KR20000056595A - Network printer and method of printing process - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A network printer and a printing processing method thereof are provided to improve the utility efficiency of the printer by carrying out the printing of a smallest printing data file first by assigning a printing priority to a printing file of which receiving is finished first among a plurality of mixed printing data transmitted from the respective user computers. CONSTITUTION: A printing processing method of a network printer including a network communications interface, a printing engine, and a controller, includes the steps of classifying received printing data per printing data file to respectively store in different storing areas set in a memory when printing data transmitted from a plurality of user computers are mixed(100), converting a printing data file of which storing is finished first to image data with printing priority(110), and printing images corresponding to the converted image data to a printing paper(120).

Description

Network printer and method for printing thereof {Network printer and method of printing process}

The present invention relates to a network printer, and more particularly, to a network printer capable of receiving print data files transmitted from a plurality of users at once and performing a print process.

In a network image printing system having a network printer connected by a plurality of computers and a network, the network printer translates a print data file transmitted by transcoding from a computer into a language for the printer and printing the corresponding image on the loaded paper. do.

When the network printer in charge of printing is an electrophotographic method, a photosensitive medium, an optical scanning device for selectively scanning the light corresponding to the print data on the photosensitive medium to form an electrostatic latent image, and developing the electrostatic latent image with a developer. A developing device and a transfer device for transferring an image formed of a developer on a photosensitive medium to a sheet of paper fed from a paper cassette.

Such network printers provide status information relating to the availability of print jobs to computers interconnected via the network. Examples of typical status information provided to user computers in a network printer include a busy signal indicating that the data received in the data storage buffer is full, an empty signal indicating that there is no paper, paper during printing. Or a fault signal indicating that the printer is unable to print anymore because of a problem with the printer or some other serious problem. In addition, in the case of the user computers connected by the network, many network printers are used by many users. For the convenience of users, the network printer is stored in a buffer so that the file name, data reception time, and data of the waiting data can be used. In some cases, information about capacity, etc. may be provided to the user's computer. However, when the conventional network printer starts to receive print data from one user computer, the network printer blocks the transmission of print data from another user computer until the reception of the print data file being transmitted is completed. After reception of the print data file from one user computer is completed, the print data file transmitted from any user computer in the following order is continuously received and stored. With respect to the print data file stored in this order, the conventional network printer determines the work order in the order of accessing the printer first, that is, first-in first-out, and prints the print job according to the input data order. It was performed in units. According to such a conventional printer's print data reception and its print job processing method, when a large amount of print data sent from a user side that does not require print processing is transmitted to a network printer, a relatively small amount of data to be printed later is printed. Another user who wants to proceed with the printing operation by the printer for the data file has to wait for a long time for the data transmission until the transmission of the large-capacity print file data being transmitted is completed. In addition, even after the data transmission, the print job is performed after the print job of the large print data file is completed, so that a user who wants to urgently print a small print data file is first accessed by a network printer. The inconvenience of having to wait a long time until the processing is completed by the print data file.

As described above, the conventional network printer which first accesses a network printer among user computers, restricts the reception of print data from only one user computer whose transmission is started, and processes the print job on a first-in first-out basis for the received print data files. Print processing method of multiple users can not transmit print data files to network printer at the same time, causing inconvenience to users, and ability to adjust print processing order for the amount of print data files sent from each user There is a problem that the use efficiency of the printer is reduced because there is no.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and provides a network printer capable of receiving print data from multiple users at once and adjusting print processing priorities for received print data files according to a selected method. The purpose is to provide.

1 is a block diagram showing a network image printing system to which the present invention is applied;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a user computer of FIG. 1.

3 is a block diagram showing the network printer of FIG.

4 is a block diagram showing an operating engine of the controller of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing a print process of the network printer of FIG.

<Explanation of symbols for main parts of drawing>

10: Network 20: Your Computer

21: Central Processing Unit (CPU) 22: ROM

23: RAM 24, 34: display device

25, 35: input device 26, 36: network interface device

27, 37: storage device 30: network printer

31: controller 31a: data storage management

31b: Print data reception end detection unit 31c: Print data conversion unit

32: print engine 37a: data entry buffer

According to the present invention for achieving the above object, a network printer connected to and used by a plurality of user computers and a network, comprising: a network communication interface for controlling data transmission and reception with the user computers through the network; A storage device; A printing engine for printing an image corresponding to the received image data on paper; When the data received through the network communication interface is read, and the print data transmitted from the plurality of user computers is mixed with the received data, the received data is received for each user computer in each of the plurality of divided storage areas set in the storage device. A control that classifies and stores the print data by the same print data file, converts the print data into image data suitable for driving the print engine according to the print processing procedure set for the print data file for each user computer, and outputs the print data to the print engine. It comprises a roller.

Preferably, the controller is configured to convert the print data file, which has been received first, among the print data mixed and received, into image data and output the image data to the print engine.

In addition, the print processing method of the network printer according to the present invention to achieve the above object is a. If print data transmitted from a plurality of user computers is mixed with the received data, classifying the received print data for each print data file and storing the print data in different storage areas set in the storage device; I. Converting the print data file which has been stored at the highest priority into image data with print job priority; All. Printing an image corresponding to the converted image data on paper.

Hereinafter, a network printer and a printing processing method thereof according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a block diagram showing a network image printing system to which the present invention is applied.

Referring to the drawings, a plurality of user computers 20 are interconnected to a network printer 30 through a network 10 which is a communication interface.

Each user computer 20 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 21, a ROM 22, a RAM 23, interconnected by a bus 28, as shown in FIG. A display device 24, an input device 25, a network interface device 26, and a storage device 27 are provided.

The input device 25 includes a keyboard and a mouse.

The storage device 27 is provided with various application programs such as a document editor 27a and a printer driver 27b.

The printer driver 15a generates a print data file converted into a language for the printer for the print target document file printed through the input device 25, and transmits the print data file to the network printer 30. In charge of that.

The network interface device 26 is a communication device, which transmits instructions by communicating with a network interface device 26 of another user computer 20 and a network interface device (see FIG. 3; 36) installed in the network printer 30. The print data file is controlled so that the received print data file can be transmitted to the network printer 30 without colliding with the print data being transmitted from another user computer 20. When a situation in which print data files need to be transmitted from the plurality of user computers 20 together to the network printer 30 occurs, the network interface device 26 divides the print data files to be transmitted in set packet units. Whenever it is determined that the print data is not loaded on the network 10 while monitoring the network 20, the print data in this packet unit is sequentially transmitted. As described above, the multi-signal transmission protocol for transmitting print data from the plurality of user computers 20 to the network computer 30 in a randomly mixed state by packet unit is a network interface device installed in each user computer 20. It is installed in (26).

As described above, the network printer 30 of the present invention, which is capable of receiving and processing the data being transmitted by mixing the print data transmitted from the plurality of user computers 20 with each other, is illustrated in FIG. 31, a print engine 32, a display device 34, an input device 35, a network interface device 36, and a storage device 37. Reference numeral 38 is a bus.

The network interface device 36 communicates with the network interface device 26 of each user computer 20 so that print data can be transmitted from each user computer 20 together.

The input device 35 is provided outside the main body so that a plurality of input keys are provided to select various printing functions provided by the printer 30, and the key input signal is output to the controller 31.

The storage device 37 has a plurality of data input buffers 37a which are divided so as to separately store print data received under the control of the controller 31 for each user computer 20. The number of data input buffers 37a and the data storage capacity of each data input buffer may be appropriately determined in accordance with the use environment of the network image printing system. The storage device 37 may be a nonvolatile memory or a volatile memory capable of storing and reading. Alternatively, it is preferable that a hard disk which can be easily stored and read by magnetism is used as the storage device 37 to facilitate storage of a relatively large amount of data.

The controller 31 reads the data received through the network interface device 36 and performs a print processing operation on the received print data. In particular, when print data is received from a plurality of user computers 20 in a row in a mixed state, the user computer is stored in each of the data input data buffers 37a which are a plurality of divided storage areas set in the storage device 37. Each of the print data in the packet unit belonging to the same print data file is classified and stored. The controller 31 having this function has an operating engine as shown in FIG. 4 therein. The data storage management unit 31a is responsible for storing the data received from the plurality of user computers 20 in a state in which the print data are mixed with each other in different data input buffers for the same print data file. The print data reception end detection unit 31b detects whether the reception of data in units of print data files is completed for each print data file with respect to the print data stored in each data input buffer 37a by the data storage management unit 31a. If the print data file has been received, the reception completion signal is output to the print data conversion unit 31c. When the print job processing procedure is selected to perform a print job on a print data file in which the print data conversion unit 31c has completed reception, the print data conversion unit 31c converts the received print data file into image data suitable for driving the print engine 32. Output to the print engine 32. According to this print processing method, when a plurality of users simultaneously transmit print data to the network printer 30, a user with a relatively small data capacity of the print data file receives the data to the network printer 30 relatively. Due to early completion, print jobs are prioritized. Therefore, first, the network printer 30 is accessed, but the printing failure by another user, which may be relatively late due to a large amount of data to be transmitted, is eliminated, so that a user who transmits a small amount of print data is sent from another user. The inconvenience that the print job was delayed for a long time by the large print data file being transmitted is eliminated.

On the other hand, the print processing method, as described in the above description, in addition to the method of processing the print job file is completed first, the print data file received first, that is, for the print data file that first started access to the network printer 30 First, the user may be able to select a work order for the print data file to be determined by a method of performing a print job. To this end, an input device 35 is provided with an operation key (not shown) for selecting either a first-in, first-out method or a method of processing a print data file that has been received first, and the controller 31 prints. The method may be configured to process the received print data according to a method selected through operation of the operation key.

On the other hand, the controller 31 may limit the number of users who can transmit print data at one time through the network interface device 36 to the set number of storage areas, that is, the number of set data input buffers 37a. The limit of the number of users who can transmit print data at the same time is appropriate in consideration of the print processing speed of the print engine 32, the number of users using the network printer 30, and the storage capacity of the storage device 37. You decide.

The print engine 32 supplies an optical scanning device for forming an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the received image data in the photosensitive medium in the case of the wet electrophotographic method, and supplies a developer in a liquid state to the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive medium to develop an image. And a developing device for transferring the image formed on the photosensitive medium to the fed paper, and a discharge device for discharging the transferred paper to the indicated discharge bin.

A preferred printing process by such a network printer will be described with reference to FIG.

First, when print data is mixed and received from a plurality of user computers 20, the same print data files are classified for each sender, that is, for each user computer 20, and each different data input buffer 37a set in the storage device 37 is obtained. (Step 100).

In step 110, the print job priority is determined to perform printing on the print data file in the order in which reception was completed first, while monitoring whether the print data stored in the classification is completed for one file. In accordance with the determined work order, the print data file which has been first received in the highest priority is converted into image data and output to the print engine 32. The printing engine 32 prints an image corresponding to the received image data on paper (step 120).

When the printing operation of the printing engine 32 for the image data of the highest priority is completed, the controller 31 adjusts the priority of the print data file that was the highest priority to the highest priority, and the print data file of the highest priority to the image data. The conversion is output to the print engine 32. The printing process of the controller 31 is performed by converting the image data into continuous image data for the received print data files according to the print processing priority determined according to the order in which the reception is completed first, and then printing the converted image data. Perform the output to).

As described so far, according to the network printer according to the present invention, a large number of users do not have to wait for sending print data to the printer, and at the same time by giving priority to print job processing for a print data file in which reception is completed first, In the case of a plurality of users who transmit print data, a user who transmits a print data file having a small data capacity may obtain a printout earlier than another user who transmits a print data file having a relatively large data capacity, thereby improving the efficiency of using the printer. Can be improved.

Claims (7)

In a network printer connected and used by many user computers and a network, A network communication interface device for controlling data transmission and reception with the user computers through the network; A storage device; A printing engine for printing an image corresponding to the received image data on paper; When the data received through the network communication interface is read, and the print data transmitted from the plurality of user computers is mixed with the received data, the received data is received for each user computer in each of the plurality of divided storage areas set in the storage device. A control that classifies and stores the print data among the same print data files, converts the print data into image data suitable for driving the print engine according to the print processing procedure set for the print data file for each user computer, and outputs them to the print engine. Network printer comprising a; roller. The method of claim 1, The controller is a network printer, characterized in that for converting the first print data file of the mixed print data received first to the image data to output to the print engine. The method of claim 1, And the controller is configured to limit the number of users who can transmit print data at one time through the network interface device to the set number of storage areas. The method of claim 1, And said storage device is a non-volatile memory which can be stored and read. The method of claim 1, And said storage device is a volatile memory that can be stored and read. The method of claim 1, The storage device is a network printer, characterized in that the hard disk that can be stored and read by magnetic. A network communication interface for controlling data transmission and reception with a plurality of user computers via a network, a storage device, a printing engine for printing images corresponding to the received image data on paper, and data received through the network communication interface. If the print data transmitted from the plurality of user computers is mixed with the received data, the print data received for each user computer is classified into the same print data files, respectively, in each of the plurality of divided storage areas set in the storage device. And a controller for converting the image data into the image data suitable for the driving of the print engine and outputting the image data to the print engine according to the print processing procedure set for the user-specific print data file. In end. If print data transmitted from a plurality of user computers is mixed with the received data, classifying the received print data for each print data file and storing the print data in different storage areas set in the storage device; I. Converting the print data file which has been stored at the highest priority into image data with print job priority; All. And printing the image corresponding to the converted image data on a sheet of paper.