JP2006076014A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve a matter that printing is performed over a large number of pages unexpectedly due to error of print data. <P>SOLUTION: The printer comprises a program for setting an initial limit value of print page at the time of starting a printer, a print control program for performing printing of a job, stopping printing of that job when the number of print pages exceeds an upper limit in the job and performing printing of a next job, a program according to which an operator inputs a print page limit value, an MPU for executing these programs, a nonvolatile memory for holding these programs and the default value of print page limit value even if power is turned off, a RAM for storing a program read out at the time of starting the printer, an operating panel for performing operation input of an operator, and a print mechanism section performing mechanical print operation onto a sheet. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a printer.

  Most conventional printers do not take measures to prevent an abnormally large number of printed pages from being discharged.

  For example, when erroneously generated PDL data that contains an abnormally large number of page break control codes is transmitted to a printer that supports a certain type of printer description language (PDL), or binary that is not in PDL format If the data is sent in error, many sheets are wasted and discharged. Here, the binary data means that arbitrary hexadecimal data (0x00 to 0xFF) is included in the data with respect to text data including only a character code such as ASCII code or SHIFT JIS code and a control code. To do. For example, an electronic file of an edited document by application software such as a word processor or spreadsheet software, an object program generated by a compiler, an execution program of an OS or application software, and the like correspond to the binary file here.

  In particular, in an application environment where unattended printing is used, it cannot be expected that the operator will perform an operation to stop abnormal discharge of printing paper. When many users wait for printing without stopping printing, and when the paper runs out, more time and money are lost for recovery.

  As a printing system for preventing wasteful printing and paper discharge, a management server for setting and managing the number of prints, a token generation means for generating a print token representing the right to execute printing on the management server, a token database, and token management There is known a printing system including a print management unit that refuses execution of printing by a printer driver with reference to a print token stored in a print token storage unit of a computer. (For example, Patent Document 1)

JP 2001-100960 A

  An object of the present invention is to prevent wasteful printing and discharging of paper as described above.

  The above purpose is to execute the print page initial setting procedure program that sets the default value of the print page limit value when starting up the printer, and when the job is printed, and when the upper limit value of the number of print pages is exceeded in the job, A print control program for stopping printing of the job and executing printing of the next job, a print page limit value input program for an operator to input a print page limit value, an MPU (microprocessor) for executing these programs, Non-volatile memory that stores and retains the default values of these programs and print page limit values even when the power is turned off, RAM that stores programs that are read when the printer is started up, an operation panel that provides operator input, and mechanical printing on paper This is achieved by providing a printing mechanism unit that performs various operations.

According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) When there is an error in the data sent by the host computer to the printer and a large amount of data corresponding to the page break control code is included, the printer prints faithfully to the page break designation by the data, meaningless A large amount of paper can be prevented from being discharged.
(2) Even if a print job with an unreasonably large number of pages, which is undesirable in terms of cost management of the printer, is sent to the printer, the unreasonable large number of prints can be suppressed with the limited number of pages.
(3) For each job, the user can specify the maximum number of print pages allowed for the job.
(4) Even if the user illegally specifies an excessively large print page limit value for a print job and attempts illegal mass printing, damage to such illegal printing can be reduced.
(5) The printer operator can change the maximum value of the print page limit in accordance with the application.
(6) In the automatic print mode, a print job exceeding the print limit page number is suspended.
The print job is stored in the printer, and the forced printing of the print job exceeding the print limit page number can be designated in the manual operation mode by the operator.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of the present invention. The printer 1 of the present invention communicates with a host computer 2 via a host interface unit 3. The host computer 2 creates print data and transmits it to the printer 1 side. The printer 1 executes printing by controlling the printing mechanism unit 8 by program control by the MPU 4.

  A program for controlling the printer 1 is stored in advance in the nonvolatile memory 6 and loaded into the RAM 4 by the MPU 4 and executed when the power is turned on.

  When a hard disk is used as the non-volatile memory 6, since the MPU 4 cannot directly execute the stored instructions, the program in the non-volatile memory (hard disk) is once loaded into the RAM 4 before being executed. In the case of a ROM device, the MPU 4 can read the program from the ROM and execute it directly. Therefore, the program may be loaded into the RAM 4, but it is not always necessary to load the program into the RAM 4.

  The non-volatile memory 6 stores a “print control program 9, print page limit value initial setting program 10, print page limit value input program 11, and print page limit value 12, which will be described later. Nonvolatile memory 6 for storing programs. When a ROM (Read Only Memory) is used, it is necessary to prepare a writable non-volatile memory for writing the print page limit value 12 separately from the ROM.

  The operation panel 5 has a display function for interacting with an operator and an operation input function. For example, a CRT or a liquid crystal display can be assumed as a display function, and a keyboard or a mouse can be assumed as an operation input function.

  FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of an interactive processing screen for allowing an operator to input a limit value for the number of printed pages. The operator inputs a limit value for the number of printed pages in a predetermined field in FIG. 2 and presses an OK button.

FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of the print page number limit value initial setting program 10. The program is read during initialization processing when the printer 1 is powered on or reset, and the initial value of the print page limit value is determined. That is, step factory default (The factory default) printing page limit value from the nonvolatile memory 6 in A010 reading the parameter values, stored in the variable P _F, the user default print page limit from the non-volatile memory 6 at step A020 read the parameter value (initial value of the user setting), it is stored in the variable P _U.

If the variable _{P U} is 0 (step A030), the user setting is determined to not set, the initial value of the user setting value is a factory default (step A040).

FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of the print page limit value input program 11. Step B010 displays a screen for inputting the print page number limit value shown in FIG. Step B020 waits for the operator to press the OK button or the CANCEL button. While waiting for this button to be pressed, execution of the program by the MPU moves to another task, so that the program execution time by the MPU is not monopolized by the print page limit value input program. When the operator presses the OK button, by substituting the limiting value of the input print page in the variable P _U (step B040), erases the screen for inputting a print page limit value (step B050), the current task A stop system call is issued (step B050). Thereby, after the program task shifts to the stop state, when an operation for inputting the print page limit value is performed again, the program task returns to the first processing step B010. When the operator presses the CANCEL button, without entering the value entered as the print page limit value in the variable P _U, by issuing a system call for stopping the own task to transfer the current task in a stopped state.

  FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of the print control program 9. The print control program 9 calls an automatic mode printing procedure and a manual mode printing procedure as subordinate procedures. The automatic mode printing procedure executes a function of automatically and continuously printing print jobs transmitted from the host computer and received by the printer. The manual mode printing procedure executes a function in which an operator manually prints for each print job.

  The printer of the present invention has the concept of automatic printing and manual printing as described above.

  The print control program 9 sets Auto to the variable PrintMode with the initial value of the print mode as automatic printing (step C010). In step C010, the initial operation mode of the printer is automatic printing. In step C020, it is determined whether the print mode is automatic printing or manual printing, and the automatic mode printing procedure or the manual mode printing procedure is called for each case (steps C030 and C040). When automatic mode printing is called, printing in units of jobs is executed continuously, and control returns to the print control program when the printing of the job is interrupted by the operator.

  When manual mode printing is called, printing is executed in units of jobs, and control is returned to the print control program every time printing in units of jobs is completed.

  When control returns from automatic mode printing or manual mode printing, the print control program waits for operation input (step C050) and waits for operation input until the operator resumes printing. While waiting for this operation input, the operator can change the print mode. That is, it is determined whether or not the print mode has been changed (step C070). If the print mode has been changed, if the manual print mode is specified, Manual is set in the variable PrintMode (step C090). For example, Auto is set in the variable PrintMode (step C100), and the process returns to the operation input waiting (step C050).

  When the operator resumes printing while waiting for an operation input in the printing step C050, the READY key is pressed. If it is determined in step C070 that the READY key has been pressed, the print control program returns control to step C020, and calls automatic mode printing or manual mode printing.

  FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of the automatic mode printing program. The automatic mode printing procedure is called from the printing control program and automatically continues printing in units of jobs unless printing is interrupted in the middle of the job.

Variable p is printed in the print job currently being processed Sumipeji number, the variable P _J, currently processed print page limit specified for the print job in, the variable P _U, and input setting operator from the panel This is the print page limit.

The automatic mode printing procedure initially sets p = 0 and P _J = 0 at step D010. In step D020, 1 reads the job unit received file, if specified print page number limit for the job in the print in the data, determined the value of P _J.

If the print page limit is not specified in the received print job, that is, if P _J = 0 (step D030), P _J ← P _U (step D040), panel setting or factory default the P _U and equivalence of printing limits the printing page limit.

If printed page limit P _J specified by the received job is greater than the panel setting or factory default print page limit P _U (step D050), or print Sumipeji number p, the same print job for more than the specified print page limit P _J limits the number of print pages to stop the printing of the print job.

  That is, when such a condition exceeding the print page limit value is satisfied, the print job is discarded (step D110). When an error message is notified by display as an error message notification method, the error message is displayed on the operation panel. Whether it is displayed on the apparatus (step D160), an error message is printed and notified (step D140), and the current print job file is deleted (step D150).

  On the other hand, in the setting of not discarding the same print job, the print job file status is set to print pending (step D120), the print job file is left in the printer without being erased, and is printed by manual mode printing later. You can also.

  When printing within one page unit within the job in step D080 is within the limited pages, page printing is performed until the condition of the end of printing of all pages (step D070) or the middle stop of the job (step D090) occurs. Is repeated to return to step D010 in order to proceed to printing of the next job after finishing printing of one job.

  FIG. 7 shows a flowchart of the manual mode printing program. The manual mode printing procedure is called from the printing control program, selects one job to be printed manually (step E010), and can execute printing by limiting the number of printed pages for the job. Since the restriction conditions and algorithm for the page are the same as those for automatic printing, detailed description is omitted.

  However, in the automatic mode printing procedure, if the number of pages to be printed is limited, printing is suspended or discarded, while the manual mode printing procedure displays a guidance message when the number of printed pages exceeds the limited number of pages. Thus, it is possible to forcibly print a job that exceeds the page restriction according to the operator's judgment.

The figure which shows the whole structure of this invention. The figure which shows the printing page number limit value input screen in this invention. 5 is a flowchart of a print page number limit value initial setting program according to the present invention. 6 is a flowchart of a print page number limit value input program according to the present invention. 5 is a flowchart of a print control program according to the present invention. The flowchart of an automatic mode printing program. 6 is a flowchart of a manual mode printing program according to the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 Printer 2 Host computer 3 Host interface 4 MPU
5 Operation panel 6 Non-volatile memory 7 RAM
8 Print Mechanism Unit 9 Print Control Program 10 Print Page Number Limit Value Initial Setting Program 11 Print Page Limit Value Input Program 12 Print Page Limit Value

Claims (9)

  A function that receives a command to set a limit value for the maximum number of paper discharges for a printed page, and stops printing the same print job if the number of printed pages reaches the maximum paper discharge number limit during job printing. A printer characterized by having.   A printer having a function of setting a limit value of the maximum number of sheets discharged on a print page as an initial value by an operator's operation input and storing the initial value in a nonvolatile memory for a print job.   2. The function according to claim 1, wherein the limit value is valid for print job data including a command for specifying the limit value, and has a function of returning to an initial value at the end of printing for each print job. Printer.   An initial value of a limit value of the maximum number of sheets discharged for a print job is stored in a nonvolatile memory, and the initial value is read from the nonvolatile memory after the power is turned on or after a printer reset operation. Printer.   If the default value for the maximum number of paper discharges for a print job is stored in the non-volatile memory together with the factory default value and the operator default value, if the operator default value is not entered If the initial value at the time of shipment from the factory is set to the same value as the paper discharge limit value and the initial value of the operator setting value is set, the initial value takes precedence over the initial value at the time of shipment. A printer characterized by being used as a printer.   When the maximum print page value for a job to be printed exceeds the maximum print page value specified by the operator's operation input, the print job is stored or discarded without printing. Printer.   If the maximum print page value specified for the job to be printed exceeds the maximum print page value specified by the operator's operation input, the print job is not printed and the error message and information that can distinguish the print job are printed out. Or a printer having a function of displaying and outputting the error message and information capable of discriminating a print job on the dialog processing means and discarding the job.   If the print page maximum value for the job to be printed exceeds the print page maximum value specified by the operator's operation input, the print job is printed together with the error message and information that can distinguish the print job without printing, Or a printer having a dialog unit having a function for displaying and outputting the error message and information capable of discriminating a print job on the dialog processing unit, and allowing the operator to select and specify whether or not to discard the job. . There are two print operation modes: manual print mode that starts printing in units of print jobs according to operator instructions, and automatic print mode that automatically and continuously executes print operations without operator instructions. If the selected job is stored in the printer without printing, and the printer is selected to print the stored print job that has been put on hold and stored in the manual print mode, the printing operation exceeds the print limit page number by the operator. A printer characterized in that an operation guide capable of selecting whether or not to execute is displayed on a dialog means, and a job exceeding the print limit page number can be printed.

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