JP2006326853A - Method of starting test mode of printer apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the ease of use by enabling many test modes to be executed by a simple operation while the number of selectable test modes is prevented from being limited by the number of buttons prepared in a printer apparatus which has no display part such as an LCD. <P>SOLUTION: The printer apparatus is equipped with a power supply switch, a power button and a function button. In the method of starting the test mode, first it is determined whether or not the power button is depressed when the power supply switch is turned on by a user (S1). When it is determined that the power button is depressed, the number of times whereby the function button is depressed is counted (S2). The counted number is fixed when the power button is depressed again (S3). One mode among a plurality of kinds of the test modes is started on the basis of the counted number (S4-S7). Many test modes are enabled to be carried out without being limited by the number of prepared buttons. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a test mode activation method for selecting and activating any one of a plurality of predetermined test modes set in a printer apparatus.

  In general, in printers and printer multifunction devices that record images or the like on paper or the like, a test mode that is an operation mode for testing these functions is provided in addition to a normal mode in which a normal operation is performed. As a test mode of such a printer device, for example, there are various test modes such as a mode for printing a test pattern and a mode for printing out data stored in a storage device inside the device. Such a test mode is executed less frequently. Therefore, conventionally, a printer device has been used that can activate the test mode only when the user intends by using a special procedure for the test mode activation method.

As such a printer device, for example, as described in Patent Document 1, a test mode is selected by turning on / off a plurality of switches on an operation panel when power is turned on. ing. By using such a test mode activation method, it is possible to prevent the test mode from being unintentionally activated due to an erroneous operation during normal operation. Further, as described in Patent Document 2, it has a display unit, and a plurality of test modes are displayed on the display unit by operating predetermined function keys when the power is turned on. There is known a printer device that selects and activates one test mode from a plurality of test modes. The test mode activation method using such a display unit can select a test mode from among the test modes displayed on the display unit, so that there are more types of test modes than the number of function keys provided. Each can be selected and activated.
JP-A-2-219676 JP-A-6-166246

  However, the method described in Patent Document 1 described above has a problem that test mode types can be selected only by the number of combinations of buttons that are pressed when the power switch is turned on. That is, when the number of buttons provided on the apparatus is small, the number of selectable test modes is small. The method described in Patent Document 2 can select one from a plurality of test modes, but is not applied to a printer apparatus that does not have a display unit. A display unit such as an LCD as described above is often not provided for cost reduction.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and in a printer apparatus that does not have a display unit such as an LCD, the number of selectable test modes is limited to the number of buttons provided in the printer apparatus. An object of the present invention is to provide a test mode activation method for a printer apparatus that can execute many test modes with a simple operation and is easier to use.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is provided with a power switch for supplying power to the apparatus and a user operably arranged. When the power switch is turned on, a normal print is performed. A power button for starting / ending a normal mode for performing an operation, and a function button arranged to be operable by a user and executing a predetermined function when pressed, and the state and setting conditions of the device are indicated by characters or A test mode activation method for selecting and activating any one of a plurality of predetermined types of test modes for a printer device that does not have a displayable portion that can be displayed as a graphic, wherein the power switch is turned on. A first step of determining whether the power button is pressed, and determining that the power button is pressed in the first step. A second step of counting the number of times the function button is pressed in a range from 0 to 255 times, and when the count number in the second step is 1 or more and the power button is pressed A third step of determining the count number, and a fourth step of activating one test mode among a plurality of types of test modes based on the count number determined in the third step. It is a thing.

  The invention of claim 2 includes a power switch for supplying power to the apparatus, and a plurality of buttons that are arranged to be operated by a user and that execute a predetermined function when pressed. And a test mode activation method for selecting and activating any one of a plurality of predetermined test modes for a printer apparatus that does not have a display unit capable of displaying the setting conditions in characters or graphics, the power supply When the switch is turned on, a first step of determining whether or not a predetermined first button of the plurality of buttons is pressed, and the first button is pressed in the first step A second step of counting the number of times a second button different from the first button is pressed among the plurality of buttons, and during the processing of the second step, Based on the third step of determining the count number in the second step when the first button is pressed and the count number determined in the third step, 1 And a fourth step of activating one test mode.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the printer device is provided with a third button in addition to the first and second buttons, and the second button is provided in the second step. And the third button are counted, and in the fourth step, one test mode is activated based on the respective count numbers for the second button and the third button. It is.

  According to the invention of claim 1, when the power switch is turned on while the power button is pressed, the number of times the function button is pressed is counted, and when the power button is pressed again, the test corresponding to the number of times is pressed. Since the mode is activated, the number of selectable test modes is not limited to the number of buttons provided in the printer apparatus. As a result, even in a printer apparatus that does not have a display unit, many test modes can be executed by simple operations, and the usability of the printer apparatus can be improved. Also, since the count number is 0 to 255, the information amount of the count number is 8 bits, and such a test mode activation method can be easily implemented.

  According to the invention of claim 2, when the power switch is turned on while the first button is pressed, the number of times the second button is pressed is counted, and when the first button is pressed again, Since the test mode corresponding to the number of times is activated, the number of selectable test modes is not limited to the number of buttons provided in the printer apparatus. As a result, as described above, even in a printer apparatus that does not have a display unit, many test modes can be executed with simple operations, and the usability of the printer apparatus can be improved.

  According to invention of Claim 3, since one test mode is started based on each count number of the 2nd button and the 3rd button, rather than when selecting using the count number of 1 button, a user The number of times the button is pressed is reduced, and the usability of the printer apparatus can be improved.

  Hereinafter, a printer apparatus to which a test mode activation method according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings. First, an example of a printer apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. The printer device 1 includes a power switch 2 for supplying power to the printer device 1, an operation unit 3, a control unit 4, and a printing unit 5 that performs a printing operation for recording an image or the like on a recording medium such as recording paper. And a storage unit 6 that communicates with the control unit 4 and stores data, and a lamp 7 that includes LEDs and indicates the operation state of the printer apparatus 1 by lighting. The power switch 2 and the operation unit 3 are arranged so that they can be operated by the user. The control unit 4, the print unit 5, and the storage unit 6 are stored inside the printer device 1. The lamp 7 is provided so as to be exposed to the outside at a position that can be confirmed by the user. For example, when a paper jam or the like occurs, the lamp 7 is controlled and turned on by the control unit 4. The user can know the current state of the printer apparatus 1 by lighting the lamp 7. The printer device 1 does not have a display unit such as an LCD (liquid crystal display) that can display the state and setting conditions of the printer device 1 with characters or graphics.

  The operation unit 3 includes a power button (first button) 3a and a function button (second button) 3b as buttons for executing a predetermined function when pressed. The power button 3 a of the operation unit 3 is pressed when the power switch 2 is turned on to start / end the normal mode in which the normal printing operation of the printer device 1 is performed. When the function button 3b is pressed, for example, a function to feed a sheet in a direction of discharging the sheet is executed. However, the function button 3b is not limited to this. The operation unit 3 is provided on the upper surface or the front surface of the printer device 1 so that the user can easily operate it, but is not limited thereto.

  The control unit 4 activates various operation modes and controls the printer apparatus 1 such as the operation of the printing unit 5. As various operation modes, there are a normal mode and a test mode. The normal mode is an operation mode in which the normal printing operation of the printer apparatus 1 is performed as described above. In the normal mode, the control unit 4 causes the print unit 5 to perform a printing operation such as data input from an external device, for example, and records it as an image or the like on a recording sheet. The test mode is an operation mode for testing the function and state of the printer apparatus 1. As this test mode, for example, a test mode for printing a test pattern to confirm the state of the printing unit 5, a test mode for printing out data stored in the storage unit 6, and a history of printing operations are displayed. There are various types such as a test mode for printing out, but it is not limited to these. Each of the plurality of types of test modes has a correspondence relationship with a count number described later.

  Note that the printer apparatus 1 is not limited to the printer that performs only the printing operation as described above, and may be a printer multifunction machine having a scanner function or the like, for example.

  Hereinafter, an example of an operation for starting the normal mode of the printer apparatus 1 will be described. When the power switch 2 is turned on, the printer device 1 is in an idle state, the control unit 4 is in a standby state, and the printing unit 5 is in a stopped state. At this time, when the power button 3a is pressed, the control unit 4 activates the normal mode, and the printing unit 5 can perform a printing operation. At this time, when the function button 3b is pressed, for example, a sheet feeding function or the like by the printing unit 5 is executed under the control of the control unit 4. When the power button 3a is pressed while the control unit 4 is controlling in the normal mode, the normal mode is terminated and the printer apparatus 1 returns to the idle state again. That is, the user operates the printer apparatus 1 in the normal mode by pressing the power button 3a in an idle state where the power switch 2 is on during normal use. In addition, by pressing the function button 3b, a predetermined function such as paper feeding or printing stop is executed.

  Next, a test mode starting method of the printer apparatus 1 will be described. The test mode activation method is to select and activate any one of a plurality of predetermined test modes set in the printer apparatus 1 as described above. This test mode activation method is performed by the control unit 4 and includes the first to fourth steps. In the following description, a plurality of types of test modes as described above will be described as test mode 1, test mode 2, test mode 3,.

  In the test mode starting method, first, when the power switch 2 is turned on by the user, a first step of determining whether or not the power button (first button) 3a is pressed is performed (S1). At this time, when it is determined that the power button 3a is pressed, a second step as will be described later is executed. When it is determined that the power button 3a is not pressed, as described above, the printer 1 Is in an idle state (S10).

  When it is determined that the power button 3a is pressed in the first step, a second step of counting the number of times the function button 3b is pressed is performed (S2). The count number is temporarily stored in the storage unit 6, for example. Here, in the present embodiment, the number of times is counted in the range of 0 to 255 times, but is not limited thereto.

  When the power button 3a is pressed during the processing of the second step, a third step for determining the number of counts in the second step is performed (S3). Here, in the present embodiment, when the power button 3a is pressed when the count number in the second step is 1 or more, the count number is determined. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Absent.

  When the count number is determined in the third step, a fourth step of activating one of a plurality of types of test modes is performed based on the count number. That is, in the fourth step, for example, the count number stored and fixed in the storage unit 6 is determined, and the count number is selected from a plurality of types of test modes each having a corresponding relationship with the count number. Select and start the corresponding test mode. In the present embodiment, the fourth step is performed by determining the count number in ascending order. For example, when the count number determined in the third step is 1, by determining that the count number is 1 (S4), the test mode 1 set corresponding to the count number 1 is activated. (S11). Similarly, when it is determined that the count number is 2 (S5), the test mode 2 corresponding to this count number is activated (S12). Similarly, in the present embodiment, 255 types of test modes from the test mode 1 to the test mode 255 can be activated in accordance with the determined count number. It should be noted that the number of the plurality of types of test modes may not be the same as the number of times counted, but may be a number smaller than the number of counts. At this time, one test mode may be set corresponding to a plurality of types of count numbers, for example, test mode 1 is activated when the count number is 1 or 11.

  The user can select and activate the test mode by the above-described test mode activation method according to the following procedure. First, in a state where the power switch 2 is off, the power switch is turned on while pressing the power button 3a (corresponding to the processing of the first step). That is, the user turns on the power switch 2 while pressing the power button 3a, thereby setting the printer apparatus 1 in a state for selecting and starting the test mode instead of the normal idle state. Next, the function button 3b is repeatedly pressed by the same predetermined number as the count corresponding to the test mode to be activated (corresponding to the process in the second step). When the function button 3b is pressed a predetermined number of times, the power button 3a is pressed (corresponding to the processing in the third step). When the power button 3a is pressed, the above-described fourth step is performed, and a test mode corresponding to the determined count number is activated. That is, the user selects the test mode by pressing the function button 3b a predetermined number of times, and then executes the selected test mode by pressing the power button 3a.

  As described above, when the power switch 2 is turned on while the power button 3a is pressed, the number of times the function button 3b is pressed is counted, and when the power button 3a is pressed again, the number of times the function button 3b is pressed. Therefore, the number of selectable test modes is not limited to the number of buttons provided on the printer apparatus 1. As a result, even in the printer device 1 that does not have a display unit, many test modes can be executed with simple operations, and the usability of the printer device 1 can be improved. Further, in the present embodiment, the count number is set to 0 to 255, and the information amount of the count number is 8 bits. Therefore, such a test mode starting method can be easily implemented.

  Here, when the printer apparatus 1 has the above-described power button 3a and function button 3b, that is, the third button (not shown) in addition to the first button 3a and the second button 3b, these You may select and activate one test mode among a plurality of types of test modes using three buttons. Such a test mode activation method counts the number of times the second button 3b and the third button are pressed in the second step of the above-described embodiment. Then, in the fourth step, one test mode corresponding to the count number is activated from the plurality of test modes based on the respective count numbers for the second button 3b and the third button. Thus, since the number of counts is two types, the second button 3b and the third button, the number of times the user presses the button to select the test mode rather than using the count number of one button. As a result, the usability of the printer apparatus 1 can be improved.

  At this time, a plurality of types of test modes are classified into two categories according to the test target, and the test modes of the respective categories correspond to the count numbers of the second button 3b and the third button, respectively. It may be set. For example, when the printer apparatus 1 is a printer multifunction device having a scanner function, a plurality of types of test modes are classified into two categories of a plurality of test modes related to the printer function and a plurality of test modes related to the scanner function. Is set in advance in association with the count number of the button 3b and the count number of the third button. With this configuration, the test mode activation method can be more intuitively operated by the user to easily select an appropriate test mode, and the usability of the printer apparatus 1 is further improved.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the structure of the said embodiment, A various deformation | transformation is possible suitably in the range which does not change the meaning of invention. For example, in the first step, the first button for determining whether or not the power switch 2 is being pressed when the power switch 2 is turned on is not limited to the power button 3a but may be another button. The user can select the test mode in the same manner by turning on the power switch 2 while pressing the button.

1 is a perspective view of a printer apparatus to which a test mode activation method according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. The block block diagram of a printer apparatus same as the above. The flowchart which shows the procedure of a test mode starting method same as the above.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printer apparatus 2 Power switch 3a Power button (1st button)
3b Function button (second button)
S1 1st step S2 2nd step S3 3rd step S4, S5, S6, S7 4th step

Claims (3)

A power switch for supplying power to the apparatus, and a power button that is arranged to be operable by a user and activates / ends a normal mode in which a normal printing operation is performed when the power switch is pressed. A printer that is arranged so as to be operable by the user and has a function button that executes a predetermined function when pressed, and does not have a display unit that can display the state of the apparatus and setting conditions in characters or graphics A test mode activation method for selecting and activating any one of a plurality of predetermined test modes of an apparatus,
A first step of determining whether the power button is depressed when the power switch is turned on;
A second step of counting the number of times the function button is pressed in a range from 0 to 255 when it is determined that the power button is pressed in the first step;
A third step of determining the count when the count in the second step is 1 or more and the power button is pressed;
And a fourth step of activating one test mode among a plurality of types of test modes based on the count determined in the third step. . A power switch for supplying power to the device and a plurality of buttons that are arranged to be operated by the user and that execute a predetermined function when pressed down are provided. A test mode activation method for selecting and activating any one of a plurality of predetermined test modes of a printer device that does not have a display unit that can be displayed in
A first step of determining whether or not a predetermined first button of the plurality of buttons is pressed when the power switch is turned on;
A second count that counts the number of times a second button different from the first button is pressed among the plurality of buttons when it is determined that the first button is pressed in the first step. And the steps
A third step of determining the number of counts in the second step when the first button is pressed during the processing of the second step;
And a fourth step of activating one test mode among a plurality of types of test modes based on the count determined in the third step. . The printer device includes a third button in addition to the first and second buttons,
In the second step, the number of times each of the second button and the third button is pressed is counted,
3. The test mode activation of the printer apparatus according to claim 2, wherein in the fourth step, one test mode is activated based on the respective count numbers for the second button and the third button. Method.

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