JP7284913B2 - Printer and data processing system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a printing device that performs printing based on print setting data, and a data processing system equipped with this printing device.

2. Description of the Related Art A system is known that includes a printing device that performs printing using print setting data (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200013). This conventional technique discloses a technique for transferring fonts from one printer to another between two printers connected on a network.

JP-A-2000-289267

In the prior art described above, print setting data (fonts in this example) is transferred from one printing device (printer) to another printing device. No particular consideration was given to reflecting the updated content on another printing device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a printing device and a data processing system that can improve user convenience by reflecting the updated contents in another printing device when print setting data of one printing device is updated. That's what it is.

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides printing means for printing on a medium to be printed, storage means for storing print setting data relating to updatable setting items, and printing based on the print setting data. and a communication interface capable of transmitting and receiving information according to a first wireless communication method, wherein the communication interface is the first communication interface capable of transmitting and receiving information according to the first wireless communication method. and capable of transmitting and receiving information to and from the first communication interface of at least one first printing device that performs printing based on first print setting data relating to a plurality of setting items; a first data acquisition process of acquiring the first print setting data of the first printing device, which has been updated from one reference timing, from the first communication interface of the first printing device via the communication interface; A data update process of updating the print setting data stored in the storage unit using the first print setting data acquired in the 1-data acquisition process.

A printing apparatus according to the present invention includes a communication interface, is configured to be capable of transmitting and receiving information to and from another printing apparatus, and can acquire print setting data used for print control from the other printing apparatus.
That is, the first printing device is provided with a first communication interface, and the communicable interface of the printing device is configured to be capable of transmitting and receiving information to and from the first communication interface and the first wireless communication method. As a result, the latest print setting data (first print setting data) updated by the first printer is obtained in the first data obtaining process executed by the control unit.
After that, in the data update process executed by the control means, the print setting data stored in the storage means is updated while using the first print setting data acquired as described above.

As described above, according to the printing apparatus of the present invention, the printing setting data stored in its own storage unit can be updated using the printing setting data of another printing apparatus. As a result, when the print setting data of one printing apparatus is updated, the updated content can be reflected in another printing apparatus, thereby improving convenience for the user.

According to the present invention, when the print setting data of one printing device is updated, the updated content is reflected in another printing device, thereby improving convenience for the user.

1 is a system configuration diagram showing the overall configuration of a data processing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the label printer; FIG. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of a technique for reflecting update of print setting data in a label printer; FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of a technique for reflecting update of print setting data in a label printer; 4 is a flow chart showing a control procedure executed by a CPU of a control circuit of the label printer; It is a system block diagram showing the whole structure of the data processing system of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. 3 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the label printer; FIG. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of a technique for reflecting update of print setting data in a label printer; 4 is a flow chart showing a control procedure executed by a CPU of a control circuit of the label printer; 10 is a flowchart showing a control procedure executed by the CPU of the control circuit of the label printer in a modified example in which print setting data for all items are acquired with timer time as a trigger. FIG. 10 is a system configuration diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a data processing system in a modified example in which data is acquired only from label printers in a specific printer group among a plurality of label printers; FIG. 10 is a system configuration diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a data processing system in a modified example of acquiring print data via label printers of different tape types and a modified example of acquiring print data via label printers of different models; 4 is a flow chart showing a control procedure executed by a CPU of a control circuit of the label printer;

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<First Embodiment>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. FIG.

<Configuration of print processing system>
First, the overall configuration of the data processing system of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the data processing system 1 of this embodiment has a plurality (here, three) of label printers 3A, 3B, and 3C. In the following, when the "label printers 3A, 3B, 3C" and the like are collectively referred to without distinction, they are simply referred to as the "label printer 3".

The label printer 3A can be connected to the label printer 3B via Bluetooth (registered trademark) wireless communication (hereinafter simply referred to as "Bluetooth communication" as appropriate) (in other words, within the communication range of Bluetooth communication, the same applies hereinafter), and It is also connectable to the label printer 3C through the Bluetooth communication. As a result, data can be exchanged between the label printers 3B and 3A and between the label printers 3C and 3A. Note that the above Bluetooth communication corresponds to an example of the first wireless communication system described in the claims. Also, the label printer 3A corresponds to an example of the printing device in this example, and the label printers 3B and 3C each correspond to an example of the first printing device.

The label printer 3 transmits and receives various information and instruction signals to and from an operation terminal 2 (see FIG. 4A, which will be described later), which is not shown. A printed label L having printed text, images, etc. is created. The operation terminal 2 may be a so-called feature phone, tablet computer, notebook computer, desktop computer, or the like.

<Functional Configuration of Label Printer>
As shown in FIG. 2, the label printer 3 includes a control circuit 202, an operation unit 206, a BT communication control unit 208, a tape roll holder unit 210, a print head 205, a cutter 207, a conveying device 209, and a memory 211 . Note that the control circuit 202 corresponds to an example of control means described in the claims, the BT communication control unit 208 corresponds to an example of a communication interface and a first communication interface, and the print head 205 and transport device 209 correspond to an example of printing means. The memory 211 corresponds to an example of storage means, and the operation unit 206 corresponds to an example of operation means.

The control circuit 202 has a CPU, RAM, ROM, and the like. The ROM stores a processing program (the same applies to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 9 and 10) for causing the CPU of the control circuit 202 to execute each procedure of the flowchart shown in FIG.

The BT communication control unit 208 controls the Bluetooth communication performed with other label printers 3 . Although not shown, the label printers 3A to 3C also have a communication control unit that controls communication with the operation terminal 2 for receiving print jobs and the like from the operation terminal 2 as described later. It is provided separately (the same applies to label printers 3E, 3X, etc., which will be described later).

A tape roll 204 formed by winding a tape 203 (originally in a spiral shape, but schematically shown by concentric circles) can be attached to and detached from the tape roll holder 210 . Alternatively, the cartridge with the tape roll 204 may be detachable. Note that the tape 203 corresponds to an example of the print-receiving medium described in the claims.

A conveying device 209 is provided facing the print head 205 and conveys the tape 203 unwound from the tape roll 204 .

The memory 211 stores print setting data set in advance (or designated each time according to a print job or the like received from the operation terminal 2). This print setting data includes specific numerical values and degrees (high/ This is data represented by medium/low, dark/light, etc.).

The print head 205 prints on the tape 203 transported by the transport device 209 based on the print data received from the operation terminal 2 under the control of the CPU of the control circuit 202 based on the print setting data in the memory 211. conduct.

The cutter 207 cuts the printed tape 203 into a predetermined length to obtain a printed label L. FIG.

<How to update the print setting data>
When the label printer 3A and the label printers 3B and 3C are configured to be able to transmit and receive data as described above, the essential part of this embodiment is that when the print setting data of a certain label printer 3 is updated, To reflect updated contents on another label printer 3. - 特許庁The details will be described in order below.

An overview of the method of reflecting the update of the print setting data described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG.

For example, in the example shown in FIG. 3A, the memory 211 of each of the label printers 3A to 3C stores "light" for the print density item and "low" for the resolution item as the print setting data. Hereinafter, simply referred to as "print density: light" and "resolution: low") are stored in advance at appropriate timings. For the label printers 3B and 3C, the timing at which "print density: light" and "resolution: low" are stored in the memory 211 corresponds to an example of the first reference timing described in the claims.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 3B, the label printer 3C changes the previous "print density: light" by an appropriate operation by the user (or designation by a print job or the like received from the operation terminal 2). The print setting data of "resolution: low" is changed to "print density: medium" and "resolution: high", and overwritten with the changed contents.

Further, after that, as shown in FIG. 3C, in the label printer 3B, the above "print density: light ” is changed to “print density: dark” and overwritten with that content.

After the above state, as shown in FIG. 4A, for example, when the label printer 3A receives a print job from the operation terminal 2, the label printer 3A outputs the two A data request command (simply abbreviated as "data request" in the figure; the same applies hereinafter) is sent to the label printers 3B and 3C. This data request command inquires of the label printers 3B and 3C whether or not the updated print setting data exists, and if the updated print setting data exists, it requests transmission of it. Directive. It should be noted that instead of receiving the above print job, the user may perform an appropriate update execution instruction operation on the operation unit 206 (or the operation terminal 2) of the label printer 3A as a trigger.

The label printers 3B and 3C that have received the data request command transmit the updated print setting data to the label printer 3A in response to the reception, as shown in FIG. 4B. Acquired by the label printer 3A (simply abbreviated as "data acquisition" in the drawing; the same applies hereinafter). That is, the label printer 3C transmits the print setting data of "print density: medium" and "resolution: high" to the label printer 3A, and the label printer 3B transmits the print setting data of "print density: dark" to the label printer 3A. Send to

The label printer 3A, which has acquired the print setting data respectively transmitted from the label printers 3B and 3C, uses the acquired print setting data and stores it in the memory 211 as shown in FIG. 4(c). Update the contents of the print setting data. In this example, since the print setting data of "resolution: high" is obtained from the label printer 3C, the original print setting data of "resolution: low" is changed to " Resolution: High” and overwritten with that content.

On the other hand, as for the print density, print setting data of "print density: dark" is acquired from the label printer 3B, and print setting data of "print density: medium" is acquired from the label printer 3C. The label printer 3A selects one of these two print setting data by applying a predetermined regularity, and updates using the selected print setting data. In this example, the one with the newer update timing, that is, the "print density: dark" from the label printer 3B is preferentially used. The print setting data respectively acquired from the label printers 3B and 3C correspond to an example of the first print setting data described in the claims. As another example of the above-mentioned "predetermined regularity", priority is given to the print setting data of "print density: medium" from the label printer 3C, which is obtained first (=the label printer 3A obtains it first). may be used as

As a result, in the label printer 3A, the original "resolution: low" print setting data is changed to "resolution: high" and overwritten and updated with the contents of the original "print density: light". The print setting data is changed to "Print Density: Dark" and overwritten with that content. In this way, in the present embodiment, the update of the print setting data of the label printer 3B and the update of the print setting data of the label printer 3C can be reflected in the label printer 3A. The print setting data of "resolution: high" and "print density: light" in the memory 211 of the label printer 3A updated in this manner are further transferred to the label printers 3B and 3C (or either one of them). It may be sent to update the print setting data in the memory 211 of the label printers 3B and 3C. Note that the transmission from the label printer 3A to the label printers 3B and 3C at this time corresponds to an example of the data transmission processing described in the claims.

<Control procedure>
A control procedure executed by the CPU of the control circuit 202 of the label printer 3A in order to realize the above method will be described with reference to the flow chart of FIG.

In FIG. 5, first, in step S10, the CPU determines whether or not a print job has been received from the operation terminal 2 as described above. The determination is not satisfied (S10: NO) until the print job is received, and the loop waits.

In step S20, the CPU transmits to the label printers 3B and 3C the data request command requesting transmission of updated print setting data if it exists. The data request command for the label printers 3B and 3C at this time corresponds to an example of the first data request command described in the claims, and the process executed in step S20 corresponds to an example of the first data request process described in the claims. do.

Thereafter, in step S30, the CPU sends the updated print setting data transmitted by the label printers 3B and 3C via Bluetooth communication via the BT communication control unit 208 in response to the data request command to the BT communication control unit. 208. The process executed in step S30 corresponds to an example of the first data acquisition process described in the claims.

Then, in step S90, the CPU updates the corresponding print setting data in the memory 211 using the print setting data acquired from the label printers 3B and 3C in step S30. The process executed in step S90 corresponds to an example of the data update process described in the claims. After that, this flow ends.

<Effects of the first embodiment>
As described above, in this embodiment, the print setting data stored in the memory 21 of the label printer 3A can be updated using the print setting data in the label printers 3B and 3C. In this case, the contents after the print setting data of the label printers 3B and 3C have been updated can be reflected in the print setting data of the label printer 3A for updating. As a result, convenience for the user can be improved.
By executing the same processing as the label printer 3A on the label printer 3B and the label printer 3C, it is also possible to make the contents of the print setting data of the label printers 3A, 3B, and 3C all the same (common). becomes.

Further, particularly in this embodiment, when the label printer 3A receives a print job (or receives an update execution instruction operation from the user), the print settings of the label printer 3A based on the print setting data of the label printers 3B and 3C are triggered. Execute data update processing. In this manner, the print setting data stored in the memory 21 of the label printer 3A can be updated using the print setting data of the other label printers 3B and 3C, triggered by various appropriate timings.

Further, particularly in the present embodiment, a data request command requesting the updated print setting data of the label printers 3B and 3C is output to the label printers 3B and 3C triggered by the reception of the print job (see step S20). , the updated print setting data transmitted from the label printers 3B and 3C in response to the data request command is received (see step S30). As a result, the print setting data for the label printer 3A can be reliably updated using the latest print setting data for the other label printers 3B and 3C.

Further, particularly in this embodiment, when print setting data for the same setting item is acquired from a plurality of label printers 3, it is selected according to an appropriate rule (in the above example, the one with the newest update timing is selected, etc.). ) The print setting data of any one of the label printers 3 can be used to update the print setting data of the label printer 3A. In addition, convenience can be further improved by variably setting the above rules according to the user's preference, usage mode, and the like.

Further, particularly in this embodiment, as described above, the print setting data in the memory 211 of the label printer 3A updated as described above is further transferred to the label printers 3B and 3C (or either one of them). It can also be sent to cause those print setting data to be updated. In this case, the print setting data in the label printers 3B and 3C can be updated to the same content as the print setting data in the memory 211 of the label printer 3A updated by the above method.

<Second embodiment>
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 9. FIG. This embodiment is an embodiment in which print setting data can be obtained from label printers having different communication methods. Parts equivalent to those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and explanations thereof are omitted or simplified as appropriate.

<Configuration of print processing system>
The overall configuration of the data processing system of this embodiment is shown in FIG. 6 corresponding to FIG. 1 above. 6, in the data processing system 1' of this embodiment, a label printer 3B' is provided in place of the label printer 3B in the data processing system 1 of the first embodiment. Like the label printer 3B, this label printer 3B' can be connected to the label printer 3A by Bluetooth communication. Also, the label printer 3B' can be connected to the newly provided label printer 3D by means of wireless communication different from Bluetooth communication, in this example wireless communication by WLAN (hereinafter simply referred to as "WLAN communication"). For example, it is within the communication range of WLAN communication, and so on).

As a result, data can be exchanged between the label printer 3C and the label printer 3A, and between the label printer 3B' and the label printer 3A, as in the first embodiment. ' and the label printer 3D can also exchange data with each other. As in the first embodiment, the Bluetooth communication corresponds to an example of a first wireless communication system, and the WLAN communication corresponds to an example of a second wireless communication system. Further, the label printer 3A corresponds to an example of the printing device in this example, and also corresponds to an example of the receiving side printing device. Also, the label printer 3C corresponds to an example of a first printing device, and the label printer 3B' corresponds to an example of a third printing device. Further, the label printer 3D corresponds to an example of the second printing device and also corresponds to an example of the sending side printing device.

<Functional Configuration of Label Printer>
Functional configurations of the label printer 3B' and the label printer 3D are shown in FIGS. 7(a) and 7(b).

As shown in FIG. 7A, the label printer 3B' has a WLAN communication control section 201 in addition to the configuration shown in FIG. The BT communication control unit 208 controls the Bluetooth communication with the label printer 3A, and the WLAN communication control unit 201 controls the WLAN communication with the label printer 3D. Other configurations are the same as those in FIG. Note that the control circuit 202 corresponds to an example of the control means described in the claims. Also, the BT communication control unit 208 corresponds to an example of a third communication interface, and also corresponds to an example of a first relay interface. Also, the WLAN communication control unit 201 corresponds to an example of a fourth communication interface and an example of a second relay interface. The print head 205 and the conveying device 209 correspond to an example of printing means, and the memory 211 corresponds to an example of a storage means.

As shown in FIG. 7B, the label printer 3D has a WLAN communication control section 201 instead of the BT communication control section 208 having the configuration shown in FIG. The WLAN communication control unit 201 controls the above WLAN communication with the label printer 3B'. Other configurations are the same as those in FIG. Note that the control circuit 202 corresponds to an example of the control means described in the claims. Also, the WLAN communication control unit 201 corresponds to an example of a second communication interface and an example of a transmission side interface. Further, the print head 205 and the conveying device 209 correspond to an example of printing means, and the memory 211 corresponds to an example of a storage means.

Note that the label printers 3A and 3B in this embodiment have the configuration shown in FIG. 2 as in the first embodiment. At this time, the BT communication control unit 208 of the label printer 3A corresponds to an example of the receiving side interface described in the claims, and the print setting data stored in the memory 211 of the label printer 3A is the receiving side print setting. It corresponds to an example of data.

<How to update the print setting data>
An overview of the method of updating and reflecting print setting data in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 8, which corresponds to FIGS. 3 and 4 of the first embodiment.

In FIG. 8A, desired print setting data (detailed illustration and description are omitted) are stored in advance in the memory 211 of each of the label printers 3A, 3C, 3B', and 3D in the same manner as described above. be. The timing at which the print setting data is stored in the memory 211 of the label printer 3C corresponds to an example of the first reference timing described in claims, and the timing at which the print setting data is stored in the memory 211 of the label printer 3D corresponds to an example of the first reference timing. This corresponds to an example of the second reference timing.

3(b) and 3(c), the label printers 3C, 3B', and 3D are appropriately operated by the user (or from the operation terminal 2) at an appropriate timing (not shown). (specified by a received print job or the like) changes the print setting data up to that point, and overwrites and updates the content.

After the above state, as shown in FIG. 8A, similar to FIG. 4A, when the label printer 3A receives a print job from the operation terminal 2, the label printer 3A , a data request command is transmitted to the two label printers 3B' and 3C by Bluetooth communication. It should be noted that instead of receiving the above print job, the user may operate the label printer 3A to give an appropriate update execution instruction as a trigger.

The label printers 3B' and 3C that have received the data request commands, respectively, update the updated print settings stored in the memory 211 in response to the reception, as shown in FIG. 8B corresponding to FIG. 4B. The data is transmitted to the label printer 3A by Bluetooth communication, and the transmitted print setting data is acquired by the label printer 3A. At this time, the label printer 3A cannot detect the presence of the label printer 3D because the wireless communication method applied is different as described above. On the other hand, the label printer 3B' detects the existence of the label printer 3D because it can execute the WLAN communication, which is a common wireless communication method, with the label printer 3D. Therefore, when the label printer 3B' transmits the updated print setting data in the memory 211 to the label printer 3A as described above (at the same time or at a later time), the label printer 3D exists within its own communication range to the label printer 3A via Bluetooth communication.

Then, as shown in FIG. 8(c), when the label printer 3A receives the presence report of the label printer 3D from the label printer 3B', the label printer 3A again requests the label printer 3B' to add data. Commands are sent by Bluetooth communication. This data addition request command inquires of the label printer 3D whether or not the updated print setting data exists, and if the updated print setting data exists, a command to request its transmission. This is a command to request the label printer 3B' to output. The label printer 3B', which has received this data addition request command via Bluetooth communication, inquires of the label printer 3D whether or not the updated print setting data exists, as in FIG. 8A. If updated print setting data exists, a data request command for requesting its transmission is transmitted by WLAN communication. It is possible that the label printer 3B' did not detect the existence of the label printer 3D in advance as described above and could not report the existence of the label printer 3D. In this case also, the label printer 3A sends a message to the label printer 3B' indicating that "if there is another label printer 3 capable of collecting print setting data, please request updated print setting data from that label printer 3". may be transmitted, and the label printer 3B' receiving the data addition request command may search for other label printers 3 corresponding to the above.

Upon receiving the data request command, the label printer 3D sends the updated print setting data stored in the memory 211 in response to the reception to the label printer 3B' as shown in FIG. 8(d). 201 via WLAN communication. The print setting data transmitted at this time corresponds to an example of the transmitting side print setting data described in the claims. The transmitted print setting data is received and acquired by the WLAN communication control unit 201 of the label printer 3B'. The reception processing at this time corresponds to an example of the relay reception processing described in the claims. The received label printer 3B' transmits the updated print setting data received from the label printer 3D to the label printer 3A via Bluetooth communication. The transmission processing at this time corresponds to an example of the relay transmission processing described in the claims. As a result, the print setting data sent from the label printer 3D is (additionally) acquired by the label printer 3A.

As described above, the print setting data of the label printers 3B' and 3C obtained from the label printers 3B' and 3C, respectively, and the print setting data of the label printer 3D obtained through the label printer 3B'. Using the print setting data, the label printer 3A updates the contents of the print setting data stored in the memory 211. FIG. At this time, although detailed description is omitted, the label printer 3A, as in the case described above, sets the print setting data from the label printers 3B', 3C, and 3D (for example, for each setting item) as described above. A similar predetermined regularity is applied for selection, and the selected print setting data is used for update. The print setting data for the label printer 3C corresponds to an example of the first print setting data described in the claims, the print setting data for the label printer 3D corresponds to an example of the second print setting data, and the label printer The print setting data of 3B' corresponds to an example of the third print setting data.

<Control procedure>
A control procedure executed by the CPU of the control circuit 202 of the label printer 3A in this embodiment in order to realize the above method will be described with reference to the flow chart of FIG. The same reference numerals are given to the parts equivalent to the steps in the flow of FIG. 5, and the description will be omitted or simplified as appropriate.

In FIG. 9, first, in step S10, which is the same as in FIG. 5, the CPU determines whether or not a print job has been received from the operation terminal 2 as described above. If the print job is received, the determination is satisfied (S10: YES), and the process proceeds to step S20.

In step S20, as in FIG. 5, the CPU transmits the above-mentioned data request command requesting transmission of updated print setting data to the label printers 3B' and 3C. The data request command for the label printer 3C at this time corresponds to an example of the first data request command described in claims, and the transmission processing to the label printer 3C corresponds to an example of the first data request processing.

Thereafter, at step S30 similar to that in FIG. 5, the CPU updates the updated print settings transmitted by the label printers 3B' and 3C via Bluetooth communication via the BT communication control unit 208 in response to the data request command. Data is received via the BT communication control unit 208 . The process executed in step S30 corresponds to an example of the first data acquisition process described in the claims. As described above with reference to FIG. 8B, when the print setting data is received from the label printer 3B' in step S30, an interface of another communication method (WLAN communication in this example) is also used. A presence report of the label printer 3D is also received via the BT communication control unit 208, indicating that the provided label printer (the label printer 3D in this example) exists within the communication range of the label printer 3B'.

After that, the process moves to newly provided step S50, and the CPU determines whether or not there is a report that there is a label printer having a communication system different from that of the label printer 3A. For example, as described above, if the presence report indicating that the label printer 3D with a different interface exists within the communication range is received in step S30 from the label printer 3B', the determination is satisfied (S50: YES). The process proceeds to step S60, which will be described later. If the presence report of the label printer 3 with another interface as described above is not received in step S50, the determination is not satisfied (S50: NO), and the process proceeds to step S90 described later.

In step S60, the CPU requests the label printer 3B' to transmit the data request command requesting transmission of the updated print setting data, if any, to the label printer 3D. An addition request command is transmitted to the BT communication control section 208 of the label printer 3B' by Bluetooth communication via the BT communication control section 208. FIG. The data addition request command to the label printer 3B' at this time corresponds to an example of the second data request command, and the transmission processing to the label printer 3B' corresponds to an example of the second data request processing. As a result of the transmission of this data addition request command, as described above, the WLAN communication control unit 201 of the label printer 3B' transmits a data request command similar to the above to the WLAN communication control unit 201 of the label printer 3D via WLAN communication. do.

Thereafter, as described above, the WLAN communication control unit 201 of the label printer 3D that received the data request command transmits the updated print setting data via WLAN communication, and is received by the WLAN communication control unit 201 of the label printer 3B'. be done. Further, the label printer 3B' that has received the print setting data transmits the updated print setting data from the received label printer 3D to the BT communication control unit 208 of the label printer 3A via the BT communication control unit 208. and transmitted by Bluetooth communication.
In response to this, in step S80 after step S60, the CPU of the label printer 3A receives the update of the label printer 3D transmitted from the BT communication control unit 208 of the label printer 3B' via Bluetooth communication. The completed print setting data is received via the BT communication control unit 208 . The process executed in step S80 corresponds to an example of the second data acquisition process described in the claims.

After that, at step S90 similar to FIG. 5, the CPU outputs the print setting data of the label printers 3B' and 3C acquired from the label printers 3B' and 3C at step S30, and the label printer 3B' at step S80. and the print setting data of the label printer 3D obtained from the corresponding label printer 3A are used to update the print setting data in the memory 211 of the corresponding label printer 3A by the method described above. The process executed in step S90 corresponds to an example of the data update process described in the claims. After that, this flow ends.

<Effects of Second Embodiment>
As described above, in the present embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, the print setting data stored in the memory 21 of the label printer 3A is updated using the print setting data in the label printers 3B' and 3C. be able to. At this time, the contents after the print setting data of the label printers 3B' and 3C have been updated can be reflected in the print setting data of the label printer 3A for updating. As a result, convenience for the user can be improved.

As in the first embodiment, the reception of the print job is used as a trigger to output a data request command requesting the updated print setting data of the label printers 3B' and 3C to the label printers 3B' and 3C ( (See step S20), the updated print setting data transmitted from the label printers 3B' and 3C in response to the data request command is received (see step S30). Also, a data addition request command requesting the updated print setting data of the label printer 3D is output to the label printer 3B' (see step S60), and the update transmitted from the label printer 3D in response to the data request command. The completed print setting data is received via the label printer 3B' (see step S80). As a result, the print setting data in the label printer 3A can be reliably updated using the latest print setting data in the other label printers 3B', 3C, and 3D.

Further, particularly in this embodiment, the print setting data of the label printer 3D having the WLAN communication control unit 201, which is an interface by WLAN communication different from that of the label printer 3, is obtained (see step S80). Then, the print setting data of the label printer 3A is updated using the print setting data of the label printers 3B' and 3C obtained in step S30 and the print setting data of the label printer 3D obtained in step S80. (See step S90) In this way, the print settings stored in the memory 211 of the label printer 3A are stored using the print setting data of another label printer 3 that uses a different wireless communication method (WLAN communication in this example). By being able to update the data, convenience for the user can be further improved.

Further, particularly in this embodiment, as described above, the communication interface provided in the label printer 3A is the BT communication control section 208 that supports Bluetooth communication. At this time, the label printers 3B' and 3C are also provided with the BT communication control section 208 corresponding to the Bluetooth communication. As a result, in step S30 of the flow shown in FIG. 9, the latest updated print setting data is obtained for each of the label printers 3B' and 3C.
On the other hand, the BT communication control unit 208, which is the communication interface of the label printer 3A, cannot communicate with an interface compatible with WLAN communication, which is different from the Bluetooth communication system. Therefore, unlike the label printer 3A, the label printer 3D having only the WLAN communication control unit 201 cannot acquire the print setting data as described above.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the label printer 3A is configured to be able to communicate with the label printer 3B' having both the BT communication control unit 208 compatible with Bluetooth communication and the WLAN communication control unit 201 compatible with WLAN communication. be done. The BT communication control unit 208 of the label printer 3B' can transmit and receive information to and from the BT communication control unit 208 of the label printer 3A of this embodiment by Bluetooth communication. On the other hand, the WLAN communication control section 201 of the label printer 3B' can transmit and receive information with the WLAN communication control section 201 of the label printer 3D through WLAN communication.
As a result, in this embodiment, the latest print setting data updated by the label printer 3D is acquired via the label printer 3B' in step S80 of the flow of FIG. That is, the print setting data is composed of the WLAN communication control unit 201 of the label printer 3D→the WLAN communication control unit 201 of the label printer 3B′→the BT communication control unit 208 of the label printer 3B′→the BT communication control unit 208 of the label printer 3A, is acquired by the label printer 3A through the route of . Thereafter, in step S90, while using the print setting data of the label printers 3C and 3B' and the print setting data of the label printer 3D obtained as described above, the print setting data of the label printer 3A stored in the memory 211 is processed. is updated.

As described above, in the label printer 3A of this embodiment, the print setting data stored in its own memory 211 can be updated using the print setting data of the label printer 3D having an interface with a different communication method. Therefore, it is possible to reliably improve the convenience for the user.

The present invention is not limited to the above two embodiments, and various modifications are possible without departing from the gist and technical idea of the present invention. Hereinafter, such modifications will be described in order. Parts equivalent to those of the first and second embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted or simplified as appropriate.

(1) Acquisition of print setting data for all items with timer time as a trigger That is, in the second embodiment, when a print job is received by the label printer 3A, the label printer 3A sends the label printer 3B' to the label printer 3B'. , 3C, but is not limited to this. That is, for example, the data request command may be transmitted when an appropriate activation time set in a timer provided in the CPU has come. Such modifications will be described below.

FIG. 10 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 9 of the second embodiment, and is a flow chart showing a control procedure executed by the CPU of the control circuit 202 of the label printer 3A of this modified example. As shown in FIG. 10, the CPU of this modified example first determines whether or not a predetermined time preset in the timer has come in step S10' provided in place of step S10 in FIG. judge. The determination is not satisfied until the predetermined time comes (S10': NO), and the loop waits. The process moves to step S20'.

In step S20', the CPU transmits a data request command requesting transmission of all print setting data (whether updated or not) to the label printers 3B' and 3C. The data request command for the label printer 3C at this time corresponds to an example of the first data request command described in the claims also in this modified example, and the transmission processing to the label printer 3C corresponds to an example of the first data request processing. .

Thereafter, in step S30' provided in place of step S30 in FIG. 9, the CPU receives the data request command from the label printers 3B' and 3C via Bluetooth communication via the BT communication control unit 208. The print setting data is received via the BT communication control unit 208 . As in the second embodiment, the presence report of the label printer 3D is also received via the BT communication control unit 208 when the print setting data is received from the label printer 3B' in step S30'.

Thereafter, the process moves to newly provided step S35, and the CPU extracts updated data from all the print setting data received from the label printers 3B' and 3C in step S30'. That is, in this modification, when the flow of FIG. 10 is executed, all the print setting data received from the label printers 3B' and 3C in step S30' are applied to the flow of FIG. 10 again at least at the next time. is stored in an appropriate location of the label printer 3A until is executed. In step S35, all print setting data of the label printers 3B' and 3C received in the previous step S30' and all of the label printers 3B' and 3C received in step S30' this time are stored. The print setting data is compared, and only data whose content has been changed from the previous time is extracted as the updated data. Note that the process executed in step S35 and the process executed in step S30' immediately before that correspond to an example of the first data acquisition process described in the claims of this modified example.

After that, in step S50 similar to that in FIG. 9, it is determined whether or not there is a label printer with a communication system different from that of label printer 3A in the same manner as described above. The process proceeds to step S60' provided in place of step S60 in FIG. In step S60', the CPU requests the label printer 3B' to transmit a data request command requesting transmission of all print setting data (regardless of whether or not they have been updated) to the label printer 3D. , a data addition request command is transmitted to the BT communication control unit 208 of the label printer 3B' by Bluetooth communication via the BT communication control unit 208. FIG. The data addition request command to the label printer 3B' at this time corresponds to an example of the second data request command in this modification, and the transmission processing to the label printer 3B' corresponds to an example of the second data request processing. As a result of the transmission of this data addition request command, as described above, the WLAN communication control unit 201 of the label printer 3B' transmits a data request command similar to the above to the WLAN communication control unit 201 of the label printer 3D via WLAN communication. do.

Thereafter, in the same manner as described above, all the print setting data are transmitted by WLAN communication from the WLAN communication control section 201 of the label printer 3D that received the data request command, and received by the WLAN communication control section 201 of the label printer 3B'. . Furthermore, the label printer 3B' that has received the print setting data transmits all the print setting data received from the label printer 3D to the BT communication control unit 208 of the label printer 3A via the BT communication control unit 208 via Bluetooth. Send by communication.
Correspondingly, after step S60', in step S80' provided in place of step S80 in FIG. The print setting data for the label printer 3D transmitted by Bluetooth communication is received via the BT communication control unit 208 .

Thereafter, the process proceeds to newly provided step S85, and the CPU extracts updated data from all the print setting data of the label printer 3D received from the label printer 3B' in step S80'. . 10 is executed, all the print setting data for the label printer 3D received in step S80' are stored at least until the next time the flow of FIG. 10 is executed again. The interval is stored in an appropriate location of the label printer 3A. Then, in step S85, the stored all print setting data of the label printer 3D received in the previous step S80' and the all print setting data of the label printer 3D received in step S80' this time are compared. Then, only data whose content has been changed compared to the previous time is extracted as the updated data. It should be noted that the process executed in step S85 and the process executed in step S80' immediately before that correspond to an example of the second data acquisition process described in the claims of this modified example.

After that, the CPU shifts the process to step S90 similar to that of FIG. 9, and updates the updated print setting data acquired from the label printers 3B and 3C in step S30′ and extracted in step S35, and the updated print setting data extracted in step S80. ' and extracted in step S85, the corresponding print setting data in the memory 211 is updated. Also in this modified example, the process executed in step S90 corresponds to an example of the data update process described in the claims. After that, this flow ends.

Also in this modified example, the same effects as in the second embodiment are obtained.
Especially in this modified example, the arrival of the execution timing by the timer setting is used as a trigger to smoothly update the print setting data of the label printer 3A while using the print setting data of the other label printers 3B', 3C, and 3D. can be done.

Note that the same technique as described above may be applied to the configuration of the first embodiment described above. In this case also, the same effect as described above is obtained.

(2) Acquisition of data only from label printers in a specific printer group among a plurality of label printers When a large number of label printers 3 are provided, for example, print setting data is acquired in order to update the data of one label printer 3A. The target of acquisition may be limited to those within a specific printer group to which the label printer 3A belongs, out of the large number of label printers 3 described above. That is, in this case, the other label printers 3 belonging to the specific printer group are predetermined as data acquisition targets of the print setting data for updating the data of the label printer 3A.

For example, in the configuration of the first embodiment described above with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 shows the case where the printer 3B does not belong to the printer group G). As shown in FIG. 11, in this case, only the label printer 3C belonging to the printer group G is predetermined as a data acquisition target of the print setting data for updating the data of the label printer 3A. In this case, in step S20 of the flow shown in FIG. 5, the CPU transmits the data request command only to the label printer 3C (without transmitting it to the label printer 3B). In step S30, the CPU receives the updated print setting data transmitted from the label printer 3C in response to the data request command. is used to update the print setting data of the label printer 3A.

In the above, if the label printers 3 belonging to the printer group G are known to the label printer 3A (for example, in the form of a list), data can be acquired only from the label printer 3C belonging to the printer group G from the beginning as described above. Enough. Alternatively, if the label printer 3 belonging to the printer group G is unknown to the label printer 3A, print setting data is acquired from all the label printers 3B and 3C from which data can be acquired. At that time, printer group information indicating which printer group the corresponding label printer 3 belongs to is attached to each print setting data. Based on the printer group information, 3A can select only the print setting data of the label printer 3C belonging to the same printer group G as itself (in the example of FIGS. 12A and 12B described later). as well).

In the above modification, it is possible to obtain the print setting data from the label printer 3C, which is predetermined as a data acquisition target, and to prevent unnecessary acquisition of the print setting data from the other label printer 3B, which is not the data acquisition target. can.

(3) When only specific items in the print setting data are targeted That is, in the above, in the label printer 3A, print settings for all items (print density and resolution in the example described using FIG. 3 and the like) In response to this, the print setting data of all items that have been updated are acquired (including the above-described case of extraction; the same shall apply hereinafter) from the corresponding other label printer 3, and the update is performed. , but not limited to this. That is, only some specific items of the print setting data of all items may be designated in advance as update target items. In that case, in all the above examples, only the print setting data of the specified item is acquired, and using this, the print setting data of the specified item stored in the memory 211 of the label printer 3A is updated. is done.
In this case, among the plurality of setting items, the print setting data of items that do not need to be updated are not updated, and wasteful processing can be eliminated.

(4) Acquisition of print data via label printers with different tape types That is, as shown in FIG. ing. The label printer 3E has the same configuration as the label printers 3A and 3B described above with reference to FIG.

At this time, as shown in the figure, the label printer 3A is located outside the communication range (see the dashed concentric circle; the same shall apply hereinafter) in which data can be transmitted and received with respect to the label printer 3B, while the label printer 3E It is located within the communication range where data can be sent and received. The label printer 3E is located within a communication range in which data can be sent and received to and from both the label printer 3A and the label printer 3B. The tape rolls 204 mounted on the label printers 3A and 3B are wound with a tape 203 having a width W1, while the tape roll 204 mounted on the label printer 3E has a different type from the above. A tape 203 having a width W2 (smaller than the width W1) is wound and used. That is, in the label printer 3E, the tape roll 204 including the tape 203 having the width W2 is attached to the tape roll holder section 210, and the print head 205 prints on the tape 203 based on the print setting data.

Also in this example, the Bluetooth communication corresponds to an example of the first wireless communication system described in the claims, the label printer 3A corresponds to an example of the printing device, and the label printer 3B corresponds to an example of the first printing device. are doing. The label printer 3E corresponds to an example of a fourth printing device, and the BT communication control section 208 of the label printer 3E corresponds to an example of a fifth communication interface. The tape 203 with the width W1 used in the label printers 3A and 3B corresponds to the first type of medium to be printed, and the tape 203 with the width W2 used in the label printer 3E corresponds to the second type of medium to be printed. ing.

With such a configuration, in the same way that the label printer 3A in the second embodiment acquires the print setting data in the label printer 3D (having a communication interface of a different communication method) via the label printer 3B', this In a modified example, the label printer 3A acquires the print setting data for the label printer 3B using the same type of tape 203 via the label printer 3E (using the different type of tape 203).

<Control procedure>
A control procedure executed by the CPU of the control circuit 202 of the label printer 3A in this modified example in order to realize the above method will be described with reference to the flow chart of FIG. The same reference numerals are given to the parts equivalent to the steps in the flow of FIGS. 5 and 9, and the description thereof will be omitted or simplified as appropriate.

In FIG. 13, first, in step S10, which is the same as in FIG. 9, the CPU determines whether or not a print job has been received from the operation terminal 2 as described above. If the print job is received, the determination is satisfied (S10: YES), and the process proceeds to step S20.
In step S20, as in FIG. 9, the CPU transmits the above data request command requesting transmission of updated print setting data to the label printer 3E located within the communication range.
Thereafter, in step S30, which is the same as in FIG. 9, the CPU updates the updated print setting data, which the label printer 3E has transmitted via Bluetooth communication via the BT communication control unit 208 in response to the data request command, Received via the BT communication control unit 208 . The process executed in step S30 corresponds to an example of the first data acquisition process described in the claims. As described above, at the time of receiving the print setting data from the label printer 3E in step S30, a label using the same type of tape 203 (in this example, a tape with a width of W1) as that of the label printer 3A is printed. A presence report of the label printer 3B is also received via the BT communication control unit 208, indicating that the printer (the label printer 3B in this example) exists within the communication range of the label printer 3E.

After that, the process moves to newly provided step S50A, and the CPU determines whether or not there is a report that there is a label printer using the same type of tape 203 as the label printer 3A. For example, as described above, if the presence report indicating that the label printer 3B using the same type of tape 203 exists within the communication range is received from the label printer 3E in step S30, the determination is satisfied (S50A). : YES), the process moves to step S60A, which will be described later. If the presence report of the label printer 3 using the same type of tape 203 as described above has not been received in step S50A, the determination is not satisfied (S50A: NO), and the process proceeds to step S90, which will be described later.

In step S60A, the CPU requests the label printer 3E to transmit to the label printer 3B the data request command requesting transmission of the updated print setting data if it exists. A request command is transmitted to the BT communication control unit 208 of the label printer 3E by Bluetooth communication via the BT communication control unit 208. FIG. As a result of sending this data addition request command, the BT communication control unit 208 of the label printer 3E sends the same data request command as described above to the BT communication control unit 208 of the label printer 3B via Bluetooth communication.

Thereafter, as described above, the BT communication control unit 208201 of the label printer 3B that received the data request command transmits the updated print setting data via Bluetooth communication, and is received by the BT communication control unit 208 of the label printer 3E. be. Further, the label printer 3E that has received the print setting data transmits the updated print setting data from the received label printer 3E to the BT communication control unit 208 of the label printer 3A via the BT communication control unit 208. Transmit by Bluetooth communication.
Correspondingly, in step S80A after step S60A, the CPU of the label printer 3A receives the updated information of the label printer 3B transmitted from the BT communication control unit 208 of the label printer 3E via Bluetooth communication. print setting data is received via the BT communication control unit 208 . The process executed in step S80A corresponds to an example of the second data acquisition process described in the claims.

Thereafter, at step S90, which is the same as in FIG. 9, the CPU controls the print setting data of the label printer 3E acquired from the label printer 3E at step S30 and the label acquired from the label printer 3E at step S80A. Using the print setting data of the printer 3B, the print setting data in the memory 211 of the corresponding label printer 3A is updated by the method described above. The process executed in step S90 corresponds to an example of the data update process described in the claims. After that, this flow ends.

In the above description, the print setting data of the label printer 3E is received at step S30, and the print setting data from the label printer 3E is also used for updating at step S90, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, since the tape 203 used in the label printer 3E is of a different type from the tape 203 used in the label printer 3A as described above, reception of print setting data for the label printer 3E in step S30 is omitted (label The update may be performed using only the print setting data from the printer 3B.

In this modification, even if the label printer 3 (the label printer 3B in this example) using the same type of tape (width W1) 203 in common exists outside the communication range from the label printer 3A, In a mode of relaying by the label printer 3E within the communication range using a different type of tape (width W2) 203, the BT communication control unit 208 of the label printer 3B→the BT communication control unit 208 of the label printer 3E→the BT of the label printer 3A The print setting data of the label printer 3B can be acquired through the path of the communication control unit 208. FIG.

In FIG. 12A, the label printer 3 using the same type of tape 203 as the label printer 3A is outside the communication range, and the label printer 3 using a different type of tape 203 is within the communication range. Although this is an example of the case where it is used, it is not limited to this. In other words, even when a label printer 3 of a different type (different model) from the label printer 3A exists within the communication range, and a label printer 3 of the same model exists outside the communication range, the same technique as described above can be applied. .

That is, as shown in FIG. 12(b), in this case, the aforementioned label printers 3A, 3B and label printer 3X are provided. The label printer 3X has the same performance as the label printers 3A and 3B (having the functional configuration shown in FIG. 2), but is a different model from the label printers 3A and 3B.

At this time, in the same manner as described above, the label printer 3A is positioned outside the communication range in which data can be transmitted and received with respect to the label printer 3B, while it is positioned within the communication range in which data can be transmitted and received with respect to the label printer 3X. are doing. The label printer 3X is located within a communication range in which data can be sent and received to and from both the label printer 3A and the label printer 3B.

Also in this example, the Bluetooth communication corresponds to an example of the first wireless communication system described in the claims, the label printer 3A corresponds to an example of the printing device, and the label printer 3B corresponds to an example of the first printing device. are doing. The label printer 3X corresponds to another example of the fourth printing device, and the BT communication control unit 208 of the label printer 3X corresponds to another example of the fifth communication interface. The models of the label printers 3A and 3B correspond to the first model, and the model of the label printer 3X corresponds to the second model.

In this modification, the label printer 3A obtains the print setting data for the label printer 3B of the same model via the label printer 3X of a different model.
The contents of the control executed by the CPU of the control circuit 202 of the label printer 3A in this modification are such that the processing of each procedure in the flow shown in FIG. Since it is sufficient to replace "label printer 3 using a (different) type of tape" with "label printer 3 of the same (different) model" and apply it, the description is omitted.

In the case of this modification, even if the label printer 3 of the same model (in this example, the label printer 3B) exists outside the communication range from the label printer 3A, another model existing within the communication range In the relay mode by the label printer 3X, the print settings of the label printer 3B are set through the route of the BT communication control unit 208 of the label printer 3B→the BT communication control unit 208 of the label printer 3X→the BT communication control unit 208 of the label printer 3A. Data can be obtained.

(5) Others In the above description, the case where the present invention is applied to a printed label producing apparatus (label printer 3) that produces a printed label by performing desired printing on a print-receiving tape as a printing apparatus will be described as an example. However, it is not limited to this. That is, other examples of printing devices include portable printers driven by a battery power source, printers that form images and print characters on ordinary printing paper such as A4, A3, B4, and B5 sizes, and the like. The present invention may be applied to Similar effects are obtained in this case as well.

Moreover, in the above description, the arrows shown in the drawings such as FIG. 2 and FIG. 7 show an example of signal flow, and do not limit the direction of signal flow.

In addition, the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 5, 9, 10, etc. do not limit the present invention to the procedures shown in the above flows, and addition, deletion, or order of procedures within the scope of the spirit and technical idea of the invention is possible. may be changed.

In addition to the methods already described above, the methods according to the above-described embodiments and modifications may be appropriately combined and used.

In addition, although not exemplified one by one, the present invention can be implemented with various modifications within the scope of the invention.

1 data processing system 3A, B, C label printer 3D, E, X label printer 201 WLAN communication control unit 202 control circuit (control means)
203 tape (printing medium)
205 print head (printing means)
208 BT communication control unit 209 transport device (printing means)
211 memory (storage means)

Claims (12)

a printing means for printing on a print-receiving medium;
storage means for storing print setting data related to updatable setting items;
a control means for controlling the printing means based on the print setting data;
a communication interface capable of transmitting and receiving information by a first wireless communication method;
A printing device comprising:
The communication interface is
for the first communication interface of at least one first printing device that has a first communication interface capable of transmitting and receiving information by the first wireless communication method and performs printing based on first print setting data relating to a plurality of setting items; configured to be able to transmit and receive information,
The control means is
a first data acquisition process of acquiring the first print setting data of the first printing device, which has been updated from a predetermined first reference timing, from the first communication interface of the first printing device via the communication interface; ;
data update processing for updating the print setting data stored in the storage unit using the first print setting data acquired in the first data acquisition processing;
and run
The control means further
at least one second printing device that includes a second communication interface capable of transmitting and receiving information by a second wireless communication method different from the first wireless communication method, and that performs printing based on second print setting data related to a plurality of setting items; executing second data acquisition processing for acquiring the second print setting data that has been updated from a predetermined second reference timing;
In the data update process,
the print setting data stored in the storage unit using the first print setting data acquired in the first data acquisition process and the second print setting data acquired in the second data acquisition process; A printing device characterized by updating. The printing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein
The communication interface is
Having a third communication interface capable of transmitting and receiving information to and from the communication interface according to the first wireless communication method, and having a fourth communication interface capable of transmitting and receiving information to and from the second communication interface according to the second wireless communication method, a plurality of configured to be able to transmit and receive information to and from the third communication interface of a third printing device that performs printing based on third print setting data related to setting items;
In the second data acquisition process,
A printing device, wherein the second print setting data of the second printing device is obtained from the third communication interface of the third printing device via the communication interface. In the printing apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2 ,
A target setting item to be a data update target in the data update process is predetermined,
In the data update process,
A printing apparatus, wherein the print setting data stored in the storage unit is updated using the first print setting data and the second print setting data related to the setting item set as the target setting item. . 3. The printing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
The control means is
The first data acquisition process and the second data acquisition process are triggered by the arrival of the execution timing set by the timer, the reception of an execution instruction via the operation means, or the reception of the print job via the communication interface. and a printing device that executes the data update process. 5. The printing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein
When the arrival of the execution timing by the timer setting is the trigger,
The control means is
In the first data acquisition process,
After receiving the first print setting data related to all the setting items, extracting and acquiring data that has been updated from the first reference timing from the received data,
In the second data acquisition process,
After receiving the second print setting data related to all the setting items, the printing apparatus extracts and acquires data that has been updated from the second reference timing from among the received data. 5. The printing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein
If the trigger is the reception of the execution instruction or the reception of the print job,
The control means further
first data request processing for outputting a first data request command requesting the updated first print setting data to the first printing device;
second data request processing for outputting a second data request command requesting the updated second print setting data to the third printing device;
and run
In the first data acquisition process,
receiving and acquiring the updated first print setting data transmitted from the first printing device in response to the first data request process;
In the second data acquisition process,
A printing device that receives and acquires the updated second print setting data transmitted from the third printing device in response to the second data request process. In the printing apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2 ,
When the first print setting data acquired in the first data acquisition process and the second print setting data acquired in the second data acquisition process commonly include data of the same setting item A printing apparatus, wherein in said data updating process, said updating is performed using data selected from said first print setting data and said second print setting data according to a predetermined regularity. In the printing apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2 ,
The control means further
data transmission processing for transmitting the print setting data updated by the data update processing to at least one printing device among a plurality of printing devices including the first printing device and the second printing device;
A printing device characterized by executing a printing means for printing on a print-receiving medium;
storage means for storing print setting data related to updatable setting items;
a control means for controlling the printing means based on the print setting data;
a communication interface capable of transmitting and receiving information by a first wireless communication method;
A printing device comprising:
The communication interface is
for the first communication interface of at least one first printing device that has a first communication interface capable of transmitting and receiving information by the first wireless communication method and performs printing based on first print setting data relating to a plurality of setting items; configured to be able to transmit and receive information,
The control means is
a first data acquisition process of acquiring the first print setting data of the first printing device, which has been updated from a predetermined first reference timing, from the first communication interface of the first printing device via the communication interface; ;
data update processing for updating the print setting data stored in the storage unit using the first print setting data acquired in the first data acquisition processing;
and run
located outside the communication range in which data can be sent and received to and from the first printing device;
The communication interface is
A fourth printing device having a fifth communication interface capable of transmitting and receiving information by the first wireless communication method is configured to be able to transmit and receive data to and from the fifth communication interface,
The printing means prints on a first type of print-receiving medium,
The first printing device is
performing printing on the first type of print-receiving medium based on the first print setting data;
The fourth printing device is
printing on a second type of print-receiving medium different from the first type;
The control means is
The printing device, wherein in the first data acquisition process, the first print setting data of the first printing device is acquired from the fifth communication interface of the fourth printing device via the communication interface. a printing means for printing on a print-receiving medium;
storage means for storing print setting data related to updatable setting items;
a control means for controlling the printing means based on the print setting data;
a communication interface capable of transmitting and receiving information by a first wireless communication method;
A printing device comprising:
The communication interface is
for the first communication interface of at least one first printing device that has a first communication interface capable of transmitting and receiving information by the first wireless communication method and performs printing based on first print setting data relating to a plurality of setting items; configured to be able to transmit and receive information,
The control means is
a first data acquisition process of acquiring the first print setting data of the first printing device, which has been updated from a predetermined first reference timing, from the first communication interface of the first printing device via the communication interface; ;
data update processing for updating the print setting data stored in the storage unit using the first print setting data acquired in the first data acquisition processing;
and run
located outside the communication range in which data can be sent and received to and from the first printing device;
The communication interface is
A fourth printing device having a fifth communication interface capable of transmitting and receiving information by the first wireless communication method is configured to be able to transmit and receive data to and from the fifth communication interface,
The printing device is a first model device,
The first printing device is
A device of the first model,
The fourth printing device is
A device of a second model different from the first model,
The control means is
The printing device, wherein in the first data acquisition process, the first print setting data of the first printing device is acquired from the fifth communication interface of the fourth printing device via the communication interface. a printing means for printing on a print-receiving medium;
a control means for controlling the printing means;
a first relay interface capable of transmitting and receiving information by a first wireless communication method;
a second relay interface capable of transmitting and receiving information by a second wireless communication scheme different from the first wireless communication scheme;
A printing device comprising:
the second relay interface,
A transmission-side printing device having a transmission-side interface capable of transmitting and receiving information by the second wireless communication method, and capable of transmitting and receiving information to and from the transmission-side interface of a transmission-side printing device that performs printing based on transmission-side print setting data relating to a plurality of setting items. is composed of
The first relay interface is
A receiving-side printing device having a receiving-side interface capable of transmitting and receiving information by the first wireless communication method, and performing printing based on receiving-side print setting data relating to a plurality of setting items, so that information can be transmitted and received to and from the receiving-side interface. configured,
The control means is
relay reception processing for receiving the transmission-side print setting data of the transmission-side printing device, which has been updated from a predetermined reference timing, from the transmission-side interface of the transmission-side printing device via the second relay interface;
relay transmission processing for transmitting the transmission-side print setting data received and acquired in the relay reception processing from the first relay interface to the reception-side interface of the reception-side printing device;
A printing device characterized by executing printing means for printing on a medium to be printed, storage means for storing print setting data relating to a plurality of setting items, control means for controlling the printing means based on the print setting data, and a first wireless communication method a printing device having a communication interface capable of transmitting and receiving information;
a first printing device having a first communication interface capable of transmitting and receiving information by the first wireless communication method, and performing printing based on first print setting data relating to a plurality of setting items;
a third communication interface capable of transmitting and receiving information according to the first wireless communication method; and a fourth communication interface capable of transmitting and receiving information according to a second wireless communication method different from the first wireless communication method; a third printing device that prints based on the relevant third print setting data;
a second printing device having a second communication interface capable of transmitting and receiving information by the second wireless communication method, and performing printing based on second print setting data relating to a plurality of setting items;
A data processing system comprising:
The communication interface of the printing device comprises:
configured to be able to transmit and receive information to and from the first communication interface of the first printing device and the third communication interface of the third printing device;
the fourth communication interface of the third printing device is configured to be capable of transmitting and receiving information to and from the second communication interface of the second printing device;
The control means of the printing device,
a first data acquisition process of acquiring the first print setting data of the first printing device, which has been updated from a predetermined first reference timing, from the first communication interface of the first printing device via the communication interface; ;
and run
The control means of the third printing device,
relay reception processing for receiving the second print setting data of the second printing device, which has been updated from a predetermined second reference timing, from the second communication interface of the second printing device via the fourth communication interface; ;
and run
The control means of the printing device,
second data acquisition processing for acquiring the second print setting data of the second printing device, which has been updated from a predetermined second reference timing, from the third communication interface of the third printing device via the communication interface; ;
the print setting data stored in the storage unit using the first print setting data acquired in the first data acquisition process and the second print setting data acquired in the second data acquisition process; update, data update process;
A data processing system characterized by executing

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