JP4566811B2 - Printing apparatus and printing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing technique for printing content data distributed in digital data broadcasting or data communication such as the Internet.

  In interpreting and printing content data described in a markup language such as XML or HTML, a system using a personal computer or the like that can make use of relatively large resources has been used.

  On the other hand, recently, so-called embedded devices such as digital televisions, mobile phones, digital cameras, etc., often handle content data described in a markup language. On the other hand, in the case of such an embedded device, since hardware resources are limited, in order to print content data using a general-purpose printer, there are various types of data used when converting content data into print data. It will be necessary to minimize processing.

For this reason, recently, printing apparatuses having various processing functions such as content data image expansion processing have been provided to meet such needs.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-134125 JP 2003-237186 A

  However, various processing when converting content data to printing data has a high processing load. Even if an attempt is made to divert the current printing apparatus as it is, the processing of the content data only requires ten times the print output. There is a problem that it takes a long time and cannot be a practical operation speed that satisfies the user.

  On the other hand, in order to shorten the processing time of the content data, it may be possible to mount a CPU having a high arithmetic processing capacity or a large-capacity built-in memory in the printing apparatus. There is a problem that can not be.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and in a printing apparatus that generates and prints data for printing based on content data described in a markup language, an improvement in processing speed is realized at low cost. The purpose is to do.

In order to achieve the above object, a printing apparatus according to the present invention has the following configuration. That is,
Has a wire communication function and a wireless communication function, and a first control unit that performs a communication process with the host device via a network, and a second control unit for controlling a print engine for printing the drawing data A printing apparatus comprising:
A receiving unit that is provided in the first control unit and receives content data from the host device by performing communication processing by either the wired communication function or the wireless communication function ;
A first mode in which the first control unit performs generation processing for generating the drawing data to be printed by the print engine from the content data received by the receiving unit, and generation processing for generating the drawing data Switching means for switching between the second mode performed by the second control unit ,
The switching means is
When the first control unit is operating both the wired communication function and the wireless communication function at the same time, the generation process of selecting the second mode and generating the drawing data is performed on the second control unit. When the first control unit does not operate the wireless communication function but operates the wired communication function, the first mode is selected and the drawing data The generation processing for generating is controlled by the first control unit.

  According to the present invention, an improvement in processing speed can be realized at a low cost in a printing apparatus that generates and prints data for printing based on content data described in a markup language.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
<Printer connection configuration>
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a connection configuration example in a home network environment of a printing apparatus (network printer 104) according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Devices that operate as the host device 106 include a digital broadcasting TV (DTV) 101, a set-top box (STB) 102, a personal computer (PC) 103, and the like. The network printer 104 that operates as the printing device 107 is connected to the Ethernet ( (Registered trademark) 110 can communicate with each other.

  In addition, each device connected to the Ethernet (registered trademark) 110 can be connected to the Internet 108 via the broadband router 105, and content data on the WWW server 109 can be browsed arbitrarily.

  Under the home network environment, the home network can function as a content data print processing system, for example, the content data displayed on the DTV 101 is printed by the network printer 104.

  In the following, in order to clarify the characteristics of the network printer 104 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the configuration of the conventional print processing system and the network included in the network printer constituting the conventional print processing system are sequentially described. The features of the network printer 104 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the configurations of the control unit and the printer control unit, and comparing them.

<Configuration of conventional print processing system>
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a conventional print processing system for printing content data. It is assumed that the DTV 101 is used as a host device without using a PC or the like that can make use of a relatively large-scale resource, and the DTV 101 and the network printer 208 are connected on a one-to-one basis. Further, printing data is not generated on the general host device side using a printer driver, and content data is generated in the XHTML format on the host device side, and the content data is interpreted by the network printer 208 and printed. Shall be performed.

  Specifically, XHTML-compliant content data 204 is sent from the DTV 101 via the Ethernet (registered trademark) to the network printer 208, and the network printer 208 interprets the input content data 204 and renders it for printing. Corresponding to the content data 204 on the print medium 203 by the network control unit 201 that generates the data 206 and the printer control unit 202 that outputs (207) an image on the print medium 203 based on the drawing data 206 for printing. The image to be printed will be printed.

<Configuration of Network Control Unit 201 in Conventional Print Processing System>
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an outline of software processing of the conventional network control unit 201. Each functional module constituting the network control unit 201 will be described below.

  The interface unit 301 is a functional module that takes in the content data 204 sent from the DTV 101 and delivers it to the parse control unit 302. The interface unit 301 acquires the print status such as out of paper, out of ink, etc. from the print engine, and sends it to the DVT 101 as status information 205. It also has a notification function.

  The parse control unit 302 is a functional module that analyzes the syntax of the content data 204 described in the XHTML language. The content data 204 is input as “individual file format” or packaged “batch module format”.

  The layout control unit 303 is a functional module that creates the syntax information analyzed by the parse control unit 302 as print object arrangement information data.

  The font control unit 304 is a functional module that creates and manages font data specified by the content data 204, and is also called when obtaining font information (Font Info.) When generating layout information data in the layout control unit 303. It is.

  The rendering control unit 305 decodes image data (for example, JPEG format data) in a print object into RGB bitmap data, performs resolution conversion for size adjustment, and performs drawing processing based on layout information data by layout processing. As a result, this is a functional module that outputs drawing data 206 for printing in which each color component pixel of a color image is composed of multi-value data.

  The banding control unit 306 is a functional module that divides the drawing area into a plurality of bands, thereby causing the printer control unit 202 to perform the drawing process in a single band.

<Configuration of Printer Control Unit 202 in Conventional Print Processing System>
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an outline of software processing of the conventional printer control unit 202. Each functional module constituting the printer control unit 202 will be described below.

  The printer control execution unit 401 is a functional module that performs main control of the network printer 208, manages the operations of the image processing unit 402 and the output control unit 403, monitors the print execution status, and uses the network printer 208 as status information. An output is given to the control unit 201.

  The image processing unit 402 is a functional module that performs image conversion of the input drawing data 206 for printing in accordance with the output format to the printer engine 404 from multi-value RGB to binary YMCK. Is output by the banding control unit 306 to optimally use the memory space. On the other hand, if sufficient memory is mounted, an area where one page can be expanded may be secured.

  The output control unit 403 is a functional module that sequentially outputs each color data in accordance with the drive pattern of the inkjet head mounted on the printer engine 404 from the YMCK-converted drawing data output from the image processing unit 402.

  The printer engine 404 includes a head that ejects ink in accordance with drawing data for printing, a carriage mechanism that scans a carrier portion on which the head is mounted, and a printer movable portion that includes a paper feed mechanism that is used to transport media. Is provided.

<Configuration of Network Control Unit in Printing Apparatus According to Present Embodiment>
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the network control unit (500) of the network printer 104 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 501 denotes a CPU that performs main control, 502 denotes a DRAM used as a buffer memory or work memory for temporarily fetching received content data, and 505 denotes a host device 106 connected to the Ethernet (registered trademark) 110. A network interface controller (NIC) that performs communication, 503 is a program ROM in which an execution program is written, 504 is a font ROM in which font data is written, and 506 is a serial IO (SIO) used for communication with the printer control unit 600 Each block (501 to 506) is connected by an internal bus.

<Configuration of Printer Control Unit in Printing Apparatus According to Present Embodiment>
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the printer control unit (600) of the network printer 104 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 601 denotes a P-CPU that performs main control, 602 denotes a P-DRAM used as a buffer memory or work memory for temporarily receiving received drawing data, 603 denotes a P-ROM in which an execution program is written, and 604. Is a P-SIO that communicates with the network control unit 500 connected by serial IO, and each block (601 to 604) is connected to the printer engine controller unit 605 by an internal bus.

  The printer engine controller 605 is connected to a head driver 606 that drives an inkjet head 607 that is a printing mechanism, a motor driver 608 that drives a carriage motor 609, and a motor driver 610 that drives a paper feed motor 611. .

  Note that the network printer 104 according to the present embodiment has the same functions as the conventional functions shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 based on the hardware configuration of the network control unit 500 and the printer control unit 600 shown in FIGS. Functions (interface unit, parse control unit, layout control unit, font control unit, rendering control unit, banding control unit, printer control execution unit, image processing unit, output control unit, printer engine function) are realized. To do.

<Content data configuration>
7A and 7B are diagrams illustrating the configuration of content data handled as input by the interface unit. In this embodiment, two formats are adopted: “individual file format” in which each file exists as an independent file as shown in FIG. 7A, or “batch module format” in which a plurality of files are encoded as one file as shown in FIG. 7B. These can be used properly according to the instruction content from the host device 106.

  Here, “Document” indicates “text” including the main content to be printed, “Styles” indicates “modification expression” regarding arrangement and shape, “Images” indicates “image data”, and content data is simple. With respect to one “Document”, “Styles” and “Images” are composed of an arbitrary number of files.

  Here, a method in which the host device 106 such as the digital broadcasting TV 101 directly transmits content data received via data broadcasting to the network printer 104 is referred to as a “PrintFile method”. The content data at this time has a structure equivalent to the “batch module format”, and is packaged as a single file format that is a multipart / mixed MIME-encoded file. Note that the print processing system in which the content data is unilaterally sent from the host device 106 in this way is also referred to as a PUSH type print system.

  On the other hand, a method in which the host device 106 such as the digital broadcasting TV 101 transmits the print location (URI) of the content data instructed via the data broadcast to the network printer 104 for printing is called a “Print URI method”. The content data transmitted by this method has a structure equivalent to the “individual file format”, and the network printer directly reads the content data stored in an arbitrary URI of the WWW server on the Internet and performs printing. Such a print processing system is also called a PULL type print system.

  FIG. 8A is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which content data in “batch module format” is MIME-decoded. In the MIME decoding process, each block of Document, Styles, and Images existing as a MIME part of the “PrintFile method” can be divided into individual files and converted into a general “individual file format”. At this time, in the content type (Content-Type), application / xhtml + xml, text / html, etc. are specified for Document, text / css for Styles, image / jpeg, image / png, image / gif for Imagees, respectively. it can.

  As shown in FIG. 8B, in character encoding (Content-Encoding), none, quoted-printable, and base64 can be specified. When none is specified, decoding is not performed, and when quoted-printable is specified. Decodes non-ASCII characters such as control codes or Japanese characters such as = xx and hexadecimal, and when base64 is specified, three characters are combined with 64 characters and expressed in 4 characters Decode to the character code.

  As described above, in the case of “batch module format” content data, the MIME decoding process, which is the pre-processing, is performed first, and thereafter, the same process as the process of the “individual file format” is executed. Become.

  Subsequently, the operation of software processing for each functional module shown in FIG. 3 will be described.

<Flow of parsing process>
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an operation flow of the parsing process, and a flow for performing syntax analysis of content data will be described in order with reference to FIG.

  If the content data is “collective module format” in step S901, the packaged module is separated, and the separated content data is read in step S902. In step S903, the document of the content data is read to determine the encoding method, and in step S904, the document character code conversion process is performed. In step S905, the tag in the syntax is analyzed to convert the "text string" into a "tag structure". In step S906, element information having <html> as a root is constructed from the extracted "tag structure". To do. In step S907, an external style sheet is fetched, and in step S908, the style sheet is expanded.

<Flow of layout processing>
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an operation flow of layout processing. In step S1001, layout information is managed. Note that font information is obtained from the font file, font metric information, and glyph information are calculated by the font processing, and the layout processing obtains only the font processing calculation result. In step S1002, a page information list is constructed, page break information is controlled in step S1003, and tag elements are arranged in order in step S1004. In step S1005, the unit is converted. In step S1006, the position of the element is temporarily arranged. In step S1007, the element is arranged at the absolute position and the relative position. In step S1008, a text line BOX is arranged, in step S1009, image data is arranged, and in step S1010, a table is arranged.

<Rendering process flow>
FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an operation flow of the rendering process. In step S1101, the image data file specified by <object> data is read and converted into RGB bitmap data according to the type (image / jpeg, image / png, image / gif) specified by type.

  In step S1102, the layout information data for each character is calculated from the font metric information and the font glyph information, and at the time of rendering, the bitmap data with the specified shape and color to the coordinates specified for each character based on the layout information data. Create In step S1103, the created bitmap data is converted into a print format (drawing data). In step S1104, the “in-page tree” created for each page, the image data expanded into the bitmap, and the same bitmap. Using the character resource for each character expanded in step S1, an output image is created in units of pages, and the output image in units of pages generated in step S1105 is converted into a format that can be received by the printer engine. The data is transferred to the control unit 600 and printing processing is started.

<Flow of Process of Entire Conventional Network Printer 208 (PrintFile Method)>
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the distribution of the operation flow of the conventional network printer 208 using the “print module method” of the “batch module format”, and the arrows indicated by 201 and 202 in FIG. The distribution of functional modules executed in the section is shown. That is, on the network control unit 201 side, the “batch module format” content data captured by the interface unit 301 (step S1201) is divided by MIME decoding (step S1202), and syntax analysis is performed by parsing processing (step S1203). Then, the layout information (step S1204) is extracted, and the drawing data for printing is created by the rendering process (step S1205) and the banding process (step S1206).

  As described above, in the conventional network printer 208, print processing is executed by outputting the drawing data for printing to the printer control unit 202 side. Therefore, the load on the network control unit 201 side is more than necessary. It was getting bigger. For this reason, in order to shorten the processing time of the content data, it is necessary to incorporate a CPU having a high processing capacity and a memory having a large capacity on the network control unit 201 side.

  On the other hand, the network printer 104 according to the present embodiment is characterized in that the distribution of functional modules to be executed is switched according to the operation status of the network control unit 500. In view of the fact that the performance of the CPU is devoted to processing such as data encryption when the network control unit 500 operates the wireless LAN function, the printer control unit 600 in such a case XHTML syntax analysis and layout processing are executed. As a result, the overall printing throughput can be improved. Details will be described below.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the distribution of the operation flow of the network printer 104 using the “PrintFile method” according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and shows the functional modules to be executed according to the execution status of the network control unit 500. It shows how the distribution is switched.

  In the network printer 104 according to the present embodiment, the network control unit 500 has functions of both a wired LAN and a wireless LAN, and the user can arbitrarily switch settings.

  Here, mode 1 is a mode in which both the wired LAN and the wireless LAN of the network control unit 500 are operated simultaneously.

  In this case, since the CPU load of the network control unit 500 is applied to the encryption processing using WPA or the like in the wireless LAN, the network printer 104 has only functional modules up to interface processing for capturing content data and MIME decoding processing. The network control unit 500 is in charge, and the content data in the individual file format is output to the printer control unit 600, and all the functional modules after the parsing process are entrusted. As a result, although the actual operation speed of the network printer 104 is reduced, it is possible to efficiently execute the data processing in the previous stage, and the print throughput of the entire network printer is improved.

  On the other hand, mode 2 is a mode in which only the wired LAN is operated by the network control unit 500. In this case, since the control of the wired LAN is almost completed by hardware processing by using the NIC 505, the CPU of the network control unit 500 can be fully utilized for content data processing. For this reason, the network printer 104 causes the network control unit 500 to take charge of functional modules from the interface process for fetching the content data to the final banding process, and performs the process until the drawing data for printing is output. The control unit 600 can concentrate on operating the printer engine. That is, mode 2 is equivalent to the conventional functional module distribution.

<Processing Flow of Entire Network Printer 104 (PrintURI System)>
FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the distribution of the operation flow of the network printer 104 using the “PrintURI method” in the present embodiment, and shows how the distribution of functional modules to be executed is switched according to the execution status of the network control unit 500. Show. The network printer 104 according to the present embodiment is not limited to the content data using the “collective module format” “PrintFile system”, but is the case of content data using the “individual file format” “PrintURI system”. However, the same processing is possible.

  The distribution method in mode 1 and mode 2 is the same as the example of FIG. 13 described above. However, since it is the “Print URI method”, there is no need to perform MIME decoding, and instead content for the location specified by the URI. An operation of reading data is performed. Incidentally, the designated URI is not limited to the WWW server 109 on the Internet 108, and the data area inside the host device 106 may be designated, or the data area of the network printer 104 itself may be designated. Control with a high degree of freedom is possible.

  In the “PrintURI method”, it is necessary to read out only the “XHTML” and “CSS” files required for the parsing process first, but other image data such as “JPG”, “PNG”, “GIF”, etc. The file may be read by accessing the URI whenever necessary. For this reason, there is no need to store all the content data on the network printer 104 side, and there is an advantage that data processing can be performed with a smaller memory consumption than the “PrintFile method”. On the other hand, since the Internet is accessed every time data is read out, there is a demerit that the operation becomes slow depending on the handshake processing for access and the traffic situation on the network.

  As is clear from the above description, when printing processing is performed by creating drawing data for printing from content data described in a markup language using a printing apparatus constituted by a network control unit and a printer control unit. Depending on the functional elements and operating conditions of the network control unit, the processing sharing of the functional modules is arbitrarily distributed between the network control unit and the printer control unit, thereby reducing the content data processing burden and efficient processing. Can be performed.

  In the above description, the processing sharing of the function modules is switched according to the selected mode. However, the present invention is not particularly limited to this, for example, the distribution of the function modules according to the operation status of both control units. May be switched dynamically. Specifically, a means for monitoring the operation status of the printer control unit 600 and the operation status of the network control unit 500 in real time is added, and the distribution of functional modules is dynamically switched by the monitor unit.

[Second Embodiment]
When generating the drawing data for printing by the printer control unit, if the printing speed of the printer engine is sufficiently high, the point is how to generate the drawing data for printing so that the printer engine operates without a break. .

  Therefore, in the network printer according to the present embodiment, the image data included in the content data is temporarily stored in the memory of the network control unit, thereby saving the memory capacity used for storing the content data in the printer control unit, The capacity of one band at the time of rendering processing is increased to reduce the redundant data processing of image data across adjacent bands. As a result, it is possible to increase the processing efficiency for generating drawing data for printing. Details will be described below.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an operation flow of the network printer 104 using the “PrintFile method” according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Only the image data obtained by separating the content data by MIME decoding is displayed on the network control unit. It shows the state temporarily held in the memory.

  In the first embodiment (FIG. 13), the MIME-decoded content data is sent to the parse control unit together with the XHTML and CSS files, and is temporarily stored in the internal memory of the printer control unit 600 for rendering. In this embodiment, the image data after MIME decoding is temporarily stored in the internal memory of the network control unit 500 as shown in FIG. 15. As a result, the image data is not sent to the printer control unit 600. As a result, the memory consumption of the printer control unit can be reduced, and if there is a read request from the rendering processing unit, it is necessary. It is possible to provide designated image data.

  FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an operation flow of the network printer using the “PrintURI method” according to the second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, when a print instruction for content data specified by a URI is transmitted from the host device, the XHTML and CSS files are read out and proceed to the parsing processing unit, layout processing unit, and banding processing unit, and the next rendering is performed. When image data is read for the first time by the processing unit, the read image data is temporarily stored in the memory of the network control unit. When the same image data read request is received later, the image data temporarily stored in the memory is sent to the rendering processing unit, thereby reducing the number of times the URI is accessed again via the interface unit. In addition, the processing waiting time can be saved.

  FIG. 17 shows an example of which image data is read out when the rendering processing unit generates drawing data for printing for one band. In the first embodiment, since the image data for one band area is newly read every time the band changes via the interface unit, the number of times of access to the Internet increases uselessly. In this mode, when processing image data across multiple bands, the image data read first is temporarily stored in the memory of the network control unit. In many cases, even when the same image data is read again when processing the image data in the next band region, it is not necessary to repeat the useless reading process.

  A specific example will be described. The image data “JPG1” read when the rendering processing unit performs the Band1 data processing is read again in the next Band2. At this time, by sending the data “JPG1” temporarily stored in the network control unit to the printer control unit, it is possible to omit useless external access processing. On the other hand, since “GIF1” is included only in the Band1 area, it is not necessary to temporarily store this image data until the next Band2 process. That is, since rendering processing is performed sequentially from the upper band area on the paper surface, it is not necessary to save “GIF1” and “GIF2” once, and “JPG1” and “JPG2” are processed until the processing of the next band area is completed. Will be held, and then the memory will be released.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is not necessary to store image data in the printer control unit, so that it is possible to improve the processing efficiency by making maximum use of the memory area used for the printing process.

[Third Embodiment]
Further, of the rendering processing executed by the printer control unit, data conversion processing relating to image data is performed in advance by the network control unit, and the resulting bitmap (BMP) data is temporarily stored as intermediate data. As a result, the processing load on the printer control unit can be further reduced.

  In other words, in the first embodiment, when rendering data for printing for one band is generated in the rendering process by the printer control unit, image data for one band area is newly read each time, and data conversion is performed. If processing is necessary, the bitmap data (BMP) file is generated by performing decompression, resolution conversion, rotation processing, etc. of the compressed data. On the other hand, the network printer according to this embodiment extends over a plurality of bands. When the processed image data is processed, the BMP file obtained by reading and converting the image data is temporarily stored as “intermediate data”.

  As a result, only the necessary area of the converted data can be read out, so that even when the same image data is read out again in the next band, it is not necessary to repeat useless data conversion processing. Details of this embodiment will be described below.

  FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an operation flow of the network printer using the “PrintFile method” in the third embodiment of the present invention. The difference from FIG. 15 shown in the second embodiment is that, in FIG. 15, the image data itself was stored in the memory, whereas in the present embodiment, the image data is stored in the memory. This is a BMP file that is intermediate data after data conversion processing. Since this BMP file can be used as it is when generating rendering data for printing in the rendering processing section, it is possible to reduce the processing load on the printer control section.

  FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an operation flow of the network printer using the “PrintURI method” according to the third embodiment of the present invention. The difference from FIG. 16 shown in the second embodiment is that the image data itself stored in the memory in FIG. 16 is the image data itself, whereas in the present embodiment, the image data is This is a BMP file that is intermediate data after data conversion processing. Since this BMP file can be used as it is when generating rendering data for printing in the rendering processing section, it is possible to reduce the processing load on the printer control section.

  The operation flow will be described in order. The interface unit reads the XHTML / CSS file on the WWW server indicated by the URI from the host device, and the read XHTML / CSS file is parsed by the parsing processor, placed by the layout processor, and banded. Data is managed in band units, and finally the rendering processing unit captures image data (JPG / PNG / GIF) in the form of intermediate data BMP files and generates drawing data for printing for one band. To do.

  FIG. 20 is a diagram for explaining data management in band units. The intermediate data “BMP2” read when the rendering processing unit processes Band1 data is read again in the next Band2. At that time, by sending the data “BMP2” temporarily stored in the network control unit to the rendering process of the printer control unit, it is possible to omit useless external access processing. On the other hand, since “BMP1” is included only in the area of Band1, it is not necessary to temporarily store this intermediate data for the next Band2. That is, since rendering processing is performed in order from the upper band area on the paper surface, “BMP1” and “BMP4” do not need to be saved once read, and “BMP2” and “BMP3” are processed in the next band area. This is held until the end, and then the memory is released.

  As described above, the data conversion processing such as compression / decompression and rotation / resolution conversion necessary for converting the image data is shared by the network control unit, thereby improving the rendering processing efficiency of the printer control unit. Is possible.

[Other Embodiments]
Note that the present invention can be applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices (for example, a host computer, an interface device, a reader, a printer, etc.), or an apparatus composed of a single device (for example, a copier, a facsimile machine, etc.). You may apply.

  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.

  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.

  As a storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, a floppy (registered trademark) disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, CD-ROM, CD-R, magnetic tape, nonvolatile memory card, ROM, or the like is used. be able to.

  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.

  Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written into 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.

It is the figure which showed the example of a connection structure in the home network environment concerning embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the structure of the conventional print processing system. It is a figure which shows the outline of the software process of the conventional network control part. It is a figure which shows the outline of the software process of the conventional printer control part. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions inside the network control part of the network printer concerning the 1st Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration inside a printer control unit of the network printer according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure showing the structure of the content data which a network control part handles as an input. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a state where MIME-decoded content data of “PrintFile method” and a document reading process are displayed. It is the figure which showed the operation | movement flow of a parsing process. It is the figure which showed the operation | movement flow of a layout process. It is the figure which showed the operation | movement flow of a rendering process. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an operation flow of a network printer using a conventional “PrintFile method”. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an operation flow of a network printer using a “PrintFile method” according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an operation flow of a network printer using a “PrintURI method” according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is the figure which showed the operation | movement flow of the network printer using the "PrintFile system" concerning the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the operation | movement flow of the network printer using the "PrintURI system" concerning the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the operation | movement flow at the time of a rendering process part producing | generating the drawing data for printing for 1 band. It is the figure which showed the operation | movement flow of the network printer using the "PrintFile system" concerning the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the operation | movement flow of the network printer using the "PrintURI system" concerning the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the operation | movement flow at the time of a rendering process part producing | generating the drawing data for printing for 1 band.

Explanation of symbols

101 Digital Broadcasting TV (DTV)
102 Set Top Box (STB)
103 Personal computer (PC)
104 Network Printer 105 Broadband Router 106 Host Device 107 Printing Device 108 Internet 109 WWW Server 110 Ethernet (Registered Trademark)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 201 Network control part 202 Printer control part 203 Print medium 204 Content data 205 Status information 206 Drawing data for printing 207 Output 208 Network printer 301 Interface part 302 Perspective control part 303 Layout control part 304 Font control part 305 Rendering control part 306 Banding control Unit 401 printer control execution unit 402 image processing unit 403 output control unit 404 printer engine 500 network control unit 501 CPU
502 DRAM
503 Program ROM
504 Font ROM
505 NIC
506 Serial IO (SIO)
507 Serial I / F
600 Printer control unit 601 P-CPU
602 P-DRAM
603 P-ROM
604 P-SIO
605 Printer Engine Controller 606 Head Driver 607 Inkjet Head 608 Motor Driver 609 Carriage Motor 610 Motor Driver 611 Paper Feed Motor

Claims (2)

Has a wire communication function and a wireless communication function, and a first control unit that performs a communication process with the host device via a network, and a second control unit for controlling a print engine for printing the drawing data A printing apparatus comprising:
A receiving unit that is provided in the first control unit and receives content data from the host device by performing communication processing by either the wired communication function or the wireless communication function ;
A first mode in which the first control unit performs generation processing for generating the drawing data to be printed by the print engine from the content data received by the receiving unit, and generation processing for generating the drawing data Switching means for switching between the second mode performed by the second control unit ,
The switching means is
When the first control unit is operating both the wired communication function and the wireless communication function at the same time, the generation process of selecting the second mode and generating the drawing data is performed on the second control unit. When the first control unit does not operate the wireless communication function but operates the wired communication function, the first mode is selected and the drawing data The printing apparatus is configured to control the first control unit to perform a generation process for generating the image . Has a wire communication function and a wireless communication function, and a first control unit that performs a communication process with the host device via a network, and a second control unit for controlling a print engine for printing the drawing data A printing method in a printing apparatus comprising:
A reception step of receiving content data from the host device by performing communication processing by either the wired communication function or the wireless communication function, which is executed in the first control unit;
A first mode in which the first control unit performs generation processing for generating the drawing data to be printed by the print engine from the content data received in the reception step, and generation processing for generating the drawing data A switching step of switching between the second mode performed by the second control unit ,
In the switching step,
When the first control unit is operating both the wired communication function and the wireless communication function at the same time, the generation process of selecting the second mode and generating the drawing data is performed on the second control unit. When the first control unit does not operate the wireless communication function but operates the wired communication function, the first mode is selected and the drawing data A printing method comprising: controlling the first control unit to perform a generation process for generating the image .

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