JP2006001154A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize a high-speed printer having a good usability by a method wherein a document which is produced by a personal computer or the like to be printed is reprinted only by a printer itself by maintaining a high quality of the original one. <P>SOLUTION: This printer comprises a print data memory means 2 for storing image information to be printed or aggregation of image information including the image information to be printed as the part and identification data correlated with the aggregation by correlating them, an identification data input means 1 for inputting the identification data, an identification comparing means 3 for comparing the identification data input by the identification data input means 1 with the identification data stored in the print data memory means 2, a control means 4 for unloading the image information or the aggregation of the image information corresponding to the input identification data from the print data memory means 2, and a printing means 5 for printing the picked image information or the aggregation of the image information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus, and more particularly to a printing apparatus that prints electronic data.

  Documents created on a personal computer or the like are frequently printed and output on a printer, and distributed. A document created by a personal computer or the like is electronic data. If the same document is needed additionally, there is a method of copying with a copier, for example, but in this case it is inevitable that noise etc. will be mixed during the process of optical image scanning and printing , The quality of the original document is impaired. If further addition is required, the quality of the document will be further deteriorated if the operation of copying the copied document is repeated. The most desirable is to print again from the original document, ie electronic data. In this way, even if repeated additional printing is performed, it is possible to obtain an original printed document with high quality.

  However, this method requires a personal computer every time reprinting is performed, and it often takes time to start up and print the personal computer. For this reason, it is required that a high-quality document can be reprinted only by the printer body.

As such a system, there is a system described in Patent Document 1, for example. In this method, the original document (image) information itself printed on the document is encoded and recorded on the margin or the back surface of the original document using means such as a barcode. When reprinting is necessary, the recorded encoded information is read by a scanner or the like and decoded to restore the original document (image) information.
JP 2003-244424 A

  In the case of the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, a high-quality original document can be reprinted with a single printer. However, it is necessary to record information obtained by encoding the content of the document itself in the margin and the back side of the original document, and there is a problem that a considerable amount of space is required for that purpose. In addition, when the encoded information is printed in the margin of the original document, the presence of the encoded information is conspicuous, and the quality of the document (aesthetic appearance) may be impaired as a whole.

  Furthermore, when the original document is composed of a plurality of pages, it may be desired to print only a part of the original document when reprinting. In such a case, if it is not possible to specify the range of pages to be reprinted, it is necessary to print even unnecessary pages, so paper and toner are wasted and printing takes time. is there. In this regard, no efforts have been made in the past.

  Furthermore, depending on the application, there is a case where it is desired to limit the original document so that no one can reprint it. In this regard, no efforts have been made in the past.

  In order to solve the above problems, in the printing apparatus of the present invention, a set of image information to be printed or a set of image information including the image information as a part thereof and identification data associated therewith are stored in association with each other. Print data storage means; identification data input means for inputting identification data; identification data comparison means for comparing the identification data input from the identification data input means with the identification data stored in the print data storage means; Based on the comparison result in the identification data comparison unit, a control unit that extracts image information or a set of image information corresponding to the input identification data from the print data storage unit, and a set of the extracted image information or image information. Printing means for printing.

  Furthermore, in order to solve the above problem, the printing apparatus of the present invention includes a part designation information input unit for inputting part designation information for designating a specific part of image information in the set of image information, The control means extracts part of the designated image information from the set of image information based on the part designation information input to the part designation information input means.

  Furthermore, in order to solve the above problem, in the printing apparatus of the present invention, the print data storage means is associated with the image information or the set of image information and the identification data associated therewith. A password input means for the user to input the password, and a password for comparing the password input by the user with the password input means and the password stored in the print data storage means Comparing means, and the control means, based on the comparison result in the identification data comparison means and the password comparison result in the password comparison means, the image information corresponding to the inputted identification data or the image information The set is taken out from the print data storage means.

  By using the present invention, when it becomes necessary to additionally print a document created and printed by a personal computer or the like, it is possible to easily obtain an original printed document having high quality.

  At that time, a high-quality document can be reprinted only by the printer main body, and a quick and easy-to-use system can be realized.

  Further, by using the present invention, it is possible to selectively reprint only necessary pages when the original document is composed of a plurality of pages, and waste of paper and toner generated by printing up to unnecessary pages can be avoided. It is possible to avoid the problem that printing takes time.

  Furthermore, by using the present invention, it becomes possible to restrict the original document from being reprinted by anyone as necessary, and respond to the request when such measures are necessary for security. It becomes possible.

The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described.
Embodiments of a printing apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  A first embodiment will be described. First, an operation during normal printing will be described. Electronic data such as documents and drawings created by a host computer such as a personal computer is converted into print data for a printer by a printer driver in the host computer. This print data includes image information to be formed on the printer side which is the printing apparatus of this embodiment, and has a data format suitable for processing in the printer. The generated print data is sent to the printer side.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the printer of the first embodiment. The printer of this embodiment includes an identification data input unit 1, a print data storage unit 2, an identification data comparison unit 3, a control unit 4, a print engine 5, an identification data output unit 6, and a print data reception unit 12. The print data receiving unit 12 in the printer receives the print data sent from the host computer. The print data received by the print data receiving unit 12 is sent to the control unit 4 as image information. The control unit 4 processes the input image information and sends data and control information to the print engine 5 to perform printing in units of pages. The print engine 5 performs printing in units of pages based on the data and control information sent from the control unit 4 and outputs a print result.

  An example of the procedure for printing the identification data together with the printer when printing the document in the embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, start (S100) and receive print data (S101). The received print data is sent as image information to the control unit 4, and based on an instruction from the control unit 4, the identification data output unit 6 generates identification data to be output to the document (S 102) and transmits it to the print engine 5. To do. The print engine 5 prints the original image information data and the identification data sent from the identification data output unit 6 together (S103).

  FIG. 3 is an example of a document 8 printed with identification data. In this example, identification data 9 is printed in the lower right corner, which is the margin of the document. Here, character information composed of English letters and numbers is used as identification data.

  In this case, registration of identification data and image data is also performed at the same time. Based on an instruction from the control unit 4, the identification data used for printing is sent from the identification data output unit 6 to the print data storage unit 2. The image information used for printing is also sent from the print data receiving unit 12 to the print data storage unit 2. The print data storage unit 2 stores the identification data sent from the identification data output unit 6 and the image information inputted from the print data receiving unit 12 in association with each other based on an instruction from the control unit 4 ( S104), and the process ends (S105).

  FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of an example schematically showing the internal data structure of the print data storage unit 2. Identification data and corresponding image information data are stored in association with each other.

  Next, an example of a procedure for reprinting a document using a document printed with identification data will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, the process starts (S110), and the portion of the identification data 9 of the document printed with the identification data such as the document 8 shown in FIG. 3 is read using an optical scanner provided in the identification data input unit 1. (S111) to recognize the identification data. The recognized identification data (input identification data) is sent to the identification data comparison unit 3. The identification data comparison unit 3 sequentially compares the input identification data input from the identification data input unit 1 and the identification data (stored identification data) stored in the print data storage unit 2 to determine whether there is a match. (S112). When matching identification data is found, the comparison data comparison unit 3 transmits the result to the control unit 4, and the control unit 4 determines whether the identification data matches based on the comparison result from the identification data comparison unit 3. If there is, the print data storage unit 2 is instructed to output the image information of the corresponding identification data. The print data storage unit 2 outputs image information corresponding to the specified identification data to the control unit 4 based on the instruction from the control unit 4 (S113). The control unit 4 processes the image information output from the print data storage unit 2 and sends the data and control information to the print engine 5 to perform printing in units of pages. The print engine 5 performs reprinting in units of pages based on the data and control information sent from the control unit 4, outputs the print result (S114), and ends (S115). If there is no matching identification data, the process ends (S115).

  As described above, by using the printer of this embodiment, when it becomes necessary to print a document that has been printed once again, it is possible to easily obtain an original printed document with high quality. It is. At that time, a high-quality document can be reprinted only by the printer main body, and a quick and easy-to-use system can be realized.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example in which an optical scanner is provided in the identification data input unit 1 and the identification data 9 is read at the time of reprinting is shown. A software input means using a push button or a GUI (graphical user interface) may be provided, and the user may input identification data. In this case, if only the identification data to be input is known, there is an effect that reprinting is possible even without the original print document itself.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the identification data 9 is character data as shown in FIG. 3 is shown. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the one-dimensional barcode shown in FIG. Alternatively, the two-dimensional barcode type shown in FIG. 5B or other graphic data may be used. In that case, it is possible to improve the certainty of reading and recognition using an optical scanner in the identification data input unit 1 by selecting an appropriate code.

  In addition, in the correspondence between the identification data and the image information data shown in FIG. 4, each image information data not only indicates information of a single page, but in the case of a document composed of a plurality of pages, it corresponds to a plurality of pages or the entire document. The image information data including information may be associated with a single identification data. In this case, it is possible to reprint a plurality of pages or the entire document by inputting one piece of identification data at the time of reprinting, which improves user convenience.

  A second embodiment will be described. A description of the same parts as those in the first embodiment will be omitted. A feature of this embodiment is that a semiconductor chip is used for recording and recognition of identification data. In recent years, a small semiconductor chip of several hundred μm square that can be embedded in a product, a label, etc. and used for distribution management, such as a muchip (registered trademark) or a wireless IC tag, has become available. A paper in which such a semiconductor chip is embedded in advance is used as a print medium.

  First, a case where identification data is output together with an original document when it is printed will be described below. In this case, based on an instruction from the control unit 4, the identification data output unit 6 generates identification data to be output to the document and transmits it to the print engine 5. The print engine 5 is provided with a writing device for writing data to the semiconductor chip. The print engine 5 prints the original image information data, and writes and outputs the identification data on a semiconductor chip embedded in the print medium according to the information sent from the identification data output unit 6. Further, as in the first embodiment, at the time of the above, registration of identification data and image data is also performed in the print data storage unit 2 at the same time.

  Next, a case where the document is reprinted using the document printed with the identification data will be described. In this embodiment, the identification data input unit 1 is provided with a reading device for reading data from a semiconductor chip. The contents of the identification data recorded on the semiconductor chip embedded in the printed document are read by the reading device provided in the identification data input unit 1 to recognize the identification data. The recognized identification data (input identification data) is sent to the identification data comparison unit 3. Thereafter, the print result is output from the print engine 5 through the same process as in the first embodiment.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, when it becomes necessary to additionally print a document that has been printed once, it is possible to easily obtain an original printed document with high quality. Is possible. At that time, a high-quality document can be reprinted only by the printer main body, and a quick and easy-to-use system can be realized.

  In addition, it is not necessary to print the identification data in the margin by recording the identification data on the semiconductor chip embedded in the print medium, so that the print area of the main body can be secured to the maximum, and the appearance is also beautiful. There is also an effect.

  Next, a third embodiment will be described. A description of the same parts as those in the first embodiment will be omitted. The feature of this embodiment is that a hole is made in the medium to be printed in order to record the identification data.

  First, a case where identification data is output together with an original document when it is printed will be described below. In this case, based on an instruction from the control unit 4, the identification data output unit 6 generates identification data to be output to the document and transmits it to the print engine 5. The print engine 5 is provided with a punching device that punches holes in a medium to be printed. The print engine 5 prints the original image information data and is encoded according to the identification data on the medium 8 to be printed according to the information sent from the identification data output unit 6 as shown in FIG. Hole 10a is drilled and output. Further, as in the first embodiment, at the time of the above, registration of identification data and image data is also performed in the print data storage unit 2 at the same time.

  Next, a case where the document is reprinted using the document printed with the identification data will be described. In this embodiment, the identification data input unit 1 is provided with a reading device that reads a hole coded according to identification data. The hole 10a formed in the printed document is read by the reading device provided in the identification data input unit 1 to recognize the identification data. The recognized identification data (input identification data) is sent to the identification data comparison unit 3. Thereafter, the print result is output from the print engine 5 through the same process as in the first embodiment.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, when it becomes necessary to additionally print a document that has been printed once, it is possible to easily obtain an original printed document with high quality. Is possible. At that time, a high-quality document can be reprinted only by the printer main body, and a quick and easy-to-use system can be realized.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6A, an example in which the hole 10a coded according to the identification data is formed is shown. However, for example, as shown in FIG. Even if notches are provided, similar effects can be achieved.

  Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. Description of the same parts as those in the third embodiment is omitted. A feature of this embodiment is that identification data is recorded as Braille data on a printing medium.

  In the present embodiment, the print engine 5 is provided with a dot device for recording Braille data on a medium to be printed. Further, the identification data input unit 1 is provided with a reading device that reads the dotted braille. The other operation flow is almost the same as that shown in the third embodiment. In this way, according to the present embodiment, as in the case of the third embodiment, when it becomes necessary to print a document that has been printed once again, it is possible to easily obtain an original printed document having high quality. It is. At that time, a high-quality document can be reprinted only by the printer main body, and a quick and easy-to-use system can be realized.

  Next, a fifth embodiment will be described. Description of the same parts as those in the third embodiment is omitted. As shown in FIG. 7, the feature of this embodiment is that a magnetic material 11 is applied in advance to a medium 8 to be printed, and identification data is recorded on the magnetic material 11.

  In this embodiment, the print engine 5 is provided with a recording device that records identification data as magnetic information on a medium to be printed. Furthermore, the identification data input unit 1 is provided with a reading device that reads identification data information recorded as magnetic information. The other operation flow is almost the same as that shown in the third embodiment. In this way, according to the present embodiment, as in the case of the third embodiment, when it becomes necessary to print a document that has been printed once again, it is possible to easily obtain an original printed document having high quality. It is. At that time, a high-quality document can be reprinted only by the printer main body, and a quick and easy-to-use system can be realized.

  Next, a sixth embodiment will be described. A description of the same parts as those in the first embodiment will be omitted. FIG. 8 is a block diagram of the printer of this embodiment. The feature of this embodiment is that a print range input unit 7 is provided. As described in the first embodiment, a single identification data may be associated with image information data including information of a plurality of pages or the entire document. In such a situation, when reprinting a document printed with identification data, a range to be actually reprinted is input from the print range input unit 7 among the image information of a plurality of pages corresponding to the identification data. . Here, the printing range input unit 7 can use software input means using a mechanical push button or a GUI (graphical user interface).

  The case of normal printing and the case of printing together with identification data at the time of printing a document are the same as in the first embodiment (see FIG. 9A, S200 to S205).

  Next, an example of a procedure for reprinting a document using a document printed with identification data will be described with reference to FIG. First, the process starts (S210), reads and inputs the identification data 9 portion of the document printed with the identification data (S211), recognizes the identification data, and inputs the print range information (S212). The print range information input to the print range input unit 7 is sent to the control unit 4. Based on the print range information, the control unit 4 selectively extracts only the image information in the range specified by the print range information from the plurality of pages of image information sent from the print data storage unit 2 and prints it. Send to engine 5. Other than that, the print result is output from the print engine 5 in the same manner as in the first embodiment (S213 to S216).

  Thus, according to the present embodiment, in addition to the effects shown in the first embodiment, it is possible to selectively reprint only necessary pages when the original document is composed of a plurality of pages, which is unnecessary. It is possible to avoid problems such as waste of paper and toner generated by printing up to a large page and time-consuming printing.

  Next, a seventh embodiment will be described. A description of the same parts as those in the first embodiment will be omitted. FIG. 10 is a block diagram of the printer of this embodiment. A feature of the present embodiment is that a password input unit 13 and a password comparison unit 14 are provided. Further, as shown in FIG. 11, the print data storage unit 2 stores passwords in association with each identification data and corresponding image information data.

  The case of normal printing and the case of printing together with identification data when printing a document are the same as in the first embodiment (S300 to S305). The password is received together with the print data (S301), but can be stored in advance in the print data storage unit 2.

  Next, an example of a procedure for reprinting a document using a document printed with identification data will be described. First, the process starts (S310), and as described in the first embodiment, the identification data 9 is read by the identification data input unit 1 (S311). At the same time, the user inputs the password using a mechanical push button provided in the password input unit 13 or software input means using a GUI (graphical user interface) (S312). It is determined whether the input identification data matches the stored identification data (S313). The input password (input password) is sent to the password comparison unit 14. The password comparison unit 14 compares the input password input from the password input unit 13 with the password corresponding to the identification data output from the print data storage unit 2. The password comparison unit 14 transmits the comparison result to the control unit 4. Based on the identification data comparison result from the identification data comparison unit 3 and the password comparison result from the password comparison unit 14, the control unit 4 determines whether the identification data and the password match, An instruction is issued to output the image information of the corresponding identification data. Other than that, the print result is output from the print engine 5 in the same manner as in the first embodiment (S314 to S317). If one of the identification data and the password does not match, the process ends (S317).

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, in addition to the effects shown in the first embodiment, a password is used as necessary so that no one can reprint the original document. This makes it possible to meet demands when such measures are necessary for security.

  The identification data in the above embodiment can also be used as printing attribute information such as creator, creation date, printing date, and the like.

FIG. 3 is a block explanatory diagram of the printer according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a flowchart of an example of a printing and reprinting procedure in the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a document printed with identification data in the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of an internal data structure of a print data storage unit of the printer according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of an example of identification data in the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a document printed with identification data according to a third embodiment. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a document printed with identification data according to a fifth embodiment. FIG. 10 is a block explanatory diagram of a printer according to a sixth embodiment. Explanatory drawing of the flowchart of an example of the procedure of printing and reprinting in Example 6. FIG. FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a printer according to a seventh embodiment. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of an internal data structure of a print data storage unit 2 of a printer according to a seventh embodiment. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a flowchart of an example of a printing and reprinting procedure in the seventh embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Identification data input part 2 Print data memory | storage part 3 Identification data comparison part 4 Control part 5 Print engine 6 Identification data output part 7 Printing range input part 8 Printed document 9 Identification data 10a Identification data 10b Identification data 11 Identification data 12 Print Data receiver 13 Password input unit 14 Password comparison unit

Claims (9)

  Print data storage means for storing image information to be printed or a set of image information including the image information as a part thereof and identification data associated therewith, and identification data input means for inputting identification data , The identification data comparing means for comparing the identification data input from the identification data input means with the identification data stored in the print data storage means, and the input based on the comparison result in the identification data comparing means A printing apparatus comprising: control means for extracting image information or a set of image information corresponding to identification data from the print data storage means; and printing means for printing the extracted image information or set of image information.   The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising identification data output means for outputting the identification data in accordance with printing.   The printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the identification data output unit outputs the contents of the identification data as numerical values, characters, and / or graphic information.   3. The printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the identification data output means records and outputs the contents of the identification data as electrical information on a semiconductor chip embedded in paper or a medium corresponding to the paper used for print output. .   The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the identification data input unit inputs identification data recorded on a print medium and obtained from numerical value, character, and / or graphic information read by an optical scanner device.   The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the identification data input unit inputs the identification data by a keyboard or button operation.   2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the identification data input means reads and inputs identification data recorded as electrical information on a semiconductor chip embedded in paper used for printing output or a medium corresponding thereto.   Part specifying information input means for inputting part specifying information for specifying a specific part of image information in the set of image information, and the control means specifies the part specifying information input to the part specifying information input means The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a part of the specified image information is extracted from the set of image information based on the information.   In addition to the image information or the set of image information and the identification data associated therewith, the print data storage means stores a password associated with the image information, and a password for the user to input the password. A password input unit; and a password comparison unit that compares the password input by the user with the password input unit and the password stored in the print data storage unit, and the control unit compares the identification data in the identification data comparison unit. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image information or the set of image information corresponding to the input identification data is extracted from the print data storage unit based on a result and a password comparison result in the password comparison unit.

Images