsimile transmission is performed by manual operation on the printer side at the time of facsimile transmission. There is.

[0004] As a control method for this type of multifunction printer, a host computer is provided with a printer control program (printer driver) that operates in an operating system environment, and the printer driver performs facsimile transmission control processing. In some printers, facsimile transmission control is performed by performing a facsimile transmission control process in a printer driver with the addition of a module.

[0005]

However, in the above-described conventional multifunction printer, when facsimile transmission is performed, the facsimile transmission operation and instruction of the document cannot be performed from the host computer in the same manner as the printer function. Operability is extremely poor. Further, in the above-described conventional control method, the facsimile transmission control process is executed under the control of the printer driver, so that the function under the operating system environment of the host computer, for example, under the Windows environment, TrueT
The drawing function is limited, such as the inability to use ype fonts.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to improve operability when performing facsimile transmission, and to perform a facsimile transmission with the same drawing output as a print output, a facsimile transmission control method, and a storage medium. Is to provide.

Another object of the present invention is to improve the operability when a facsimile cover page is inserted into a page image to perform facsimile transmission, and to easily form a facsimile cover page. A system, a facsimile transmission control method, and a storage medium are provided.

[0008]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
An external device such as a host computer, a printing device connected to the external device and having a facsimile transmission function,
A control device that controls the printing device to perform printout or facsimile transmission of image data input from the external device under an operating environment on the external device, wherein the control device includes: A setting processing function for setting a transmission attribute and a transmission destination relating to the facsimile transmission, a conversion processing function for converting the image data into an output image control command that can be interpreted by the printing device, and the printing device When the facsimile transmission is selected, the image data is converted into the output image control command based on the set transmission attribute, and the output image control command is transmitted together with the transmission destination. Is output to the printing device.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the composite image forming system according to the first aspect, the control device controls the printing device to perform facsimile transmission of image data input from the external device. Control means, and printer control means for controlling the printing apparatus so as to print out image data input from the external device, wherein the facsimile control means sets a transmission attribute and a transmission destination regarding the facsimile transmission. The printer control means has a setting processing function for setting,
An acquisition processing function for acquiring the set transmission attribute and transmission destination, a conversion processing function for converting the image data into an output image control command that can be interpreted by the printing device, and the output image control command to the printing device. An output processing function for outputting, when the facsimile transmission is selected, the printer control unit acquires the set transmission attribute and transmission destination, and converts the image data based on the set transmission attribute. The output image control command is converted to the output image control command, and the output image control command is output to the printing device together with the transmission destination.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the composite image forming system according to the second aspect, the printer control means notifies the external device of functional information on a paper size, an effective drawing area, an image resolution, a drawing ability, and the like. A function information notification processing function to generate an initialization control instruction for initializing the printing apparatus based on a setting parameter returned in response to the notification of the function information from the external apparatus, and output the generated initialization control instruction to the printing apparatus. And an initialization control command output processing function.

The invention described in claim 4 is the invention according to claim 2 or 3.
In the composite image forming system described above, the control device includes an interface that connects the printer control unit and the facsimile control unit, and the facsimile control unit transmits the set transmission attribute and transmission destination via the interface. The printer control means.

[0012] The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to claims 2 to 4.
Wherein the facsimile control means has a management processing function of storing and managing the transmission attribute and the transmission destination in a storage means.

The invention according to claim 6 is the invention according to claims 1 to 5
In the composite image forming system according to any one of the above, the printing device develops an output image on a storage unit based on the output image control command during the facsimile transmission, and the output device developed on the storage unit. It is characterized in that an image is converted into transmission image data defined by a predetermined facsimile communication procedure and transmitted.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, an external device such as a host computer, a printing device connected to the external device and having a facsimile transmission function, and an operating environment on the external device are configured to be operable. Printer control means for controlling the printing device so as to print out image data input from an external device, and configured to be operable in an operating environment on the external device, and for outputting image data input from the external device. A facsimile transmission control method for a composite image forming system comprising: a facsimile control unit that controls the printing apparatus to perform facsimile transmission;
A step of setting a transmission destination together with a transmission attribute of the facsimile transmission by the facsimile control unit; and the printer control unit enabling the printing device to interpret image data input from the external device based on the set transmission attribute. And outputting the output image control command to the printing device together with the set transmission destination.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the facsimile transmission control method according to the seventh aspect, the paper size of the printing device, the effective drawing area,
An initialization control command for notifying the external device of function information relating to image resolution, drawing capability, and the like, and initializing the printing device based on setting parameters returned in response to the notification of the function information from the external device. Is generated and output to the printing device.

The invention according to claim 9 is the invention according to claim 7 or 8.
In the facsimile transmission control method described in the above, the facsimile control means and the printer control means are connected by an interface, from the facsimile control means, the set transmission attribute and transmission destination to the printer control means via the interface It is characterized by notification.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the facsimile transmission control method according to any one of the seventh to ninth aspects, the facsimile control means stores the transmission attribute and the transmission destination in a storage means, It is characterized by management.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the facsimile transmission control method according to any one of the seventh to tenth aspects, the printing device stores the facsimile transmission data on the storage means based on the image output control command at the time of the facsimile transmission. The output image is converted to transmission image data defined by a predetermined facsimile communication procedure and transmitted.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, the external device used in the composite image forming system including an external device such as a host computer and a printing device connected to the external device and having a facsimile transmission function is executable. In a storage medium storing a program, the program includes a printer control program for controlling the printing apparatus to print out image data input from the external device, and a facsimile of image data input from the external device. A facsimile control program that controls the printing apparatus to perform transmission, the facsimile control program includes a setting module that sets a transmission destination together with a transmission attribute of the facsimile transmission, and the printer control program includes: Transmission attributes for facsimile transmission And an acquisition module that acquires the transmission destination, a conversion module that converts the image data into an output image control command that can be interpreted by the printing device, and an output module that outputs the output image control command to the printing device. The printer control program, when the facsimile transmission is selected, acquires the set transmission attribute and transmission destination from the facsimile control program, and outputs the image data based on the acquired transmission attribute to the output image control command. And outputting the output image control command together with the transmission destination to the printing apparatus.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the storage medium of the twelfth aspect, the printer control program comprises:
A function information notification module that notifies the external device of function information related to a paper size, an effective drawing area, an image resolution, a drawing ability, and the like, based on a setting parameter returned in response to the notification of the function information from the external device. An initialization module for generating an initialization control instruction for initializing the printing apparatus and outputting the generated instruction to the printing apparatus.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the storage medium according to the twelfth aspect, the notification module of the facsimile control program notifies the printer control program of the set transmission attribute and transmission destination by calling an API function. It is characterized by doing.

According to a fifteenth aspect, in the storage medium according to any one of the twelfth to fourteenth aspects, the facsimile control program stores and manages the transmission attribute and the transmission destination in a storage unit. It has a management module.

According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an external device such as a host computer, a printing device connected to the external device and having a facsimile transmission function, and operating under an operating environment on the external device. In a composite image forming system including a control device that controls the printing device to perform print output of image data input from or to perform facsimile transmission, the control device includes:
An event acquisition processing function for acquiring a plurality of events related to image printing processing issued by the external device; and an event generation control processing function for issuing and controlling events subdivided for drawing the image data among the plurality of events. A setting processing function of setting a transmission destination together with a transmission attribute related to the facsimile transmission, a cover page creation processing function of creating a facsimile cover page to be inserted into the image data when performing the facsimile transmission, and the facsimile cover page. A conversion processing function of converting the image data including the image data into an output image control command that can be interpreted by the printing apparatus; and an output processing function of outputting the output image control command to the printing apparatus. Facsimile transmission by inserting it into data When selected, issue and control of the subdivided event so as to create the facsimile cover page between the events, image data including the created facsimile cover page based on the set transmission attributes The output image control command is converted to the output image control command, and the output image control command is output to the printing device together with the transmission destination.

According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, in the composite image forming system according to the sixteenth aspect, the control device controls the printing device to perform facsimile transmission of image data input from the external device. Control means, and a printer control means for controlling the printing apparatus to print out image data input from the external device, the facsimile control means,
The printer control unit has the setting processing function and the cover page creation processing function, and the printer control unit includes the event acquisition processing function, the event occurrence control processing function, the conversion processing function, and the output processing function. It is characterized by having.

According to an eighteenth aspect of the present invention, in the composite image forming system according to the seventeenth aspect, the cover page creation processing function of the facsimile control means reads out a facsimile cover page stored in advance in the storage means to perform facsimile cover. It is characterized by creating a page.

According to a nineteenth aspect of the present invention, in the composite image forming system according to the eighteenth aspect, the cover page creation processing function of the facsimile control means adds the set transmission destination to the read facsimile cover page. By creating a facsimile cover page.

According to a twentieth aspect of the present invention, in the composite image forming system according to the seventeenth aspect, the printer control means notifies the external device of functional information on a paper size, an effective drawing area, an image resolution, a drawing ability, and the like. A function information notification processing function to generate an initialization control instruction for initializing the printing apparatus based on a setting parameter returned in response to the notification of the function information from the external apparatus, and output the generated initialization control instruction to the printing apparatus. And an initialization control command output processing function.

According to a twenty-first aspect of the present invention, in the composite image forming system according to the seventeenth aspect, the control device includes an interface for connecting the facsimile control means and the printer control means, and the facsimile control means comprises: The set transmission attribute and transmission destination are notified to the printer control unit via the interface.

According to a twenty-second aspect of the present invention, in the composite image forming system according to the seventeenth aspect, the facsimile control means has a management processing function of storing and managing the transmission attribute and the destination in a storage means. Features.

According to a twenty-third aspect of the present invention, in the composite image forming system according to any one of the sixteenth to twenty-second aspects, the printing apparatus transmits the facsimile at the time of facsimile transmission.
Developing an output image on a storage unit based on the image output control command, converting the output image expanded on the storage unit into transmission image data defined by a predetermined facsimile communication procedure, and transmitting the converted image data. I do.

According to a twenty-fourth aspect of the present invention, an external device such as a host computer, a printing device connected to the external device and having a facsimile transmission function, and an operating environment on the external device are configured to be operable. A facsimile transmission control method using the control device, wherein the control device is used in a composite image forming system including a control device that controls the printing device to perform print output or facsimile transmission of image data input from an external device. An event acquisition processing step of acquiring a plurality of events related to the image printing processing issued by, and an event generation control processing step of issuing and subdividing an event subdivided for drawing of the image data among the plurality of events,
A setting processing step of setting a transmission destination together with a transmission attribute related to the facsimile transmission, a cover page creation processing step of creating a facsimile cover page to be inserted into the image data between the events, and the facsimile based on the set transmission attribute. A conversion processing step of converting the image data including the cover page into an output image control command that can be interpreted by the printing apparatus; and an output step of outputting the output image control command to the printing apparatus together with the transmission destination. And

According to a twenty-fifth aspect of the present invention, in the facsimile control method according to the twenty-fourth aspect, facsimile control means for controlling the printing apparatus so that the control device performs facsimile transmission of image data input from the external device. And printer control means for controlling the printing apparatus so as to print out image data input from the external device, the facsimile control means, the setting processing step, the cover page creation processing step, And the printer control means executes the event acquisition processing step, the event occurrence control processing step, and the conversion processing step.

According to a twenty-sixth aspect of the present invention, in the facsimile transmission control method according to the twenty-fifth aspect, the creation of the cover page includes creating a facsimile cover page by reading a facsimile cover page stored in advance in storage means. Features.

According to a twenty-seventh aspect of the present invention, in the facsimile transmission control method according to the twenty-sixth aspect, the facsimile control means creates the cover page by adding the set transmission destination to the read facsimile cover page. It is characterized in that a cover page is created.

According to a twenty-eighth aspect of the present invention, in the facsimile transmission control method according to the twenty-fifth aspect, the printer control means notifies the external device of functional information on a paper size, an effective drawing area, an image resolution, a drawing capability, and the like. Generating a control information for initializing the printing apparatus based on the setting parameters returned in response to the function information notification from the external device, and outputting the generated initialization control command to the printing apparatus. And outputting an initialization control command.

According to a twenty-ninth aspect of the present invention, in the facsimile transmission control method according to the twenty-fifth aspect, the facsimile control means and the printer control means are connected by an interface, and the facsimile control means transmits the set transmission attribute. And transmitting the transmission destination to the printer control means via the interface.

According to a thirtieth aspect of the present invention, in the facsimile transmission control method according to any one of the twenty-fifth to twenty-ninth aspects, the facsimile control means stores the transmission attribute and the transmission destination in a storage means, It is characterized by management.

According to a thirty-first aspect of the present invention, in the facsimile transmission control method according to any one of the twenty-fifth to thirty-fifth aspects, the printing apparatus stores the facsimile transmission data in the storage means based on the image output control command when the facsimile transmission is performed. The output image is converted to transmission image data defined by a predetermined facsimile communication procedure and transmitted.

According to a thirty-second aspect of the present invention, the external device used in a composite image forming system including an external device such as a host computer and a printing device connected to the external device and having a facsimile transmission function is executable. In a storage medium storing a program, the program includes: an event acquisition module that acquires a plurality of events related to an image printing process issued by the external device; and an event acquisition module that subdivides the rendering of the image data among the plurality of events. An event occurrence control module for issuing and controlling the same, and a setting module for setting a transmission destination together with a transmission attribute related to the facsimile transmission,
A cover page creation module that creates a facsimile cover page to be inserted into the image data when performing the facsimile transmission, and a conversion module that converts image data including the facsimile cover page into an output image control command that can be interpreted by the printing apparatus. And an output module for outputting the output image control command to the printing device,
When inserting the facsimile cover page into the image data and performing facsimile transmission is selected, the subdivided event is issued and controlled to create the facsimile cover page between the events, and the setting is performed. The image data including the created facsimile cover page is converted into the output image control command based on the transmission attribute, and the output image control command is output to the printing device together with the transmission destination.

The invention according to claim 33 is the storage medium according to claim 32, wherein the program is a facsimile control program for controlling the printing apparatus to perform facsimile transmission of image data input from the external device. A printer control program for controlling the printing apparatus so as to print out image data input from the external device, wherein the facsimile control program includes the setting module and the cover page creation module. And the printer control program includes:
It is characterized by having the event acquisition module, the event occurrence control module, the conversion module, and the output module.

According to a thirty-fourth aspect of the present invention, in the storage medium of the thirty-third aspect, the cover page creation module of the facsimile control program creates a facsimile cover page by reading a facsimile cover page stored in advance in the storage means. It is characterized by doing.

According to a thirty-fifth aspect of the present invention, in the storage medium according to the thirty-fourth aspect, the cover page creation module of the facsimile control program adds the set transmission destination to the read facsimile cover page to perform facsimile cover. It is characterized by creating a page.

According to a thirty-sixth aspect, in the storage medium according to the thirty-third aspect, the printer control program comprises:
A function information notification module that notifies the external device of function information related to a paper size, an effective drawing area, an image resolution, a drawing ability, and the like, based on a setting parameter returned in response to the notification of the function information from the external device. An initialization control command output module for generating an initialization control command for initializing the printing apparatus and outputting the generated command to the printing apparatus.

According to a thirty-seventh aspect of the present invention, in the storage medium according to the thirty-third aspect, the facsimile control program notifies the printer control program of the set transmission attribute and transmission destination by calling an API function. Features.

The invention according to claim 38 is characterized in that, in the storage medium according to claim 33, the facsimile control program has a management module for storing and managing the transmission attribute and the transmission destination in storage means. I do.

[0046]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a composite image forming system according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the composite image forming system comprises a host system 100 comprising a computer providing an operating environment based on a Windows operating system.
And a printer 112 having a facsimile transmission function.

The host system 100 has a CPU 104. The CPU 104 executes Windows according to a basic input / output program (BIOS) stored in the ROM 105.
By executing an OS (Operating System) program, the OS is constructed, and a corresponding application program is executed on the OS using the RAM 106 as a work area to perform a corresponding process. The above-described OS program, application program, and data necessary for executing the OS program and the application program are loaded from the hard disk device (HD) 103 into the RAM 106.

The hard disk drive 103 has the above-mentioned O
An S program and a corresponding application program are stored. In this embodiment, a hard disk device is used as a storage device for storing application programs. In addition to this hard disk device, other storage devices such as an FD (floppy disk device) and a CDROM (CDROM reader) are used. It may be configured to store the corresponding application program by using it.

The CPU 104 includes the ROM 105 described above,
KBC (keyboard controller) 107, CRTC (display controller) 1 together with RAM 106
08, HDC (hard disk controller) 109,
An Ethernet I / F 110 is connected via a CPU bus 111.

The KBC 107 receives a key signal and an instruction signal input from the input device 101 such as a keyboard and a mouse, and performs control for transmitting the key signal and the instruction signal to the CPU 104 via the CPU bus 111. The CRTC 108 is a CPU 1
Display control for displaying the execution result of the application by the application 04 on the display 102 is performed. HDC1
Reference numeral 09 controls writing and reading of data to and from the hard disk device 103. The Ethernet I / F 110 is
An interface for connecting the printer 112 and performing communication with the printer 112 using a predetermined communication protocol.

The application programs stored in the hard disk device 103 include a printer driver (printer control program) and a facsimile driver (facsimile transmission control program). These programs are read and executed by the CPU 104 to perform print control. A control environment for facsimile transmission control is constructed. Details of the print control and the facsimile transmission control will be described later.

The printer 112 is connected to the host system 100
An Ethernet I / F 118 connected to the host system 100 using a predetermined communication protocol, and an instruction input from the host system 100 via the Ethernet I / F 118, for example. And a CPU 115 for executing a control program such as a print control process and a communication control process stored in the ROM 116 in accordance with the above. The RAM 117 is used as a work area when the CPU 115 executes the control program. Further, the RAM 117 is also used as a page memory for the image development processing.

The CPU 115 includes the ROM 116 described above,
The bus controller I / F 119 and the engine I / F 120 together with the RAM 117 and the Ethernet I / F 118
It is connected via a PU bus 121.

The bus controller I / F 119 is an input / output interface for exchanging data and signals with a facsimile controller board (FCB) 113 constituting a facsimile transmitting apparatus. The bus controller I / F 119 The facsimile controller board 113 is connected to the
2, a facsimile transmission function is added.

The engine I / F 120 is an input / output interface for exchanging data and signals with the engine unit 122 for mechanically outputting images. The engine unit 122 is connected to the engine I / F 120. .

Next, control processing and operations of the printer driver and the FAX driver will be described in detail.

The printer driver and the facsimile driver are set so as to be activated by a document output instruction from an application program such as creation and editing of a document executed on the host system 100. The printer driver performs an output destination specification process for selecting and specifying print output or facsimile transmission, and a notification process for notifying an OS (operating system) of an image drawing capability at the time of facsimile transmission operation when facsimile transmission is specified. Is set to do. FAX
The driver sets transmission attribute information and transmission destination information, and executes an API (Ap) recognized by the OS.
The printer driver notifies the printer driver of transmission attribute information and transmission destination information set via a replication program interface (plication program interface) function.

The printer driver acquires transmission attribute information and transmission destination information notified from the FAX driver,
A control command for initializing the printer 112 and the facsimile controller board 113 is transmitted to the printer 112 based on the information.

On the OS in which the image drawing capability at the time of the facsimile transmission operation is notified from the printer driver, the pattern data, the size, and the drawing output of the figure / character and the image for the facsimile transmission are started from the running application program. Outputs information such as the position to the printer driver.

In the printer driver, data for inputting information output from the application program and various setting information input processing, input data for analyzing acquired transmission attribute setting information and the like, information analysis processing, size from the application program, drawing A drawing output form control process for determining a drawing output form of a document to be formed based on information such as an output form, and a document for which the drawing output form is determined are output to a printer 112 and a facsimile controller board 113 through an output document forming process and an image forming process. Performs an output image control command conversion process for converting the output image control command into an output image control command, generates a facsimile transmission control command from the transmission destination information, and outputs the facsimile transmission control command and the output image control command including the output image control command. Performing a control command transmitting process of transmitting the data 112. In this way, at the time of facsimile transmission,
An output control command including a facsimile transmission control command and an output image control command is transferred to the printer 112.

In the printer 112, the host system 10
When a control command for initializing the printer 112 and the facsimile controller board 113 transmitted from the printer driver 0 is received, the printer 112 and the facsimile controller board 113 are initialized.

Subsequently, an output control command input process for inputting an output control command transmitted for facsimile transmission from the host system 100, and a control setting parameter analysis process for analyzing the input output control command and various setting parameters, etc. , Output image data is generated by a series of processing such as output image expansion processing for expanding an image on the RAM 117 by expansion processing based on output control instructions and setting parameters, and this output image data is transferred to the bus controller I / F.
Facsimile controller board 11 via 119
Transfer to 3. Facsimile controller board 113
Sends facsimile the output image data to the specified destination.

Next, the procedure of each control process of the FAX driver and the printer driver will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a procedure of control processing of a FAX driver operating on the host system of FIG. 1, and FIGS. 3 and 4 are flowcharts showing procedures of control processing of a printer driver operating on the host system of FIG. .

First, the procedure of the control process of the FAX driver will be described. In the fax driver, first, step S
At 201, display processing of a user interface for setting various attributes for facsimile transmission and a transmission destination is performed. In a succeeding step S202, an initialization process such as securing a memory area for executing each process is performed. Then, the process proceeds to step S203, where data input processing for inputting setting data such as various transmission attributes and transmission destinations is performed by the user interface.

Next, the process proceeds to step S204, where it is determined whether or not the input setting data is destination data.
If the input setting data is not destination data, that is, attribute data, the process advances to step S205 to perform data analysis and data conversion of the input attribute data. Here, the attribute data includes a transmission mode, image quality, image resolution, image gradation, transmission resolution data, and the like in facsimile transmission. In a succeeding step S206, the attribute data obtained by the analysis is stored in the RAM 106 or the hard disk device 103 to prepare for the subsequent processing. That is, as will be described later, a preparation process is provided for notifying the printer driver of the attribute data together with the destination data.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S204 that the input data is transmission destination data, the flow advances to step S207 to perform destination input data analysis processing. In this process, the validity of transmission destination data is checked, the number of transmissions, data analysis, data conversion, and the like are performed. In a succeeding step S208, it is determined whether or not the transmission destination data obtained by the analysis in the step S205 is registered in a database or the like. Here, when registering the transmission destination data in a database or the like, step S20
In step 9, the destination data is stored in the RAM 106 or the database of the hard disk device 103 and managed. Then, the process exits.

If it is determined in step S208 that the transmission destination data obtained by the analysis is not to be registered in the database, that is, if facsimile transmission is to be performed immediately to the input destination, the process proceeds to step S210, where the input transmission destination data is transmitted. The destination is set as the destination, and the destination data set as the destination in step S211 is temporarily stored in the RAM 106.

Next, the process proceeds to step S212, where the RAM
The transmission attribute information and the destination information stored in 106 are read, an API function for notifying the printer driver of the transmission attribute information and the destination information is called, and in step S213, the transmission attribute information and the destination information are notified to the printer driver. And terminates the present process.

Next, the procedure of the control process of the printer driver will be described.

The printer driver starts up in response to a print instruction to the printer or a facsimile transmission instruction from an application program such as document creation and editing.

As shown in FIG. 3, the printer driver first waits for an API call from the FAX driver in step S301.
AP exported by printer driver from OS
The I function is called, and in step S302, a facsimile transmission attribute and destination information are acquired from the FAX driver. When this API is called, the printer driver shifts to control processing of facsimile transmission.

Then, the flow advances to step S303 to determine whether or not the obtained information is attribute information. If the obtained information is not attribute information, that is, transmission destination information, the flow advances to step S304 shown in FIG. The acquired transmission destination information is stored in the RAM 106 or the hard disk device 103 to prepare for the subsequent processing.

If it is determined in step S303 that the acquired information is attribute information, the process proceeds to step S303.
In step 305, based on the acquired attribute information, the corresponding application program is notified of the paper size, the effective drawing area, the image resolution, and the drawing capabilities of characters, graphics, and images via the OS.

In the following step S306, input data analysis and initialization processing are performed. Here, input is made of each setting parameter for designating a pattern drawing output form and document data from an application program for creating a document. This is generally input directly from an application program for creating a document or via an OS. Then, an analysis process is performed on these input setting parameters and pattern data.
Further, in order to prepare for printing such as paper size, printing direction, drawing resolution setting, coordinate system unit setting, etc., each setting parameter for the printer 112 and the facsimile controller board 113 is converted into a control command from the analysis result of the input data. By transmitting the control command, the printer 112 and the facsimile controller board 113 are initialized.

Then, the flow advances to step S307 to determine whether or not the data obtained by the analysis processing in step 306 is character data. If the data is character data, the flow advances to step S308 to control the character print control. Execute the process. If the data is not character data,
The process advances to step S309 to determine whether or not the data is graphic data. If the data is graphic data, the process advances to step S310 to execute a graphic drawing control process. If the data is not graphic data, that is, if it is image data, the flow advances to step S311 to execute an image drawing control process.

Then, the flow advances to step S312 shown in FIG. 4, and an image forming process is performed. In this image forming process, a pattern output mode such as a drawing output attribute, a size calculation, and a drawing output position is based on the results of the character printing control process, the graphic drawing control process, and the image drawing control process in steps S308, S310, and S311. Is determined, and output image data to be transmitted by facsimile is arranged on a page.

In the following step S 313, the RAM 106 or the hard disk drive 103
A transmission control command is generated by designating a facsimile number or the like based on the transmission destination information stored in.

Then, the process proceeds to step S314, where the output image data formed in step S312 is converted into an output control command. In step S315, the transmission control command and the output control command are combined. Is output to the printer 112. In the printer 112, as described above, image data is generated by developing an image on the RAM 117 based on the output control command and the setting parameter, and this image data is transmitted to the facsimile controller board 113 via the bus controller I / F 119. Forward. The facsimile controller board 113 transmits the output image data by facsimile to the designated destination.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the FA
Since various kinds of information are input and output between the X driver and the printer driver using an API recognizable by the OS, it is possible to perform a facsimile transmission operation and a transmission instruction similar to print output from the host system 100 in the operation mode. This makes it possible to improve operability. Further, since the image rendering function of the printer driver and the output image data developed on the RAM 116 of the printer 112 are shared, the document is transmitted by facsimile.
By improving operability, an efficient, simple, and high-performance facsimile transmission environment can be realized.

In this embodiment, the FAX driver and the printer driver are independent of each other.
By making the FAX driver and the printer driver into a library and forming one program,
It goes without saying that a similar effect can be obtained.

In this embodiment, the Ethernet I / F is used as an interface for connecting the host system 100 and the printer 112. However, an input / output parallel interface conforming to Centronics, RS-232
It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which data is exchanged between the printer 112 and the printer driver or facsimile driver of the host system 100 using an input / output serial interface or SCSI interface compliant with C or RS-424.

Further, in this embodiment, the printer driver and the FAX driver are stored in the hard disk device 103 and supplied to the CPU 104. For example, as a storage medium for supplying these program codes, for example,
Floppy disk, magneto-optical disk, optical disk, C
A D-ROM, a CD-R, a magnetic tape, a nonvolatile memory card, a ROM, or the like can be used.

The functions of the above-described embodiment are implemented when the computer executes the readout program code. In addition, the OS or the like running on the host system based on the instructions of the program code performs the actual processing. The functions of the above-described embodiment can be realized by performing a part or all of the above.

Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written into a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the host system or a function expansion unit connected to the host system, the program code is read by the instruction of the program code. Based on this, a CPU or the like provided in the function expansion board or function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the functions of the above-described embodiments can also be realized by the processing.

Further, the present invention can be applied to a case where the program is distributed from a storage medium storing a program code of software for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments to a requester via a communication line such as personal computer communication. Not even.

(Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of the composite image forming system according to the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a normal output sequence of a document page in the embodiment, and FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining an output sequence of a document page to which a carver page is added in the second embodiment of the composite image forming system of the present invention. . FIG.
FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a reproduction output result of a document page to which a carver page is added according to the second embodiment of the composite image forming system of the present invention. Note that this embodiment has the same configuration as the above-described first embodiment, and a description of the configuration will be omitted.

In the present embodiment, the printer driver acquires the document printing start, document page drawing start, document page drawing end, document printing end, and document printing stop events issued by the OS based on the instruction of the application program. In addition, a function of drawing a cover page created in advance so as to be inserted into a document to be transmitted is added by generating and controlling an event which is further subdivided in document drawing between each event. This is different from the first embodiment described above.

First, a sequence for outputting a document normally will be described with reference to FIG. here,
An example of outputting a three-page document will be described.

When the output of the document 400 is instructed, as shown in FIG. 5, a system event SA401 for starting the document output is issued from the OS based on the output instruction from the application program, and then the first page of the document is output. A drawing start system event SA402 is issued. In events SA401 and SA402, the printer driver generates an initialization control command for output including a job start and transmits the command to the printer 112.

Then, a system event SA403 of document drawing end of the first page is issued. At this time, the printer driver generates and transmits a control command for terminating drawing including a page break.

Similarly, the system events SA404 to SA40 for document drawing start and document drawing end for the number of pages are similarly performed.
7 are issued, control commands corresponding to these system events are generated by the printer driver, and transmitted to the printer 112.

When the document output end system event SA408 is issued, the printer driver generates and transmits a control command for terminating the document output, and ends the job.

Next, a sequence when a facsimile cover page is inserted into a document to be transmitted and output will be described with reference to FIG.

When a cover page is inserted into a document, the cover page and the document page are stored in the RAM 106 or the hard disk drive 10 in the printer driver.
Spooled to No. 3 to prepare for the subsequent playback output.

As shown in FIG. 6, first, a system event SA501 for starting document output is issued, and subsequently, a system event SA5 for starting document drawing of the first page.
02 is issued. Then, a system event SA503 of document rendering end of the first page is issued.

Next, a driver event SA504 for starting cover page drawing is issued in response to a facsimile cover page drawing / playback start instruction from the FAX driver.
At this time, the FAX driver notifies the printer driver of various transmission attribute setting information and transmission destination information via the API, and the printer driver acquires the information. Then, a cover page drawing end driver event SA505 is issued, and the cover page drawing ends in the printer driver. Then, the original document 1
System event SA506 of document drawing end of page SA506
Is issued.

Similarly, the system events SA507 to SA51 for document start and document end for the number of pages are similarly performed.
0 is issued, and a document output end system event SA511 is issued.

According to the sequence shown in FIG.
RAM for facsimile cover page and 3 page documents
Spooled to the hard disk drive 106 or the hard disk device 103, the printer driver analyzes the corresponding sequence and each event status, rearranges cover pages and page documents, and rearranges the order of issuance of each control instruction group. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7, a transmission document rearranged in page order with the cover page at the top is obtained.

Next, a program example of a sequence control process of page output in the printer driver of the present embodiment will be described. The following program code example represents each control process in the system events SA 503 to 506 according to the sequence of the facsimile cover page and the document page in FIG. [Example of program code] LONG FaxManager (LONG ifunction, LONG cjIn, PVOID pvIn, LONG cjOut, VOID pvOut) [LONG flFaxStatus; switch (ifunction) [case FAX # JOB # START: // Fax job start. // append send page to the 1st.body document.FaxSendPage (); ---------------------------------- 701 // STATUS: start fax job.flFaxStatus | = FAX # STATUS # JOBSTART; break; case FAX # JOB # CANCEL: // Fax job cancel. // STATUS: cancel job.flFaxStatus = FAX # STATUS # JOBCANCEL; break; case FAX # JOB # END: // Fax job end. // STATUS: start application's document body.flFaxStatus | = FAX # STATUS # BODYSTART; break; case FAX # DOCUMENT # START: // Fax document start. // STATUS: start the information for fax and cover page.flFaxStatus | = FAX # STATUS # DOCUMENTSTART; break; case FAX # DOCUMENT # END: // Fax document end. // Status: end fax document.flFaxStatus & = ~ FAX # STATUS # DOCUMENTSTART; break; case FAX # DOCINFO # START: // Fax document informatio n start. // STATUS: start the information for fax.flFaxStatus | = FAX # STATUS # DOCINF OSTART; break; case FAX # DOCINFO # END: // Fax document informatio n end. // starting page. Append initialized command to the 1st c over page.FaxStartPage (); ------------ ----------------------- 702 // Status: end fax document.flFaxStatus & = ~ FAX # STATUS # DOCINFOSTART; break; case FAX # COVERPAGE # START : // Fax cover page start. // STATUS: start cover page.flFaxStatus | = FAX # STATUS # COVERPAGESTART; break; case COVERPAGE # END: // Fax cover page end. // STATUS: end of 1 cover page, send form feed.FaxSendPage (); ------------------------------------ 703 flFaxStatus & = ~ FAX # STATUS # COVERPAGESTART; break; default: return (ULONG) FALSE; break;] return (ULONG) TRUE; LONG ifuncti which is the first parameter of the Fax Manager function
The on variable indicates the control processing status at each event, and the event-status correspondence is shown below.

SA503 Fax End Page (Driver API) FAX # JOB # START SA504 Start Coverage (Driver API) FAX # DOCUMENT # START FAX # DOCINFO # START FAX # DOCINFO # END FAX # COVERPAGE # START SA505 End Coverpage (Driver API) FAX # COVERPAGE # END SA506 End Page (System API) FAX # DOCUMENT # END FAX # JOB # END Next, control processing by each parameter of the API will be described in detail based on the event-status correspondence in the printer driver.

First, in FAX # JOB # START, when the drawing of the first page of the main body document is completed, the printer driver ends the first page of the main body document by a page end processing Fax Send Page () function 701.

Then, the process shifts to cover page control processing by FAX_DOCUMENT_START.

Then, in FAX_DOCINFO_START, various transmission attribute setting information and transmission destination information are acquired from the FAX driver, and the information acquisition processing is completed in FAX_DOCINFO_END.

In FAX # COVERPAGE # START, FAX
The driver renders and reproduces the facsimile cover page, and in the FAX # COVERPAGE # END, performs a cover page drawing end process by using the Fax Send Page () function 703.

In FAX # DOCUMENT # END, Fax Start
A Page () function 702 generates and transmits a facsimile transmission control command based on the acquired various transmission attribute setting information and transmission destination information.

In FAX # JOB # END, a series of processing relating to the facsimile cover page is completed, and the processing shifts to the subsequent normal document processing.

The above is the respective control processing in the events SA 503 to SA 506 in the printer driver.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, Windows
In the operating system environment, the printer 11
The printer driver that performs print control 2 and the fax driver that performs facsimile transmission control are executed and operated as independent programs, and APIs that can be recognized on the OS are used in each event from the output start to the output end of the document. By performing attribute information, transmission destination information notification, acquisition, and drawing of a facsimile cover page under the control of the OS, it is possible to use a high drawing function of the OS and the application program.

Further, a format which can recognize the format of the template image file of the facsimile cover page on the operating system is adopted. For example, Wi
By enabling the use of the metafile format in the ndows operating system, it is possible to obtain a facsimile cover page transmission output with improved operability and simplicity, thereby enabling efficient, simple, and high-performance facsimile transmission. It is possible to provide a printing and facsimile control system that realizes a possible environment.

[0112]

As described above, according to the composite image forming system of the first aspect, the control device has a setting processing function for setting a transmission attribute and a transmission destination relating to facsimile transmission, and a printing device for printing image data. It has a conversion processing function for converting to an interpretable output image control command, and an output processing function for outputting the output image control command to a printing apparatus. When facsimile transmission is selected, image data is output based on the set transmission attribute. Is converted into an output image control command, and the output image control command is output to the printing device together with the transmission destination. Therefore, operability when performing facsimile transmission is improved, and facsimile transmission with the same drawing output as print output is performed. be able to.

According to the composite image forming systems of the second to sixth aspects, the same effects as those of the composite image forming system of the first aspect can be obtained.

According to the facsimile transmission control method of the seventh aspect, the step of setting the transmission destination together with the transmission attribute of facsimile transmission by the facsimile control means, and the step of setting the transmission destination by the printer control means from the external device based on the set transmission attribute. Converting the input image data into an output image control command that can be interpreted by the printing device, and outputting the output image control command to the printing device together with the set transmission destination. The facsimile transmission with the same drawing output as the print output can be performed while improving the performance.

According to the facsimile transmission control method of the eighth to eleventh aspects, the same effect as the facsimile transmission control method of the seventh aspect can be obtained.

According to the storage medium of the twelfth aspect, the program includes a printer control program for controlling the printing apparatus so as to print out the image data input from the external apparatus, and the image data input from the external apparatus. And a facsimile control program that controls the printing apparatus to perform facsimile transmission.The facsimile control program has a setting module that sets a transmission destination together with a transmission attribute of facsimile transmission, and the printer control program relates to facsimile transmission. A printer comprising: an acquisition module configured to acquire a transmission attribute and a transmission destination; a conversion module configured to convert image data into an output image control command that can be interpreted by a printing device; and an output module configured to output the output image control command to the printing device. For the control program, facsimile transmission is selected. Then, the transmission attribute and the transmission destination set from the facsimile control program are obtained, the image data is converted into an output image control command based on the obtained transmission attribute, and the output image control command is output to the printing apparatus together with the transmission destination. Accordingly, it is possible to improve operability when performing facsimile transmission, and to perform facsimile transmission with the same drawing output as print output.

According to the storage medium of the thirteenth to fifteenth aspects, the same effect as that of the storage medium of the twelfth aspect can be obtained.

According to the composite image forming system of the present invention, the control device has an event acquisition processing function for acquiring a plurality of events related to the image printing process issued by the external device, and the image data is drawn between the plurality of events. An event generation control processing function for issuing and controlling events subdivided into a set, a setting processing function for setting a transmission destination together with a transmission attribute relating to facsimile transmission, and a facsimile cover page to be inserted into image data when performing facsimile transmission. A cover page creation processing function to create, a conversion processing function to convert image data including a facsimile cover page into an output image control command that can be interpreted by the printing device, and an output processing function to output the output image control command to the printing device. And insert a facsimile cover page into the image data When the transmission of the facsimile is selected, the sub-events are issued and controlled so that the facsimile cover page is created between the events, and the image data including the facsimile cover page created based on the set transmission attribute is performed. Is converted to an output image control command, and the output image control command is output to the printing device together with the transmission destination. Therefore, the operability when facsimile transmission is performed by inserting a facsimile cover page into a page image is improved, and the facsimile cover Creating a page can be performed easily.

According to the composite image forming system of the present invention, the same effects as those of the composite image forming system of the present invention can be obtained.

According to the facsimile transmission control method of the twenty-fourth aspect, an event acquisition processing step of acquiring a plurality of events related to an image printing process issued by an external device, and rendering of image data among the plurality of events is subdivided. An event generation control process for issuing and controlling an event, a setting process for setting a transmission destination together with a transmission attribute related to facsimile transmission, and a cover page creation process for creating a facsimile cover page to be inserted into image data between events Converting the image data including the facsimile cover page into an output image control command that can be interpreted by the printing device based on the set transmission attribute; and outputting the output image control command to the printing device together with the transmission destination. And facsimile in the page image It improves the operability when performing facsimile transmission by inserting Peji, can be easily performed to create a fax cover page.

According to the facsimile control method of the twenty-fifth to thirty-first aspects, the same effect as the facsimile control method of the twenty-fourth aspect can be obtained.

According to the storage medium of the present invention, the program comprises: an event acquisition module for acquiring a plurality of events relating to image printing processing issued by an external device; and a program for segmenting the rendering of the image data among a plurality of events. Event generation control module that issues and controls the event that has been sent, a setting module that sets the transmission destination together with the transmission attribute related to facsimile transmission, and a cover page that creates a facsimile cover page to be inserted into image data when performing facsimile transmission Module, a conversion module that converts image data including the facsimile cover page into output image control commands that can be interpreted by the printing device, and an output module that outputs the output image control command to the printing device. Insert into the data When the facsimile transmission is selected, an event is generated and controlled so that a facsimile cover page is created between the events, and image data including the facsimile cover page created based on the set transmission attribute is performed. Is converted to an output image control command, and the output image control command is output to the printing device together with the transmission destination. Therefore, the operability when facsimile transmission is performed by inserting a facsimile cover page into a page image is improved, and the facsimile cover Creating a page can be performed easily.

According to the storage medium of claims 33 to 38, the same effect as that of the storage medium of claim 32 can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a composite image forming system of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of a control process of a FAX driver operating on the host system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of a control process of a printer driver operating on the host system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a control process of a printer driver operating on the host system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a normal output sequence of a document page in the second embodiment of the composite image forming system of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining an output sequence of a document page to which a carver page is added in the second embodiment of the composite image forming system of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a reproduction output result of a document page to which a carver page is added according to the second embodiment of the composite image forming system of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 host system 101 input device 102 display 103 hard disk device 104 CPU 105 ROM 106 RAM 110, 118 Ethernet I / F 112 printer 113 facsimile controller board 115 CPU 116 ROM 117 RAM 122 engine unit

[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] February 2, 1999 (1999.2.2)

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Drawing

[Correction target item name] Fig. 1

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

FIG.

[Procedure amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Drawing

[Correction target item name] Fig. 5

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

FIG. 5

[Procedure amendment 3]

[Document name to be amended] Drawing

[Correction target item name] Fig. 6

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

FIG. 6

Claims (38)

[Claims] An external device such as a host computer;
A printing device connected to the external device and having a facsimile transmission function, and controlling the printing device to perform printing output or facsimile transmission of image data input from the external device under an operating environment on the external device. And a setting processing function of setting a transmission attribute and a transmission destination relating to the facsimile transmission, and an output image control command capable of interpreting the image data by the printing apparatus. A conversion processing function for converting, and an output processing function for outputting the output image control command to the printing apparatus. When the facsimile transmission is selected, the image data is output based on the set transmission attribute. Convert the image data into an image control command, and output the output image control command to the printing device together with the transmission destination. Composite image forming system according to claim and. 2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the control device controls the printing device so as to perform facsimile transmission of the image data input from the external device, and prints out the image data input from the external device. The facsimile control means has a setting processing function of setting a transmission attribute and a transmission destination related to the facsimile transmission, and the printer control means performs the setting. An acquisition processing function for acquiring the transmitted transmission attribute and transmission destination, a conversion processing function for converting the image data into an output image control command that can be interpreted by the printing device, and outputting the output image control command to the printing device. An output processing function, and the printer control means, when the facsimile transmission is selected, Acquiring a specified transmission attribute and transmission destination, converting the image data into the output image control command based on the set transmission attribute, and outputting the output image control command together with the transmission destination to the printing apparatus. The composite image forming system according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The printer control means according to claim 1, wherein
A function information notification processing function of notifying the external device of function information relating to an effective drawing area, image resolution, drawing capability, and the like, and the printing apparatus based on setting parameters returned in response to the notification of the function information from the external apparatus. 3. The composite image forming system according to claim 2, further comprising: an initialization control command output processing function of generating an initialization control command for initializing the printer and outputting the generated command to the printing apparatus. 4. The control device further includes an interface for connecting the printer control unit and the facsimile control unit, and the facsimile control unit transmits the set transmission attribute and transmission destination to the printer via the interface. 4. The composite image forming system according to claim 2, wherein the control unit is notified. 5. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said facsimile control means has a management processing function of storing and managing said transmission attribute and said transmission destination in a storage means. Composite image forming system. 6. The printing apparatus, when transmitting the facsimile, develops an output image on a storage unit based on the output image control command, and specifies the output image developed on the storage unit by a predetermined facsimile communication procedure. The composite image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the composite image forming system converts the data into transmission image data to be transmitted and transmits the data. 7. An external device such as a host computer,
A printing device connected to the external device and having a facsimile transmission function, and the printing device configured to be operable in an operating environment on the external device and performing print output of image data input from the external device. And a facsimile control unit configured to be operable in an operating environment on the external device and controlling the printing device to perform facsimile transmission of image data input from the external device. In the facsimile transmission control method for an image forming system, a step of setting a transmission destination together with a transmission attribute of the facsimile transmission by the facsimile control means, and an input from the external device based on the set transmission attribute by the printer control means Converted image data into output image control commands that can be interpreted by the printing device. And facsimile transmission control method characterized in that the output image control command with the set transmission destination and a step of outputting to the printing device. 8. The printer control means notifies the external device of function information relating to a paper size, an effective drawing area, an image resolution, a drawing capability, and the like of the printing apparatus, and responds to the notification of the function information from the external apparatus. 8. The facsimile transmission control method according to claim 7, wherein an initialization control command for initializing the printing device is generated based on the setting parameters returned and output to the printing device. 9. The facsimile control means and the printer control means are connected by an interface, and the facsimile control means notifies the printer control means of the set transmission attribute and transmission destination via the interface. 9. The facsimile transmission control method according to claim 7, wherein: 10. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the facsimile control means stores and manages the transmission attribute and the transmission destination in a storage means.
Facsimile transmission control method. 11. The printing apparatus, when transmitting the facsimile, develops an output image on a storage unit based on the image output control command, and specifies the output image developed on the storage unit by a predetermined facsimile communication procedure. 11. The facsimile transmission control method according to claim 7, wherein the facsimile transmission control method converts the data into transmission image data to be transmitted. 12. A storage medium storing a program executable by the external device used in a composite image forming system used in a composite image forming system including an external device such as a host computer and a printing device connected to the external device and having a facsimile transmission function. In the program, the printer control program that controls the printing apparatus to perform print output of image data input from the external device, and the facsimile transmission of image data input from the external device A facsimile control program for controlling a printing apparatus, wherein the facsimile control program has a setting module for setting a transmission destination together with a transmission attribute of the facsimile transmission, and the printer control program has a transmission attribute for the facsimile transmission and Get destination An acquisition module that converts the image data into an output image control command that can be interpreted by the printing device; and an output module that outputs the output image control command to the printing device. When the facsimile transmission is selected, obtains the set transmission attribute and transmission destination from the facsimile control program, converts the image data to the output image control command based on the obtained transmission attribute, A storage medium for outputting the output image control command to the printing device together with a transmission destination. 13. A function information notification module for notifying the external device of function information relating to a paper size, an effective drawing area, an image resolution, a drawing capability, and the like, and a printer for notifying the function information from the external device. 13. The storage according to claim 12, further comprising: an initialization module configured to generate an initialization control command for initializing the printing apparatus based on a setting parameter returned in response and output the generated instruction to the printing apparatus. Medium. 14. The storage medium according to claim 12, wherein the notification module of the facsimile control program notifies the printer control program of the set transmission attribute and transmission destination by calling an API function. 15. The facsimile control program,
2. A management module for storing and managing the transmission attribute and the destination in a storage unit.
15. The storage medium according to any one of 2 to 14. 16. An external device such as a host computer, a printing device connected to the external device and having a facsimile transmission function, and image data input from the external device, operating under an operating environment on the external device. A control device that controls the printing device to perform print output or facsimile transmission, the control device transmits a plurality of events related to image printing processing issued by the external device. An event acquisition processing function to acquire, an event generation control processing function to issue and control an event subdivided in the rendering of the image data among the plurality of events, and a transmission destination together with a transmission attribute relating to the facsimile transmission. A setting processing function, which is inserted into the image data when performing the facsimile transmission. A cover page creation processing function of creating a facsimile cover page to be input, and a conversion processing function of converting image data including the facsimile cover page into an output image control command that can be interpreted by the printing apparatus.
An output processing function of outputting the output image control command to the printing apparatus, and if it is selected to insert the facsimile cover page into the image data and perform facsimile transmission, the facsimile cover between the events Issue and control the subdivided event so as to create a page, convert the image data including the created facsimile cover page based on the set transmission attribute into the output image control command, and And outputting the output image control command to the printing apparatus. 17. The facsimile control means for controlling the printing apparatus to perform facsimile transmission of the image data input from the external device, and a print output of the image data input from the external device. The facsimile control means has the setting processing function and the cover page creation processing function, and the printer control means performs the event acquisition processing. 17. The composite image forming system according to claim 16, comprising a function, the event generation control processing function, the conversion processing function, and the output processing function. 18. A composite image forming apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said cover page creation processing function of said facsimile control means creates a facsimile cover page by reading a facsimile cover page stored in advance in a storage means. system. 19. The facsimile cover page creation function of the facsimile control means by creating a facsimile cover page by adding the set transmission destination to the read facsimile cover page. The composite image forming system as described in the above. 20. A function information notification processing function for notifying the external device of function information relating to a paper size, an effective drawing area, an image resolution, a drawing capability, and the like, and a notification of the function information from the external device. An initialization control command output processing function of generating an initialization control command for initializing the printing apparatus based on the setting parameter returned in response to the printing apparatus and outputting the generated initialization control command to the printing apparatus. Item 18. The composite image forming system according to Item 17. 21. The control device further includes an interface for connecting the facsimile control unit and the printer control unit, and the facsimile control unit transmits the set transmission attribute and transmission destination to the printer via the interface. 18. The composite image forming system according to claim 17, wherein the control unit is notified. 22. The composite image forming system according to claim 17, wherein said facsimile control means has a management processing function of storing and managing said transmission attribute and said destination in a storage means. 23. The printing apparatus, at the time of facsimile transmission, develops an output image on storage means based on the image output control command, and specifies the output image developed on the storage means by a predetermined facsimile communication procedure. 17. The image data transmitted after being converted into transmission image data to be transmitted.
23. The composite image forming system according to any one of the above items. 24. An external device such as a host computer, a printing device connected to the external device and having a facsimile transmission function, and configured to be operable in an operating environment on the external device, and input from the external device. A facsimile transmission control method using the control device, which is used in a composite image forming system including a control device that controls the printing device to perform print output or facsimile transmission of image data, the image printing process issued by the external device An event acquisition processing step of acquiring a plurality of events related to the event, an event generation control processing step of issuing and controlling an event subdivided for drawing the image data among the plurality of events, and a transmission attribute related to the facsimile transmission. A setting processing step of setting a transmission destination; A cover page creation processing step of creating a facsimile cover page to be inserted into the image data between the printers, and an output image control command that allows the printing apparatus to interpret the image data including the facsimile cover page based on the set transmission attribute. A facsimile transmission control method, comprising: a conversion processing step of converting the output image control instruction into the printing device together with the transmission destination. 25. A facsimile control unit for controlling the printing apparatus so that the control apparatus performs facsimile transmission of image data input from the external apparatus, and prints out image data input from the external apparatus. Printer control means for controlling the printing apparatus,
By the facsimile control means, the setting processing step, the cover page creation processing step is executed, by the printer control means, the event acquisition processing step,
25. The facsimile control method according to claim 24, wherein the event generation control processing step and the conversion processing step are performed. 26. The facsimile transmission control method according to claim 25, wherein said facsimile cover page is created by reading a facsimile cover page stored in advance in a storage means. 27. The facsimile transmission page according to claim 26, wherein said facsimile control section creates a facsimile cover page by adding said set transmission destination to said read facsimile cover page. Control method. 28. A function information notification step of notifying the external device of function information relating to a paper size, an effective drawing area, an image resolution, a drawing ability, and the like, and a notification of the function information from the external apparatus. Outputting an initialization control command for initializing the printing device based on the setting parameters returned in response to the printing device, and outputting the generated initialization control command to the printing device. A facsimile transmission control method according to claim 25. 29. The facsimile control means and the printer control means are connected by an interface, and the facsimile control means notifies the printer control means of the set transmission attribute and transmission destination via the interface. 26. The facsimile transmission control method according to claim 25, wherein: 30. The facsimile transmission control method according to claim 25, wherein said facsimile control means stores and manages said transmission attribute and said transmission destination in a storage means. 31. The printing apparatus, when transmitting the facsimile, develops an output image on storage means based on the image output control command, and defines the output image developed on the storage means by a predetermined facsimile communication procedure. 26. The image data transmitted after being converted into transmission image data to be transmitted.
31. The facsimile transmission control method according to any one of items 30 to 30. 32. A storage medium storing a program executable by the external device used in a composite image forming system used in a composite image forming system including an external device such as a host computer and a printing device connected to the external device and having a facsimile transmission function. , The program executes an event acquisition module that acquires a plurality of events related to image printing processing issued by the external device, and issues and controls events that are subdivided into drawing of the image data among the plurality of events. An event generation control module, a setting module for setting a transmission destination together with a transmission attribute related to the facsimile transmission, a cover page creation module for creating a facsimile cover page to be inserted into the image data when performing the facsimile transmission, and the facsimile cover A conversion module for converting the image data including the page into an output image control command that can be interpreted by the printing device; and an output module for outputting the output image control command to the printing device. When inserting into data and performing facsimile transmission is selected, the subdivided event is issued and controlled so as to create the facsimile cover page between the events, and based on the set transmission attribute, A storage medium for converting image data including a created facsimile cover page into the output image control command, and outputting the output image control command together with the transmission destination to the printing device. 33. A facsimile control program for controlling the printing apparatus to perform facsimile transmission of image data input from the external device, and print output of image data input from the external device. A facsimile control program, the facsimile control program includes the setting module, the cover page creation module, the printer control program, the event acquisition module, 33. The storage medium according to claim 32, comprising an event generation control module, said conversion module, and said output module. 34. The storage medium according to claim 33, wherein the cover page creation module of the facsimile control program creates a facsimile cover page by reading a facsimile cover page stored in advance in a storage unit. 35. The facsimile control program according to claim 34, wherein the cover page creating module of the facsimile control program creates a facsimile cover page by adding the set transmission destination to the read facsimile cover page. Storage media. 36. A function information notification module for notifying the external device of function information relating to a paper size, an effective drawing area, an image resolution, a drawing capability, and the like, and a printer control program for notifying the function information from the external device. An initialization control command output module for generating an initialization control command for initializing the printing apparatus based on the setting parameters returned in response and outputting the generated command to the printing apparatus. The storage medium according to the above. 37. The facsimile control program,
34. The storage medium according to claim 33, wherein the set transmission attribute and transmission destination are notified to the printer control program by calling an API function. 38. The facsimile control program,
Storing the transmission attribute and the transmission destination in storage means,
The storage medium according to claim 33, further comprising a management module for managing.