JP4176874B2 - Recording device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus, and more particularly to a recording apparatus that can selectively use a plurality of recording media.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, in a card making apparatus capable of selectively recording on a plurality of recording media, the relationship between the identification information for identifying these recording media and the corresponding recording media is fixed, and the identification information and When changing the correspondence relationship with the recording medium, it is necessary to change the application software for managing the correspondence relationship.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the above conventional example, each time the correspondence relationship between the identification information and the recording medium is changed, the application software needs to be changed. Therefore, many application software of different versions are generated, and the application software is managed and maintained. There was a problem that it became very difficult.
[0004]
The present invention has been made in view of the above conventional example, and an object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus that can easily change the correspondence between a recording medium and identification information for identifying the recording medium.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the recording apparatus of the present invention has the following configuration.
[0006]
That is, the recording apparatus is capable of selectively recording a plurality of types of recording media, and includes an attachment unit that accommodates one of the plurality of types of recording media in a sheet feeding unit, and a recording that is accommodated in the sheet feeding unit. Identification means for identifying the type of medium, application software used to execute recording on each of the plurality of types of recording media, registration means for registering the relationship between the types of recording media, and execution of a recording operation In this case, based on the type of the recording medium identified by the identification unit, the application software registered by the registration unit is retrieved, and the retrieved application software is activated to be stored in the sheet feeding unit. Control means for controlling to execute a recording operation on the medium; A preview unit for previewing a recorded image on a display screen prior to recording on the recording medium; and an editing unit for editing the content of the recorded image previewed by the preview unit; Have The registration means registers the size of the recording medium that can be used by the application software in a man-machine interactive manner when one application software can execute recording processing on a plurality of types of recording media. And a recording apparatus.
[0008]
The control means includes an error message display means for displaying an error message on the display screen when the application software registered by the registration means cannot be searched based on the type of the recording medium identified by the identification means. It is desirable.
[0009]
Now, the registration means further The application software may register the types of images that can be recorded in correspondence with each of a plurality of recording media.
[0010]
In this case, it is better to select a desired type from the registered types of images. Then, the control means specifies the appropriate recording medium type for recording the image based on the selected image type, and the recording medium identified by the specified recording medium type and the identification means It is preferable to control to execute the recording operation based on the comparison result.
[0011]
Still further, the editing means may have man-machine interactive for inputting each item of the recorded contents to be edited interactively, or all the items of the recorded contents to be edited are included. The storage means stored in advance, the instruction means for instructing the contents of the representative item among the items of the editing record contents, and the storage means are searched and edited based on the contents of the designated representative item. It is preferable to have automatic editing means for extracting all items of the recorded contents and automatically editing the recorded contents based on the extracted items.
[0012]
In order to record on the plurality of types of recording media, it is desirable to further include an ink jet recording head that performs recording by ejecting ink, and the recording head uses thermal energy to eject ink. It is further desirable to have a thermal energy converter for generating thermal energy applied to the ink.
[0014]
With the above configuration, the present invention registers the relationship between the application software used to execute recording on each of a plurality of types of recording media and the type of the recording medium, and identifies the type of the recording medium loaded in the apparatus. In executing the recording operation, the registered application software is searched based on the identified type of the recording medium, and the searched application software is activated to perform the recording operation on the mounted recording medium. Operates to control execution.
[0015]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0016]
FIG. 1 shows a color label recording apparatus (hereinafter referred to as a recording apparatus) using a full-line recording head that performs recording in accordance with an ink jet system, which is a typical embodiment of the present invention, and a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as PC). It is an external appearance front view of the card creation system (henceforth a system).
[0017]
As shown in FIG. 1, the recording apparatus 101 and the PC 107 main body are installed inside a casing 100, and a CRT monitor 103 for monitoring the operation status of the system and various systems are installed on the top of the casing 100. A keyboard 104 is provided for inputting instructions and responding to requests from the system. These system components are connected to each other by a cable. In addition, a cassette 106 on which a replaceable recording medium is loaded is attached to the paper feeding unit 105 of the recording apparatus 101. Further, the recording medium recorded by the recording apparatus 101 is ejected from the apparatus and stacked on the stacking unit 102.
[0018]
FIG. 2 is a perspective perspective view for explaining the internal structure of the recording apparatus 101.
[0019]
The recording apparatus 101 includes a full-line inkjet head (hereinafter referred to as a recording head) 201 to 204 that performs recording by discharging ink in accordance with an inkjet recording method, and a recovery unit (not shown) that always guarantees stable ink ejection. I have. The recording sheet 205 is supplied from the cassette 106 to a printing position by these recording heads, and is conveyed by a conveyance unit 206 provided in the main unit 208 of the recording apparatus.
[0020]
The printing of the image on the recording paper 205 is performed when the reference position of the recording paper 205 reaches below the recording head 201 that ejects black (K) ink while the recording paper 205 is conveyed. Ink is ejected. Similarly, the recording paper 202 for ejecting cyan (C) ink, the recording head 203 for ejecting magenta (M) ink, and the recording head 204 for ejecting yellow (Y) ink are sequentially recorded at the reference positions. When 205 reaches, each color ink is ejected to form a color image. The recording sheet 205 on which the image is printed in this manner is discharged and accumulated on the stacking unit 102.
[0021]
The recording apparatus 101 in this embodiment further includes a transport unit 206, an ink cartridge (not shown) for supplying ink to the recording heads 201 to 204, and a pump unit for supplying and recovering ink to the recording heads 201 to 204. (Not shown), a control board (not shown) for controlling the entire recording apparatus 101, and the like. The front door 209 is an opening / closing door for replacing the ink cartridge.
[0022]
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a control configuration of the recording apparatus 101.
[0023]
In FIG. 3, reference numeral 700 denotes a main controller that controls the entire recording apparatus 101 in accordance with a control program stored in the memory 701. Reference numeral 702 denotes a motor for driving a recovery mechanism of the recording head, and 703 denotes a sheet feeding motor (LF motor) that conveys the recording sheet. These motors correspond to motor drivers 702D, 702D, It is driven by 703D. Each of 704Y to 704K is an image memory that stores yellow component image data, magenta component image data, cyan component image data, and black component image data. Writing data to these image memories and reading data from these image memories are executed under the control of the image data controller 707. The head driving circuit 705 performs printing by driving the corresponding recording head according to the image data of each color based on the image data sent from the image data controller 707 under the instruction of the main controller 700.
[0024]
The PC 107 performs various controls relating to the recording operation, and instructs the recording apparatus 101 to start the printing process.
[0025]
As a result, the recording apparatus 101 uses the function of the image data controller 707 to store the image data corresponding to each color component of the color image data at the address of the image memory 704 corresponding to the position on the recording medium designated by the PC 107. To expand bitmap. When the image data for four colors Y, M, C, and K are developed in the image memory 704 in this way, the main controller 700 rotates and drives the LF motor 703 for conveying the recording paper, and starts conveying the recording paper. In synchronism with the conveyance of the recording paper, the image data controller 707 sequentially reads out the corresponding color image data from the image memory 704 and discharges the corresponding color ink through the head driving circuit 705. 201 to 204. In this way, each of the recording heads 201 to 204 prints a color image by ejecting ink according to the transmitted image data.
[0026]
Various application software (hereinafter referred to as an application) provided for recording and outputting various images from the recording apparatus 101 is transmitted from the selection menu PC 107 displayed on the screen of the CRT monitor 103 to the keyboard 107 or the mouse. It is activated by operating (not shown).
[0027]
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing various cassettes that can be attached to the recording apparatus 101 and various recording media stored therein.
[0028]
As shown in FIG. 4, recording media 205A, 205B, and 205C having different sizes are stored in the three types of cassettes 106A, 106B, and 106C that can be attached to the recording apparatus. In this embodiment, a cassette that stores a desired recording medium from the plurality of recording media can be used by attaching it to the paper feeding unit 105. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, claws 207 (maximum two) are provided at the lower left corners of these cassettes so that the recording apparatus 101 can identify the size of the recording medium. It is detected by a sensor (not shown) on the main body side of the apparatus 101, and finally the recording apparatus 101 and the PC 107 can know the size of the recording medium.
[0029]
Therefore, in the case of this embodiment, the sensor of the recording apparatus 101 can identify four states based on the presence or absence of two nails. That is, (1) no cassette is loaded and no recording medium is present (identification pattern “00”), (2) cassette 106A is loaded and recording medium 205A (type 1) is supplied (identification) (Pattern “01”), (3) a state in which the cassette 106B is loaded and the recording medium 205B (type 2) is supplied (identification pattern “10”), and (4) a cassette 106C is loaded and the recording medium 205C ( Type 3) is supplied (identification pattern “11”). This identification pattern is transferred to the PC 107 and also stored in the memory 701 of the recording apparatus 101.
[0030]
Further, the PC 107 activates a predetermined application, and associates the identification pattern, the actual size of the recording medium, and the application for recording on the recording medium. This association is performed by operating a keyboard 107 or a mouse (not shown) according to an instruction displayed on the screen of the CRT monitor 103. The association information obtained by this operation is stored in the memory (not shown) of the PC 107 or the memory 704 of the recording apparatus 101.
[0031]
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a menu screen displayed on the CRT monitor 103 when the application for performing the association is executed.
[0032]
In FIG. 5, (a) sets the relationship between the identification pattern 401 obtained from the sensor, the type of recording medium (here, paper type) 402, and the file name 403 of an application for recording on the recording medium. This is a menu screen 400 displayed for the purpose.
[0033]
On this screen, the paper type 402 associated with the identification pattern 401 is selected from the paper types registered in advance in the paper type registration menu 406 shown in FIG.
[0034]
The transition from the menu screen 400 to the screen of the paper type registration menu 406 is made by clicking and selecting the “paper type registration key” 405 with the mouse. In the paper type registration menu 406, the type of the recording medium such as A4, LGL, LTR, postcard, business card or the like is input into the paper type input field 407 using the keyboard 104 or the mouse. The application file name used for recording on the recording medium is input to the startup application file name input field 408. Here, if necessary, desired information may be entered in the remark input field.
[0035]
Then, by selecting the “OK key” 410, the information input in the paper type registration menu 406 is registered, and then the screen returns to the menu screen 400 from the paper type registration menu 406. If the “Cancel” key 411 is clicked, no information is registered and the display screen returns from the paper type registration menu 406 to the menu screen 400.
[0036]
Finally, by selecting an “OK key” 404 on the menu screen 404, the parameters set according to the above-described procedure are stored in the memory of the PC 107 and the memory 701 of the recording apparatus 101.
[0037]
Next, an application selection process for executing a recording operation and execution of the selected application will be described with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG. 6 and a display screen when the selected application is executed shown in FIG.
[0038]
First, in step S500, an identification pattern obtained by detecting a currently loaded cassette is acquired. Next, in step S501, a paper type associated with the menu screen 400 is searched based on the acquired identification pattern. .
[0039]
As a result of the search, in step S502, the process checks whether a paper type corresponding to the acquired identification pattern is registered. If it is determined that the registration has not been made, the process proceeds to step S503, an error message is displayed on the screen of the CRT monitor 103, and the process ends.
[0040]
On the other hand, if it is determined that registration has been performed, the process proceeds to step S504 to search for an application file to be activated, and further, in step S505, it is checked whether or not the application file has been successfully searched. If the search is successful, the process advances to step S506 to activate an application corresponding to the recognition pattern. On the other hand, if the search fails, the process proceeds to step S503, an error message is displayed on the screen of the CRT monitor 103, and the process ends.
[0041]
Now, when an application is selected and activated by the processing as described above, for example, a screen as shown in FIG. 7 is displayed on the CRT monitor 103.
[0042]
In FIG. 7, (a) is a print preview screen, and (b) is a recording image editing screen by an activated application. In this embodiment, when a print result such as a business card 601 is displayed on the print preview screen 600, the contents can be changed for each item 603 of individual information printed on the image. Specifically, when one piece of individual information is click-selected with a mouse or the like on this screen, the display screen transitions to the individual information input screen 604 shown in FIG. 5B, and information is input to the field 605 of the individual information input screen 604. By doing so, the content of the selected individual information can be changed. By selecting an “OK key” 606 on the screen of (b), the information input from the field 605 is registered, and then the display screen returns to the print preview screen 600. If the “Cancel” key 607 is clicked, no information is registered and the display screen returns to the preview screen 600.
[0043]
Finally, after all the items have been confirmed, by clicking and selecting the “print” key 602, the print data is transmitted to the recording apparatus 101 and printing is performed.
[0044]
Therefore, according to the above embodiment, even when a change occurs in the correspondence between the identification pattern and the type of the recording medium, the correspondence can be reflected in the system by a simple man-machine interactive operation. Can do. Even when a newly available recording medium is added, it can be easily registered in the system by a simple man-machine interactive operation.
[0045]
This eliminates the need to change the correspondence between the identification pattern and the type of recording medium or to modify the application each time the correspondence is additionally registered.
[0046]
When one application for executing the recording operation can record on a plurality of recording media of different sizes, the identification pattern and the type of the recording medium (here, on the menu screen 400 ′ shown in FIG. 8). Then, it is only necessary to start and execute the application by designating only the relationship with the paper type). In this case, when the application is activated, processing as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 9 is executed.
[0047]
In FIG. 9, the same step reference numbers are assigned to the same processing steps as described in FIG. If the processing shown in FIG. 9 is followed, an identification pattern is acquired in step S500, and if it is determined in step S502 ′ that the paper type is registered, the processing is further performed in steps S802 to S804. Check if it is registered. If any one of the types 1 to 3 is registered, the process proceeds to any one of steps S805 to S807, and the recording process corresponding to the sheet type is executed. However, if any one of the types 1 to 3 is not registered, the process proceeds to step S503, and the above-described process is executed. If it is determined in step S502 'that the paper type is not registered, the process proceeds to step S503 in the same manner.
[0048]
FIG. 10 shows a print preview screen 600 when recording is performed using types 1 to 3 corresponding to steps S805 to S807. In FIG. 10, (a) is for printing on type 1 (for example, business card 601) paper, (b) is for printing on type 2 (for example, government postcard 610), and (c) is for type 3 ( For example, a screen for printing on paper of a Christmas card 611) is shown.
[0049]
In FIG. 10, the same elements as those already described in FIG. 7 are denoted by the same reference numerals. Here, reference numerals 608 and 609 denote fields whose contents can be changed.
[0050]
[Other Embodiments]
Here, when one application that can be recorded on a plurality of types of recording media is started, the type of images that can be recorded by the application is displayed as a menu on the initial screen displayed on the CRT monitor, and the user selects from the menu. FIG. 11 to FIG. 13 show an example in which the recording medium and the recording medium accommodated in the currently loaded cassette are compared based on the identification pattern and the execution of the recording operation is controlled based on the comparison result. The description will be given with reference. In these drawings, the same elements and the same processing steps as those described in the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and the same step reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted. Here, elements unique to this embodiment are described. Only will be described.
[0051]
FIG. 11 is a menu screen showing the association between the identification pattern used when the application according to this embodiment is activated, the paper type, and the image type corresponding to the paper.
[0052]
In this menu screen 400, in addition to the fields of the identification pattern 401 and the paper type 402, a menu 403 ′ is defined for the types of images that can be printed on the type of paper displayed in the paper type 402.
[0053]
Now, when the application according to this embodiment is activated, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 12, first, in step S1200, the types of recording media that can be recorded by the application are displayed as a menu. FIG. 13 shows the menu. This menu is displayed based on the relationship shown in FIG. In step S1201, the process waits for a selection instruction from the menu. When a desired image type 1101 is selected from the menu screen 1100 shown in FIG. 13 using the keyboard 104 or the mouse, the selected information is displayed. The data is stored in a predetermined storage area of the memory, and the process proceeds to step S1202.
[0054]
In step S1202, the relationship shown in FIG. 11 is referred to, the paper type necessary for the selected image type is specified, and the identification pattern is acquired from the sensor.
[0055]
In steps S802 to S804, the necessary paper type is compared with the type of recording medium (here, the paper type) stored in the cassette based on the identification pattern obtained from the sensor, and the necessary recording is performed. If there is a medium (here, paper), recording is performed on the specified recording medium in steps S805 to S807.
[0056]
On the other hand, if the necessary type of recording medium specified in step S1202 is not obtained, the process proceeds to step S503, the process as described above is performed, and the process returns to step S1200 again. At this time, the user may mount a cassette containing a desired recording medium in the recording apparatus.
[0057]
Note that the process ends when the recording in steps S805 to S807 ends.
[0058]
Therefore, according to this embodiment, a user can easily select a desired image and select a recording medium for man-machine interactive recording.
[0059]
[Other Embodiments]
Now, in the above-described embodiment, referring to FIG. 7, for example, when printing an image such as a business card, a print preview is displayed on the screen, and information printed on a specific field can be edited in a man-machine interactive manner. did. However, since such editing requires input of editing information for each field, the editing operation becomes complicated when the number of editing fields is large.
[0060]
Accordingly, when the print image format is a predetermined format, such as business card printing, and it is only necessary to edit specific fields related to individual information such as departments and names, the employee number as shown in FIG. Information 1400 in the form of a table of information such as the department to which the user belongs is stored in advance in the hard disk of the PC 107, and instead of the individual information input screen as shown in FIG. 7B, as shown in FIG. When the editing screen 1500 is displayed, the employee number is input in the input field 1501, and the “Confirm” key 1502 is clicked, the information 1400 shown in FIG. 14 is retrieved, and the information necessary for printing the business card is automatically information 1400. May be extracted from
[0061]
As a result, it is possible to search for information related to pre-stored individual information and to print using the searched information without individually inputting a plurality of pieces of individual information.
[0062]
Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, information input, selection instruction input, and the like are performed using a keyboard and a mouse. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and is mounted on the surface of a CRT monitor screen, for example. These inputs may be performed using a touch-sensitive panel.
[0063]
Furthermore, an ID card reader may be attached to the system in the embodiment described above, and for example, information read by the ID card reader may be used as individual information when printing a business card or the like.
[0064]
In the above-described embodiment, a card creation system including a recording apparatus using a full-line recording head that performs recording according to an inkjet method and a personal computer has been described as an example. However, a plurality of recording media can be selectively selected. The present invention is not limited to the types of recording devices and personal computers constituting the system as long as the types of the recording media are replaceable.
[0065]
In the above embodiment, the liquid droplets ejected from the recording head have been described as ink, and the liquid stored in the ink tank has been described as ink. However, the container is limited to ink. It is not a thing. For example, a treatment liquid discharged to the recording medium may be accommodated in the ink tank in order to improve the fixability and water resistance of the recorded image or to improve the image quality.
[0066]
The above embodiment includes means (for example, an electrothermal converter, a laser beam, etc.) that generates thermal energy as energy used for performing ink discharge, particularly in the ink jet recording system, and the ink is generated by the thermal energy. By using a system that causes a change in the state of recording, it is possible to achieve higher recording density and higher definition.
[0067]
As its typical configuration and principle, for example, those performed using the basic principle disclosed in US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4,740,796 are preferable. This method can be applied to both the so-called on-demand type and continuous type. In particular, in the case of the on-demand type, it is arranged corresponding to the sheet or liquid path holding the liquid (ink). By applying at least one drive signal corresponding to the recording information and applying a rapid temperature rise exceeding the film boiling to the electrothermal transducer, the thermal energy is generated in the electrothermal transducer, and the recording head This is effective because film boiling occurs on the heat acting surface of the liquid, and as a result, bubbles in the liquid (ink) corresponding to the drive signal on a one-to-one basis can be formed. By the growth and contraction of the bubbles, liquid (ink) is ejected through the ejection opening to form at least one droplet. When the drive signal is pulse-shaped, the bubble growth and contraction is performed immediately and appropriately, and thus it is possible to achieve the discharge of liquid (ink) with particularly excellent responsiveness.
[0068]
As this pulse-shaped drive signal, those described in US Pat. Nos. 4,463,359 and 4,345,262 are suitable. Further excellent recording can be performed by employing the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 of the invention relating to the temperature rise rate of the heat acting surface.
[0069]
As the configuration of the recording head, in addition to the combination configuration (straight liquid flow path or right-angle liquid flow path) of the discharge port, the liquid path, and the electrothermal transducer as disclosed in each of the above-mentioned specifications, the heat acting surface The configurations using US Pat. No. 4,558,333 and US Pat. No. 4,459,600, which disclose a configuration in which is disposed in a bending region, are also included in the present invention. In addition, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59-123670, which discloses a configuration in which a common slot is used as a discharge portion of an electrothermal transducer, or an opening that absorbs a pressure wave of thermal energy is discharged to a plurality of electrothermal transducers A configuration based on Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 59-138461 disclosing a configuration corresponding to each part may be adopted.
[0070]
Furthermore, as a full-line type recording head having a length corresponding to the width of the maximum recording medium that can be recorded by the recording apparatus, the length is satisfied by a combination of a plurality of recording heads as disclosed in the above specification. Either a configuration or a configuration as a single recording head formed integrally may be used.
[0071]
In addition to the cartridge-type recording head in which the ink tank is integrally provided in the recording head itself described in the above embodiment, it can be electrically connected to the apparatus body by being attached to the apparatus body. A replaceable chip type recording head that can supply ink from the apparatus main body may be used.
[0072]
In addition, it is preferable to add recovery means, preliminary means, and the like for the recording head to the configuration of the recording apparatus described above because the recording operation can be further stabilized. Specific examples thereof include a capping unit for the recording head, a cleaning unit, a pressurizing or sucking unit, an electrothermal converter, a heating element different from this, or a preheating unit using a combination thereof. In addition, it is effective to provide a preliminary ejection mode for performing ejection different from recording in order to perform stable recording.
[0073]
Further, the recording mode of the recording apparatus is not limited to the recording mode of only the mainstream color such as black, but the recording head may be integrated or may be a combination of a plurality of colors. An apparatus having at least one of full colors can also be provided.
[0074]
In the embodiment described above, the description is made on the assumption that the ink is a liquid, but it may be an ink that is solidified at room temperature or lower, or an ink that is softened or liquefied at room temperature, Alternatively, the ink jet method generally controls the temperature of the ink so that the viscosity of the ink is within a stable discharge range by adjusting the temperature within a range of 30 ° C. or higher and 70 ° C. or lower. It is sufficient if the ink sometimes forms a liquid.
[0075]
In addition, it is solidified in a stand-by state in order to actively prevent temperature rise by heat energy as energy for changing the state of ink from the solid state to the liquid state, or to prevent ink evaporation. Ink that is liquefied by heating may be used. In any case, by applying heat energy according to the application of thermal energy according to the recording signal, the ink is liquefied and liquid ink is ejected, or when it reaches the recording medium, it already starts to solidify. The present invention can also be applied to the case where ink having a property of being liquefied for the first time is used. In such a case, the ink is held as a liquid or solid in a porous sheet recess or through-hole as described in JP-A-54-56847 or JP-A-60-71260, It is good also as a form which opposes with respect to an electrothermal converter. In the present invention, the most effective one for each of the above-described inks is to execute the above-described film boiling method.
[0076]
In addition, as a form of the recording apparatus according to the present invention, a copying apparatus combined with a reader or the like, and a transmission / reception function are provided as an image output terminal of an information processing apparatus such as a computer or the like. It may take the form of a facsimile machine.
[0077]
Note that the present invention can be applied to a system including a plurality of devices (for example, a host computer, an interface device, a reader, a printer, etc.), or an apparatus including a single device (for example, a copier, a facsimile machine, etc.). You may apply.
[0078]
Another object of the present invention is to supply a storage medium storing software program codes for implementing the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus, and the computer (or CPU or MPU) of the system or apparatus stores the storage medium. Needless to say, this can also be achieved by reading and executing the program code stored in the.
[0079]
In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiment, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.
[0080]
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, a magnetic tape, a nonvolatile memory card, a ROM, or the like can be used.
[0081]
Further, by executing the program code read by the computer, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized, but also an OS (operating system) operating on the computer based on the instruction of the program code. It goes without saying that a case where the function of the above-described embodiment is realized by performing part or all of the actual processing and the processing is included.
[0082]
Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written in a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, the function expansion is performed based on the instruction of the program code. It goes without saying that the CPU or the like provided in the board or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.
[0083]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, there is an effect that even if there is a change in the type of recording medium to be used, there is no need to change or modify application software.
[0084]
As a result, it is possible to provide a system excellent in maintainability of application software.
[0085]
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an external front view showing a configuration of a card making system as a representative embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing the internal configuration of the recording apparatus.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a control configuration of the recording apparatus.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating various cassettes that can be attached to the recording apparatus 101 and various recording media stored therein.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a menu screen displayed on the CRT monitor 103;
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing application selection processing and execution processing of the selected application.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a display screen when a selected application is executed.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a menu screen 400 ′.
FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating processing executed when an application is activated.
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a print preview screen 600 when recording is performed using each of types 1 to 3. FIG.
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a menu screen showing an association between an identification pattern used when an application according to another embodiment is activated, a paper type, and an image type corresponding to the paper.
FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a selection process when an application according to another embodiment is started.
13 is a diagram showing a menu screen displayed in the selection process shown in FIG.
FIG. 14 is a table showing information related to individual information stored in advance in the system.
FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an input screen for performing simple individual information input.
[Explanation of symbols]
100 Case for card creation step
101 Recording device
102 Loading section
103 CRT monitor
104 keyboard
105 Paper feeder
106, 106A, 106B, 106C cassette
107 Personal computer
201-204 Recording head
205, 205A, 205B, 205C Recording medium
206 Transport unit
207 nails
208 Main unit
209 Front door
700 Main controller
701 memory
702 motor
702D, 703D motor driver
703 LF motor
704Y to 704K image memory
705 Head drive circuit
707 Image Data Controller

Claims (10)

A recording apparatus capable of selectively recording a plurality of types of recording media,
A mounting means for accommodating any one of the plurality of types of recording media in a paper feed unit;
Identification means for identifying the type of recording medium accommodated in the paper feeding unit;
Application software used for executing recording on each of the plurality of types of recording media, and registration means for registering the relationship between the types of the recording media;
When executing the recording operation, the application software registered by the registration unit is searched based on the type of the recording medium identified by the identification unit, and the searched application software is activated and stored in the paper feeding unit. Control means for controlling the recording operation to be performed on the recording medium being performed ;
Prior to recording on the recording medium, preview means for previewing the recorded image on a display screen;
Have a an editing means for editing the contents of the recorded image is preview by said preview means,
The registration unit registers a size of a recording medium that can be used by the application software in a man-machine interactive manner when one application software can execute recording processing on a plurality of types of recording media . The control means includes an error message display means for displaying an error message on the display screen when the application software registered by the registration means cannot be searched based on the type of the recording medium identified by the identification means. The recording apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising: The recording apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the registration unit further registers the types of images that can be recorded corresponding to each of the plurality of recording media with the one application software. The recording apparatus according to claim 3 , further comprising a selection unit that selects a desired type from a plurality of types of images registered by the registration unit. The control means specifies the type of the recording medium suitable for recording the image based on the type of image selected by the selection means, and identifies the type of the specified recording medium and the identification means. 5. The recording apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the type of the recording medium is compared, and control is performed to execute a recording operation based on the comparison result. The recording apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the editing unit has man-machine interactive for inputting each item of the recorded content to be edited interactively. The editing means includes
Storage means for storing in advance all items of the recorded contents to be edited;
Instructing means for instructing the content of the representative item among the items of the recorded content to be edited,
Based on the contents of the representative item instructed by the instructing means, the storage means is searched to extract all items of the recorded contents to be edited, and the recorded contents are automatically edited based on the extracted items. The recording apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising an automatic editing unit.   The recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an ink jet recording head that performs recording by discharging ink for recording on the plurality of types of recording media. The recording apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the ink jet recording head includes a thermal energy converter for generating thermal energy to be applied to the ink in order to eject the ink using thermal energy. . The paper feeding unit can be mounted with a detachable cassette,
It said identification means, recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that identifying the type of the mounted cassette.

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