CN112976836A

CN112976836A - Printing apparatus and control method of printing apparatus

Info

Publication number: CN112976836A
Application number: CN202011456826.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 宇都裕纪; 小池利明; 若狭俊一
Original assignee: Seiko Epson Corp
Current assignee: Seiko Epson Corp
Priority date: 2019-12-16
Filing date: 2020-12-11
Publication date: 2021-06-18
Anticipated expiration: 2040-12-11
Also published as: JP2021094733A; JP7388167B2; CN112976836B

Abstract

The invention provides a printing apparatus and a control method of the printing apparatus. The printing device includes: a nonvolatile first storage unit that stores first font data corresponding to first character codes expressed by a single byte and stores one or more second font data corresponding to second character codes expressed by a double byte; a volatile second storage unit that stores the first font data stored in the first storage unit and one or more second font data stored in the first storage unit; an instruction receiving unit that receives an instruction to specify any one of the second font data; and a control unit that reads the first font data stored in the first storage unit and stores the first font data in the second storage unit, and then reads the second font data specified by the instruction from the first storage unit and stores the second font data in the second storage unit when the instruction is received by the instruction receiving unit.

Description

Printing apparatus and control method of printing apparatus

Technical Field

Embodiments relate to a printing apparatus and a method of controlling the printing apparatus.

Background

In recent years, character font data is further increasing. This is due to, for example, a requirement for installing a font having specificity according to a region, or an increase in the demand for character codes corresponding to characters in a large number of regions, such as UNICODE (UNICODE).

The printing apparatus described in patent document 1 reads font data of all languages stored in the ROM when the power is turned on, and stores the font data of all languages in the RAM, thereby preparing the font data of all languages so as to be printable (see paragraph 0034 in patent document 1).

However, in the printing apparatus described in patent document 1, when the power is turned on, since the processing of storing the font data of all the languages stored in the ROM in the RAM is performed, the time until the printing can be executed for the first time after the power is turned on becomes long.

As a specific example, in the printing apparatus described in patent document 1, when the power is turned on and the process of storing font data of all languages stored in the ROM in the RAM is being performed, even if character codes corresponding to font data that is highly likely to be used are received, printing cannot be performed immediately. That is, the printing apparatus cannot perform printing until the process of storing the font data of all the languages in the RAM is completed.

In addition, in the printing apparatus, as in the case where the power is turned on, the time until the printing apparatus is reset to a state in which printing can be executed for the first time becomes long.

Here, generally, font data having a character of one byte is used as the font data having a high possibility of being used.

That is, in the conventional printing apparatus, there is a case where a time until the font data of a single-byte character becomes a state in which printing can be executed for the first time becomes long in one or both of the power-on and reset operations.

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2018-126959

Disclosure of Invention

In order to solve the above problem, one aspect is a printing apparatus including: a nonvolatile first storage unit that stores first font data corresponding to first character codes expressed by a single byte and stores one or more second font data corresponding to second character codes expressed by a double byte; a volatile second storage unit that stores the first font data stored in the first storage unit and one or more second font data stored in the first storage unit; a communication unit that receives the first character code or the second character code from an external device; a printing unit that prints an image on a print medium based on the first font data or the second font data corresponding to the first character code or the second character code received by the communication unit; an instruction receiving unit that receives an instruction to specify any one of the second font data; and a control unit that reads the first font data stored in the first storage unit and stores the first font data in the second storage unit, and that, when the instruction receiving unit receives the instruction, reads the second font data specified by the instruction from the first storage unit and stores the second font data in the second storage unit.

In order to solve the above problem, one aspect is a method for controlling a printing apparatus including: a nonvolatile first storage unit that stores first font data corresponding to first character codes expressed by a single byte and stores one or more second font data corresponding to second character codes expressed by a double byte; a volatile second storage unit that stores the first font data stored in the first storage unit and one or more second font data stored in the first storage unit; a communication unit that receives the first character code or the second character code from an external device; a printing unit that prints an image on a print medium based on the first font data or the second font data corresponding to the first character code or the second character code received by the communication unit; and an instruction accepting unit that accepts an instruction to specify any one of the second font data, wherein, in the method of controlling the printing apparatus, after the first font data stored in the first storage unit is read and stored in the second storage unit, when the instruction accepting unit accepts the instruction, the second font data specified by the instruction is read from the first storage unit and stored in the second storage unit.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a printing system according to an embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a functional module of the printing apparatus according to the embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing data stored in the nonvolatile memory according to the embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of data stored in the RAM according to the embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a diagram showing another example of data stored in the RAM according to the embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a procedure of processing performed by the printing apparatus according to the embodiment.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a procedure of processing performed by the printing apparatus according to the embodiment.

Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a procedure of a process of storing double-byte character font data in the RAM, which is performed in the printing apparatus according to the embodiment.

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a procedure of processing performed in the printing apparatus according to the modified example of the embodiment.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.

In the present embodiment, alphanumeric font data is used as the font data that is used frequently. In the present embodiment, the alphanumeric characters include letters and numbers. The alphanumerics may also include, for example, half-corner katakana, in which case they are also referred to as ANK. Alphanumeric characters are represented by a single byte.

In addition, in the present embodiment, as characters other than alphanumerics, characters expressed by double bytes are shown. The characters include japanese characters, korean characters, chinese characters, and the like.

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a printing system 1 according to an embodiment.

The printing system 1 includes a printing device 11 and an information processing device 12.

The printing apparatus 11 and the information processing apparatus 12 are connected via a wired or wireless line 13. The printing apparatus 11 and the information processing apparatus 12 can communicate via a line 13.

The line 13 may be, for example, a line of a network. The network may be the internet.

Here, in the present embodiment, for the sake of simplifying the description, one printing apparatus 11 and one information processing apparatus 12 are shown.

For example, a plurality of information processing apparatuses 12 may be connected to one printing apparatus 11. For example, a plurality of printing devices 11 may be connected to one information processing device 12.

In this way, the printing system 1 may include any number of printing devices 11, and may include any number of information processing devices 12. As the arrangement of the devices provided in the printing system 1, any arrangement may be used.

The information processing device 12 communicates with the printing device 11, and transmits an instruction for printing to the printing device 11. The instruction of printing includes, for example, a character code corresponding to a character to be printed. The instruction for printing may include other information.

Further, the information processing device 12 transmits, for example, an instruction to specify font data corresponding to a character to be printed to the printing device 11.

The information processing device 12 may be any device, and may be, for example, a personal computer, a smartphone, or the like.

The information processing apparatus 12 is operated by a user (not shown), and executes processing corresponding to the operation performed by the user. Further, the information processing device 12 may automatically execute a predetermined process.

The printing apparatus 11 includes a control unit 111, a nonvolatile memory 112, a printing unit 113, a communication unit 114, and a switch 115.

The control Unit 111 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 131, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 132, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 133. The control unit 111 may include another control circuit and the like.

The printing unit 113 includes a printing head 151, a cutter 152, and a conveyance motor 153.

In the nonvolatile memory 112, single-byte character font data 211, japanese font data 212, korean font data 213, and chinese font data 214 are stored.

In the present embodiment, these font data are stored in the nonvolatile memory 112 before shipment of the printing apparatus 11. For example, new font data may be stored in the nonvolatile memory 112 after shipment of the printing apparatus 11. Note that, for example, after shipment of the printing apparatus 11, the font data stored in the nonvolatile memory 112 may be rewritten, deleted, or the like.

The control unit 111 controls each part of the printing apparatus 11.

The ROM132 stores various data in a nonvolatile manner in addition to the control program executed by the CPU 131.

The RAM133 functions as a work area of the CPU131, and temporarily stores various data. In the present embodiment, the RAM133 is an example of a volatile memory.

The CPU131 reads and executes a control program and the like stored in the ROM132 to control each part of the printing apparatus 11.

The nonvolatile Memory 112 includes a semiconductor Memory element such as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory) or a flash Memory, or a storage medium such as a hard disk, and stores various data in a rewritable nonvolatile manner.

In general, a nonvolatile memory is a memory that retains stored data even when power is not supplied thereto.

In general, a volatile memory is a memory that does not retain stored data when power is not supplied.

The printing unit 113 performs printing on a printing medium by a printing mechanism. The printing medium is, for example, paper or the like.

In the present embodiment, the printing unit 113 performs printing of characters using font data of the characters.

Here, in the present embodiment, a case is shown where the printing device 11 is a thermal printer having a thermal head and is a receipt printer that prints receipts.

The printing device 11 may be another type of device.

The printing head 151 is a line-type thermal head in which a plurality of heating elements corresponding to the resolution are arranged in a direction intersecting the web conveyance direction. The print head 151 causes the heat generating element to generate heat, thereby forming dots on the roll paper as the thermal paper.

The cutter 152 includes a fixed blade and a movable blade, and cuts the roll paper by moving the movable blade relative to the fixed blade to intersect the fixed blade and the movable blade.

The transport motor 153 rotates a transport roller (not shown) to transport the roll paper stored in the casing of the printing apparatus 11.

The printing unit 113 is controlled by the control unit 111 to print characters and the like related to receipts on the roll paper by the print head 151 while the roll paper is being conveyed by the conveyance motor 153, and to cut the roll paper at a predetermined position by the cutter 152, thereby issuing a receipt.

In the printing apparatus 11, after data of character codes to be printed is stored in the RAM133 by the control unit 111, the data is stored in a predetermined print buffer (not shown) and the data is sent to the print head 151 to perform a printing process.

The communication unit 114 is controlled by the control unit 111, and communicates with an external device such as a host computer that controls the printing operation of the printing apparatus 11, for example, according to a predetermined communication standard. This external device is the information processing device 12 in the present embodiment. That is, in the present embodiment, the communication unit 114 communicates with the information processing device 12 via the line 13.

The switch 115 is, for example, a dial switch.

The switch 115 is operated by a user (not shown) and switched to two or more states. In the present embodiment, the switch 115 has a state in which predetermined font data is designated as a switched state.

As a specific example, the dial switch is set to an on state or an off state by a user. When the printing apparatus 11 is powered on or when the printing apparatus 11 is reset, the state of the dial switch is read by the control unit 111, and a setting corresponding to the state is performed.

Here, for example, the state in which the dial switch is turned on is a state in which predetermined font data is designated, and the state in which the dial switch is turned off is a state in which predetermined font data is not designated.

In the present embodiment, for convenience of explanation, the user of the information processing apparatus 12 and the user of the printing apparatus 11 are explained as being the same, but these users may be different.

Here, font data will be explained. The font data is actual data that expresses a character so as to be printable on a print medium, and for example, bitmap font data is cited.

The single-byte character font data 211 has font data for each character, for characters related to alphanumeric characters in half-size and predetermined symbols, that is, for characters related to at least a part of character codes defined by a single byte. In the single-byte character font data 211, for each character, the actual data and the character code are associated. The character code corresponding to the one-byte character font data 211 is a character code defined by one byte, and for example, a character code expressed by one byte such as "0 x 31" is included.

In this embodiment, "0 x" represents a 16-ary number. That is, "0 x 31" indicates a case where "31" is expressed by a 16-ary number.

Further, a single byte corresponds to 8 bits.

In the present embodiment, the single-byte character font data 211 is font data corresponding to alphanumeric characters. As the character code corresponding to the single-byte character font data 211, for example, ASCII character codes can be cited.

Note that, when one font datum included in the one-byte character font datum 211 is indicated, the one-byte character font datum may be expressed as a byte one-byte character font datum or the like.

The japanese font data 212 has font data of each character for characters related to japanese.

In the japanese character volume data 212, for each character, the actual data and the character code are associated with each other. The character code corresponding to the Japanese font data 212 includes, for example, character codes such as ISO-2022-JP, Shift _ JIS, and EUC-JP. ISO-2022-JP is also called JIS (Japanese Industrial Standards) code. In addition, the character code corresponding to the japanese font data 212 according to the present embodiment includes a character code defined by double bytes.

The character specified by the double byte means a character in which a character code corresponding to one character is expressed by the double byte.

Note that, when one font datum included in the japanese font datum 212 is indicated, the font datum may be expressed as japanese single-character font datum or the like.

Further, regarding the characters related to korean, the korean font data 213 has font data for each character. In the korean font data 213, the actual data and the character code are associated with each character. The character code corresponding to the korean font data 213 may be a character code such as KSC 5601. The character code corresponding to the korean font data 213 according to the present embodiment includes a character code defined by two bytes.

Note that, when one font datum included in the korean font datum 213 is expressed, it may be expressed as a korean single-character font datum or the like.

Further, the chinese font data 214 has font data for each character with respect to characters related to chinese. In the chinese font data 214, for each character, the actual data and the character code are associated with each other. The character code corresponding to the chinese font data 214 may be a character code such as GB18030 (simplified character) or Big5 (traditional character). In the present embodiment, the chinese font data 214 includes character codes related to characters defined by double bytes.

In the following description, when one font datum included in the chinese font datum 214 is expressed, the font datum is expressed as a chinese single character font datum.

In the present embodiment, character codes independent for each language and font data corresponding to the character codes are stored in the nonvolatile memory 112.

In the present embodiment, at least one single-byte character font data 211 and at least one double-byte character font data of a language are stored in advance in the nonvolatile memory 112. In the present embodiment, japanese font data 212, korean font data 213, and chinese font data 214 are used as double-byte character font data.

In addition, depending on the drawing destination of the printing apparatus 11, it is desirable that one printing apparatus 11 prints characters of a plurality of languages. As such a drawing destination, for example, there is a drawing destination in which there are many customers of foreigners in each country and there is a low possibility that a language understandable by the customer is limited to one language, such as a store such as a duty free store at an airport. In such a drawing destination, it is desirable that a receipt printed with characters corresponding to a language understandable by a customer is issued by the printing device 11.

Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of functional modules of the printing apparatus 11 according to the embodiment.

The printing apparatus 11 includes, as schematic functional blocks, a control unit 111, a first storage unit 311, a second storage unit 312, a printing unit 113, a communication unit 114, and a switch 115.

In this embodiment, the first storage unit 311 is the nonvolatile memory 112.

In the present embodiment, the second storage unit 312 is the RAM133 as a volatile memory.

The communication unit 114 includes a first instruction receiving unit 331.

The first instruction receiving unit 331 receives an instruction to specify font data in a software format. Specifically, the first instruction receiving unit 331 receives an instruction to specify font data specified by a predetermined instruction included in a signal received from an external apparatus via the communication unit 114. The command is a software-type command, and may be a predetermined character string set in advance, for example, "ABC" or the like. Here, "ABC" is an example for explaining the present embodiment, and does not necessarily indicate an actual instruction.

The first instruction receiving unit 331 outputs the content of the received instruction to the control unit 111. The control unit 111 acquires the content of the instruction output from the first instruction receiving unit 331.

For example, the control unit 111 may have the function of the first instruction receiving unit 331.

The switch 115 has a second instruction receiving portion 351.

The second instruction receiving unit 351 receives an instruction to specify font data in a software format. Specifically, the second instruction receiving unit 351 receives an instruction to specify the font data specified by the switched state of the switch 115.

In the present embodiment, the switch 115 outputs a command corresponding to the state in which the switch 115 is switched. The second instruction accepting unit 351 accepts, in response to the instruction, an instruction to specify the font data specified by the instruction.

The second instruction receiving unit 351 outputs the content of the received instruction to the control unit 111. The control unit 111 acquires the content of the instruction output from the second instruction receiving unit 351.

For example, the control unit 111 may also have the function of the second instruction receiving unit 351.

Here, in the present embodiment, for convenience of explanation, a case where both the first instruction receiving portion 331 and the second instruction receiving portion 351 are provided in the printing apparatus 11 is shown, but as another configuration example, a configuration may be adopted in which only one of the first instruction receiving portion 331 and the second instruction receiving portion 351 is provided in the printing apparatus 11.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing data stored in the nonvolatile memory 112 according to the embodiment.

The single-byte character font data 211, japanese font data 212, korean font data 213, and chinese font data 214 are stored in predetermined areas FA1 to FA4 in the storage area FA of the nonvolatile memory 112, respectively. The predetermined area is managed in the storage area FA of the nonvolatile memory 112 by the start address of the area. The start address for example indicates the location in the memory area FA.

In the example of fig. 3, the start address of the area FA1 storing the single-byte character font data 211 is "0 xF 00000".

Further, in the example of fig. 3, the start address of the area FA2 storing the japanese font data 212 is "0 xF 10000".

Further, in the example of fig. 3, the start address of the area FA3 storing the korean font data 213 is "0 xF 20000".

Further, in the example of fig. 3, the start address of the area FA4 storing the chinese font data 214 is "0 xF 30000".

In this way, the control unit 111 can uniquely identify each of the areas FA1 to FA4 in the storage area FA of the nonvolatile memory 112, in which the font data is stored, by identifying the start address in the storage area FA of the nonvolatile memory 112. Therefore, the start address in the storage area FA of the nonvolatile memory 112 is used as position information indicating the positions of the areas FA1 to FA4 storing font data in the storage area FA of the nonvolatile memory 112.

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of data stored in the RAM133 according to the embodiment.

The copying of font data from the nonvolatile memory 112 to the RAM133 will be described. The copying of data may be referred to as writing of data, storing of data, saving of data, or the like.

When copying the one-byte character font data 211 from the storage area FA of the nonvolatile memory 112 to the storage area RA of the RAM133, the control section 111 specifies the area FA1 of the nonvolatile memory 112 in which the one-byte character font data 211 is stored, based on "0 xF 00000" as the start address. Then, the control section 111 reads the single-byte character font data 211 stored in the specified area FA1, and copies it to the RAM 133.

Note that the method of copying japanese font data 212, korean font data 213, and chinese font data 214 from the nonvolatile memory 112 to the RAM133 is also the same as the method of copying single-byte character font data 211.

In the present embodiment, the area RA1 in the storage area RA of the RAM133, in which the one-byte character font data 211 is copied and stored, is fixed. That is, when the single-byte character font data 211 is read from the nonvolatile memory 112 and stored in the RAM133, the control unit 111 copies the single-byte character font data 211 to the area RA1 of the RAM133 which is defined in advance.

Therefore, the start address of the area RA1 storing the one-byte character font data 211 does not change every time it is copied. On the other hand, for each of japanese font data 212, korean font data 213, and chinese font data 214, the start address of the area storing font data may change depending on the order of copying to RAM133 or the like.

In fig. 4, a memory area RA of the RAM133 where the one-byte character font data 211 is copied is shown. In the storage area RA of the RAM133 in which the copy of the one-byte character font data 211 is performed, a set language area AG is formed which sets the start address of the area RA1 in which the one-byte character font data 211 is stored.

In the example of fig. 4, the start address of the area RA1 storing the single-byte character font data 211 is "0 xB 00000".

Fig. 5 is a diagram showing another example of data stored in the RAM133 according to the embodiment.

In fig. 5, a storage area RA of the RAM133 to which the one-byte character font data 211, the japanese font data 212, the korean font data 213, and the chinese font data 214 are copied is shown. In the storage area RA of the RAM133 in which the copy of the font data is performed, a set language area AG is formed in which the start addresses of the areas RA1 to RA4 storing the font data in the designated language among the start addresses of the areas RA1 to RA4 storing the font data are set.

In the present embodiment, the storage area RA of the RAM133 is a storage area capable of storing at least the single-byte character font data 211, japanese font data 212, korean font data 213, and chinese font data 214, and also capable of storing the set language area AG.

In the example of fig. 5, the start address of the area RA1 storing the single-byte character font data 211 is "0 xB 00000".

Further, in the example of fig. 5, the start address of the area RA2 storing the japanese font data 212 is "0 xB 10000".

Further, in the example of fig. 5, the start address of the area RA3 storing the korean font data 213 is "0 xF 20000".

Further, in the example of fig. 5, the start address of the area RA4 storing the chinese font data 214 is "0 xF 30000".

In this way, the control section 111 can uniquely identify each of the areas RA1 to RA4 storing font data in the storage area RA of the RAM133 by identifying the start address in the storage area RA of the RAM 133. Therefore, the start address in the storage area RA of the RAM133 is used as position information indicating the positions of the areas RA1 to RA4 in the storage area RA of the RAM133, which store font data.

Here, the control unit 111 may store, in the nonvolatile memory 112, the start addresses of the areas RA1 to RA4 of the RAM133 storing the font data of one byte character 211, japanese font data 212, korean font data 213, and chinese font data 214, for example, each time the font data 214 is stored in the RAM 133.

In the example of fig. 3 to 5, the control section 111 may store "0 xB 00000", which is the start address of the area RA1 of the RAM133 storing the one-byte character font data 211, in the nonvolatile memory 112.

The control unit 111 may store "0 xB 10000", which is the start address of the area RA2 of the RAM133 storing the japanese font data 212, in the nonvolatile memory 112.

The control unit 111 may store "0 xB 20000" as the start address of the area RA3 of the RAM133 storing the korean font data 213 in the nonvolatile memory 112.

The control unit 111 may store "0 xB 30000", which is the start address of the area RA4 of the RAM133 storing the chinese font data 214, in the nonvolatile memory 112.

Further, the control unit 111 may store the start address in the storage area RA of the RAM133 storing the font data of each language in the nonvolatile memory 112 so as to correspond to the information indicating each language. In this case, for example, when storing the start address indicating "0 xB 10000", the control unit 111 stores information indicating "japanese" in association therewith.

In the present embodiment, the control unit 111 acquires the start address of the area FA1 of the RAM133 storing the one-byte character font data 211, but another configuration may be used.

As an example of this other configuration, in the present embodiment, "0 xB 00000" which is the start address of the area FA1 of the RAM133 storing the single-byte character font data 211 is fixed, and therefore this start address may be stored in the nonvolatile memory 112 in advance.

In addition, although the present embodiment shows a configuration example in which the start address of the area RA1 in which the one-byte character font data 211 is stored is fixed in advance in the storage area RA of the RAM133, as another configuration example, a configuration may be adopted in which the start address is not fixed and may change.

The language setting area AG in the RAM133 will be described.

When determining that the language of the character to be printed has been designated, the control unit 111 sets the start addresses of the areas RA2 to RA4 for storing font data in the designated language in the set language area AG of the RAM 133. On the other hand, when determining that there is no specification of the language of the character to be printed, the control unit 111 sets the start address of the area for storing the default font data in the set language area AG of the RAM 133. Here, in the present embodiment, the font data of the default value is the one-byte character font data 211, and in this case, the start address is the start address of the area RA 1.

In the following description, the font data of the character that can be printed by the printing apparatus 11 with the default value is referred to as default value font data. In the present embodiment, the default value font data is single-byte character font data 211. In addition, information for specifying the default font data is stored in advance in the information processing apparatus 12.

A case will be described in which the printing device 11 is installed at a cashier desk in a store selling commodities or the like, and the printing device 11 issues a receipt corresponding to a commodity purchased by a customer.

Further, a case is shown in which the information processing apparatus 12 is provided in a cash register station, and the information processing apparatus 12 is operated by a cashier at the cash register station. In this case, the cashier becomes a user of the information processing device 12. In this example, the cashier is also a user of the printing apparatus 11.

When a cashier at a cashier desk operates the information processing device 12 to issue a receipt using font data other than the default font data, the cashier designates font data of characters printed on the receipt issued by the operation.

The information processing device 12 transmits a command including information for specifying font data designated by the cashier to the printing device 11. Here, the information may be information such as a name of a language.

Next, the information processing apparatus 12 generates print data including character codes of characters corresponding to the font data specified by the cashier, and transmits the generated print data to the printing apparatus 11.

In the printing apparatus 11, when the command and the print data transmitted from the information processing apparatus 12 to the printing apparatus 11 are received through the communication unit 114, the control unit 111 determines that there is a designation of font data of a character to be printed, and determines that an operation of printing is to be executed. Then, in the printing apparatus 11, the control unit 111 sets the start address of the area of the RAM133 storing the specified font data in the set language area AG of the RAM 133. In this case, the control unit 111 sets, as the start address, the start address stored in the RAM133 in the nonvolatile memory 112 for the font data.

Then, in the printing apparatus 11, the control section 111 acquires font data corresponding to character codes included in the print data to be processed from the storage area RA of the RAM133 based on the start address set in the set language area AG, and the printing section 113 performs printing based on the print data received from the external apparatus.

On the other hand, when the cashier at the cash register station issues a receipt using the default font data for the customer, the cashier may not specify the font data of the characters printed on the issued receipt when operating the information processing device 12.

The information processing apparatus 12 generates print data including character codes of characters corresponding to the default value font data, and transmits the generated print data to the printing apparatus 11.

In the printing apparatus 11, when the control unit 111 receives print data from the information processing apparatus 12 through the communication unit 114 when there is no designation of font data, it determines that there is no designation of font data of a character to be printed, and determines that an operation of printing is to be executed. Then, in the printing apparatus 11, the control unit 111 sets the start address of the area of the RAM133 storing the default font data for the default font data in the set language area AG of the RAM 133. In this case, the control unit 111 sets the start address stored in the RAM133 in the nonvolatile memory 112 as the start address for the default font data.

Then, in the printing apparatus 11, the control section 111 acquires font data corresponding to character codes included in print data to be processed from the storage area RA of the RAM133 based on the start address set in the set language area AG, and the printing section 113 performs printing based on the print data received from the external apparatus.

As a specific example, when the start address of the area storing the default font data is set in the set language area AG, the control unit 111 specifies the area indicated by the start address stored in the set language area AG as the area of the acquisition destination of the font data corresponding to the character code included in the print data in the printing apparatus 11. Then, in the printing apparatus 11, the control unit 111 acquires, for each character code included in the print data, the default font data corresponding to the character code based on the default font data stored in the specified area of the RAM133, and prints the character of the character code on the print medium. As a result, the printing device 11 can issue a receipt on which characters of byte single-character default value data corresponding to the default value font data are printed.

As a specific example, when the start address of an area storing font data other than the default value is set in the set language area AG, the control unit 111 specifies an area indicated by the start address stored in the set language area AG as an area of an acquisition destination of font data corresponding to a character code included in print data in the printing apparatus 11. In the printing apparatus 11, the control unit 111 acquires font data corresponding to the character code for each character code included in the print data based on the font data stored in the specified area of the RAM133, and prints the character of the character code on the print medium. As a result, the printing device 11 can issue a receipt on which characters of the default value data of the single character in the predetermined language corresponding to the designated font data are printed.

In the present embodiment, the one-character default value data is, for example, japanese one-character default value data, korean one-character default value data, or chinese one-character default value data.

For convenience of explanation, the data size of font data of a single character is 192 bytes, and explanation is made. In addition, in one font datum, data of a plurality of character codes are arranged in sequence.

In this case, in one font datum, a value obtained by multiplying 192 bytes by a difference between a value in the order of character codes to be printed and a value in the order of character codes corresponding to the start address is an address in which the font datum corresponding to the character code to be printed is stored with the start address as a reference. The actual address in the recording area corresponds to the result of adding the start address in the storage area to the address in the storage area based on the start address.

In the printing apparatus 11, the control unit 111 reads 192 bytes of font data from the actual address in the storage area and performs printing, thereby performing printing of characters corresponding to character codes to be printed. That is, the character is expressed by the 192 bytes of font data.

In this way, in the printing apparatus 11, the control unit 111 can set the start address of the font data to be referred to so as to correspond to the language by specifying the language of the character to be printed on each issued receipt, and can switch so as to use the font data in the language specified based on the set start address. Thus, in the printing apparatus 11, the control unit 111 can switch the language of the characters printed on each issued receipt, and can print characters in a plurality of languages by one printing apparatus 11. Therefore, the printing device 11 can issue, for example, a receipt printed with characters corresponding to a language understandable to each customer.

In the present embodiment, in the printing apparatus 11, when printing the print data based on the one-byte character, the control unit 111 reads the one-byte character font data 211 from the nonvolatile memory 112, stores the read one-byte character font data in the RAM133, and then prints the one-byte character based on the one-byte character font data 211 stored in the RAM 133. In the present embodiment, when printing the print data based on the double-byte character, the control unit 111 of the printing apparatus 11 reads the font data of the double-byte character from the nonvolatile memory 112 and stores the font data in the RAM133, and then prints the double-byte character based on the font data stored in the RAM 133.

Here, generally, as for the speed of reading data, the speed of reading data from a volatile memory such as the RAM133 is faster than the speed of reading data from the nonvolatile memory 112 in many cases. Further, since the RAM133 functions as a work area of the CPU131, the internal configuration of the printing apparatus 11 is often disposed closer to the CPU131 than the nonvolatile memory 112. Therefore, in general, the control section 111 can read the data stored in the RAM133 more quickly than the case of reading the data stored in the nonvolatile memory 112. Therefore, in the present embodiment, in the printing apparatus 11, the control unit 111 can increase the speed of reading the font data stored in the nonvolatile memory 112 by temporarily copying the font data to the RAM133 and using the font data stored in the RAM 133. This makes it possible to increase the processing speed of printing based on the print data in the printing apparatus 11.

In the printing apparatus 11, the font data to be referred to in the printing process may be switched in units of character strings to be printed on the printing medium, for example. For example, in the printing apparatus 11, when a single receipt is described with japanese characters and chinese characters for a character string of "total 123", the control unit 111, after printing the japanese character string, switches the start address set in the set language area AG to the start address corresponding to the chinese font data 214 in accordance with a command for specifying the chinese character, thereby printing the chinese character string.

In this way, in the printing apparatus 11, the control unit 111 may switch the languages of the printed characters by switching the font data to be referred to in units of character strings to be printed on the printing medium. In this case, the language is specified for each character string included in the print data.

As another example, the printing device 11 may switch font data to be referred to in the printing process, for example, in units of characters to be printed on the printing medium. In this case, the language is specified for each character included in the print data.

In the present embodiment, the printing device 11 performs the copying and management of various font data by using the configuration described with reference to fig. 3 to 5, but is not limited to such a configuration. The printing apparatus 11 may copy and manage various font data by any method.

Referring to fig. 6 to 9, examples of the steps of the process performed by the printing apparatus 11 are shown.

Fig. 6 and 7 are diagrams showing an example of a procedure of processing performed in the printing apparatus 11 according to the embodiment.

Although the processing of (step S1) to (step S5) shown in fig. 6 and the processing of (step S11) to (step S15) shown in fig. 7 are shown in different drawings for convenience of illustration, this is a series of processing.

Step S1

The printing apparatus 11 is configured to switch the power supply from off to on or to perform a reset. In these cases, the process proceeds to step S2.

Here, in the printing apparatus 11, for example, when a predetermined operation is performed by a user such as pressing a predetermined button, the power is switched between on and off. As another example, when a predetermined command transmitted from an external device to the printing device 11 is received in the printing device 11, the power may be switched on and off in accordance with the command. The external device may be, for example, the information processing device 12.

In addition, in the printing apparatus 11, for example, when a predetermined operation is performed by the user, the reset is performed. As another example, when a predetermined command transmitted from an external device to the printing device 11 is received in the printing device 11, the reset may be performed in accordance with the command. The external device may be, for example, the information processing device 12.

In the present embodiment, in the printing apparatus 11, when the power supply is turned off or when reset is performed, the data stored in the RAM133 is erased.

Step S2

In the printing apparatus 11, the control unit 111 reads out the one-byte character font data 211 stored in the nonvolatile memory 112 from the nonvolatile memory 112 and stores the read data in the RAM 133. Then, the process proceeds to step S3. Further, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which storage of font data of an arbitrary double-byte character into the RAM133 is started at a point in time when storage of the single-byte character font data 211 in the RAM133 is completed.

Step S3

In the printing apparatus 11, the control unit 111 determines whether or not an instruction to print a single-byte character is received. In the present embodiment, the print instruction is sent from the information processing apparatus 12 to the printing apparatus 11.

As a result, when the control unit 111 of the printing device 11 determines that the instruction to print the one-byte character has been received (yes in step S3), the process proceeds to step S4.

On the other hand, in the printing apparatus 11, when the control unit 111 determines that the instruction to print the single-byte character has not been received (no in step S3), the process proceeds to step S5. For example, when the control unit 111 receives an instruction for the font data of a double-byte character, the process proceeds to step S5.

Step S4

In the printing apparatus 11, the control unit 111 causes the printing unit 113 to print the character of the single byte based on the received instruction to print the character of the single byte. In this case, the control unit 111 performs printing of the one-byte character by using the one-byte character font data 211 stored in the RAM 133. Then, the process proceeds to step S3.

Here, the indication of the font data of the double-byte character includes information specifying the font data of the double-byte character.

In the present embodiment, the indication of the font data of the double-byte character includes one of information specifying japanese font data 212, information specifying korean font data 213, and information specifying chinese font data 214.

The indication of the font data of the double-byte character may include information for specifying two or more types of font data in a lump.

Step S5

In the printing apparatus 11, the control unit 111 reads the font data of the instructed double-byte character from the nonvolatile memory 112 and stores the font data in the RAM 133. Then, the process proceeds to step S11. When a print instruction for a double-byte character is received by the control unit 111 while the font data for the double-byte character is stored in the RAM133, the print instruction for the double-byte character is not processed until the storage of the font data for the double-byte character in the RAM133 is completed. Then, at the time point when the storage of the font data of the double-byte character into the RAM133 is completed, the process of the print instruction of the double-byte character is performed. The steps from step S5 are the steps after the storage of the font data of the double-byte character into the RAM133 is completed.

Step S11

As a result, in the printing apparatus 11, when the control unit 111 determines that the instruction for printing the one-byte character has been received (yes in step S11), the process proceeds to step S12.

On the other hand, in the printing apparatus 11, when the control unit 111 determines that the instruction to print the single-byte character has not been received (no in step S11), the process proceeds to step S13. For example, when a print instruction for a double-byte character is received by the control unit 111, the process proceeds to step S13.

Step S12

In the printing apparatus 11, the control unit 111 causes the printing unit 113 to print the character of the single byte based on the received instruction to print the character of the single byte. In this case, the control unit 111 performs printing of the one-byte character using the one-byte character font data 211 stored in the RAM 133. Then, the process proceeds to step S11.

Step S13

In the printing apparatus 11, the control unit 111 determines whether or not a print instruction of a double-byte character is received and font data corresponding to the double-byte character is stored in the print instruction in the RAM 133. That is, the print instruction is a print instruction of a double-byte character in which font data has been stored in the RAM133 in the printing apparatus 11. In the present embodiment, the print instruction is sent from the information processing apparatus 12 to the printing apparatus 11.

As a result, when the control unit 111 determines that the print instruction for the double-byte character whose font data has been already stored in the RAM133 has been received in this way in the printing apparatus 11 (yes in step S13), the process proceeds to step S14.

On the other hand, in the printing apparatus 11, when it is determined by the control section 111 that the instruction to print the double-byte character whose font data has been stored in the RAM133 has not been received (no in step S13), the process proceeds to step S15.

Step S14

In the printing apparatus 11, the control unit 111 causes the printing unit 113 to print the double-byte character based on the received print instruction for the double-byte character. In this case, the control unit 111 performs printing of the double-byte character using the font data corresponding to the double-byte character stored in the RAM 133. Then, the process proceeds to step S11.

Step S15

In the printing apparatus 11, the control unit 111 regards the received print instruction of the double-byte character as a print instruction of a single-byte character, and the printing unit 113 performs printing of the single-byte character. In this case, the control unit 111 performs printing of the one-byte character using the one-byte character font data 211 stored in the RAM 133. Then, the process proceeds to step S11.

In this way, the printing apparatus 11 is prepared so that only a part of the character font data can be printed after the power is turned on or after the power is reset. Here, in the present embodiment, preparation for printing means a process of reading font data of a character to be printed from the nonvolatile memory 112 and storing the font data in the RAM 133. Further, the part of the character font data is initially one-byte character font data 211.

Thereafter, when a print instruction of the character for which the preparation for printing is completed is received in the printing apparatus 11, the character is printed. In addition, in the printing apparatus 11, when an instruction for the font data of the double-byte character for which the preparation for printing is not completed is received, even if an instruction for printing the character corresponding to the font data is received, the printing is made to wait until the preparation for printing the font data is completed, and if the preparation for printing the font data is completed, the printing of the character is performed.

In the present embodiment, the printing apparatus 11 first gives priority to the font data 211 of one-byte characters that are generally used frequently, and performs preparation for printing. Thus, in the printing apparatus 11, printing is first permitted only for the one-byte characters corresponding to the one-byte character font data 211.

When the print apparatus 11 receives the designation of the font data of the double-byte character, the print apparatus prepares to print the designated font data.

When a print instruction is received for font data for which printing has not been prepared, the printing apparatus 11 holds the print instruction until printing according to the print instruction is possible. Then, the printing device 11 performs printing according to the print instruction after printing according to the print instruction is enabled.

In addition, although the printing apparatus 11 may be configured to sequentially perform printing according to a plurality of print instructions in the order of receiving the plurality of print instructions when the plurality of different print instructions are received, other configurations may be used. That is, when a plurality of different print instructions are received, the printing apparatus 11 may process the plurality of different print instructions in a different order from the reception order.

Here, in the present embodiment, a case is shown where two kinds of processing, i.e., processing for controlling the printing unit 113 and performing printing and processing for reading font data from the nonvolatile memory 112 and storing the font data in the RAM133, are executed by a common processor. In this embodiment, the processor is the CPU 131.

As another example, a configuration may be adopted in which the processing for controlling the printing unit 113 and performing printing, and the processing for reading font data from the nonvolatile memory 112 and storing the font data in the RAM133 are arbitrarily shared by two or more processors.

In general, the amount of font data of a double-byte character is larger than that of font data of a single-byte character. Therefore, in general, it takes more time to store the font data of the double-byte character from the nonvolatile memory 112 to the RAM133 than to store the font data of the single-byte character from the nonvolatile memory 112 to the RAM 133.

In particular, font data of a single-byte character such as an alphanumeric character has a smaller number of characters and a smaller amount of data than font data of a double-byte character such as japanese, korean, or chinese. In contrast, font data of a double-byte character such as japanese, korean, or chinese is often more exclusive than font data of a single-byte character such as an alphanumeric character.

In the example of fig. 6 and 7, the printing device 11 first performs a process of storing font data of single-byte characters from the nonvolatile memory 112 to the RAM133 to print single-byte characters, and then performs a process of storing font data of double-byte characters from the nonvolatile memory 112 to the RAM133 as necessary. Thus, in the printing apparatus 11, after the power is turned on or after the reset is executed, the time until the character of one byte can be printed can be shortened.

Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a procedure of a process of storing double-byte character font data in the RAM133, which is performed in the printing apparatus 11 according to the embodiment.

In the explanation of fig. 8, for convenience of explanation, the process of storing the double-byte character font data in the RAM133 will be referred to as the present process, and the explanation will be made.

Step S31

In the printing apparatus 11, the control unit 111 starts the present process. Then, the process proceeds to step S32.

When the process returns to step S31 after the transition to step S32, the control unit 111 restarts the process, which is temporarily interrupted, in the printing apparatus 11.

Step S32

In the printing apparatus 11, the control unit 111 determines whether or not the present process is ended.

As a result, in the printing apparatus 11, when the control unit 111 determines that the present process has been completed (yes in step S32), the process of the present flow is completed. As a specific example, when the processing flow of fig. 8 is applied to the example of fig. 6 and 7, the printing apparatus 11 shifts to the processing following the present processing in the series of processing shown in fig. 6 and 7.

On the other hand, in the printing apparatus 11, when the control section 111 determines that the present process is not completed (no in step S32), the process proceeds to step S33.

Step S33

As a result, when the control unit 111 of the printing device 11 determines that the instruction to print the one-byte character has been received (yes in step S33), the process proceeds to step S34.

On the other hand, in the printing apparatus 11, when the control unit 111 determines that the instruction to print the single-byte character has not been received (no in step S33), the process proceeds to step S31.

Step S34

In the printing apparatus 11, the control unit 111 interrupts the present process, and the printing unit 113 prints a single-byte character based on the received print instruction for the single-byte character. In this case, the control unit 111 performs printing of the one-byte character using the one-byte character font data 211 stored in the RAM 133. Then, the process proceeds to step S31.

In this way, the control unit 111 of the printing apparatus 11 interrupts the present process. That is, in the example of fig. 8, when the print instruction of the character of one byte is received at the time of executing the present process, the printing apparatus 11 executes the process of printing the character of one byte preferentially to the preparation of the font data of the character of two bytes, and stops the present process until the process of printing the character of one byte is completed.

Here, in the example of fig. 8, in the printing apparatus 11, in the process of executing the present process, the setting is made so that the process of step S33 is executed by the control section 111 for each predetermined period. The predetermined period may be, for example, a periodic period or another period.

As an example, in the printing apparatus 11, the control unit 111 may be configured to execute the processing of step S32 and the processing of step S33 for each predetermined period in the process of executing the present processing.

As another example, the processing of step S32 in the processing flow shown in fig. 8 is not provided, but the control unit 111 may end the processing of the flow shown in fig. 8 at this point in time when the present processing is ended in the printing apparatus 11. In this configuration, for example, the printing apparatus 11 may be configured such that the control unit 111 executes the process of step S33 for each predetermined period in the process of executing the present process.

In this way, in the printing apparatus 11, after the preparation for printing the single-byte character font data 211 is completed, when the print instruction for the single-byte character is received in the middle of the preparation for printing the double-byte character font data, the preparation for printing the double-byte character font data is temporarily stopped, and the printing corresponding to the print instruction for the single-byte character is preferentially performed. Then, after printing of a single-byte character is completed, the printing apparatus 11 starts preparation for printing of font data of double-byte characters again.

In the example of fig. 8, when the preparation for printing the double-byte character is not completed when the print instruction for the single-byte character is received after the print instruction for the double-byte character is received in the printing device 11, the printing device may preferentially perform printing according to the print instruction for the single-byte character, not in the order of receiving the plurality of print instructions.

Here, in the example of fig. 8, a case is shown where two kinds of processing, that is, processing of controlling the printing portion 113 and performing printing and processing of reading font data from the nonvolatile memory 112 and storing it in the RAM133, are executed by a common processor. In this embodiment, the processor is the CPU 131.

As another example, the processing flow shown in fig. 8 may be applied to a case where the processing for controlling the printing unit 113 and performing printing and the processing for reading the font data from the nonvolatile memory 112 and storing the font data in the RAM133 are arbitrarily shared by two or more processors.

In general, it takes much time to store the font data of the double-byte character from the nonvolatile memory 112 to the RAM133, compared to storing the font data of the single-byte character from the nonvolatile memory 112 to the RAM 133. Therefore, in the example of fig. 8, printing of characters of a single byte is prioritized over the process of storing font data of characters of a double byte from the nonvolatile memory 112 to the RAM133, and printing of characters of a single byte is performed quickly in accordance with a print instruction.

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a procedure of processing performed in the printing apparatus 11 according to the modified example of the embodiment.

The processing flow shown in fig. 9 is a modification of the processing flows shown in fig. 6 and 7.

The processing shown in fig. 8 may be applied to the processing of step S116 shown in fig. 9.

Step S111

The printing apparatus 11 is configured to switch the power supply from off to on or to perform a reset operation. In these cases, the process proceeds to step S112.

Step S112

In the printing apparatus 11, the control unit 111 reads the single-byte character font data 211 stored in the nonvolatile memory 112 from the nonvolatile memory 112 and stores the read data in the RAM 133. Then, the process proceeds to step S113.

Step S113

In the printing apparatus 11, the control unit 111 determines whether or not a print instruction or an instruction to print font data of a double-byte character is received. In the example of fig. 9, the print instruction is a print instruction of a character of a single byte or a print instruction of a character of a double byte. The print instruction is sent from the information processing apparatus 12 to the printing apparatus 11. The instruction of the font data of the double-byte character is an instruction given by an instruction sent from the information processing apparatus 12 to the printing apparatus 11 or an instruction given by an instruction generated in accordance with the state of the switch 115.

As a result, when the control unit 111 of the printing apparatus 11 determines that either the print instruction or the instruction for the font data of the double-byte character has been received (yes in step S113), the process proceeds to step S114.

On the other hand, in the printing apparatus 11, when the control unit 111 determines that either the print instruction or the instruction for the font data of the double-byte character has not been received (no in step S113), the process proceeds to step S115.

The indication of the font data of the double-byte character may include information for specifying two or more types of font data in a combined manner.

Step S114

In the printing apparatus 11, the control unit 111 performs processing in accordance with the received instruction based on the instruction. Then, the process proceeds to step S113.

Step S115

In the printing apparatus 11, the control unit 111 determines whether or not font data that is not stored in the RAM133 and is to be stored in the RAM133, among the font data of the double-byte characters stored in the nonvolatile memory 112, exists.

As a result, when the control unit 111 determines that such font data is present in the printing apparatus 11 (yes in step S115), the print apparatus sets the font data as a target of processing and shifts to the processing in step S116.

On the other hand, in the printing apparatus 11, when the control unit 111 determines that such font data does not exist (no in step S115), the process proceeds to step S113.

Step S116

In the printing apparatus 11, the control unit 111 reads font data of a double-byte character to be processed from the nonvolatile memory 112 and stores the font data in the RAM 133. Then, the process proceeds to step S113.

In this way, the printing apparatus 11 is prepared so that only a part of the character font data can be printed after the power is turned on or after the power is reset. Here, the partial character font data is initially one-byte character font data 211.

Thereafter, the printing apparatus 11 performs a process of storing font data of double-byte characters stored in the nonvolatile memory 112 and font data to be stored in the RAM133 in a predetermined case.

In the present embodiment, the predetermined case is a case where a print instruction of font data for which preparation for printing is completed is not received.

As the predetermined condition, for example, the CPU131 of the control unit 111 may lack the processing capability to perform the process of storing the font data of the double-byte character stored in the nonvolatile memory 112 in the RAM133, or the criterion for determining whether or not to perform the process may be set in advance. In the example of fig. 9, when the printing apparatus 11 does not receive an instruction to print font data for which preparation for printing is completed, it is considered that the CPU131 of the control unit 111 lacks the processing capability to perform the processing.

Here, in the example of fig. 9, a case is shown where two kinds of processing, that is, processing for controlling the printing section 113 and performing printing and processing for reading font data from the nonvolatile memory 112 and storing it in the RAM133, are executed by a common processor. In this embodiment, the processor is the CPU 131.

As another example, the processing flow shown in fig. 9 may be applied to a case where the processing for controlling the printing unit 113 and performing printing and the processing for reading the font data from the nonvolatile memory 112 and storing the font data in the RAM133 are arbitrarily shared by two or more processors.

Here, as the font data to be stored in the RAM133 among the font data of the double-byte character stored in the nonvolatile memory 112, for example, all the font data of the double-byte character stored in the nonvolatile memory 112 may be targeted, or a part of the font data of the double-byte character stored in the nonvolatile memory 112 may be targeted. Whether or not the font data to be stored in the RAM133 is matched may be set in advance in the printing apparatus 11, for example.

As the font data to be stored in the RAM133, for example, font data predicted to have a high probability of generating a print instruction may be used. Such prediction may be performed based on one or more of the priority set for each font data, the number of times each font data is used, or the frequency of use of each font data. Here, the number of times of use and the frequency of use may be determined based on, for example, a past situation.

For example, a case where the priority of font data is high may also be predicted that the necessity of storage in the RAM133 is high. Further, a case where the number of times of use of font data is high can also be predicted that the necessity of storage in the RAM133 is high. Further, a case where the frequency of use of font data is high can also be predicted that the necessity of storage in the RAM133 is high.

In addition, when there are two or more font data that are not stored in the RAM133 and that should be stored in the RAM133, among the font data of the double-byte character stored in the nonvolatile memory 112, the order of storing the two or more font data in the RAM133 may be arbitrarily defined. Such a sequence may be set in advance in the printing apparatus 11, for example.

Such an order may also be referred to as a priority order or the like.

As an example, in order of priority order from high to low, an order of single-byte character font data 211, japanese font data 212, chinese font data 214, korean font data 213, and the like may be adopted. This order is an example, and other orders may be adopted.

In the present embodiment, the single-byte character font data 211 has the highest priority.

Here, such a sequence may be stored in the nonvolatile memory 112, for example. In this case, the control unit 111 reads the order stored in the nonvolatile memory 112 and performs processing in the order of reading.

Such a procedure may be stored in the ROM132 or the RAM133, for example, and managed by the control unit 111.

The priority information stored in the nonvolatile memory 112 or the like can be rewritten in response to an instruction from a user or an external device.

The information of the priority order may be rewritten before the printing apparatus 11 is sold or the like. As a specific example, in the case where there may be a plurality of countries or nations of people who sell the printing apparatuses 11, the information of the priority order may be rewritten so that the font data of the language of the country or nations is set to the highest priority order according to the country or nations of people who sell the printing apparatuses 11.

The information of the priority order may be automatically rewritten in the printing apparatus 11 based on the usage status of the printing apparatus 11 after the printing apparatus 11 is sold.

As a specific example, the printing apparatus 11 may be controlled by the control unit 111 such that the use frequencies of the plurality of double-byte character font data are detected, and the priority order of the plurality of double-byte character font data is set in descending order of the use frequencies.

As a specific example, the printing apparatus 11 is controlled by the control unit 111 so as to detect the number of times of switching to each language of the plurality of double-byte character font data and set the priority order of each of the plurality of double-byte character font data in the order of the number of times.

As a specific example, in the printing apparatus 11, the control unit 111 detects the number of characters to be printed in each language of a plurality of double-byte character font data, and controls the priority order of the plurality of double-byte character font data to be in the order of the number.

Further, when two or more font data which are not stored in the RAM133 and should be stored in the RAM133 are present among the two-byte character font data stored in the nonvolatile memory 112, the printing apparatus 11 may execute the processing on the two or more font data in one processing of step S116 as an example.

As another example, the printing apparatus 11 may perform the processing for one font datum in the processing of step S116 once, perform the processing for another font datum in the processing of step S116 next, and perform the same processing for the subsequent processing. That is, in the printing apparatus 11, the font data may be set as the processing target one by one for each processing of step S116.

As described above, in the printing system 1 according to the present embodiment, the printing device 11 has the following configuration.

That is, the printing apparatus 11 includes the first storage unit 311, the second storage unit 312, the communication unit 114, the printing unit 113, an instruction receiving unit having a function of one or both of the first instruction receiving unit 331 and the second instruction receiving unit 351, and the control unit 111.

The first storage unit 311 is a nonvolatile storage unit that stores first font data corresponding to a first character code expressed by a single byte and stores one or more second font data corresponding to a second character code expressed by a double byte.

The second storage unit 312 is a volatile storage unit that stores the first font data stored in the first storage unit 311 and one or more second font data stored in the first storage unit 311.

The communication unit 114 receives the first character code or the second character code from the external device.

The printing unit 113 prints an image on a print medium based on the first font data or the second font data corresponding to the first character code or the second character code received by the communication unit 114. Here, the first font data corresponds to the first character code, and the second font data corresponds to the second character code.

The instruction receiving unit receives an instruction to specify any one of the second font data.

After reading the first font data stored in the first storage unit 311 and storing it in the second storage unit 312, the control unit 111 reads the second font data specified by the instruction from the first storage unit 311 and stores it in the second storage unit 312 when the instruction receiving unit receives the instruction.

Therefore, in the printing apparatus 11 according to the present embodiment, by reading the first font data from the first storage unit 311 and storing the first font data in the second storage unit 312, it is possible to shorten the time until the font data of a single-byte character is brought into a state in which printing can be executed for the first time.

Thereafter, in the printing apparatus 11 according to the present embodiment, when a predetermined instruction is received for font data of a double-byte character, second font data designated by the instruction is read from the first storage unit 311 and stored in the second storage unit 312, whereby the double-byte character can be printed.

As described above, in the printing apparatus 11 according to the present embodiment, characters of font data of characters of a single byte which is frequently used can be printed without waiting for copying of font data of all languages from the first storage unit 311 to the second storage unit 312.

Thus, in the printing apparatus 11 according to the present embodiment, for example, after the power of the printing apparatus 11 is turned on or after the reset, the start time of the printable single-byte character can be shortened, and the single-byte character can be printed as quickly as possible. Then, the printing device 11 can speed up the first printing for the single-byte characters.

In addition, although an increase in font data is expected in the future in the field of printing in general, even when the font data increases, the printing apparatus 11 according to the present embodiment does not increase the time from the time of power-on or reset until the printing can be executed for the first time.

Here, in the present embodiment, the first character code is a code of a single byte character.

In the present embodiment, the first font data is single-byte character font data 211.

In this embodiment, the second character code is a code of a double-byte character.

In the present embodiment, the second font data is double-byte character font data, specifically, one or more of japanese font data 212, korean font data 213, and chinese font data 214.

In the present embodiment, the external device is the information processing device 12.

In the printing system 1 according to the present embodiment, the printing device 11 has the following configuration.

That is, in the printing apparatus 11, the control section 111 reads the first font data stored in the first storage section 311 in response to power-on or reset of the printing apparatus 11, and stores the first font data in the second storage section 312.

Therefore, in the printing apparatus 11 according to the present embodiment, after the power is turned on or after the reset, the first font data is read from the first storage unit 311 and stored in the second storage unit 312, whereby the time until the font data of a single-byte character is in a state in which printing can be executed for the first time can be shortened.

That is, in the printing apparatus 11, the communication unit 114 receives a command for designating any one of the second font data from the external apparatus.

The instruction receiving unit receives the instruction received by the communication unit 114 as an instruction.

Therefore, in the printing apparatus 11 according to the present embodiment, the designated second font data can be read from the first storage unit 311 and stored in the second storage unit 312 in response to the instruction of the software.

That is, in the printing apparatus 11, the instruction receiving unit receives the instruction in response to the switch 115 being set to the first state, and the switch 115 is a switch that can be set to the first state to designate any one of the second font data.

Therefore, in the printing apparatus 11 according to the present embodiment, the designated second font data can be read from the first storage unit 311 and stored in the second storage unit 312 in accordance with the setting of the hardware switch 115.

Here, the first state is a state that the switch 115 may take. As the first state of the switch 115, an arbitrary state may be set in advance.

The number of the switches 115 may be one, or two or more, for example.

That is, in the printing apparatus 11, when the instruction is received by the instruction receiving unit and the second font data specified by the instruction is read from the first storage unit 311 and stored in the second storage unit 312, when the first character code is received from the external apparatus by the communication unit 114, the control unit 111 preferentially executes the process of printing the image corresponding to the first character code on the printing medium by the printing unit 113 based on the first font data stored in the second storage unit 312, as compared with the process of reading the second font data from the first storage unit 311 and storing it in the second storage unit 312.

Therefore, in the printing apparatus 11 according to the present embodiment, for example, even when the second font data is read from the first storage unit 311 and stored in the second storage unit 312 after the first font data is stored in the second storage unit 312, when the first character code is received from the external apparatus, the printing of the image corresponding to the first character code is prioritized, and the printing can be performed quickly.

That is, in the printing apparatus 11, when the first character code and the second character code are not received from the external apparatus via the communication unit 114, the control unit 111 reads the second font data from the first storage unit 311 and stores the second font data in the second storage unit 312 in a predetermined order of the second font data.

Therefore, in the printing apparatus 11 according to the present embodiment, when the printing of the image corresponding to the first character code and the second character code is not performed, the processing of reading the second font data from the first storage unit 311 and storing the second font data in the second storage unit 312 can be advanced by using the spare resources.

In the present embodiment, the resource may include, for example, the processing capacity of the CPU131, and the free capacity of the RAM 133.

That is, in the printing apparatus 11, the second font data includes font data in any one of japanese, chinese, and korean languages.

Therefore, the printing device 11 according to the present embodiment can print double-byte characters in one or more languages of japanese, chinese, and korean, in addition to single-byte characters.

In the present embodiment, the present invention can be provided as a method of controlling the printing apparatus 11.

The control method of the printing apparatus has the following configuration.

That is, the printing device 11 includes: a nonvolatile first storage unit 311 that stores first font data corresponding to first character codes expressed by a single byte and stores one or more second font data corresponding to second character codes expressed by a double byte; a volatile second storage unit 312 that stores the first font data stored in the first storage unit 311 and one or more second font data stored in the first storage unit 311; a communication unit 114 that receives a first character code or a second character code from an external device; a printing unit 113 that prints an image on a print medium based on first font data or second font data corresponding to the first character code or the second character code received by the communication unit 114; an instruction receiving unit that receives an instruction to specify any one of the second font data; and a control unit 111.

After reading the first font data stored in the first storage unit 311 and storing it in the second storage unit 312, the control unit 111 reads the second font data specified by the instruction from the first storage unit 311 and stores it in the second storage unit 312 when the instruction is received by the instruction receiving unit.

Therefore, in the method of controlling the printing apparatus 11 according to the present embodiment, the printing apparatus 11 can reduce the time until the font data of a single-byte character is in a state in which printing can be executed for the first time by reading the first font data from the first storage unit 311 and storing the first font data in the second storage unit 312.

Thereafter, in the method of controlling the printing apparatus 11 according to the present embodiment, when a predetermined instruction is received for the font data of a double-byte character in the printing apparatus 11, the second font data specified by the instruction is read from the first storage unit 311 and stored in the second storage unit 312, so that the double-byte character can be printed.

Although the present embodiment has been described with reference to the case where the printing device 11 prints an image of a character on a print medium for convenience of explanation, for example, the printing device may further print an image other than a character on a print medium.

In addition, in the printing apparatus 11, when an instruction to print an image other than a character is received, for example, the process up to printing may be performed in the same procedure as when an instruction to print a first character code is received, or the process up to printing may be performed in the same procedure as when an instruction to print a second character code is received, or the process up to printing may be performed in a procedure different from these procedures.

In the present embodiment, a thermal printer having a thermal head is exemplified as an example of the printing apparatus 11, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the printing device 11 may be another printer such as an inkjet printer or a dot impact printer.

Further, a program for realizing the functions of any component in any device such as the printing device 11 or the information processing device 12 described above may be recorded in a computer-readable recording medium, and the program may be read and executed by a computer system. The term "computer system" as used herein is intended to include hardware such as an operating system and peripheral devices. The "computer-readable recording medium" refers to a storage device such as a flexible disk, an optical disk, a removable medium such as a ROM or a CD (Compact Disc) -ROM, or a hard disk incorporated in a computer system. The "computer-readable recording medium" also includes a device that holds a program for a fixed time, such as a volatile memory in a server or a computer system serving as a client when the program is transmitted via a network such as the internet or a communication line such as a telephone line. The volatile memory may be, for example, a RAM. The recording medium may be, for example, a non-transitory recording medium.

The program may be transferred from a computer system that stores the program in a storage device or the like to another computer system via a transmission medium or a carrier wave in the transmission medium. Here, the "transmission medium" for transmitting the program refers to a medium having a function of transmitting information, such as a network such as the internet or a communication line such as a telephone line.

The program may be a program for realizing a part of the above-described functions. The program may be a program that can realize the above-described functions by combining with a program already recorded in a computer system, a so-called differential file. The difference file may also be referred to as a difference program.

The functions of any component in any device such as the printing device 11 or the information processing device 12 described above may be realized by a processor. For example, various processes in the embodiments can be realized by a processor that operates based on information such as a program, and a computer-readable recording medium that stores information such as a program. Here, the processor may realize the functions of the respective units by independent hardware, or may realize the functions of the respective units by integrated hardware, for example. For example, the processor may include hardware including at least one of a circuit for processing a digital signal and a circuit for processing an analog signal. For example, the processor may be configured to use one or both of one or more circuit devices or one or more circuit elements mounted on the circuit board. As the Circuit device, an IC (Integrated Circuit) or the like may be used, and as the Circuit element, a resistor, a capacitor, or the like may be used.

Here, the processor may be a CPU, for example. However, the Processor is not limited to the CPU, and various processors such as a gpu (graphics Processing unit) and a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) may be used. The processor may be a hardware Circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). The processor may be configured by a plurality of CPUs, or may be configured by a hardware circuit based on a plurality of ASICs, for example. The processor may be configured by a combination of a plurality of CPUs and a hardware circuit based on a plurality of ASICs, for example. The processor may include one or more of an amplifier circuit and a filter circuit for processing an analog signal, for example.

While the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to the embodiments, and design and the like within a range not departing from the gist of the present invention are also included.

Claims

1. A printing apparatus includes:

a nonvolatile first storage unit that stores first font data corresponding to first character codes expressed by a single byte and stores one or more second font data corresponding to second character codes expressed by a double byte;

a volatile second storage unit that stores the first font data stored in the first storage unit and one or more second font data stored in the first storage unit;

a communication unit that receives the first character code or the second character code from an external device;

a printing unit that prints an image on a print medium based on the first font data or the second font data corresponding to the first character code or the second character code received by the communication unit;

an instruction receiving unit that receives an instruction to specify any one of the second font data;

a control part for controlling the operation of the display device,

the control unit reads the first font data stored in the first storage unit and stores the first font data in the second storage unit, and then, when the instruction receiving unit receives the instruction, reads the second font data specified by the instruction from the first storage unit and stores the second font data in the second storage unit.

2. The printing apparatus of claim 1,

the control unit reads the first font data stored in the first storage unit and stores the first font data in the second storage unit in response to power-on or reset of the printing apparatus.

3. The printing apparatus of claim 1 or claim 2,

the communication unit receives an instruction to specify one of the second font data from the external device,

the instruction accepting unit accepts the instruction received by the communication unit as the instruction.

4. The printing apparatus of claim 1,

the instruction receiving unit receives the instruction in response to a switch being set to a first state, the switch being capable of being set to the first state designating any one of the second font data.

5. The printing apparatus of claim 1,

when the instruction receiving unit receives the instruction and the second font data specified by the instruction is read from the first storage unit and stored in the second storage unit, the control unit, when receiving the first character code from the external device via the communication unit, preferentially executes a process of printing an image corresponding to the first character code on the printing medium by the printing unit based on the first font data stored in the second storage unit, in comparison with a process of reading the second font data from the first storage unit and storing the second font data in the second storage unit.

6. The printing apparatus of claim 1,

the control unit reads the second font data from the first storage unit and stores the second font data in the second storage unit in a predetermined order of the second font data when the first character code and the second character code are not received from the external device through the communication unit.

7. The printing apparatus of claim 1,

the second font data includes font data of any one of japanese, chinese, and korean languages.

8. A method for controlling a printing apparatus, the printing apparatus comprising:

an instruction receiving unit that receives an instruction to specify any one of the second font data,

in the control method of the printing apparatus described above,

after the first font data stored in the first storage unit is read and stored in the second storage unit, when the instruction is received by the instruction receiving unit, the second font data specified by the instruction is read from the first storage unit and stored in the second storage unit.