JP2002234217A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printer exhibiting a high use efficiency when a plurality of receiving data is spooled. SOLUTION: When a plurality of receiving data is spooled from a host computer, a decision is made whether a hard disc has been used for other purpose. If it has been used for other purpose, receiving data using no hard disc is selected among spooled receiving data and an operation for generating an image from the selected receiving data and printing the image on a sheet is executed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a printer for controlling the printing order of data received from a host computer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Printing using a hard disk is printing in which the image of the first copy in electronic sorting or the like is stored in the hard disk. The hard disk cannot write or read a plurality of data at the same time. Therefore, when writing or reading of multiple data occurs at the same time,
You will have to wait.

Recently, there is a function of transmitting the stored image to the host computer in order to process and view the image data stored in the hard disk of the printer device by the host computer. Therefore, the hard disk is often used at a timing different from printing.

By the way, if the printing of the next received data is executed during the printing of the received data, the sheets are mixed at the same discharge destination, and the user has to sort.

[0005] Further, when performing continuous printing of a plurality of print data, if print jobs of other users are executed almost simultaneously, printing may be performed alternately. For this reason, it is necessary to perform the sorting despite the continuous printing.

[0006]

As described above, when the printer device performs printing using the hard disk while executing the function of transmitting the hard disk of the printer device to the host computer, the characteristics of the hard disk described above are reduced. Causes printing to be slow.

Further, as described above, in order to improve the efficiency of use of the printer device, when printing is stopped with no paper and printing is performed from spooled received data, the printing is performed at the same discharge destination. In the case of, paper is mixed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and performs printing by selecting received data that does not use a hard disk from a plurality of spooled received data and performing printing, so that a print job that is not delayed is performed first. By that
An object of the present invention is to provide a printer device that improves use efficiency.

[0009] Further, by selecting received data having a different discharge destination from a plurality of spooled received data and performing printing, a paper device is provided in which paper is not mixed and a user does not need to sort paper. The purpose is to:

Further, by selecting the received data of the user ID of the immediately preceding print job from the plurality of spooled received data and performing printing, printing by other users is not mixed, and the user needs to sort paper. It is an object of the present invention to provide a printer device having no printer.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a spool means for spooling received data from a host computer, and a storage for temporarily storing the received data spooled by the spool means. Means, when the storage means is used for another purpose, a control means for selecting reception data not using the storage means from the plurality of reception data spooled by the spool means, and a control means for selecting the reception data selected by the control means. And printing means for creating an image and printing it on paper.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the storage means is a hard disk.

[0013] The invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 1 or 2.
In the invention described in the description, the control unit selects, when the current printing by the printing unit is stopped without paper, reception data having a different discharge destination from a plurality of reception data spooled by the spool unit. I do.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the control means determines the user ID of the immediately preceding print job from the plurality of received data spooled by the spooling means. , Receiving data of the same user ID is selected.

[0015]

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

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. The printer device 2 according to the present embodiment includes a CPU 3, a memory 5, a host interface 6, a hard disk 7, an engine interface 8, and a printer engine 4.

The host computer 1 issues a print instruction and print data. The host computer 1 is connected to a host interface 6 via a network. The CPU 3 performs input / output control and management of programs and memories. The printer engine 4 converts the print data from the host computer into print image data.
Output to The printer engine 4 is a device that prints print image data on paper. The memory 5 is a CPU 3
Is a storage device used, and a program for operating the present invention is implemented. In addition, the received data is spooled. The host interface 6 is a host computer 1
And are connected by a network. Hard disk 7
Is a large-capacity storage device used for saving print data, processing print data, and the like. The engine interface 8 is connected to the printer engine 4.

Next, the operation of the printer according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 2 shows the first embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the printer device according to the embodiment. The data received by the host interface 6 is spooled in the memory 5 (step S100).
The CPU 3 checks whether the hard disk 7 is in use (step S101). If the hard disk 7 is in use (step S101 / YES), the received data that does not use the hard disk 7 is selected from the spooled received data (step S102).

In step S101, when the hard disk 7 is not in use (step S101 / NO),
As before, the next received data is selected (step S10).
3). After selecting the received data (step S102 / S
103), the selected received data is printed by the printer engine 4 (step S104).

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the printer according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The data received by the host interface 6 is spooled in the memory 5 (Step S200). The CPU 3 checks whether the current printing is stopped without paper (step S201). If the printer is stopped without paper (step S2
01 / YES), and retrieves received data from a different discharge destination (step S202). If the search for the received data with a different discharge destination is successful (step S202 / YES), the searched received data is selected and printed by the printer engine 4 (step S203).

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the printer according to the third embodiment of the present invention. The data received by the host interface 6 is spooled in the memory 5 (step S300). The received data with the same user ID as the user ID of the immediately preceding print job is searched (step S301). When the search for the same user ID succeeds (step S301 / YES). The user ID
Is received by the printer engine 4 as selected data (step S303).

In step S301, the same user I
D cannot be searched (step S301 / N
O), the next received data is selected as before (step S302). The selected received data is printed by the printer engine 4 (step S303).

The above-described embodiment is an example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Is possible.

[0024]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, by selecting reception data that does not use a hard disk from a plurality of spooled reception data and performing printing, a print job without delay is first performed. The efficiency of use of the printer device can be improved.

Further, by selecting the received data having a different discharge destination from a plurality of spooled received data and performing printing, paper is not mixed and sorting is not required.

Further, by selecting the received data of the user ID of the immediately preceding print from a plurality of spooled received data and performing printing, printing of other users is not mixed, and sorting is not required.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a printer device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the printer device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the printer device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a printer device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Host computer 2 Printer device 3 CPU 4 Printer engine 5 Memory 6 Host interface 7 Hard disk 8 Engine interface

Claims (4)

[Claims] A spooling means for spooling received data from a host computer; a storage means for temporarily storing received data spooled by the spooling means; and a spool when the storage means is used for another purpose. Control means for selecting received data that does not use the storage means from a plurality of received data spooled by the means, and printing means for creating an image from the received data selected by the control means and printing the image on paper. A printer device characterized by the above-mentioned. 2. The printer device according to claim 1, wherein said storage means is a hard disk. 3. When the current printing by the printing unit is stopped without paper, the control unit selects received data having a different discharge destination from a plurality of received data spooled by the spooling unit. 3. The printer device according to claim 1, wherein: 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit selects the received data having the same user ID as the user ID of the immediately preceding print job from the plurality of received data spooled by the spooling unit.
The printer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein