JP2013210885A - Print control unit, print system, and print control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To control printers by using a print control command on the premise of a one-to-one connection even when hosts and the printers have a configuration having a ratio of more than one to one or a ratio of more than one to more than one thereamong.SOLUTION: A print control unit 31 connected to hosts 20 and printers 32 comprises: a print data reception section 81 for receiving print data described in a markup language from the hosts 20; a command generation section 82 that adds an initialization command and generates a print instruction command prior to the print data; and a command transmission section 83 for transmitting the generated print instruction command to the printers 32.

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing control apparatus, a printing system, and a printing control method for controlling a printing apparatus with a printing control command based on a 1: 1 connection.

  Conventionally, an ESC / POS (registered trademark) command, which is a de facto industry standard, is known as a command for controlling peripheral devices such as a printing apparatus (receipt printer) from a POS (Point Of Sales) terminal. (For example, patent document 1).

JP 2005-343028 A

  By the way, the ESC / POS (registered trademark) command is based on the assumption that the POS terminal and the printing apparatus are connected in a 1: 1 ratio. For this reason, a problem occurs when the POS terminal and the printing apparatus have a multi: 1 or multi: multi configuration due to network connection. For example, if the current printing is closed due to an abnormal end, the printing apparatus is not initialized, and the subsequent print command from another POS terminal cannot be processed normally. In addition, when the setting of the printing apparatus is changed from the POS terminal, the setting value remains in the printing apparatus, so that subsequent printing commands from other POS terminals cannot be processed normally.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a print control apparatus capable of controlling a printing apparatus using a print control command that assumes a 1: 1 connection even when the host and the printing apparatus have a multi: 1 or multi: multi configuration. It is an object of the present invention to provide a printing system and a printing control method.

  The print control apparatus of the present invention includes a print data receiving unit that receives print data described in a markup language from a host, and a command generation that generates a print instruction command by adding an initialization command before the print data. And a command transmission unit that transmits a print instruction command to the printing apparatus.

  According to the print control method of the present invention, a print control apparatus receives print data described in a markup language from a host, adds an initialization command before the print data, generates a print instruction command, and generates a print instruction. The command is transmitted to the printing apparatus.

According to these configurations, an initialization command is added in front of print data transmitted from the host to generate a print instruction command, and this is transmitted to the printing apparatus. Therefore, an ESC / POS (registered trademark) command, etc. The printing apparatus can be controlled using a print control command that assumes a 1: 1 connection. For example, even if the previous printing based on the print command from the host a is not normally completed, the initialization command is added before the print data from the subsequent host b, so that the command string can be processed normally. it can. Also, when the setting of the printing apparatus has been changed by a command from the host a, the initialization command is added before the print data from the host b to return to the initialization state. The print data can be interpreted normally. As described above, the existing printing apparatus can be made to correspond to a plurality of hosts while maintaining the conventional command system. In addition, since the host describes the print data in a highly compatible markup language (XML, HTML, XHTML, etc.), the host platform is not limited. For example, a host that operates on a driverless platform such as various tablet terminals and embedded devices can be used.
In the print control apparatus, the command generation unit generates a print instruction command by adding a status acquisition command for acquiring the status of the printing apparatus after the print data, and acquires a response to the print instruction command from the printing apparatus. A response acquisition unit and a response return unit that returns a print result based on the response to the host are provided.

According to this configuration, since the response to the print instruction command (status acquisition command) is returned after the printing apparatus finishes the printing operation, the host can grasp that the print data has been processed normally by the printing apparatus. it can.
The “printing device status” indicates status information such as the presence / absence of paper in the printing device, online / offline, ink / toner remaining amount, battery remaining amount, and the like. The “print result” indicates information indicating success / failure of printing.
The print control apparatus may transmit “printing apparatus status” to the host instead of transmitting “printing result”.

  In the above print control device, the initialization command includes a valid command for validating the status returned mainly by the printing device, and the response acquisition unit responds to the status acquisition command from the transmission of the print instruction command. Until the response is received, the status transmitted from the printing apparatus is acquired, and the response reply unit returns the latest status acquired by the response acquisition unit to the host together with the print result.

According to this configuration, the host can know not only the printing result (printing success / printing failure) but also the status (state) of the latest printing apparatus.
In this configuration, it is assumed that the printing apparatus can process an ASB (Auto Status Back) valid command. In addition, the “status that the printer mainly responds” is the status information automatically sent from the printer when the status of the printer changes (cover open / out of paper / printing completed, etc.). Point to.

  In the above print control apparatus, when print data is transmitted from the host, the command generation unit generates a pre-print command in which a status acquisition command is added after the empty print data before generating the print instruction command, and transmits the command. The printing unit transmits a pre-printing command to the printing apparatus, and determines that the printing apparatus is in a state incapable of printing from the response to the pre-printing command acquired by the response acquisition unit. The print canceling process includes a process of notifying the host that is the print data transmission stop and a process of canceling the transmission of the print instruction command to the printing apparatus.

According to this configuration, it is possible to determine whether or not the printing apparatus can print before executing printing. As a result, when the printing apparatus is in a state in which printing is not possible, the print cancellation process can be easily performed. In addition, since the printing stop is notified to the host, the host side can grasp the state of the printing apparatus.
Even when a plurality of printing apparatuses are connected and there is no printing apparatus designated by the host, it is preferable to perform the print canceling process.

  In the above print control apparatus, the host includes a browser control unit that operates a Web browser, the print control apparatus includes an HTTP server, and the host receives print data using a script or a plug-in that operates on the Web browser. And generating a print request by HTTP to the print control apparatus.

According to this configuration, since the print data is generated by the Web browser, the present invention can be applied to cloud computing (public cloud / private cloud).
Note that the host environment may be a native application by providing the print control apparatus with an HTTP server and implementing a series of processes using a Web service. According to this configuration, the host platform can be made unquestioned.

  In the above print control apparatus, when the markup schema includes a validity verification unit that verifies the validity of the print data, and the print cancellation processing unit is determined as invalid print data by the validity verification unit, It is characterized by performing a print cancel process.

  According to this configuration, the validity of the print data can be verified by using the markup schema.

  The printing system of the present invention includes a first host that transmits print data described in a markup language, a second host that transmits print data described in a markup language, a first host, and a second host Printing apparatus for printing the print data transmitted from the host, the print data receiving unit for receiving the print data from the first host and the second host, and an instruction for adding an initialization command before the print data And a print control apparatus having a command generation section for generating a command and a command transmission section for transmitting a print instruction command to the printing apparatus.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to realize a printing system that can control a printing apparatus using a print control command that assumes a 1: 1 connection even when the host and the printing apparatus have a multi: 1 or multi: multi configuration.

The following configuration can be adopted. In the above print control apparatus, it is possible to connect to a plurality of hosts, and it is preferable that the response reply unit sends a reply to a host that is a transmission source of print data among the plurality of hosts. According to this configuration, only the host that is the transmission source of the print data among the plurality of hosts can know the processing result of the print data. In other words, print results for print data transmitted by other hosts are not unnecessarily acquired.
In the above-described print control apparatus, it is preferable that the print cancellation process includes a process of transmitting a buffer clear command, which is a real-time command for clearing the buffer of the printing apparatus, to the printing apparatus. According to this configuration, even when the previous printing does not end normally and a command remains in the buffer of the printing apparatus, the next printing can be processed normally.
Further, in the above print control device, it is possible to connect to a plurality of printing devices, and printing device designation information for designating a printing device to be printed is added to the print data transmitted from the host, and a command is transmitted. The unit preferably transmits the print instruction command to the printing apparatus designated by the printing apparatus designation information. According to this configuration, the present invention can be applied in a network environment in which a plurality of printing apparatuses are connected.
Further, in the above print control device, a plurality of printing device information acquisition units that acquire printing device information that is information about each printing device from each connected printing device, and a plurality of printing device information of each acquired printing device. It is preferable that each of the hosts displays the notified printing device information of each printing device and designates a printing device to be printed from among them. According to this configuration, printing device information acquisition / notification means and printing device designation means can be provided to the host. That is, these processes by the host can be made unnecessary.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printing apparatus including the units of the above-described print control apparatus, and functioning as one of a plurality of printing apparatuses. According to this configuration, the present invention can be applied to a network environment in which a printing apparatus including each unit of the printing control apparatus is a parent machine and another printing apparatus is a child machine.

1 is a system configuration diagram of a printing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. (A) is a control block diagram of the Web application server, and (b) is a control block diagram of the host. It is a control block diagram of a printing apparatus with an intelligent function. It is a figure which shows the mounting layer of a printing control apparatus. 1 is a functional block diagram of a printing system according to a first embodiment. (A) is a figure which shows the command sequence of the printing instruction command which concerns on 1st Embodiment, (b) is a figure which shows the command sequence of the command before printing. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of print control according to the first embodiment. It is a functional block diagram of the printing system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the command sequence of the blank printing command which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a functional block diagram of the printing system which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. (A) is a table | surface which shows the relationship between the specification of a printing apparatus, a mounted character, and a character code, (b) is a table | surface which shows the relationship between a language attribute and a character code switching command. It is a figure which shows the command sequence of the printing instruction command which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the print data which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. (A)-(c) is a figure which shows the printing result at the time of printing the printing data of FIG. 13 using the printing apparatus of Japanese specification, Korean specification, and ANK specification, respectively. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of print control according to a third embodiment. It is a functional block diagram of the printing system which concerns on 4th Embodiment. (A) is a figure which shows the data arrangement | sequence of a raster graphics command, (b) is a figure which shows the data arrangement | sequence of a bit image command. (A) to (d) are commands for print instruction commands in the normal mode, monochrome, no division, normal mode, monochrome, division, page mode, monochrome, no division, page mode, monochrome, division, respectively. It is a figure which shows a column. (A) to (d) are printing in normal mode, grayscale, no division, normal mode, grayscale, division, page mode, grayscale, no division, page mode, grayscale, division, respectively. It is a figure which shows the command sequence of an instruction command. (A) to (d) are commands for print instruction commands in the normal mode, color, no division, normal mode, color, division, page mode, color, no division, page mode, color, division, respectively. It is a figure which shows a column. It is a figure which shows an example of the print data which concerns on 4th Embodiment. (A) is a figure which shows an example of an image file, (b), (c) is the printing data of FIG. 21 using the printing apparatus corresponding to monochrome printing and monochrome printing / 4-bit gray scale, respectively. It is a figure which shows the printing result at the time of printing. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of print control according to a fourth embodiment. (A) is a diagram showing a system configuration when a printing apparatus with an intelligent function is a master unit and a plurality of printing apparatuses not equipped with an intelligent function are slave units, (b) is a diagram showing a plurality of printing FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a system configuration when a plurality of printing apparatuses are shared by a control apparatus.

  Hereinafter, a printing system SY according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Usually, when printing is performed from a tablet terminal or a smartphone, it is necessary to prepare a print application and a print driver compliant with the OS of the terminal for each OS. On the other hand, in the printing system SY of the present invention, an XML (Extensible Markup Language) Web service print function (print control device) corresponding to a print driver is installed in the printing device, so that printing can be performed without depending on the OS. It can be carried out. That is, the printing apparatus can be operated using a Web browser without installing a dedicated print driver on the host side. Hereinafter, a printing apparatus equipped with the XML Web service print function is referred to as a “printing apparatus with an intelligent function”. On the other hand, a printing apparatus not equipped with the XML Web service print function is simply referred to as “printing apparatus”.

[overall structure]
The overall configuration of the printing system SY will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of the printing system SY. The printing system SY includes a Web application server 10, a plurality of hosts 20 (host a, host b), a print control device 31, and a plurality of printing devices 32 (printing device A and printing device B). The printing control device 31 and one printing device 32 (printing device A) are incorporated in the printing system SY as the printing device 30 with an intelligent function. Therefore, the printing apparatus A and the printing apparatus B have a parent machine-child machine relationship.

  The web application server 10 and the host 20 are connected via a network such as the Internet. The host 20 and the print control apparatus 31 are connected via a network such as a wired / wireless LAN. The host 20 is a POS (Point Of Sales) terminal installed at a cash register counter of a retail store, for example. The intelligent function-equipped printing device 30 and the printing device 32 are, for example, a receipt printer that issues an accounting receipt, or a kitchen printer installed in a kitchen.

  Next, the control configuration of the Web application server 10, the host 20, and the intelligent function printing apparatus 30 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2A is a diagram illustrating a control configuration of the Web application server 10. The Web application server 10 has a hardware configuration (not shown) mounted on a general computer, in addition to the control unit 11, the communication unit 12, and the storage unit 13. The control unit 11 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and the like. The storage unit 13 is, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and stores an HTTP server 15 and a Web application 16.

  The communication unit 12 is an interface for communicating with the host 20 (Web browser 27). Communication between the Web application server 10 and the host 20 is performed by the HTTP server 15 based on HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol). That is, the Web application server 10 receives an HTTP request from the host 20 (Web browser 27), and the Web page 40 (FIG. 1) provided by the Web application 16 based on a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) included in the HTTP request. Reference) is transmitted to the host 20.

  The web page 40 incorporates a page control script (JavaScript (registered trademark)) for controlling the web page 40 itself, a print control script (JavaScript (registered trademark)) for performing print control, and the like. . The host 20 performs a printing process by executing a print control script in the web browser 27 (inside the web page 40).

  FIG. 2B is a diagram illustrating a control configuration of the host 20. The host 20 includes a control unit 21, a display unit 22, a communication unit 23, a storage unit 24, and an operation unit 25. The control unit 21 has a CPU and the like and controls the entire host 20.

  The display unit 22 displays a web page 40 acquired (downloaded) by the web browser 27 on the web browser 27, and displays various notification screens and various setting screens associated with operations of the web browser 27. The operation unit 25 is used to perform various operations such as a print instruction on the Web page 40 displayed by the Web browser 27. For example, when the host 20 is a POS terminal and the Web application 16 is a POS application, the barcode reading result (product name, unit price, quantity, etc. of the purchased product) and the accounting result are displayed as the Web page 40. In addition, a printing instruction is performed by pressing an “accounting key” provided on the host 20 (operation of the operation unit 25). The display unit 22 and the operation unit 25 may be configured as separate hardware, or may be configured integrally as a touch panel.

  The communication unit 23 is an interface for communicating with the Web application server 10 and the print control device 31. As described above, the host 20 communicates with the Web application server 10 and the print control device 31 using the Web browser 27.

  The storage unit 24 is an HDD, for example, and stores a web browser 27. In the present embodiment, a single function browser (standard browser) that does not support plug-in modules is used as the Web browser 27. The control unit 21 uses the web browser 27 to access the web application server 10 via the communication unit 23 and acquires the web page 40 provided by the web application 16.

  Further, as described above, the page control script and the print control script are incorporated in the Web page 40. When the Web browser 27 accepts a user's print instruction operation using the page control script embedded in the Web page 40, the print control script also embedded in the Web page 40 is executed to generate print data described in the XML language. To the print control apparatus 31.

  The host 20 may be a computer on which the web browser 27 operates, and may be any type such as a POS terminal, a tablet terminal, a smartphone, and a personal computer. Moreover, since it is a driverless structure as described above, the type of OS is not limited. Therefore, a plurality of hosts 20 operating on different platforms can be mixed in the same printing system SY.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a control configuration of the printing apparatus 30 with an intelligent function. As described above, the printing device 30 with the intelligent function is a combination of the printing control device 31 and the printing device 32. Further, the print control device 31 of the present embodiment is detachably attached to the printing device 32 as an interface board. The print control device 31 may be externally connected (connected) to the print device 32 as a separate control box.

  The print control device 31 includes a control unit 41, a board side interface 42, a storage unit 43, and a communication unit 44. The control unit 41 has a CPU and the like, and controls the entire print control apparatus 31. The board side interface 42 communicates with the printing device 32 (printing device side interface 55). The storage unit 43 is, for example, a non-volatile memory (flash ROM or the like), and stores an HTTP server 46 and a printing device list 47. The printing device list 47 lists the printing device information 57 of each printing device 32. The print control device 31 communicates with each connected printing device 32 (printing device A, printing device B), acquires printing device information 57 including a model name, installed characters, a color mode, an image format, and the like, Stored in the printing device list 47.

  The communication unit 44 communicates with the host 20 and the other printing device 32 (printing device B), and includes a group of interfaces such as a LAN interface and a USB interface. Communication between the print control device 31 and the host 20 (Web browser 27) is performed by the HTTP server 46 based on HTTP. That is, when print data is transmitted from the host 20 to a service endpoint address (URL such as http: // xxxx /) uniquely assigned to the print control apparatus 31, the print control apparatus 31 receives the print data. Receive.

  The print control device 31 converts the received print data (XML document) into a print control command (ESC / POS (registered trademark) command) for the printing device 32 and transmits it to each printing device 32. The print control command is in the form of, for example, ESC (xn...), And “n” indicates the data length. The service endpoint address also includes the printing device ID (printing device designation information) of the printing device 32 that executes printing. The print control device 31 transmits a print control command using the printing device 32 specified by the printing device ID as an output destination. When the print control apparatus 31 receives a request for cross-domain (cross-origin) communication from a print control script that runs on the web browser 27 of the host 20, the print control apparatus 31 sends a response (XML document) that permits the request.

  The printing device 32 includes a control unit 51, a storage unit 52, a printing mechanism 53, a buffer 54, and a printing device side interface 55. The control unit 51 includes a CPU and the like, and controls the entire printing apparatus 32. The storage unit 52 stores printing device information 57 (the model name, installed characters, color mode, image format, etc. of the printing device 32 itself). The printing mechanism 53 includes a print head, a paper feeding mechanism, a paper cutting mechanism, and the like, and performs a printing operation under the control of the control unit 51. In addition, the printing system does not ask | require the kind, such as an inkjet system and a laser system.

  The buffer 54 is a reception buffer for temporarily storing reception data (print control command). The printing mechanism 53 sequentially reads out the data stored in the buffer 54 and performs printing. The printing apparatus side interface 55 communicates with the printing control apparatus 31 (board side interface 42). The printing device 32 receives a print control command from the print control device 31 via the printing device-side interface 55, and performs printing based on this command. Further, the printing result is output to the printing control apparatus 31 via the printing apparatus side interface 55. Further, when the status acquisition command is transmitted as the print control command, the printing device 32 detects the status (status) in the own device and transmits it to the print control device 31. The print control device 31 converts these print results and status (command response) into an XML document and sends it back to the host 20.

  Next, a mounting layer of the print control apparatus 31 will be described with reference to FIG. The mounting layer of the print control device 31 is a stack of hardware, OS, and Web server (HTTP server 46) in that order from the bottom, and a plurality of print Web services (XML Web service print function) and Device registration Web applications are stacked.

  Here, the print Web service is a function that forms the main part of the present embodiment, such as conversion from an XML document to a print control command. By providing a plurality of print Web services, print data is received from a plurality of hosts 20, and printing is performed on a plurality of printing devices 32, or the printing results of each printing device 32 are transmitted from the print data transmission source. It is possible to execute a plurality of processes in parallel, such as causing each host 20 to reply. For example, in the example of FIG. 10, 10 processes (threads) can be processed simultaneously because 10 print Web services are provided. However, when a plurality of print data is transmitted to one printing apparatus 32, the processing is performed in the order in which the print right is acquired (the order in which the print ports are secured).

  The device registration Web application is an application for registering the printer ID, model name, and port information (IP address) of the printing apparatus 32. These pieces of information are registered when a setting page (Web page) provided by the HTTP server 46 is displayed by the Web browser 27 and input by the user using the operation unit 25. The registered information is stored in the printing apparatus list 47 (see FIG. 3).

[First Embodiment]
Next, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the first embodiment, even when the host 20 and the printing device 32 are configured in a multi: 1 or multi: many configuration, a printing device that uses a print control command (ESC / POS (registered trademark) command) that assumes a 1: 1 connection is used. It is an object to control 32. Therefore, a configuration for solving the problem will be mainly described.

  FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of the printing system SY1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in the figure, the host 20 includes a browser control unit 71, a print data generation unit 72, a print data transmission unit 73, a response reception unit 74, a printing device information display unit 75, and a printing device designation unit as main functional configurations. 76.

  The browser control unit 71 operates the web browser 27. The print data generation unit 72 generates print data described in the XML language using a print control script that runs on the Web browser 27. The print data transmission unit 73 adds a printing apparatus ID to the generated print data and transmits it to the print control apparatus 31. The printing device ID is added based on the designation result of the printing device designation unit 76 described later.

  The response receiving unit 74 receives the printing result and status of the printing device 32 from the print control device 31 as an XML document. The printing device information display unit 75 displays the printing device information 57 of each printing device 32 notified from the printing control device 31 on the display unit 22. The printing device designation unit 76 designates the printing device 32 to be printed based on the printing device information 57. That is, the user refers to the displayed printing device information 57 to determine a desired printing device 32 and designates it using the operation unit 25.

  The print control apparatus 31 includes a print data reception unit 81, a command generation unit 82, a command transmission unit 83, a response acquisition unit 84, a response return unit 85, a print cancellation processing unit 86, and a printing device information acquisition unit 87 as main functional configurations. , A printing apparatus information storage unit 88 and a printing apparatus information notification unit 89 are provided.

  The print data receiving unit 81 receives print data described in the XML language from the host 20. The command generation unit 82 generates print control commands such as a print instruction command and a pre-print command. The former print instruction command is a command based on the print data transmitted from the host 20, and the latter pre-print command is a command generated for checking the status of the printing apparatus 32 before generating the print instruction command. is there. The command transmission unit 83 transmits the generated print control command to the printing apparatus 32.

  FIG. 6A is a diagram illustrating a command sequence of a print instruction command according to the first embodiment. As shown in the figure, the print instruction command is obtained by adding an initialization command and a status acquisition command respectively before and after the print data.

  Here, the initialization command includes dummy data (NUL data), a setting initialization command, and an ASB status valid command (valid command). The dummy data is a blank file having a predetermined length or more that exceeds the capacity of the buffer 54 of the printing device 32. As a result, the command interrupted by the immediately preceding print cancellation process can be supplemented and processed by the printing apparatus 32. The setting initialization command is a command for initializing the setting of the printing apparatus 32. The dummy data is preferably added before the setting initialization command.

  The ASB status valid command is a command for validating an ASB (Auto Status Back) status in which the printing apparatus 32 is the main body and returns a status. When the ASB status is valid, the printing apparatus 32 automatically transmits an ASB status indicating that its own state has changed (cover open / close / no paper / printing completed, etc.). Thereby, the printing control apparatus 31 can grasp the change in the status of the printing apparatus 32 during printing. The ASB status of the printing apparatus 32 becomes “invalid” in the initial state after receiving the initialization command, after receiving the ASB status invalid command, or immediately after the printing apparatus 32 is turned on.

  On the other hand, FIG. 6B is a diagram showing a command sequence of commands before printing. The pre-print command is a command generated to confirm the state of the printing device 32 prior to generation of the print instruction command when print data is transmitted from the host 20. The command sequence is obtained by adding a status acquisition command after a print control command indicating empty print data. Here, the status acquisition command is a command for acquiring the status of the printing apparatus 32, and indicates a status transmission command or a process ID response command (a command for returning an ID specified when the previous print processing is completed). . The state of the printing device 32 indicates status information such as the presence / absence of paper in the printing device, online / offline, ink / toner remaining amount, battery remaining amount, and the like. As described above, by transmitting the pre-print command before transmitting the print instruction command based on the print data, it is possible to easily perform the print cancellation process when the printing apparatus 32 is in a state incapable of printing.

  Returning to the description of FIG. The response acquisition unit 84 acquires a response to the status acquisition command from the printing apparatus 32 based on the status acquisition command included in the pre-printing command after transmitting the pre-printing command. Further, the response acquisition unit 84, after transmitting the print instruction command, from the transmission of the print instruction command to the reception of the response to the status acquisition command based on the ASB status valid command included in the print instruction command. The ASB status automatically transmitted from is acquired. Also, after the printing process, a response to the status acquisition command is acquired from the printing device 32 based on the status acquisition command included in the print instruction command. The response reply unit 85 returns the print result based on the response to the host 20 that is the transmission source of the print data. Here, the printing result indicates an XML document indicating printing success / printing failure. Instead of the print result, an XML document indicating the response content (state of the printing device 32) may be returned. The response reply unit 85 returns a response to the ASB status valid command (an XML document indicating the latest status from transmission of the print instruction command to reception of a response to the status acquisition command) to the host 20.

  When the print cancellation processing unit 86 determines from the response acquired by the response acquisition unit 84 that the printing apparatus 32 is in a state incapable of printing, when the response acquisition by the response acquisition unit 84 times out, the host 20 specifies When the printing device 32 does not exist, the print cancellation process is performed. The print cancel process includes a process of notifying the host 20 that is the print data transmission source of the print cancel, a process of canceling the transmission of the print instruction command to the print device 32 as necessary, and a buffer of the print device 32. A process of transmitting a buffer clear command, which is a real-time command for clearing 54, to the printing apparatus 32 is performed. Here, the real-time command refers to a command for instructing the printing apparatus 32 to execute immediately.

  The printing device information acquisition unit 87 acquires the printing device information 57 of each printing device 32 from each connected printing device 32 (printing device A, printing device B). The printing device information 57 may be acquired periodically, or may be acquired when the power is turned on or when there is an information acquisition command from the host 20. The printing device information storage unit 88 stores the acquired printing device information 57 of each printing device 32 as a printing device list 47. The printing device information notification unit 89 provides the printing device list 47 to the host 20 (notifies the printing device information 57 of each printing device 32). The printing device list 47 may be provided every time the printing device information 57 is acquired, or may be provided when the power is turned on or when a notification command is issued from the host 20.

  On the other hand, the printing device 32 includes a command reception unit 91, a printing unit 92, a response transmission unit 93, and a printing device side storage unit 94 as main functional configurations. The command receiving unit 91 receives ESC / POS (registered trademark) commands such as a print instruction command and a pre-print command from the print control apparatus 31. The printing unit 92 performs printing on printing paper based on the received command. The response transmission unit 93 returns a response to the print instruction command or the pre-print command to the print control device 31. The printing device side storage unit 94 corresponds to the storage unit 52 (see FIG. 3), and stores its own printing device information 57.

  Next, the flow of printing control according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Upon receiving print data from the host 20 (S01), the print control device 31 generates a pre-print command and checks the status of the print device 32 (S02). If it is determined from the result that the printing device 32 is not capable of printing (S03: No), a status is returned to the host 20 (S04). If the printing apparatus 32 determines that printing is possible (S03: Yes), a command string (printing instruction command) is generated (S05) and transmitted to the printing apparatus 32 (S06).

  After that, when an ASB status or response (response) is received from the printing device 32 (S07), the print stop or timeout is determined (S08). If “No” is determined, it is further determined whether or not printing is completed. (S09). If the printing is not completed (S09: No), the process returns to S07. If the printing is completed (S09: Yes), the status and the printing result are returned to the host 20 (S04). If “Yes” is determined in S08, a buffer clear command is transmitted to the printing apparatus 32 (S10), and the status and the print result are returned to the host 20 (S04, print cancellation is notified).

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, since the initialization command is added before the print data transmitted from the host 20, it is assumed that the host 20: printing device 32 is connected 1: 1. The ESC / POS (registered trademark) commands can be used to control the printing device 32 in a multi: 1 or multi: multi network environment. That is, even if the previous printing based on the printing command from the host a is not normally completed, the initialization command is added before the printing command based on the printing command from the subsequent host b. It can be processed normally. Even when the setting of the printing device 32 is changed by a command from the host a, the initialization command is added to return the printing device 32 to the initialization state. Based on this, it is possible to correctly interpret the print instruction command. As described above, the existing printing apparatus 32 can be shared by the plurality of hosts 20 while maintaining the conventional command system.

  In addition, since the host 20 generates print data using a script that runs on the Web browser 27, no printer driver or plug-in is required. Moreover, since the platform of the host 20 does not matter, the host 20 that operates on various OSs such as a smartphone and a tablet terminal can be mixed in the same printing system SY.

  In the first embodiment, a standard browser is used as the Web browser 27 and print data is generated using a print control script. However, print data may be generated using a plug-in or a rich Internet application. .

  Further, after S01 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 7, the validity of the print data may be verified by an XML schema (markup schema) (a validity verification unit). In this case, when it is determined that the print data is valid, the process proceeds to S02. When it is determined that the print data is not valid, it is preferable to proceed to S04 or S10 and perform the print cancel process. According to this configuration, by using the markup schema, it is possible to perform print processing after verifying the validity of the print data.

  In the first embodiment, the print data is described in the XML language. However, the print data may be described using a command (ESC / POS (registered trademark) command) of the printing apparatus 32. In this case, command conversion in the print control apparatus 31 is not necessary. In addition, the print result returned to the host 20 is not an XML document but a command response. Therefore, it is necessary for the host 20 side to analyze the response data and extract the print result and status. However, the configuration may be such that the analysis is performed by the print control device 31 and the print result or status is described in the XML language or CSV language and then notified to the host 20.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the first embodiment, a response such as a status is returned along with reception of print data transmitted from the host 20, but in this embodiment, a response such as a status is returned regardless of reception of print data. It is characterized by that. Only differences from the first embodiment will be described below. In the present embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted. Moreover, the modification applied about the component similar to 1st Embodiment is applied similarly about this embodiment.

  FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram of the printing system SY2 according to the second embodiment. As shown in the figure, the present embodiment has a configuration in which a blank print data generation unit 101 and a blank print data transmission unit 102 are added to the host 20 as compared with the functional configuration of the first embodiment. .

  The blank print data generation unit 101 generates blank print data using a print control script that runs on the Web browser 27. The blank print data transmission unit 102 transmits the generated blank print data to the print control apparatus 31 using HTTP. Here, the blank print data is a blank print request generated for a status request of the printing apparatus 32. For example, when a status acquisition instruction operation of the printing apparatus 32 is performed by the user (by the operation unit 25), empty print data is generated and transmitted. The acquired status is displayed on the display unit 22 of the host 20.

  On the other hand, the command generation unit 82 of the print control device 31 generates a blank print command based on the blank print data transmitted from the host 20. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a command string of blank print commands. As shown in the figure, the blank print command is obtained by adding an initialization command and a status acquisition command respectively before and after the blank print data. Similar to the first embodiment, the initialization command includes dummy data, a setting initialization command, and an ASB status acquisition command. The command transmission unit 83 transmits the generated blank print command to the printing apparatus 32, and the response acquisition unit 84 acquires a response to the blank print command. The response reply unit 85 returns a response to the blank print command to the host 20.

  The blank print data transmission unit 102 may send the blank print data by designating the target printing device 32, or may send all the printing devices 32 as a batch. In this case, the printing apparatus IDs (printing apparatus designation information) of all the connected printing apparatuses 32 may be added to the blank print data for transmission, or the printing apparatus ID may not be added. In the latter case, the print control device 31 simultaneously transmits a blank print command generated based on the blank print data to all connected (communicable) printing devices 32.

  The flow of print control according to the second embodiment is the same as that shown in FIG. 7 except that “empty print data” is received from the host 20 at S01 in the flowchart of the first embodiment shown in FIG. Since it is the same as that of FIG.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, the print control device 31 generates a blank print command by adding a status acquisition command to the blank print data transmitted from the host 20 and transmits it to the printing device 32. Based on the response from the printing apparatus 32, the status of the printing apparatus 32 can be notified to the host 20. That is, the status of the printing device 32 can be returned to the host 20 by the same mechanism as when printing is performed.

  In the second embodiment described above, the host 20 transmits blank print data triggered by a status acquisition instruction operation by the user. However, the host 20 is predetermined such as when the host 20 is turned on or when a predetermined application is started. The blank print data may be transmitted at the timing. In addition, by periodically sending empty print data, the host 20 can always grasp the status of the printing apparatus 32.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The third embodiment has a problem in that even when the host 20 operating on the driverless platform is used as described above, the application programmer creates a printing program without being aware of the character code system of the printing device 32. To do. Only differences from the first and second embodiments will be described below.

  FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram of the printing system SY3 according to the third embodiment. As shown in the figure, the present embodiment has a configuration in which a character code conversion unit 111 is added to the print control device 31 as compared with the functional configuration of the first embodiment. The character code conversion unit 111 converts a general-purpose character code (first character code) such as Unicode into a character code (second character code) for the printing device 32. Here, the “character code for the printing device 32” refers to a character code corresponding to font data (dot matrix font data, bitmap font data, scalable font data, etc.) installed in the printing device 32. On the other hand, “Unicode” is a character code in which a unique code is assigned to each character. Since these “Unicode” and “character code for the printing apparatus 32” may have a 1: multiple relationship instead of 1: 1, code conversion by the character code conversion unit 111 is required. Details will be described later.

  In the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11A, it is assumed that the specifications and installed characters differ depending on the printing device 32. For example, when “printing device A” is “Japanese specification”, the characters installed in the printing device 32 are alphanumeric characters, international characters, and Japanese characters. Shift_JIS).

  In the third embodiment, the host 20 generates and transmits print data including one or more general-purpose character codes to which a language attribute is added (print data generation unit 72, print data transmission unit 73). Although not particularly illustrated, on the host 20 side, it is possible to input a print character string and specify a target language and font type on a predetermined form displayed by the Web browser 27. Based on these inputs, Print data (XML print document) is generated. The character code conversion unit 111 converts the general-purpose character code into a character code corresponding to the language attribute. Further, the command generation unit 82 generates a print instruction command using the conversion result of the character code conversion unit 111.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a command sequence of print instruction commands according to the third embodiment. As shown in the figure, the command generation unit 82 sets the character code of the printing device 32 in correspondence with the language attribute before the “character code converted based on the language attribute (character code for the printing device 32)”. A print instruction command to which a “character code switching command” for switching is added is generated. As in the first embodiment, an initialization command may be added before the command sequence, or a status acquisition command may be added after the command sequence (see FIG. 6A).

  Here, the “character code switching command” is a concept including “character code table switching command”, “international character set switching command”, and “kanji mode switching command”, for example, ANK mode (mode corresponding to ANK specification). In FIG. 5, the characters of the character codes 80 to FF can be switched. Here, the “character code table” refers to a table in which a plurality of “character codes for the printing device 32” are stored. Therefore, the character code for the printing device 32 can be uniquely specified by the information indicating the character code table and the information indicating the storage position in the character code table. The “character code table switching command” is a command for switching the character code table.

  The “international character set switching command” is a command for switching characters of the character codes 20H to 7EH in the ANK mode. Characters with different characters assigned to the same character code, such as English “\” and Japanese “¥”, English “¥” and Korean won symbol, English “$” and Chinese “¥” Is used together with the “character code table switching command”. The “kanji mode switching command” is a command for switching from the ANK mode to the kanji mode, and a command for canceling the kanji mode and switching to the ANK mode. Note that each printing device 32 cannot co-exist Japanese, Korean, and Chinese international character sets.

  FIG. 11B shows the correspondence between each language attribute and a character code switching command. The language attributes “ja”, “ko”, “zn-cn”, “zn-tw”, and “en” are the specifications “Japanese specification”, “Korean use”, “Simplified Chinese” of the printing device 32, respectively. "Word specification", "Traditional Chinese specification", and "ANK mode". For example, when the print data includes a general-purpose character code “Kanji” with the language attribute “ja” added, the character code conversion unit 111 converts the “Kanji” into a character code of Japanese specifications. In addition, the command generation unit 82 adds a character code switching command for converting the character code of the printing device 32 into the kanji mode, the character code table = katakana, the Japanese character set = Japan, and the character = Shift_JIS.

  By the way, the printing control apparatus 31 stores a printing apparatus list 47 that is a list of printing apparatus information 57 of each printing apparatus 32 (see FIG. 3). Therefore, the character code conversion unit 111 refers to the printing device list 47, and the language attribute added to the general-purpose character code is the model or installed character of the printing device 32 designated by the printing device ID (printing device designation information). Only when it corresponds, the general-purpose character code is converted. In other words, when the designated language attribute does not correspond to the specification of the printing device 32, the general-purpose character code to which the language attribute is added is converted. Not performed. As a result, even when the same print data is transmitted to a plurality of printing apparatuses 32 having different models and installed characters, different printing results can be obtained according to the specifications of each printing apparatus 32. This will be described later with reference to FIG.

  On the other hand, the print data generation unit 72 can omit the addition of language attributes as necessary. When the print data transmitted from the host 20 includes a general-purpose character code to which no language attribute is added, the character code conversion unit 111 performs conversion based on the language attribute converted immediately before the general-purpose character code. That is, the language attribute converted immediately before is stored in a volatile or non-volatile storage area. In this case, the command generation unit 82 omits the addition of the character code switching command. Accordingly, the print data generation unit 72 can omit the addition of the language attribute when the character code having the same language attribute is continuously printed. Further, when no language attribute is added, the command generation unit 82 omits the addition of the character code switching command, so that the data amount of the print instruction command transmitted to the printing apparatus 32 can also be reduced.

  If no language attribute is added to the general-purpose character code, the general-purpose character code is converted based on the default language attribute (for example, the language attribute “en” = ANK mode) instead of the language attribute converted immediately before. May be. Also, conversion may be performed based on the default language attribute only when the language attribute converted immediately before does not exist (for example, when the first printing is performed after the power is turned on).

  FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of print data according to the third embodiment. As shown in the figure, the print data generation unit 72 describes the print data in an XML language (markup language). Also, language attributes are described as element attributes, and general-purpose character codes are described as element contents. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a print result based on the print data of FIG. For example, FIG. 14A shows a print result when the print data of FIG. 13 is printed using a Japanese-style printing device 32. That is, among the general-purpose character codes C1 to C10 shown in FIG. 13, the general-purpose character codes C1 to C7 corresponding to the mounted characters supported by the Japanese-specification printing device 32 are to be printed. Similarly, FIG. 14B shows a printing result when printing is performed using the Korean language printing device 32, and the general-purpose character codes C1 to C6 and C8 corresponding to the Korean language printing device 32 are shown. It is a print target. FIG. 14C shows a printing result when printing is performed using the printing apparatus 32 in the ANK mode, and general-purpose character codes C1 to C6 corresponding to the printing apparatus 32 of the ANK specification are to be printed. Yes.

  Next, the flow of print control according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When the print control apparatus 31 receives print data from the host 20 (S21), the print control apparatus 31 acquires a combination of a language attribute and a general-purpose character code included therein (S22). Thereafter, the general-purpose character code is converted into the character code for the printing device 32 based on the language attribute (S23), and a command string (print instruction command) is generated (S24). Finally, the generated command sequence is transmitted to the printing device 32 (S25).

  As described above, according to the third embodiment, print data including a general-purpose character code to which a language attribute is added is received from the host 20, and the general-purpose character code is converted into a character code corresponding to the language attribute. Since the character code switching command is added and transmitted to the printing apparatus 32, the application programmer does not need to be aware of the character code system of the printing apparatus 32. For example, in the case of Unicode characters, there may be a plurality of character codes for the printing device 32 for one general-purpose character code, but since a language attribute is added, it can be converted into a correct character code. .

  Further, since the character code is converted by the print control device 31, any model or installed character of the plurality of connected printing devices 32 may be used. For this reason, a plurality of models can be mixed as slave units. For example, the printing device 32 (receipt printer) installed at the checkout counter can print in Japanese, and the printing device 32 (kitchen printer) installed in the kitchen can print in Chinese. . Further, when the printing device 32 is replaced, it is possible to change to a different model.

  Note that the configuration of the third embodiment is suitable when a host 20 that operates on a driverless platform is used because character code conversion can be performed without the need for a print driver. That is, as in this embodiment, in addition to the configuration using the print control script of the Web browser 27, the configuration using the plug-in of the Web browser 27, and an electronic device having no driver concept such as an embedded device and a tablet terminal is used as the host 20. Suitable for the configuration used.

  In the third embodiment, when the language attribute added to the general-purpose character code does not correspond to the specified character of the printing device 32, the general-purpose character code is ignored. Printing of the entire print data including the general character code may be stopped. In this case, as shown in FIG. 13, when print data including many kinds of language attributes is transmitted, printing cannot be performed by the printing apparatuses 32 of all specifications shown in FIG. Further, when printing is stopped, it is preferable to notify the host 20 to that effect.

[Fourth Embodiment]
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the fourth embodiment, even when the host 20 operating on the driverless platform is used as described above, the application programmer can recognize the image without being aware of the command system (color mode and image format difference) of the printing apparatus 32. An object is to create a printing program. Only differences from the first to third embodiments will be described below.

  FIG. 16 is a functional block diagram of a printing system SY4 according to the fourth embodiment. As shown in the figure, the present embodiment has a configuration in which a validity determination unit 121 is added to the print control apparatus 31 as compared with the functional configuration of the first embodiment. The validity determination unit 121 determines the validity of the image data transmitted from the host 20.

  In the fourth embodiment, it is assumed that each printing device 32 supports a specific command. For example, a situation can be considered in which the printing apparatus A supports only a bit image command, and the printing apparatus B supports only a monochrome image printing command. Here, the command system of the printing apparatus 32 will be briefly described. The print control commands used during image printing include color commands such as “monochrome image print command”, “grayscale print command”, “color image print command”, “raster graphics command”, “bit image command”, etc. There are image format commands. The color command is selectively used according to the color mode of the printing apparatus 32. Further, as shown in FIG. 17, the image format commands are selectively used depending on the difference in the data arrangement order. As shown in FIG. 17A, the “raster graphics command” is the scanning direction of the data, and the “bit image command” is one line in the vertical direction as shown in FIG. Corresponds to minutes.

  Note that commands (color mode and image format) supported by each printing device 32 are stored in the printing device list 47 of the printing control device 31. For this reason, for the image format, the print control device 31 appropriately converts the command according to the image format supported by the designated printing device 32 (from “raster graphics command” to “bit image command”, or The inverse conversion is performed.

  In the fourth embodiment, the host 20 generates and transmits print data including image data to which attributes for specifying the color mode and the image size are added (print data generation unit 72, print data transmission unit 73). The image data is encoded in a binary format and a base 64 method.

  Although not particularly illustrated, on the host 20 side, it is possible to specify an image file, a color mode, and a color on a predetermined form displayed by the Web browser 27, and print based on these inputs. Data (XML print document) is generated. As a result, the image size (information indicating the width and height of the image) is specified by “Specifying the image file”. However, the image file and the image size are specified separately, and the image size is selected. The image file may be enlarged / reduced. “Color designation” is a kind of color mode, for example, designating whether a monochrome image is printed in black or red by the printing device 32 that supports two colors of black and red.

  The validity determination unit 121 determines the validity of the image data based on attributes that specify the color mode and the image size included in the image data. Here, the color mode indicates a method for managing color information of an image, and includes monochrome two gradations, gray scale, RGB, CMYK, and the like. In addition, the data amount per pixel is determined for each color mode, for example, 1 bit for monochrome 2 gradations, 4 bits for gray scale (16 gradations), 8 bits for gray scale (256 gradations), It is 24 bits for RGB and 32 bits for CMYK.

  The validity determination unit 121 determines that the image data is valid when the data amount of the image data is equal to the product of the data amount per pixel (one dot) corresponding to the color mode and the image size. . For example, in the case of raster graphics of 256 gray scales (8 bits / pixel), a data length of width × height byte is required. That is, in the case of width 5 × height 5, a data length of 25 bytes is required. Also, when padding that aligns byte units for each line in raster graphics with 16 gray scales (4 bits / pixel), (width + 1) / 2 x height bytes (however, after the decimal point of the division result) Data length is required. In other words, in the case of width 5 × height 5, the data length of 6/2 × 5 = 15 bytes is required by aligning the width 6 × height 5 by padding. Furthermore, when padding that aligns in byte units for each line in raster graphics of monochrome 2 gradations (1 bit / pixel), (width + 7) / 8 x height bytes (however, the decimal part of the division result is Data length is required. In other words, in the case of width 5 × height 5, the data length of 8/8 × 5 = 5 bytes is required by aligning the width 8 × height 5 by padding.

  On the other hand, when the validity determination unit 121 determines that the image data is appropriate, the command generation unit 82 of the fourth embodiment converts the image data into a control command for the printing apparatus 32 corresponding to the color mode. Generate an image print command. The command transmission unit 83 transmits the generated image print command to the printing device 32.

  In addition, the command generation unit 82 of the present embodiment also performs the following processing. For example, when the data length of the image print command exceeds a predetermined length, the image data is divided to generate a plurality of image print commands. Thereby, since the data length of the image print command is limited, the print cancel process can be easily performed. When a plurality of image print commands are generated, a print position for moving the print position in the vertical direction (receipt paper feed direction = raster graphics command sub-scanning direction) before each image print command. Add a move command. Thereby, even when the printing mode of the printing apparatus 32 is the page mode (in the printing mode in which the printing position does not move by image printing), the printing positions in the vertical direction can be aligned. Further, the command generation unit 82 adds an initialization command including dummy data having a predetermined length or more exceeding the capacity of the buffer 54 of the printing apparatus 32 to the top of the command string (before the image print command). As a result, the command interrupted by the immediately preceding print cancellation process can be supplemented and processed by the printing apparatus 32. In addition, the command generation unit 82 appropriately performs image conversion such as converting color / grayscale image data into monochrome according to the designated color mode.

  Here, the printing mode of the printing apparatus 32 will be described. The printing apparatus 32 according to the present embodiment includes “normal mode” and “page mode” as print modes. “Normal mode” is a mode in which printing is performed in units of one line, and the line feed amount is adjusted in accordance with the character size and the height of the image. Also, it has a function of operating in “the beginning of the line (print position is at the left end and the line buffer is empty)”, and this state is set at the start of printing or immediately after a line feed. On the other hand, the “page mode” is a mode in which a print area is set, print data is expanded, and batch printing is performed. Characters and images are expanded at the specified print position, and there is no restriction on the “state at the beginning of the line”. When “page mode” is designated, a page mode start command is added before the image print command, and a page mode end command is added after the image print command. The “print position movement command” described above is valid only when the printing apparatus 32 is set to “page mode”.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 18 to FIG. 20, the command sequence of the image print command that differs depending on the color mode and the print mode will be described. FIG. 18 shows an image print command for monochrome printing. As shown in FIG. 18A, in the case of “normal mode / no division” (when the data length of the image print command does not exceed the predetermined length), an initialization command is added before the image print command. It becomes composition. The initialization command is the same as that in the first embodiment (see FIG. 6A). As in the first embodiment, a status acquisition command may be added after the image print command.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 18B, in the case of “normal mode / with division”, a configuration in which a plurality of image print commands follows the initialization command. As shown in FIG. 18C, in the case of “page mode / no division”, a page mode start command, an image print command, and a page mode end command follow the initialization command. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 18D, in the case of “page mode / with division”, a page mode start command after the initialization command, and then a print position movement command and an image print command for the number of divisions, page mode Continuing from the end command.

  FIG. 19 shows an image print command in the case of gray scale printing. In the case of gray scale printing, the image print command is designated with 50%, 25%, 12.5%, 6.25% and each gradation. In addition, the configuration of the command sequence according to the print mode and presence / absence of division is as shown in FIG. FIG. 20 shows an image print command in the case of color printing. In the case of color printing, Y (yellow), M (magenta), C (cyan), K (black) and an image print command designating each color are included. In addition, the configuration of the command sequence according to the print mode and presence / absence of division is as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating an example of print data according to the fourth embodiment. As shown in the figure, the print data generation unit 72 describes the print data in the XML language (markup language), describes the image size and color mode as element attributes, and outputs image data (AAAAA... AAAA) is described as the content of the element. In the figure, image data D1 for which no color mode is specified indicates a program example when the color mode is not specified on a predetermined form displayed by the Web browser 27. In the present embodiment, when the color mode is not designated, processing is performed assuming that “monochrome printing” which is a default setting value is designated.

  22B and 22C show the print results of the print data in FIG. Note that the image data (AAAAA... AAAA) described above indicates the image file shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 22B, when the printing device 32 supports the “monochrome print command”, an image based on the image data D1 and D2 is printed. Further, as shown in FIG. 22C, when the printing apparatus 32 supports “monochrome print command” and “4-bit grayscale command”, an image based on the image data D1, D2, D3 is printed. . In this case, the image based on the image data D3 is printed in gray scale. As described above, only the image data corresponding to the color mode of the printing device 32 is to be printed out of the image data D1 to D6 shown in FIG. 21, and the other image data is ignored.

  Next, the flow of print control according to the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When the print control apparatus 31 receives print data from the host 20 (S31), the print control apparatus 31 acquires a combination of image attributes (color mode attribute and image size attribute) and image data included therein (S32). Based on these acquired combinations, the validity of each image data included in the print data is determined (S33). As described above, the validity of the image data is determined based on whether or not the data amount of the image data is equal to the product value of the data amount per pixel corresponding to the color mode and the image size. If it is determined that it is not valid (S34: No), the process is terminated without generating a command string. Note that the print data may be determined based on the markup schema before the determination in S34.

  If it is determined that the image data is valid (S34: Yes), it is determined whether or not the data length of the image print command exceeds a predetermined length (S35). If it does not exceed the predetermined length (S35: No), an initialization command is added before the image print command to generate a command string (print instruction command) (S36). On the other hand, if the data length of the image print command exceeds the predetermined length (S35: Yes), the image data is divided to generate a command sequence, and the initialization command is printed at the head and before each image print command. A command sequence (print instruction command) is generated by adding the position movement command (S37). Thereafter (after S36 and S37), the generated command sequence is transmitted to the printing device 32 (S38).

  As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, the print control device 31 converts the image data to which the attribute specifying the color mode and the image size is added into a control command for the printing device 32 corresponding to the color mode. Therefore, even when the host 20 operating on the driverless platform is used, the print control device 31 can absorb the difference in the commands that differ depending on the color mode and the image format. As a result, the application programmer can print an image without being aware of the command system of the printing apparatus 32. Further, since the print control device 31 can absorb differences in color mode and image format, a plurality of models having different command systems can be mixed as the plurality of printing devices 32. In addition, when the printing device 32 is replaced, it is possible to change to a different model.

  In addition, since the validity of the image data is determined based on the color mode and the image size before generating the image print command, it is possible to eliminate illegal image data and obtain a highly reliable print result. In addition, by using the markup language, it is possible to hide the difference in commands depending on the color mode, the division of image print commands, the movement of the print position in the page mode, the initialization command, and the like.

  Further, when the data length of the image print command exceeds a predetermined length, the image data is divided to generate a plurality of image print commands. When performing, the process can be performed easily. For example, if the image print command is composed of information indicating the data length and the command body, when printing is stopped after starting transmission of a long command, the command is terminated (for the specified data length). In order to execute printing), it is necessary to continue to transmit dummy data, and the time and printing paper for that time are wasted. However, by dividing the image data, the waste can be suppressed.

  Since the configuration of the fourth embodiment does not require a print driver, it is suitable when the host 20 operating on a driverless platform is used as in the third embodiment. In the fourth embodiment, when the designated color mode does not correspond to the command system of the designated printing device 32, the image data to which the color mode is added is ignored. Printing of the entire print data including image data may be stopped.

  Although the four embodiments have been described above, the embodiments may be combined. For example, before generating the character string and image print instruction commands shown in the third embodiment and the fourth embodiment, a pre-print command is generated, the status of the printing device 32 is confirmed, and printing is executed. Also good. In addition, when the printing apparatus 32 determines that printing is impossible based on the status confirmation, the print cancellation process including the transmission of the buffer clear command described in the first embodiment may be performed. Further, as shown in the first embodiment, the status of the printing apparatus 32 is acquired as printing is performed, and empty print data is transmitted periodically or with a predetermined trigger as shown in the second embodiment. Thus, status acquisition without printing processing may be performed.

  Also, as shown in FIG. 24, the system configuration may be modified. For example, in FIG. 24A, a plurality of printing devices 32 (printing devices not equipped with an intelligent function) are connected to the printing device 30 with an intelligent function in which the printing control device 31 and the printing device 32 are integrated. The system configuration is shown. As described above, the number of printing apparatuses 32 (number of slave units) connected to the printing apparatus 30 with intelligent function is arbitrary. Further, even when such a system configuration is adopted in the third embodiment and the fourth embodiment, printing apparatuses 32 having different models, installed characters, color modes, and the like can be mixed. Furthermore, when the printing device 32 is replaced, it is possible to change to a different model, installed character, and color mode.

  FIG. 24B is a diagram showing a system configuration when a plurality of printing apparatuses 32 are shared by a plurality of printing control apparatuses 31. In this way, a robust printing system SY can be constructed by making the printing control device 31 redundant and sharing the printing device 32. In the system configuration of FIG. 24B, each of “printing control device A” and “printing device A” and / or “printing control device A” and “printing device B” is a single printing device with an intelligent function. 30 is also possible.

  Moreover, it is possible to provide each component of the printing system SY (SY1-SY4) shown in each said embodiment as a program. Further, the program can be provided by being stored in various recording media (CD-ROM, flash memory, etc.). That is, a program for causing a computer to function as each part of the printing system SY, a program for causing the computer to execute each processing step of the printing system SY, and a recording medium on which these are recorded are also included in the scope of the present invention. .

  In each of the above embodiments, a receipt printer is exemplified as the printing device 32. However, the present invention can be applied to printing devices other than the receipt printer. In addition to the printing apparatus 32, the present invention may be applied to various devices that require status acquisition, character code conversion, and image conversion. In the above embodiment, JavaScript (registered trademark) is exemplified as an example of the script. However, the present invention can be applied even when various programming languages are used. Other modifications can be made as appropriate without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Web application server 15 ... HTTP server 16 ... Web application 20 ... Host 27 ... Web browser 30 ... Printing device with intelligent function 31 ... Print control device 32 ... Printing device 40 ... Web page 46 ... HTTP server 47 ... Printing device list 54 ... Buffer 57 ... Printing device information 71 ... Browser control unit 72 ... Print data generation unit 73 ... Print data transmission unit 74 ... Response reception unit 75 ... Printing device information display unit 76 ... Printing device designation unit 81 ... Print data reception unit 82 ... Command generation unit 83 ... Command transmission unit 84 ... Response acquisition unit 85 ... Response reply unit 86 ... Print cancel processing unit 87 ... Printing device information acquisition unit 88 ... Printing device information storage unit 89 ... Printing device information notification unit 91 ... Command reception unit 92: Printing section 93 ... Response transmission unit 94 ... Printing device side storage unit 101 ... Blank print data generation unit 102 ... Blank print data transmission unit 111 ... Character code conversion unit 121 ... Validity determination unit C1-C10 ... General-purpose character code D1-D6 ... Image Data SY ... Printing system

Claims (8)

A print data receiving unit for receiving print data described in a markup language from a host;
A command generator for generating a print instruction command by adding an initialization command before the print data;
A print control apparatus comprising: a command transmission unit configured to transmit the print instruction command to a printing apparatus. The command generation unit generates the print instruction command by adding a status acquisition command for acquiring the status of the printing apparatus after the print data,
A response acquisition unit for acquiring a response to the print instruction command from the printing apparatus;
The print control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a response reply unit that returns a print result based on the response to the host. The initialization command includes a valid command for validating a status returned mainly by the printing apparatus,
The response acquisition unit acquires a status transmitted from the printing apparatus until a response to the status acquisition command is received from transmission of the print instruction command,
The print control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the response reply unit returns the latest status acquired by the response acquisition unit together with the print result to the host. The command generation unit generates a pre-print command in which the status acquisition command is added after empty print data before the print instruction command is generated when the print data is transmitted from the host;
The command transmission unit transmits the pre-printing command to the printing apparatus;
When it is determined from the response to the pre-print command acquired by the response acquisition unit that the printing apparatus is in a non-printable state, a print cancellation processing unit that performs a print cancellation process is provided.
4. The printing according to claim 3, wherein the print canceling process includes a process of notifying the host that is a transmission source of the print data of the print canceling, and a process of canceling transmission of the print instruction command to the printing apparatus. Control device. The host includes a browser control unit that operates a web browser, and the print control apparatus includes an HTTP server,
The host is
The print control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the print data is generated using a script or a plug-in that operates in the Web browser, and a print request is made to the print control apparatus by HTTP. With a markup schema, a validity verification unit that verifies the validity of the print data,
The print control apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the print cancel processing unit performs the print cancel processing when the validity verification unit determines that the print data is invalid. A first host for transmitting print data described in a markup language;
A second host for transmitting print data described in a markup language;
A printing device for printing print data transmitted from the first host and the second host;
A print data receiving unit that receives the print data from the first host and the second host, a command generation unit that generates a print instruction command by adding an initialization command before the print data, and the print instruction A print control device having a command transmission unit for transmitting a command to the printing device;
A printing system comprising: The print controller is
Receive print data written in markup language from the host,
Before the print data, an initialization command is added to generate a print instruction command,
A printing control method, wherein the printing instruction command is transmitted to a printing apparatus.

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