JP3361302B2 - Printer, information processing device, printing system, and storage medium - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printer, an information processing apparatus, a printing system and a storage medium, and more particularly to a printer capable of transmitting information on a recording medium contained in a paper feeding unit, and information processing related to the printer. The present invention relates to a device, a printing system, and a storage medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As an amusement device installed in a game center or the like, a device for printing / issuing an original sticker with an image in which a self-portrait photographed by a built-in camera is housed within an appropriate decoration frame, an illustration selected by a user, There is known a device that synthesizes input characters and creates / issues an original sticker similar to a Senja card attached to a pillar or ceiling of a temple or shrine.

Further, a business card creating apparatus for printing / issuing a business card in which characters input in accordance with a selected form are combined is installed in a shopping center or the like.

Each of these devices uses a dedicated paper of a predetermined size, and does not require special knowledge to operate, and can perform operations such as character input and selection according to guidance on the screen or voice. All you have to do is do it.

In addition to the seal produced by the above-mentioned device, the seal is also used for more practical purposes such as sticking to a container of seasoning or sticking to school supplies for children.

In this case, an apparatus or the like for engraving or recording selected characters on a long mount having a predetermined width is often used, and its design is quite limited.

[0007]

However, in order to improve the visibility and facilitate the identification of the seals used in the practical applications as described above, the size and design can be changed according to the applications and preferences. There is a desire to create different stickers.

In order to respond to this, a card printer having a plurality of recording medium storage units for storing recording media of different sizes and a switching mechanism for automatically switching the recording medium storage units corresponding to the recording medium used is described above. It can be considered to be used for the recording part of the sticker making device.

However, such a card printer has a plurality of recording medium storage units for storing different recording media and a switching device for automatically switching between the recording medium storage units corresponding to the recording media to be used. There are drawbacks that the whole becomes large and the configuration becomes complicated, and the price becomes high.

As another configuration, a card printer of the type in which one paper feeding unit for feeding paper to the recording unit is used and the recording medium used by the user is set in the paper feeding unit is also conceivable. If the size of the set recording media is different, or if a recording medium of a size that is not supported by the card printer is set by mistake, not only the expected output cannot be obtained, but also the scanning area of the recording head. May be contaminated with ink or the like, or even cause damage to the recording head or the transport system.

Therefore, it is not suitable for a usage mode in which it is installed in a game center, a shopping center or the like and operated by various users themselves.

Further, the above-mentioned device for printing / issuing the original sticker with an image, a device for making / issuing an original sticker similar to a Senshafuda, and a business card making device are different from each other in spite of their similar functions. Since it is a device, it is expensive to install at the same time and a large installation place is required.

Further, although services for printing postcards such as New Year's cards and greeting cards are also widely used, it is generally difficult for such services to change the design once specified, and the user can print. It will take some time to receive the postcard. Furthermore, when printing postcards of various designs little by little, such as changing the design due to work relationships with friends, the price per sheet becomes expensive.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and a printer which integrates these functions and can perform printing on a plurality of types of recording media according to a selected design by a simple operation, Another object of the present invention is to provide a related information processing apparatus, printing system, and storage medium.

[0015]

In order to achieve the above object, a printer of the present invention is a printer which prints based on data transmitted from an information processing apparatus, and comprises a plurality of sheet recording media. When the control card is placed on the uppermost surface of the contained recording medium in the surface that can be contained and is covered when the recording medium is contained, the first information regarding the recording medium is displayed on the control card. If the paper feed unit in which the second information indicating that the print medium is not stored is recorded at the same position as the predetermined position to be recorded and the print medium is not stored in the paper supply unit, Read for reading the second information from the predetermined position of the paper feeding unit and reading the information from the predetermined position of the uppermost surface of the recording medium when the recording medium is accommodated And a transmission unit for transmitting the information recorded at the predetermined position read by the reading unit to the information processing apparatus, and transmitting the first information to the information processing apparatus at present. By notifying information regarding the contained recording medium, notifying that the recording medium is not accommodated by transmitting the second information, and transmitting information other than the first and second information It is characterized by notifying that a recording medium in which a control card is not placed is accommodated.

An information processing apparatus of the present invention which achieves the above object is an information processing apparatus for transmitting print data to the printer, the receiving means receiving the information read by the reading means, and the receiving means. Unless the first information is received by the control means for controlling the printer so as not to perform the printing operation, and when the first information is received by the receiving means, the first information is responded to according to the first information. A means for limiting the executable processing is provided.

Further, a storage medium of the present invention which achieves the above object is a storage medium for storing a program executed by an information processing device for transmitting print data to the printer, which is read by the reading means. Receiving information, controlling the printer not to perform printing operation unless the first information is received, and receiving the first information when the first information is received. And storing the program code including the step of creating the print data accordingly.

[0018]

[0019]

[0020]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The present embodiment is a card printer that prints characters and the like input according to a design selected by a user on a recording medium (hereinafter referred to as recording paper) for business cards, postcards, and stickers, such as a convenience store. It is installed in a store and used in a form operated by a user who purchased the recording paper.

<Outline of Device> FIG. 1 is a view showing the outer appearance of a card printer as an embodiment.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes the entire card printer, and reference numeral 2 denotes a monitor fixing portion for rotatably fixing the monitor 3 to the cabinet. The monitor 3 displays a demonstration screen and a guide screen, and a touch panel 4, which is a user input interface, is provided on the front surface of the monitor 3. Further, the cabinet is provided with a speaker 5 for outputting a voice or the like for explaining the operation, a paper feeding unit 6 including a tray for setting recording paper, and a discharge port 7 for discharging the finally printed recording paper. Has been.

The size of the cabinet of the card printer of this embodiment is such that it fits under the reader portion of the copying machine already installed in the store.
By combining with a copy device, it can be installed without occupying a new area. In this case, the monitor 3 and the touch panel 4 are fixed by the fixing unit 2 at positions that do not hinder the operation of the copying apparatus.

The flow of operations in the card printer of this apparatus is as follows.

First, the operator purchases a desired recording paper from a dedicated recording paper vending machine separately prepared in the store or a shelf displaying the recording paper. There are three types of recording paper: postcards, business card size recording paper, and sticker sheets (all are plain). Postcards are individually wrapped in units of 5 sheets, business cards in units of 10 sheets, and stickers in units of 1 sheet. ing. The selling price varies depending on the recording paper purchased. The size of the sealing sheet itself is the same as that of a postcard, and a peelable seal piece is provided thereon. There are several types of sealing sheets, and there are differences in the shape and number of sealing pieces.

Further, one characteristic point of this embodiment is that
The recording paper is sold as a set with a barcode card. As shown by 20 in FIG. 2A, this bar code card is printed with a bar code 21 indicating the type of recording paper and an arrow 22 indicating the direction and position to be set in the paper feeding unit. It is set to the position where the arrow is set in the paper feeding unit of the printer as a guide, and by reading this bar code, it is possible to determine what kind of recording paper is installed under it. There is.

Since the postcard and the sticker sheet have the same size, the positions of the bar codes recorded on the bar code card are the same. For business cards, as described below, when the business card barcode and the business card recording paper are set in the tray for setting the recording paper of the printer paper feeding unit, the position of the barcode is the position of the postcard or the sticker barcode card. The reading position is the same as the barcode position. As a result, it has succeeded in eliminating the need to control the reading position of the barcode reader when reading the barcode.

Further, in order to cope with the case where no recording paper or bar code card is installed, it is determined that there is no recording paper at the bottom position of the tray on which the recording paper on which the bar code is supposed to be installed is installed. The barcode is printed or affixed. As a result, it is of course possible to discriminate the type of recording paper by a single detecting means (bar code reader),
It is also possible to determine the presence or absence of recording paper.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the tray 61 of the paper feeding unit 6 for setting the recording paper. As shown in the drawing, the business card setting area 62 can be easily discriminated in the postcard / seal setting area 63. Notched portions 66 and 67 are provided so that the edges of the recording paper can be easily aligned when the recording paper is set. Further, an alignment arrow 65 is provided on the bottom portion thereof, and a bar for determining the absence of the recording paper in the area 62 for setting the recording paper for the business card on the bottom surface when no recording paper is set. The code 64 is printed or attached.

In the tray 61 shown in the drawing, the recording paper for business cards and the recording paper for postcards (the same applies to the sealing sheet).
All the bar code cards are set to the same position as the bar code 64 for determining the absence of the recording paper shown in the figure.

By the way, when the purchased recording paper is set on the tray 61 of the card printer paper feeding unit 6 as described above, as will be described later in detail, guidance by a screen or voice,
By the operation of the touch panel provided on the front surface of the display screen, the work is carried out in an interactive manner, and the characters and patterns inputted / selected by the user himself / herself are printed on the desired recording paper and outputted.

It should be noted that, in the sticker creating apparatus installed in the above-mentioned game center or the like, the game can be started by inserting a coin, but in the case of this apparatus, the purchase of the recording paper is the operation right. Therefore, there is no configuration relating to coin insertion. Also, the recording paper vending machine itself may be in the form of a normal vending machine,
The description is omitted.

<Description of Control Configuration> FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the control configuration of the card printer of FIG.

As shown in the figure, the card printer according to the present embodiment is configured so that the entire apparatus is controlled by a mother board 10 having a CPU which is supplied with power from a power source 11, and an E-IDE (Enhanced Integrated Drive E).
lectronics) port has a CD-ROM drive 12, R
The GB output terminal has a monitor 3 and a COM1 terminal (RS-23
2C), the touch panel 4, the LPT terminal is the printer 13, and the COM2 terminal (the other side of RS-232C).
Through a bar code reader, the Line Out terminal through the speaker 5, and the I / O connector through the relay board 140.
A sensor 707 for detecting the tray pull-out / housed state of the paper feeding unit, a solenoid 706 for holding the tray in the housed state, and a bar code reader 106 are connected to the motherboard 10 via respective interfaces.

The relay board 140 is provided as needed to facilitate maintenance and the like.
Although not used in this embodiment, the mother board 10 has a video input terminal and can capture an image taken by a camera or the like.

This mother board 10 is provided in the cabinet of the card printer 1 with the CD-ROM drive 1
2 and the relay board 140 are housed in the same housing to form a control unit having the same function as a general personal computer. On the other hand, the printer 13, the paper feeding unit 6, and the bar code reader 106 are housed in the same housing to form a printer unit.

Next, the structure of the motherboard 10 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

As a whole, a power supply circuit 103 connected to a main switch, a clock generator 102 for supplying a clock to each part, a reset circuit 104 for outputting a reset signal, and a CPU for controlling the entire device.
101 and the secondary cache 11 on the CPU bus.
1, main memory (main memory) 113, memory controller, cache controller, CPU bus and PC
A peripheral LSI chip set A112 having a function such as conversion of an I (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus is connected.

As will be described later, the main memory 113 is divided into a normal space 113A for storing programs (including OS) and execution data, and a RAM disk area 113B used as a virtual disk for use.

C controlled by chipset A112
The PCI bus, which is treated as an external bus directly connected to the PU 101, includes a VRAM for storing image display data, a graphics controller 121 having an RGB output terminal to which the monitor 3 is connected and an output terminal to a liquid crystal display, PCI and ISA (Industry Standard A
rchitecture), CD-ROM drive 12
E-IDE port or U to which external storage device such as
Chip set B122 having functions of SB control, interrupt control, DMA control, etc., video capture 123 for capturing image data from an optional connected camera, etc., PISA common to PCI bus and ISA bus
The bus slot 124 is connected.

ISA controlled by chipset B122
COM1 to which the touch panel 4 of the coordinate input device is connected and COM2 to which a barcode reader is connected are connected to the bus.
Terminals, an LPT terminal to which the printer 13 is connected, a super I / O 131 having an interface with a keyboard, a mouse, and a floppy disk, a sound controller 132 having a sound source for outputting to the speaker 5 and a MIDI interface, and a BIOS (basic input / output). System) 133, a parallel I / O 134 to which an external device such as a lighting fixture is connected, and an IMM via a SIMM socket.
SIMM-ISA conversion connector 13 that outputs the SA bus
And 5 are connected.

As described above, the motherboard 1 of this embodiment
The configuration of 0 is based on the configuration of a general personal computer adopted by the PC-AT of IBM Corp. in the United States (PC-AT compatible). However, the external storage device used in this card printer is the CD-ROM drive 1
2 and does not include a commonly used magnetic recording type hard disk. However, a hard disk may be provided to store different data.

<Explanation of Startup Procedure> Next, the processing when the card printer is activated will be described.

The outlet of the card printer is connected to the commercial power source, the power switch of the printer unit is turned on, and the power switch of the control unit is turned on. Finally, the soft switch on the upper back of the monitor 3 is pressed to activate the card printer.

Now, the start-up process in the control unit including the mother board 10 for controlling the entire card printer of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, when the main switch is turned on and the power is turned on in step S41, power is supplied from the power supply circuit 103 to each part in step S42, the clock generator 102 is activated to generate a clock, and the reset circuit 104 is generated. The reset signal is input to each part of the apparatus from. Next, in step S43, the BIOS 133 is activated,
In accordance with the setting of the BIOS which is set to start the CD-ROM drive 12 with the highest priority, the CD-ROM
The drive 12 is started and the start-up CD stored inside-
Data is read from the ROM and expanded in the main memory 113.

FIG. 7 is a diagram conceptually showing data recorded in the boot CD-ROM. CD-R for startup
The OM 50 includes a DO such as MS-DOS which is the primary OS.
There are three types of data: S data (system file) 51, data 52 of Windows which is a secondary OS, and data 53 of application of the card printer, each of which is divided into areas and compressed and recorded. .

The Windows data 52 recorded in the boot CD-ROM 50 is not the installation data stored in a generally known setup disk or the like, but the file format data generated by the installation. Is. And this Win
By setting the data 52 of the dows as a file necessary for the application of the card printer,
The amount of data to be recorded in the D-ROM 50 is reduced, facilitating the production of a bootable CD-ROM, and the CD-ROM.
The amount of data read from is reduced, and the time from power-on to application startup is shortened.

In step S44, the boot CD-ROM 50
The first data to be read into the main memory 113 from is C
D, which is the primary OS recorded in the boot area of the D-ROM
This is the system data 51 of the OS, and when this data is read, the MS-DOS automatically starts up, and in step S45, the RAM disk 113B treated as a virtual disk is generated on the main memory 113 by this DOS.

Next, in step S46, 2 is set by the DOS.
Some files of Windows, which is the next OS, are copied from the boot CD-ROM 50 onto the RAM disk 113B. Here, the files copied to the RAM disk 113B are files that are always rewritten (updated) by the secondary OS during the operation of the application, specifically, swap areas, disk caches, registry files, and the like. In addition, a startup file (wi) necessary for starting the secondary OS (Windows in this embodiment)
n.comm) is also copied.

In this case, the control unit of this card printer does not rewrite files, but files that are frequently accessed during the operation of the application, such as the device driver, the dynamic link library, and the font, are also stored in the RAM disk 113B. Copy above. In this way, the CD-
Since the number of times the ROM is accessed is reduced, it is advantageous that errors that occur during mechanical operations during the CD-ROM access are reduced and the reading time is significantly shortened.

When the copying to the RAM disk 113B is completed, the process proceeds to step S47 and the RAM disk 113
Execute the startup file copied to B, and after that,
RAM disk 113B and boot CD-ROM 50
Windows, which is the secondary OS, is started by using. Then, the process proceeds to step S48, and when Windows starts up, the data of the application 53 is read and activated by using the activation CD-ROM 50, and the operation as the card printer is started.

When the card printer is operating as described above, the application and the window are operated.
The s file is a CD-ROM 50 for booting as needed.
Read from. In addition, the swap area, the disk cache, the registry file and the like copied on the RAM disk 113B are rewritten during the operation of the application as described above.

When the power of this card printer is cut off, no special procedure is required unlike an ordinary personal computer equipped with Windows, and it is sufficient to simply turn off the power switches of the control unit and the printer unit. At this time, it is copied to the RAM disk 113B,
The swap area, disk cache, registry file, etc. rewritten while the application is running are deleted without being saved. Then, at the next startup, the processing according to the above-described flowchart is performed in a fresh state, so that the apparatus can always be stably started. Writing to the RAM disk 113B may be data generation by a program instead of copying.

This is done by preventing the card printer from accessing a secondary storage device having a mechanical access mechanism such as a readable and writable magnetic recording type hard disk for Windows access. Since it is configured to read data from a CD-ROM that is stable and readable only at startup, the file to be written is stored in the RAM disk created on the main memory, which is an electrically volatile storage device. This is because I decided to do so. However, if the magnetic storage type hard disk is not written, the hard disk may be used. In other words, the physical shape of the storage device is not a problem.

As described above, in the card printer of this embodiment, since the above-mentioned mother board 10 is used as a structure for controlling the whole, the following effects are obtained.

Since the development of the application program can be performed on the application programming interface of the general-purpose OS having an environment, the time required for developing the application program can be remarkably shortened and the cost can be remarkably reduced.

Further, even when a part of the application is modified / changed, it has conventionally been necessary to change the ROM, so that it is necessary for a specialized maintenance person to perform it.
Since this card printer only needs to change the booting CD-ROM, an administrator of a game center or the like who does not have specialized knowledge of a personal computer can perform it without any problem.

Even if a general-purpose OS such as Windows is installed, the start-up and shut-down of the device can be stably performed simply by turning on / off the main switch.

In the card printer of this embodiment, the primary O
A CD-ROM was used as a primary storage medium that stores three types of data, S data, secondary OS data, and card printer application data, but these data can be stored and are stable. If it is a readable medium, a primary storage medium other than the CD-ROM, such as a DVD-RAM or a ROM, may be used. A hard disk may be used depending on the case.

Similarly, in the card printer according to the present embodiment, a file that is always rewritten during the operation of the application is copied to the RAM disk and rewritten on the RAM disk. Other media and configurations may be used as long as they are capable secondary storage devices.

In the above embodiment, the primary OS is MS-DOS of Microsoft Corporation in the US and the secondary OS is Windows.
However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, UNIX is basically a CUI OS, similar to MS-DOS. An X Window System (GUI user interface) may be operated as the secondary OS described in the above embodiment. Strictly speaking, X is not an OS but a shell that serves as a UNIX user interface.

In short, in the present embodiment, when finally constructing the environment in which the application can operate, the OS assisting the operation of the application writes to the storage device by the OS itself or by a request from the application. Therefore, a high-speed and volatile storage medium such as a RAM drive is used as the storage device.

<Description of Configuration of Printer Unit> In the printer unit of the present embodiment, recording is performed on a sheet-shaped recording medium according to a well-known recording method such as an ink jet method, except for the portions related to the paper feeding unit 6 and the bar code reader 106. It has substantially the same configuration as a general printer that performs printing, and here, the parts related to the paper feeding unit 6 and the barcode reader 106 will be described.

FIG. 8 is a side sectional view of the sheet feeding unit 6 of this embodiment. Reference numeral 61 denotes a tray for stacking recording sheets such as business cards, postcards, stickers, etc. described above with reference to FIG. 3, and a user can set a recording medium in the sheet feeding cassette 104 and the sheet feeding cassette 104 that accommodate the tray 61. Cassette slide mechanism 105 for pulling out to a position
Together with this, the paper feeding unit 6 is configured.

Reference numeral 301 designates one recording medium loaded on the tray.
Reference numeral 703 denotes a paper feed roller for feeding paper one by one to the print unit, and reference numeral 703 denotes a tray elevating drive mechanism for interlocking with the paper feed roller 301 and raising the tray 61 during paper feed. The cassette slide mechanism 105 has a lock mechanism by a solenoid 706 for prohibiting the user from pulling out the paper feed cassette 104 during the recording operation, and a detection as to whether or not the paper feed cassette 104 is in a paper feed position. A cassette position detection sensor 707 and the like for performing the operation are provided.

Above the paper feed tray 61, the bar code reader 10 optically reads the bar code of the bar code card located at the top of the set recording paper without contact.
6 is provided to read the bar code of the bar code card set at the start of recording and send the information to the control unit. When the bar code reader 106 reads the bar code on the bottom of the tray 61 at the start of recording or at the paper feed timing during recording, it is determined that there is no recording paper, and error processing is performed.

<Overall Processing Flow> The processing when recording on a desired card using the card printer of this embodiment will be described below.

9A and 9B are overall flow charts showing the processing of the card printer of this embodiment. The processing shown here is controlled by the control unit according to the selection / input by the user.

When the power of the card printer is turned on and the application is started, samples such as business cards, postcards, stickers, etc. that can be printed by this card printer are displayed on the monitor 3, and a demonstration screen explaining the operation method is displayed. (Step S1001). In this case, a sound effect and a guide sound are played from the speaker 5 in accordance with the display on the screen of the monitor 3. In the following description, the display on the screen of the monitor 3 will be mainly described, but a sound effect and a guide sound are played from the speaker 5 in accordance with the display on the screen.

It is detected whether or not the user touches the touch panel 4 (step S1002), and the display of this demo screen is repeated in a loop until the contact is detected. When the touch on the touch panel is detected in step S1002,
A design selection process starts (step S1003). Here, the three types of recording paper are business card, postcard, and sticker.
Then, a desired design is selected from a plurality of types of designs prepared for each recording sheet.

FIG. 10 shows the types of design patterns corresponding to the recording sheets of the business card (a), postcard (b), and sticker (c). In the design selection screen, when you select the type of recording paper, next, multiple types of design of each recording paper are displayed, and then multiple design patterns corresponding to the type of design are displayed. The structure is displayed, and finally one specific design pattern is selected.

There are three types of business cards (a): a speed business card design, a business business card design, and a private business card design. Speed business cards are designed with only letters, and are easy to operate and have limited items that can be entered. On the other hand, the business and private designs are designs that are combined with illustrations, and you can enter comments and specify the shape (font) and color of characters.

For the postcard (b), the New Year's card with the zodiac,
There are five types of New Year's cards without zodiac, move / transfer notices, celebration notices, and greeting cards. When you select a greeting card, you can choose from birthday cards, thank you &
Select either a letter of appreciation or a message card.

There are four kinds of seals (c): name sticker, address sticker, E-mail sticker, and special sticker. When the name sticker is selected, the number of faces is 40, 20,
If you select from 14 and select the special sticker,
Select kitchen sticker, notebook sticker or calendar sticker.

When the design is selected as described above, the bar code reader 106 of the printer section is operated as described above.
Reads the bar code card that should be on the top of the recording paper, transmits the read information to the control unit, and determines whether the recording paper corresponding to the tray 61 in the paper feeding unit 6 is set correctly. (Step S100
4).

That is, in this embodiment, the operation up to this point is configured so that anyone can perform it even if the recording paper is not set. This is intended to stimulate purchasing motivation by displaying various concrete design patterns for users who have not purchased recording paper in response to the operation, in addition to the advertising effect of the demonstration screen. is there.

In step S1004, when the recording paper and the barcode card are not set, that is, when the barcode on the bottom of the tray 61 is read, a message such as "There is no paper, please insert the paper correctly" is displayed. Prompts you to load the chart paper, and if the selected design does not correspond to the loaded chart paper, "The paper is different. Please insert the paper correctly."
An error process is performed to display a message such as (step S1005), and the process returns to step S1003.

If there is no problem in checking the recording paper in step S1004, the solenoid 706 is moved to prohibit the slide cassette 105 of the paper feeding unit 6 from being pulled out (step S1006).

Next, design editing processing is performed (step S1007). Here, as will be described later, the data corresponding to the selected design pattern is input, the character shape (font) and the color are designated. When the design editing process is completed, user input and
The selected data is combined, the image after printing is displayed on the monitor 3, and it is confirmed whether or not the printing is executed (step S1008).

When the user cancels the printing, the solenoid is unlocked (step S1009), and the process returns to step S1003 to select the design again.

On the other hand, when the execution of printing is designated, the recording paper is checked again by the bar code reader 106 (step S1010). If the recording paper is not set correctly here, the solenoid is unlocked (step S1011), and the same error processing as in step S1005 is performed.

If the check of the recording paper in step S1010 is OK, printing is performed on each recording paper according to the design pattern determined in step S1007 (step S1013). At this time, a message indicating that printing is being executed is displayed on the monitor 3.

Then, it is judged whether or not the printing is normally completed (step S1014). Here, as described above, the number of sheets to be set at once for each type of recording paper is set in advance, and the type has already been confirmed by checking the recording paper, so the number of recording paper to be printed is known. Is. Therefore, it is determined that the printing is normally completed when the number of sheets is correctly recorded corresponding to the type of the recording paper. On the other hand, if the printing process is stopped halfway for a certain period of time due to a jam of the recording paper or the like, it is determined to be abnormally terminated.

In the case of abnormal termination, the solenoid is unlocked, and a message such as "Call the store clerk" is displayed, and the store clerk or a specialized maintenance person handles the problem (step S1016). In this case, all the recording papers including the already printed recording papers are once discarded, the recording papers are set again, and the printing process is performed from the beginning.

When the printing process is completed normally, the lock of the solenoid is released (step S1017), the fact that the printing is completed is displayed on the monitor 3 (step S1018), and the ink remaining amount is checked (step S1019). In the present embodiment, it is determined that there is no ink when the remaining amount of ink is less than the printable amount for every sales unit (1 set) of all recording paper. Specifically, it is determined whether or not there is an amount of ink in the ink tank of each color that can record the five postcards that consume the most ink.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the ink remaining amount is determined based on the amount of ink that can be recorded on the five postcards that consume the most ink, to prevent ink depletion during the printing process. .

When the ink level is insufficient for any one of the colors, a message such as "Call a clerk" is displayed together with the ink color for which the ink level is insufficient, and the clerk or the specialist The maintenance staff replaces the corresponding ink tank (step S1020).

If there is no problem in the ink remaining amount check, a message confirming whether or not to continue printing with the same design is displayed on the monitor 3 and waits for user input (step S1021). When the printing is not continued, the end message is displayed on the monitor (step S102).
2) The process returns to step S1001 and the demonstration screen is displayed.

On the other hand, when printing is to be continued, the solenoid is unlocked (step S1023), and the user sets the recording paper (step S102).
4) and returns to step S1010. As described above, in the present embodiment, when printing a large number of sheets with the same design,
It is configured so that there is no need to perform design pattern selection and character input processing again.

When the operation of the card printer according to the present embodiment is terminated, the power switch of the control unit is turned off and then the power switch of the printer unit is turned off at an arbitrary timing other than during the printing process. You can do this.

<Design Edit Screen> Next, step S1
The design editing process in 007 will be described in detail.
11A to 11F respectively show six types of input screens corresponding to the input methods selectable in this embodiment.

FIG. 11A shows a screen for handwriting input.
Preview window 301 at the top and right of the screen, input palette 302 at the center, instruction window 303 at the bottom
It is roughly divided into three windows.

The preview window 301 displays the selected design as a whole and a preview display portion 301a in which the input item is highlighted.
, A portion 301b for displaying the input character, keys 301c and 301g for moving the input position (see the cursor 310 in FIG. 11F) to the left, right, a one-character delete key 301d, a space key 301e, and an input item. A line feed key 301f, which is effective only when extending over a plurality of lines, and keys 301h to 301n that indicate an input item being edited are provided.

The input palette 302 has keys 302a to 302f for selecting an input method and is provided with a display corresponding to the selected input method. The input palette 302 for handwriting input in FIG. 11A includes an area for the user to perform handwriting input and kanji and kana characters for handwritten input.
It has conversion keys for hiragana, letters / numbers, and symbols, and has a key for the user to select / confirm a correct candidate and a key for instructing rewriting.

The instruction window 303 is provided with a key 303a for erasing all contents of the current input item, a window 303b for displaying an explanation of a user's operation method, and a key 303c for advancing to the next item. There is.

The input screens corresponding to the other input methods shown in FIGS. 11B to 11F differ from the screen for handwriting input of FIG. 11A only in the input palette 302. Only this input palette will be described below.

FIG. 11B is a screen for Kana conversion input. This input palette 302 is a key for inputting Japanese syllabary and Japanese syllabary and keys for inputting Kana conversion and allowing the user to select. And a key for switching the display of the conversion candidates back and forth, and a key for instructing to cancel the input.

FIG. 11C is a screen for inputting alphanumeric characters,
The input palette 302 includes keys for inputting a part of alphabets, numbers and symbols, and keys for switching between uppercase and lowercase letters of the alphabet.

FIG. 11D is a screen for inputting numbers / symbols, and is provided with numeric keys and keys for inputting symbols which are considered to be frequently used when inputting contacts and the like.

FIG. 11E is a screen for inputting pictograms.
It has keys to enter various pictograms that can be used as marks and accents.

FIG. 11F is a screen for inputting an address, showing a numeric key and the address corresponding to the zip code entered by the numeric key, and inputting a portion for the user to select, a chome, an address, etc. And a key for doing.

<Design Editing Processing> A case where a business design is selected as the recording paper for business cards will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, enter the company name (S1201),
Next, the title is input (step S1202), and then the name is input (step S1203). These input methods can be selected from handwriting, kana, and alphanumeric characters.

Then, the address is input (step S1).
204). Here, the zip code is first input on the address input screen shown in FIG. 11F, and is input by a method of selecting from the displayed address candidates. If the displayed candidate does not have an address to be input, it can be input by another input method.

After that, the contact information such as a fax or a telephone number is input (step S1205). Here, FIG.
Enter on the D number / symbol input screen. The business card design allows you to enter up to two lines, and you can enter two contacts on each line.

Next, a comment is input (step S1).
206). Here, handwriting, kana, and alphanumeric input methods can be selected.

Finally, the shape (font) or color of the input character is designated. These are designed to be selected by the user from a number of good catches.

With the above processing, the design editing is completed. Although it has been described here that all items included in the design of the business card for business are input, unnecessary items can be skipped by pressing the key 303c of the instruction window 303.

Editing processing of designs other than business cards is also performed by inputting the input items of each design using the corresponding input palettes.

<Processing of Bar Code Card> As described above, the card printer of this embodiment is installed in a store such as a convenience store. In a recording device installed in such a store, in order to collect a printing fee from a user, a counter for counting the number of printed sheets is provided, or the inserted coins are checked and the coins are paid according to the inserted amount. It is common to provide a device for controlling the recording device.

In contrast to such a general structure, in the present embodiment, a recording sheet such as a business card and a card and a bar code card in which information corresponding to the recording sheet is recorded in advance are sold as a set. , Eliminating the need for the counter and special equipment described above.

That is, the card printer reads the bar code of the bar code card placed on the first sheet and sends the information to the control section. When the corresponding bar code is not confirmed, the control section performs the design editing and thereafter. By controlling the card printer so that it does not operate, it is possible to prevent the card printer from being used free of charge.

However, if the bar code card or a copy of the barcode card is set together with the recording paper, it may be printed on the recording paper brought free of charge. In order to prevent this, in the present embodiment, it is premised that the purchased recording paper is printed in the store without going out, and it is impossible to reuse the barcode card set at the top. Therefore, in the print execution process of step S1013, a predetermined pattern is overwritten on the barcode card before printing the recording paper.

FIG. 2B shows an example in which the bar code card 20 shown in FIG. 2A is overwritten with a predetermined pattern. In this example, a vertical line in the same direction as each line of the barcode is written so that the barcode 21 cannot be read, and at the first glance, the character “Done” is displayed in a prominent color such as red so that it can be determined that it has been used. I am filling in.

As described above, the purpose is to prevent the barcode card from being reused, so the pattern overwritten on the barcode portion is not limited to the pattern shown here.

As described above, the card printer of this embodiment has the following effects.

With the same device, the input data can be printed according to the selected design on a plurality of different types of recording paper such as business cards, postcards, stickers, etc. without complicating the user's operation.

Whether or not the recording paper is set and whether or not the set recording paper corresponds to the design selected by the user can be easily and accurately determined by reading the bar code card. It is possible to prevent problems when printing due to differences in paper size.

By selling the recording paper and the bar code card as a set and invalidating the bar code card that has been used once so that it cannot be used again, it is possible to prevent printing for free.

[Other Embodiments] In the above embodiment, the information about the type and the number of recording sheets set by using the bar code is obtained, but a code other than the bar code can be used. Information other than the paper size and the number of sheets may be included.

In the embodiment described above, the image that can be recorded on the recording medium is selected from image data prepared in advance, but it is used as a magnetic storage medium such as a floppy disk or a storage medium of a digital camera. It is also conceivable that the image data of the user is read from a semiconductor storage medium such as a compact flash or a smart medium, and can be combined with the input character data to be recorded on the recording medium.

Further, an object of the present invention is to supply a storage medium having a program code of software for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus, and to supply a computer (or CPU) of the system or apparatus.
It is needless to say that it can be achieved by reading and executing the program code stored in the storage medium.

In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the function of the above-described embodiment, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.

As a storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, a floppy disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a CD
-R, magnetic tape, non-volatile memory card, ROM, etc. can be used.

Moreover, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by executing the program code read by the computer, but also the OS (operating system) running on the computer based on the instructions of the program code. It is needless to say that this also includes a case where the above) performs a part or all of the actual processing and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments.

Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written in the memory provided in the function expansion board inserted into the computer or the function expansion unit connected to the computer, based on the instruction of the program code, It goes without saying that a case where the CPU or the like included in the function expansion board or the function expansion unit performs some or all of the actual processing and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is also included.

When the present invention is applied to the above storage medium, the storage medium stores the program code corresponding to the above-described flowcharts (shown in FIGS. 9A, 9B and / or 12). Become.

[0130]

As described above, according to the present invention, when printing the print data created by the user with the same printer using a plurality of types of recording media, the printing medium is set according to the recording medium set in the printer. There is an effect that the process from creation of print data to printing can be easily performed by a simple operation.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a card printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2A is a diagram showing an example of a bar code card used in the card printer of FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 2B is a diagram showing a used barcode card.

FIG. 3 is a top view of a tray for setting recording paper of the card printer of FIG.

4 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of the card printer of FIG.

5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the motherboard of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing processing at the time of startup in the control unit of the card printer of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating data recorded in a boot CD-ROM.

FIG. 8 is a side view of a paper feeding unit of the card printer of FIG.

9A is a first diagram of a flowchart showing a process of the card printer of FIG. 1. FIG.

9B is a second diagram of the flowchart showing the processing of the card printer of FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a design printable by the card printer of FIG.

11A is a first diagram showing a design edit screen of the card printer of FIG. 1. FIG.

11B is a second diagram showing the design editing screen of the card printer of FIG. 1. FIG.

11C is a third diagram showing the design editing screen of the card printer of FIG. 1. FIG.

11D is a fourth diagram showing the design editing screen of the card printer of FIG. 1. FIG.

11E is a fifth diagram showing a design edit screen of the card printer of FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 11F is a sixth diagram showing the design editing screen of the card printer of FIG. 1;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a design editing process of the card printer of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 card printer 2 Fixed part 3 monitors 4 touch panel 5 speakers 6 paper feeding unit 7 outlet 10 motherboard 12 CD-ROM drive 13 Printer 20 barcode card 21 barcode 61 trays 104 paper feed cassette 105 cassette slide mechanism 106 Bar code reader 703 Tray lifting drive mechanism 706 cassette lock mechanism 707 cassette position sensor

Front Page Continuation (72) Inventor Katsuhiko Kondo 2-7-1-304 Wakamatsu, Funabashi City, Chiba (56) Reference JP-A-10-44512 (JP, A) JP-A-6-202422 (JP, A) JP-A-2-243424 (JP, A) JP-A-11-240629 (JP, A) JP-A-11-188861 (JP, A) Utility model registration 3062194 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int .Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B41J 3/407 B41J 11/00 B41J 13/00 B41J 21/16 B41J 29/48 B65H 3/00 B65H 85/00 B65C 9/46

Claims (9)

(57) [Claims] 1. A printer for printing based on data transmitted from an information processing apparatus, which can accommodate a plurality of sheet-shaped recording media,
When the medium is stored, it is covered on the surface that is covered.
When the control card is placed on the top of the recording medium
If the control card
The recording medium is placed at the same position as the predetermined position where the information of No. 1 is recorded.
A sheet feeding unit in which the second information indicating that the recording medium is not contained is recorded, and a case where the recording medium is not accommodated in the sheet feeding unit.
In this case, from the predetermined position of the paper feeding unit to the second
When information is read and the recording medium is housed
To a reading means for reading information from the predetermined position of the uppermost surface of the recording medium, it is recorded in the predetermined position at which the reading means has read
The information and transmitting means for transmitting to the information processing apparatus, to the information processing apparatus, transmitting the first information
Information about the currently stored recording media
Then, the recording medium is accommodated by transmitting the second information.
Is notified, and other than the above-mentioned first and second information
Control card is placed by sending the information of
A printer characterized by notifying that an unrecorded recording medium is accommodated . 2. The first information is a type of the recording medium,
The printer according to claim 1, wherein the printer includes information regarding size and / or number of sheets. 3. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the first information is recorded in the control card as a code. 4. The printer according to claim 3, wherein the code is a bar code, and the reading unit is a bar code reader. 5. An information processing apparatus for transmitting print data to the printer according to claim 1, further comprising: a receiving unit that receives the information read by the reading unit; and a receiving unit that receives the information read by the reading unit. Unless you receive the first information
And control means for controlling said printer so as not to perform the printing operation, when receiving the first information by the receiving means, and means for limiting the executable process according to the first information An information processing device characterized by the above. 6. The receiving unit receives the second information.
If a message is received, the recording medium is stored in the paper feeding unit.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising display means for displaying a message indicating that the information processing is not performed. 7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the processing includes processing relating to creation of the print data. 8. A printer according to claim 1, and an information processing device for transmitting print data to the printer.
A printing system comprising a location, the information processing apparatus receives the information read by said reading means receiving
As long as the receiving means and the receiving means do not receive the first information,
A control to control the printer so that printing operation is not performed.
When the first information is received by the control means and the receiving means,
Means for limiting the executable processing according to the first information;
A printing system that is equipped with . 9. A storage medium for storing a program executed by an information processing device for transmitting print data to the printer according to claim 1 , which is read by said reading means. Received information
Step, and do not perform the printing operation unless the first information is received.
And a program code including a step of controlling the printer and a step of creating the print data according to the first information when the first information is received. Storage medium.