JP2006205509A - Printer and print control program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a relief measure when a user is in trouble if job time-out occurs. <P>SOLUTION: A flag, which shows whether it is in the final state of a job or not, is set to a packet of job data received by a printer. The printer has a judging means for judging whether the flag is raised in the packet or not, and also, has a means for continuously receiving the job data when the job is not in the final state. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a print control apparatus and a job control method capable of communicating with a host apparatus serving as a host computer using a bidirectional interface.

  Conventionally, while the printer side is receiving job data from the host, if there is received data, it can be processed in the printer and printing can be done, but it takes time for processing in the host or the traffic on the network is busy If the data received from the host is interrupted and a certain period of time elapses, communication with the host is canceled by the job time-out function and printing of the printer is also terminated.

  Alternatively, even when the reception buffer in the printer is saturated and reception is impossible, the data received from the host is interrupted, which can cause a job timeout.

Another conventional example is, for example, Patent Document 1.
JP 11-134122 A

  However, in the above-described case, the job is canceled even for a job that does not want to time out the job, such as a large print file and a large amount of time for print processing.

  In order to solve such a problem, a function is provided in which it is determined whether or not the job data is a final job packet, and the printer waits for reception of the job data until the final job is reached.

  In such a case, the job data may be interrupted due to a crash on the host side, but the printer side still waits for job data even after restarting the host side. Therefore, in such a case, the restored host side provides a function of returning the printer to the normal printable state by notifying the printer that it is no longer necessary to wait for job data.

  In the first invention according to the present invention, a flag indicating whether or not the job is final is set in a packet of job data received by the printer, and the printer includes a determination unit that determines whether or not the flag is set in the packet. When the flag is not set, that is, when the job is not final, it has means for continuously receiving job data.

  The second invention according to the present invention has means for determining whether the end of the job has been reached on the printer driver side, and means for changing the state of one place in the unique saved file once the end of the job has been reached, In addition, a utility that is independent of the printer driver is activated only when the host is started, and has a means to access the saved file and refer to the status of one of them, indicating that the status is not the end of the job If so, the printer has means for issuing a command representing the end of the job.

  According to the present invention, when the job timeout time set by the printer cannot be changed, or when the printer job timeout time can be set, it is necessary to change the printer setting before printing. It is possible to extend the printer job timeout without being aware of it.

  In addition, it seems that the printer keeps waiting for job data even if it is restarted because the host has crashed while the job timeout is extended.

  In this case, the returned host notifies the printer that it is no longer necessary to wait for job data, so that the printer can be returned to the normal printable state, and it will wait for reception from one host indefinitely. It is canceled.

[Example 1]
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a printing system including a printing apparatus and a host.

  Reference numeral 1 denotes a printing apparatus which exchanges data with the host side (20) bidirectionally via a local or network medium 9.

  10 transmits job data to 1 and receives it at 2 which is an input unit. Various settings are made on the operation panel, and job timeout settings are also made here.

  Control is performed by 5 CPUs, and various programs are executed.

  The input unit 2, the output unit / printing unit 3, the panel operation unit / operation panel 4, the CPU 5, the ROM 6, and the RAM 7 are connected to the system bus 8 and exchange data.

  In the printer driver 11 in the host 10, the print data processing unit 13 generates print data, transmits the generated job data to 1 in the I / O communication unit 12, and receives data from 1.

  Further, the status flag indicating the final job data is set in the file 15 by the printer driver 11, and the saved file check unit 14 refers to the saved file 15 to check the status flag.

  FIG. 2 is a flow showing processing for performing job timeout.

  First, in flow 20, the printer confirms whether job data to be received has been received. If the job data that should be received is not received, count how much time has passed since the last reception, and check whether the job timeout time of the printer has already been set. Check (Flow 21).

  When the already set job timeout time has elapsed, a flag indicating whether or not the job is the last is confirmed in the last received job data packet (flow 22). If this flag is set (last job data), the timeout is executed as scheduled.

  If the packet flag does not represent the last job data, the printer forcibly waits for reception from the host and delays the timeout until the reception is completed (flow 23).

  However, if the host side crashes, the printer reception wait state will not change unless the host side is restarted. Therefore, as a measure for such a case, a timeout will occur if a considerable amount of time has passed. Thus, the processing is terminated (flows 24 and 25).

  Such a mechanism may be provided in advance for setting the flag for the job data, but a mechanism for setting the flag when setting on the UI of the printer driver is also conceivable. An example of the UI screen in the latter case will be described later.

  FIG. 3 shows the second invention, and is a flow showing changing the state of one place in the saved file when the printer driver reaches the end of the job.

  In flow 30, job data is transmitted from the lower module of the printer driver.

  When the job data reaches the end of the job (flow 31), the file stored in the predetermined location is accessed in flow 32, and the state of one certain place of the file is changed (a flag is set).

  If the job data is not at the end of the job, the setting of the flag of the file stored in the predetermined location does not change (the flag is not set).

  Figure 4 shows that a utility that is independent of the printer driver starts only when the host is started, accesses the saved file, references one of the states, and indicates that the state is not the end of the job. If there is, this is a flow indicating that a command indicating the end of the job is issued to the printer side.

  In the above description, the printer is set to wait for reception from the host while the flag is not set in the job data. In this case, even if the host is restarted if the host crashes, Regardless of the activation, the printer side continues to wait for reception from the host side.

  To avoid this, if the host is restarted, such as when the host crashes, the printer driver informs the printer that it does not have to wait for reception, The purpose is to release.

  The flow 40 starts the utility after starting the host and accesses a file stored in a predetermined location. If the status of one location in the file indicates the end of the job (the flag is set), nothing is done.

  The default when there is nothing is flagged.

  If the end of the job is not indicated (the flag is not set), it means that the printing has ended without being terminated for some reason at the time of the previous printing, so the printer may still be waiting for reception in that case There is sex.

  For this reason, the utility checks the flag of the saved file and, if the flag is set, communicates with the printer to check whether the printer is online.

  If the printer is in the online state, it can be seen that the printer is not in the reception waiting state, so the utility is terminated without doing anything.

  If the printer is not in an online state, the printer may be in a reception waiting state. In this case, a print end command is issued to the printer to release the printer reception waiting state.

  This utility is always started after the host is started, and performs processing according to this flow.

[Example 2]
FIG. 5 is a diagram of a printer driver UI when a flag is set in job data and setting is performed so that the job does not time out until the printer reaches the end of the job.

  In the first embodiment, a process for always setting a flag in a job data packet is shown. However, in the second embodiment, a flag is set only when the user sets it on the UI of the printer driver.

  In the device setting dialog in Fig. 50, check "Do not time out job until printing is finished" (item 51). When generating job data, no flag is set if the job is in progress, and flag is set at the end of the job. Is performed.

Schematic representing a printing system including a printing device and a host Flow showing processing to perform job timeout A flow to change the status of one location in the saved file when the printer driver reaches the end of the job If the utility that is independent of the printer driver starts only when the host is started, accesses the saved file, refers to the status of one of the files, and indicates that the status is not the end of the job, the printer side Flow that shows issuing a command that represents the end of the job Diagram of the printer driver UI when setting a flag in the job data so that the printer does not time out until the end of the job

Claims (4)

  Timeout is set when a certain period of time has elapsed after receiving job data from the host side, and there is a function that disconnects communication and returns to a printable state. It has an operation unit such as an operation panel that can be changed, has a function capable of bidirectional communication with the host side via a network or local connection, and has an analysis unit that can be interpreted when a command is received from the host side A printing apparatus characterized by determining the status of one location of job data, canceling the job timeout according to the status, and continuing reception from the host until the job data from the host reaches the end of the job.   Timeout is set when a certain period of time has elapsed after receiving job data from the host side, and there is a function that disconnects communication and returns to a printable state. It has an operation unit such as an operation panel that can be changed, has a function capable of bidirectional communication with the host side via a network or local connection, and has an analysis unit that can be interpreted when a command is received from the host side A printing apparatus having a function of canceling a job reception waiting state and performing a print end process when a print end command is received from the host side in a job reception waiting state.   It has a function that can generate and process job data in a format that can be interpreted by the printer, a function that allows bidirectional communication with a printing device via a network or local connection, and job data via a network or local connection. When the end of the job is stored in the job data and the flag setting is changed at the end of the job, or when the print job ends A print control program characterized by having a function of accessing a file stored in a predetermined location and changing the state of a certain location.   After the PC is started up, it has a means to start up itself, access a file stored in a predetermined location described in claim 3, and check the status of one location, and communicates with the printing device according to the status. A utility program having a function of issuing a command indicating the end of printing to the printing apparatus, releasing the reception waiting state of the printing apparatus, and returning to a normal printable state.

Images