JP3415557B2 - Printer control method, printer device and printer system - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printer control method, a printer device and a printer system for efficiently realizing non-stop printing with a simple structure.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional printer system for servicing non-stop printing, a server machine is provided for the purpose of providing a non-stop printing print service, and print jobs are allocated to a plurality of printer devices. By running special software on the server machine, the continuity of the printing process is maintained.

[0003]

The conventional printer control method, printer device, and printer system are configured as described above, and the printer switching function at the time of failure must be provided for the print service provided by the operating system of the server machine. It is not necessary.
Therefore, in order to realize the printer switching function at the time of the failure in the server machine for the purpose of providing the print service which is the non-stop printing, the software for providing the printer switching function at the time of the failure is installed in the operating system of the server machine. There was a problem that had to be introduced in.

Further, since the printer apparatus itself does not have a function for realizing non-stop printing, in order to realize a print service which is non-stop printing, a server machine for the purpose of providing the non-stop printing service is required. There was a problem that it was absolutely necessary.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems, and has a simple structure for an error occurrence during print processing, regardless of the presence or absence of a server and the type of operating system on the server. An object of the present invention is to provide a printer control method, a printer device, and a printer system that can efficiently realize nonstop printing.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A printer control method according to the present invention determines whether or not a response to a new session request occurs at a terminal which executes print processing within a predetermined time.
The terminal that performs the print processing is monitored and determined by another terminal that can act as a proxy, and responds to the new session request.
If the response generated by the terminal that executes the print process is not within the predetermined time, the response to the new session request is
Another terminal acts as a proxy instead of the terminal that executes the printing process.
In response, the print processing is handed over to the other terminal.

The printer device according to the present invention is a monitoring means for monitoring and detecting whether or not the other printer device responds within a predetermined time to a new session request from the host PC to the other preset printer device. And when the monitoring unit detects that the other printer device has not responded within the predetermined time, it transmits and receives communication data related to the new session request to the other printer device, A communication interface having a transmission / reception alternative means performed on behalf of the apparatus, and a response stop means for stopping the response to the new session request from the host PC when an error occurs during the printing process and an error notification signal is output, A receive buffer of sufficient size to store one print data sent from the host PC, and print Performs printing processing over data, and a print processing unit having an error signal output means for outputting the error notification signal to the communication interface when the error occurs during the printing process, the communication Intafe
Is the communication of another printer device that is performing the printing process.
For new session requests that occur in the communication interface
If there is no response within the specified time, the new session request
To the communication interface of the other printer device.
On behalf of the other printer device
A print request from the host PC is processed .

In the printer system according to the present invention, a plurality of grouped printer devices are connected to the host PC by the network, and the printer device executing the print process cannot continue the print process. In this case, in a printer system in which another printer device takes over the print process performed by the printer device, the printer device that executes the print process responds to a new session request from the host PC due to an error occurring during the print process. Then, the other printer device monitors the presence / absence of the response within a predetermined time in the printer device that executes the printing process, and prints in response to a new session request.
The response generated by the printer that executes the process is predetermined.
If not in time, the
Substitute the response for the printer device that executes the printing process.
The print processing relating to the new session request is taken over.

In the printer control method of the present invention, it is possible to act as a proxy for the terminal that executes the print processing, to determine whether or not the response generated by the terminal that executes the print processing in response to the new session request is within a predetermined time. It is monitored and judged by another terminal, and print processing is executed in response to the new session request.
If there is no response from the terminal within the specified time, the new session
A response to the print request by the other terminal.
Non-stop printing can be performed only by the processing on the terminal side , instead of the terminal that executes processing, by proxy response and by handing over the printing processing to the other terminals without depending on the presence or absence of a server or the type of operating system on the server. In addition, efficient non-stop printing can be realized with a simple configuration even when an error occurs during printing processing.

In the printer device of the present invention, the print processing unit prints the print data, and when an error occurs during the print processing, the error signal output means outputs an error notification signal to the communication interface. When the error notification signal is output, the communication interface stops the response to the new session request by the response stop means. On the other hand, with respect to a preset new session request from the host PC to another printer device, the monitoring means monitors whether or not the other printer device responds within a predetermined time, and the other printer within the predetermined time. When the device is not responding, the responses to the new session request to the other printing device, the other
Substitute for the communication interface of the printer
On the other hand, non-stop printing can be performed only by the processing on the printer side, which does not depend on the presence or absence of a server or the type of operating system on the server, and it is efficient with a simple configuration even if an error occurs during printing processing. Achieve non-stop printing.

In the printer system of the present invention, when an error occurs during the printing process, the printer device that executes the printing process stops the response to the new session request from the host PC. On the other hand, the other printer device monitors the presence / absence of the response within the predetermined time in the printer device that executes the print process, and when it detects that there is no response within the predetermined time, the other printer device responds to the new session request.
The response to the printer device that executes the printing process.
Instead, a proxy response is sent, and the other printer device acts as a proxy for the print processing related to the new session request. Therefore, non-stop printing can be performed only by the processing on the printer device side without depending on the presence or absence of a server or the type of operating system on the server, and an error occurs during the printing process in the printer device that executes the printing process. In contrast, a simple configuration enables efficient non-stop printing.

[0012]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below. In the printer control method and the printer system according to the first embodiment, by grouping a plurality of printer devices, continuous printing can be performed even under the trouble that the printing process cannot be continued in one printer device due to the cooperation process. The processing is provided.

In the printer control method and the printer system according to the first embodiment, the grouped printer apparatuses monitor each other for the print service provision state, and any one of the grouped printer apparatuses is monitored. When a state in which print processing is impossible occurs, another printer apparatus that is monitoring the printer apparatus in which the print processing impossible state has taken over realizes non-stop printing processing. Is.

Further, in the printer control method, the printer device and the printer system of the first embodiment, communication between the printer devices is performed in order to monitor the service status and take over the print process in order to realize non-stop of the print process. Packet monitoring and L at communication protocol level without using
This is performed by address emulation of the node on the AN.
In addition, it is assumed that there is no time lag of a predetermined time in the communication between the host personal computer and the monitored printer device for checking the service status, and the printer device operating as the When in the state, it does not return a slow communication response that exceeds the time lag. Then, when an error occurs in the printer device and the print service cannot be continued, the response to the communication from the personal computer as the host is stopped, and in this case, there is no response within the specified time. The printer device on the monitoring side detects that the printer device to be monitored is in an error state, and the printer device on the monitoring side takes over the printing process. Regarding this takeover process, the printer device in the error state (fault state) is emulated by taking over each node-specific address for identifying the node on the LAN, and the process is continued.

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing a printer device that constitutes a printer system to which the printer control method of the first embodiment is applied. This printer device
The single device includes a LAN interface 1, a reception buffer 2, and a print processing unit 3, which are similar to those of an ordinary network printer device.

The LAN interface 1 is an interface for connecting the printer device to a LAN,
Print data is received by communicating with a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as a host PC) that is a host on the LAN. A normal LAN interface only performs transmission / reception processing of communication packets for addresses unique to its own interface, but the LAN interface 1 of this printer device realizes a function that can also transmit / receive communication packets for designated addresses set in advance. Transmission / reception alternative means 1a for monitoring and a monitoring means 1 having a function of monitoring whether or not the printer device is responding to a new session request to the printer device during print processing within a specified time.
b, and a response stop means 1c for stopping the response to the new session request from the host PC to itself when an error occurs during the print processing of its own and an error notification signal is output from the print processing unit 3. There is. The reception buffer 2 is a buffer memory having a size sufficient to store one print data transmitted from the host. The print processing unit 3 is LA
It is equivalent to a single-function printer device without an N interface, and has a function of printing print data on paper and outputting the error notification signal to the communication interface 1 when a problem occurs in the printing process. The error signal output means 3a is provided.

Next, the operation of the printer device shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. LA
The print data sent from the host PC on N is L
It is received by the AN interface 1 and stored in the reception buffer 2. When print data is received in the reception buffer 2, the print processing unit 3 prints the print data and sequentially receives the data to empty the reception buffer 2. When an error such as a paper jam occurs in the print processing unit 3 during the print processing, the print processing unit 3 activates the error notification signal to notify the LAN interface 1 that the error has occurred in the print processing unit 3. (Step S1). The LAN interface 1 determines whether an error has occurred in the print processing unit 3 based on the error notification signal (step S
2) When the LAN interface 1 receives the error notification signal, the response stop means 1c causes the host P on the LAN to
A state of not responding to a new session request, which is a new print data communication session request from C, is entered (step S3), and at the same time, the data reception during the current print processing is continued and the print data communication session request up to the present is requested. All unreceived data is stored in the reception buffer 2 (step S4). Then, until the error notification signal is released, the state of ignoring the new session request is continued in steps S2 and S3.

Here, the printer device is grouped by a plurality of printers (two printers as an example in the first embodiment). FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing a printer system in which the printer device shown in FIG. 1 of the first embodiment is connected by a LAN line. On the LAN line (network) 11 in FIG. 3, a host PC 12 as a print request source, a group printer A (printer device) in print processing indicated by reference numeral 13, and a group printer indicated by reference numeral 14 grouped with group printer A. B (printer device) exists.

Next, the operation of the group printer B shown in FIG. 3 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The process shown in FIG. 4 is a response monitoring process by the monitoring means 1b of the group printer B for the group printer A during the printing process. LAN in group printer B
Due to the function of the transmission / reception alternative means 1a of the interface 1, the communication on the LAN line 11 regarding the address of the group printer A is always received. Then, according to the processing shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4, the monitoring means 1b monitors whether the group printer A responds to the new session request to the group printer A within the specified time (t time) (steps S11 and S12). ), As long as no error occurs in the group printer A, the response of the printer A is observed in the group printer B within the specified time.

When an error occurs in the group printer A and no response from the group printer A to the new session request from the host PC within the specified time is observed, the group printer B sets the interface address of the group printer A. As a LAN node to have, it enters a state of making a proxy response (step S13).

Group printer B entering the proxy response state
Processes the print request from the host PC as the complete group printer A (step S14), and when the processing of the session data for which the proxy response is completed is completed, step S11
Then, the process returns to the group printer A monitoring state again.

When the error condition is recovered in the group printer A when the next session request comes, the group printer A responds to the print request as the original group printer A, and if the error condition continues in the group printer A. If so, the group printer B again enters the state of performing the proxy process as the group printer A. By this cooperation processing, the print request from the host PC to the glue printer can be processed without delay due to the error state of the printer.

As described above, according to the first embodiment,
It is possible to provide a printer control method, a printer device, and a printer system that can realize a nonstop printing environment without depending on the presence or absence of a server and the type of operating system on the server.

Further, since the status confirmation communication is not performed to the monitoring destination printer by the packet level monitoring / takeover operation, there is little overhead in the processing for realizing the nonstop printing environment, and the efficient nonstop printing environment is provided. There is an effect that it is possible to provide a printer control method, a printer device, and a printer system that can realize the above.

Further, the non-stop printing environment can be realized only by the printer device side, the existing printer device only needs to be replaced, and no special support is required on the host PC side. There is an effect that a printer control method, a printer device, and a printer system that can realize an environment can be provided.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment, the LAN interface 1 is provided with a monitoring unit for realizing the communication monitoring function of another node, and the error status between the group printer A and the group printer B is confirmed by the response time to the print request. However, in the second embodiment, this state is confirmed by direct communication between the printer devices.

With this configuration, the printer device (for example, the group printer A) that performs the print processing receives the session request, and the printer device that is on standby as a proxy in the group (for example, the group printer B).
It is necessary to generate communication that informs its own status such as whether it is in an error state or a normal state, but alternative printing processing at the time of printer error can be realized, and non-stop only by the printer device side. The same effects as those of the first embodiment can be achieved, such as realizing a printing environment.

[0028]

As described above, according to the printer control method, the printer device, and the printer system of the present invention, the non-processing only by the printer device side does not depend on the presence or absence of the server or the type of operating system on the server. Stop printing is enabled, and there is an effect that efficient non-stop printing can be realized with a simple configuration even when an error occurs during printing processing on the print processing execution side.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing a printer device that constitutes a printer system to which a printer control method according to a first embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation when the printer device according to the first embodiment of the present invention is a print processing execution side.

FIG. 3 shows the printer device according to the first embodiment of the present invention as an LA.
It is a block diagram showing a printer system connected by N lines.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a response monitoring process by the monitoring means of the group printer B for the group printer A which is performing the printing process in the printer system to which the printer control method according to the first embodiment of the present invention is applied.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... LAN interface, 1a ... Transmission / reception alternative means,
1b ... Monitoring means, 1c ... Response stopping means, 2 ... Reception buffer, 3 ... Print processing section, 3a ... Error signal output means, 11 ... LAN line (network), 12 ...
Host PC, 13 ... Group printer A (printer device), 14 ... Group printer B (printer device).

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A terminal that executes a print process responds to a new session request within a predetermined time by another terminal that can act as a proxy for the terminal that executes the print process. The new session request
The response generated by the terminal to execute the printing process on is not within the predetermined time, a response to the new session request
The other terminal replaces the terminal that executes the printing process.
A printer control method characterized by responding to the request and handing over the print processing to the other terminal. 2. A printer device connected to a host PC via a network, is the other printer device responding to a preset new printer device request from the host PC within a predetermined time? Monitoring means for detecting and detecting the communication data related to the new session request to the other printer device when the other printer device detects that the other printer device has not responded within the predetermined time. The transmission / reception alternative means for performing transmission / reception on behalf of the other printer device, and the host PC when an error occurs during the printing process and an error notification signal is output.
A communication interface having a response stopping means for stopping a response to a new session request from the host PC, a reception buffer of a size sufficient to receive one print data transmitted from the host PC, and printing of print data process performs, and a print processing unit having an error signal output means for outputting the error notification signal to the communication interface when the error occurs during the printing process, the communication interface, executes the printing process Other
The new session that occurs in the communication interface of the printer device of
If there is no response to the session request within the predetermined time,
The response to the new session request is sent to the other printer device.
In place of the communication interface of
The print request from the host PC is processed instead of the printer device.
Printer apparatus which is characterized in that sense. 3. A plurality of grouped printer devices are connected to a host PC by a network, and when the printer device executing the print process cannot continue the print process, the printer device In a printer system in which another printing apparatus takes over the printing processing to be performed, the printing apparatus that executes the printing processing stops the response to the new session request from the host PC due to an error occurrence during the printing processing, and The printer device monitors the presence / absence of the response within a predetermined time in the printer device that executes the print process, and executes the print process in response to the new session request.
If the response generated by the input device is not within the predetermined time,
Print the response to the new session request to the print processing
A printer system that makes a proxy response instead of the printer device that executes the process and takes over the print processing related to the new session request.