JP2004090515A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem of the inconvenience that the other user cannot receive printing by a different route while a printing job is carried out by one route, and is kept waiting until the printing job being carried out finishes printing. <P>SOLUTION: The printer is configured so that the other pull type job of a different job route is linked to a printing queue even when a pull type job is being carried out, and the printing job is carried out by sequentially reading out image data. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to printers, and more particularly, to printers having multiple print job paths.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, there are various types of job paths of a printer (for example, see Non-Patent Document 1). In addition to a connection path via a normal printer cable connected to the parallel port of the host computer, there are connection paths such as a card slot for connecting a memory card or the like and a USB port for connecting a digital still camera or the like. Recently, a print job may be supplied wirelessly from a host computer. When a printer having a plurality of job paths executes a print job through one job path, the printer cannot receive the print job from another path.
[0003]
[Non-patent document 1]
Seiko Epson Corporation catalog, code: CLPM850PTB, June 5, 2002, p. 1-6
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
While the printer is executing the first print job on the one path, the printer cannot accept the second print job on another path or the same path, and the first print job being executed Had to wait until printing was completed, which was inconvenient.
[0005]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a printer that can accept a second print job having the same or different print path as much as possible even when the printer is executing a first print job.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the present invention is to link another pull-type job and sequentially execute printing while receiving a pull-type job, even if the printing path is different.
[0007]
For example, in a printer having a plurality of job paths to which a print job is supplied, the print job is composed of print management information for specifying a printing state and image data, and the printer manages the print job supplied by one job path. In the case where a pull-type first print job for receiving information and subsequently reading image data and executing printing is received, a pull-type second print job supplied through another job path is received and the pull-type second print job is received. Print execution of a first print job of a type, and then print execution of a second print job of a pull type. With such a configuration, even a pull-type job having a different printing path can be sequentially queued and printed, and can be printed efficiently.
[0008]
Another aspect of the present invention resides in that, while a push-type job is being received, no print job is received regardless of whether it is a pull-type or a push-type.
[0009]
For example, in a printer having a plurality of job paths to which a print job is supplied, the print job is composed of print management information for specifying a printing state and image data, and the printer manages the print job supplied by one job path. When a push-type print job for executing printing after receiving all information and image data is received, another pull-type or push-type print job is not received. With such a configuration, the printer can normally execute push-type printing.
[0010]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, such embodiments do not limit the technical scope of the present invention, but extend to the inventions described in the claims and their equivalents.
[0011]
FIG. 1 is an internal schematic diagram of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. First, a print job transmitted to the printer 1 is received by a state management task 2 called an SMT (Status Management Task). The state management task 2 first receives print management information (config data). The print management information is information for specifying a print state, and is information for specifying an image layout, a file name, the number of prints, an image quality, and the like. Here, the state management task 2 determines the type of the received print job.
[0012]
Print job types are broadly classified into two types regardless of the printing path of the printer. It is a pull type job and a push type job. The types of these print jobs will be described below.
[0013]
First, a pull-type job is a job in which the state management task 2 receives print management information and then the printer actively reads (pulls) image data (object data). For example, after receiving the print management information, the printer sequentially reads the image data of the JPEG data stored in the memory card shown in FIG. 1, the JPEG data of the digital still camera, and the like. Then, the image processing unit 3 processes the read image data, transmits the processed image data to the print engine 4, and executes printing. Therefore, in a pull-type print job, it is possible to receive only print management information, acquire image data later, and execute printing.
[0014]
On the other hand, in the push type job, the host computer sequentially sends (pushes) the print management information and the image data to the status management task 2 of the printer 1 by a job path such as wireless, and the printer sends the print management information and the image data. This is a job that needs to analyze the received print management information and image data sequentially. In a push-type print job, print management information and image data are unilaterally supplied from the host computer, so that the printing process needs to be completed to the end. The push-type job transmitted wirelessly is analyzed by the image processing unit 3 and then printed by the print engine 4. Similarly, when the host computer transmits the print management information and the image data to the print engine 4 via the status management task 2 via a cable such as a printer cable, the job is also a push type job. When the print job is transmitted from the host computer by wire, the image data has already been analyzed, and thus the image processing unit 3 does not pass. However, the print management information and the analyzed image data are supplied unilaterally. It's still coming.
[0015]
Here, the processing in the printer will be described with reference to an actual example of a pull-type print job. FIG. 2 is a flowchart for printing image data stored in a memory card. The print request is made by the panel setting (10) of the printer. By pressing the print start switch, the print management information is transmitted to the printer status management task (20). Here, even if the printer has previously accepted the pull-type job, unlike the conventional case, the printer accepts the job on another path. The job received by another route is linked to the previously received pull-type job (30). However, at this point, the printer has not yet read out the image data of the linked job on another path. Then, after the printing of the previously received pull-type job is completed, the image data of the next pull-type job received by the printer via another path is read (40). Then, a print job acceptance is responded to the print request source (50), and printing is executed.
[0016]
FIG. 3 is a flowchart for printing image data of a digital still camera. The same parts as those in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals. The print request is made by the panel setting (11) of the digital still camera. When the print start switch of the digital still camera is pressed, print management information is transmitted to the printer status management task. The subsequent flow is the same as in FIG.
[0017]
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing that a pull-type job is linked to a print queue. As shown in FIG. 4, when the print management information received by the printer status management task 2 is the same pull type, even if the job paths are different, they are successively received and linked. In the figure, a pull-type job 2 from a digital still camera on another path is linked to a pull-type job 1 from a memory card, and a pull-type job 3 from a memory card is further linked. Then, the respective image data are sequentially read out and printed according to the order of acceptance.
[0018]
Next, processing inside the printer will be described with reference to an example of a push type print job. FIG. 5 is a flowchart when the printer receives a print request from a host computer via a wireless or wired path. First, when the host supplies a print job (100), the printer receives print management information (110). Next, the printer receives the image data (120). At this time, the host sequentially sends print management information and image data to the printer. Therefore, the printer that has received the push-type job completes the reception of all the data transmitted from the host (130), responds to the request source with the print job reception (140), and executes printing. Therefore, neither the pull type job nor the push type job can be accepted until the execution of the push type job is completed.
[0019]
The pull type job and the push type job have been described above with reference to actual examples. FIG. 6 is a flowchart summarizing a pull-type job and a push-type job accepted by the printer according to the embodiment of the present invention. When there is a print request (200), the state management task first determines whether a push-type job is being executed (210). As described above, another job is not accepted during the execution of the push-type job.
[0020]
If the push-type job has not been executed, it is determined whether the job is a pull-type job (220). In the case of a pull-type job, the print job is linked to the queue (230), and the acceptance of the print job is responded to the requester (240). Thereafter, the image data is sequentially read out and the print job is executed.
[0021]
At 210 in the figure, if the push-type job is not being executed and the print request is a push-type job, it is determined whether a pull-type job is being executed (250). If the pull-type job has not been executed, the push-type job is accepted, the print job is executed (260), and the job acceptance is responded to the request source (240). However, if a pull-type job is being executed in step 250 in the figure, the state management task does not accept the push-type job and responds to the request source to reject the job (270).
[0022]
As described above, according to the present invention, even when a pull-type job is being executed, another pull-type job having a different job path is linked to the print queue, and the print job is executed by sequentially reading out the image data. This has a remarkable effect that the efficiency is remarkably improved and the print waiting time of a plurality of users can be greatly reduced. Furthermore, since another print job is not accepted while the push-type job is being executed, an effect is produced in that correct printing is performed.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an internal schematic diagram of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart when printing image data stored in a memory card.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart for printing image data of a digital still camera.
FIG. 4 illustrates that a pull-type job is linked to a print queue.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart when a printer receives a print request from a host computer via a wireless or wired path.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart summarizing a pull-type job and a push-type job accepted by the printer according to the embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
Reference Signs List 1 printer, 2 status management task, 3 image processing unit, 4 print engine, 10 printer panel switch, 11 digital still camera panel switch, 20 status management task (print information reception), 30 waiting for active pull-type job Link to queue, 40 Printer reads image data, 50 Responds to print requester accepting job, 100 Host supplies print job, 110 Printer status management task (print management information reception), 120 Image data reception, 130 Has all data been received? , 140 Response to request for print job acceptance

Claims (4)

In a printer having a plurality of job paths to which a print job is supplied,
The print job is composed of print management information specifying a printing state and image data, and the printer is supplied with the print management information of the print job through one job path, and then acquires the image data and executes printing. If the first pull-type print job is received, the second pull-type print job supplied through another job path is received, and the first print job of the pull type is printed and executed. Thereafter, the printer executes printing of the pull-type second print job. In a case where the printer receives a push-type print job in which the print management information and the image data of the print job are supplied and printed by one job path, the printer does not receive another print job. The printer according to claim 1, wherein 2. The printer according to claim 1, wherein when the printer accepts the pull-type print job through one job path, the printer does not accept the push-type job. 4. The printer according to claim 1, wherein when the printer does not receive the print job, the printer receives the pull-type or push-type print job and executes printing.

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