JP6265053B2 - Printing control apparatus, printing system, and printing control method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a print control apparatus, a print system, and a print control method.

  In general, when using a printing apparatus such as a printer, it is necessary to transmit and receive data in a form that matches the specifications of the printing apparatus. In many cases, specifications regarding data formats such as protocols differ depending on the type of printing apparatus. For this reason, conventionally, a method of setting the data format corresponding to the printing apparatus has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the method described in Patent Document 1, a protocol is selected by making an inquiry to a server using an apparatus capable of communicating with a plurality of printing apparatuses and a dedicated server.

JP 2004-362240 A

Since the method described in Patent Document 1 requires a server device, it is convenient to use a large number of printing devices as described in Patent Document 1, but the efficiency is poor because the number of devices increases.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to enable an apparatus that controls a printing apparatus to efficiently acquire information on the form of data that the printing apparatus supports.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention requests a communication unit that is communicably connected to a printing apparatus, and port information indicating a communication port that can communicate with the printing apparatus by the communication unit, and A control unit that receives port information transmitted by the printing apparatus in response to a request, and the control unit determines, based on the port information, the form of data that the printing apparatus can handle. Features.
According to the present invention, the form of data that can be handled by the printing apparatus can be determined based on information transmitted from the printing apparatus. For this reason, even a device that does not have information regarding the specifications of the printing device can control the printing device by receiving port information from the printing device. This configuration does not require a server device or the like, and can therefore be applied regardless of the scale of the system including the printing device. The information transmitted by the printing apparatus is information regarding communication ports that can communicate and is general information. Therefore, the present invention can be applied without mounting a special function in the printing apparatus.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that, in the print control device, the control unit communicates with the printing device by the communication unit using data suitable for a form determined based on the port information. .
According to the present invention, it is possible to control the printing apparatus using a data format that the printing apparatus can handle.

In the printing control apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, the control unit transmits the request to the printing apparatus through the communication unit and then does not receive the port information through the communication unit. It is characterized by discriminating the form of data corresponding to the apparatus from a preset form.
According to the present invention, even a printing apparatus that does not have a function of transmitting port information regarding a communication port can transmit and control data. For example, if a data format generally used in a printing apparatus that does not have a function of transmitting port information is known, many printing apparatuses can be controlled if this form is set. Useful.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-described print control apparatus, the control unit transmits print data to the printing apparatus using data suitable for the determined form, and causes printing to be executed.
According to the present invention, it is possible to cause a printing apparatus to execute printing using a data format that can be handled by the printing apparatus.

In the printing control apparatus according to the present invention, the communication unit is connected to a communication network to which a plurality of the printing apparatuses can be connected, and the control unit is connected to the communication network by the communication unit. The printing apparatus is searched, and the port information is requested to the searched printing apparatus.
According to the present invention, it is possible to check a printing apparatus that can be used via a communication network and to determine a data form that the printing apparatus can handle. For this reason, when it is possible to communicate with a plurality of printing devices or when the number of usable printing devices is unknown, a printing device to be used can be selected from the plurality of printing devices without complicated processing. Can be used.

According to the present invention, in the print control apparatus, the control unit determines a data format that the printing apparatus can handle based on the port information received from the printing apparatus by the communication unit, and determines a determination result. Data format information for associating with the printing apparatus is generated.
According to the present invention, it is possible to check a printing apparatus that can be used via a communication network, and to obtain information on the form of data that each printing apparatus can handle. For this reason, when it is possible to communicate with a plurality of printing apparatuses, information necessary for controlling each printing apparatus can be generated in advance. Accordingly, a plurality of printing apparatuses can be freely selected and controlled.

In order to achieve the above object, a printing system according to the present invention includes a printing apparatus that executes printing based on print data, a communication unit that is communicably connected to the printing apparatus, and the printing unit that includes the communication unit. A communication control device including a control unit that requests port information indicating a communication port capable of communicating with the printer and receives port information transmitted by the printing device in response to the request. It is characterized in that, based on port information, the form of data that can be supported by the printing apparatus is determined.
According to the present invention, the form of data that can be handled by the printing apparatus can be determined based on information transmitted from the printing apparatus. For this reason, even a device that does not have information regarding the specifications of the printing device can control the printing device by receiving port information from the printing device. The information transmitted by the printing apparatus is information regarding communication ports that can communicate and is general information. Therefore, the present invention can be applied without mounting a special function in the printing apparatus.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a print control method executed by a device that is communicably connected to a printing device, and includes port information indicating a communication port capable of communicating with the printing device. Making a request, receiving port information transmitted by the printing apparatus in response to the request, and determining, based on the port information, a form of data that can be handled by the printing apparatus.
According to the present invention, the form of data that can be handled by the printing apparatus can be determined based on information transmitted from the printing apparatus. For this reason, even a device that does not have information regarding the specifications of the printing device can control the printing device by receiving port information from the printing device. The information transmitted by the printing apparatus is information regarding communication ports that can communicate and is general information. Therefore, the present invention can be applied without mounting a special function in the printing apparatus.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a printing system according to a first embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the outline | summary of operation | movement of a printing system. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the printing system. It is a figure which shows the structure of the printing system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a printing system according to a second embodiment.

[First Embodiment]
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a printing system 100 according to the first embodiment.
The printing system 100 is configured by connecting a printer 5 (printing apparatus) and a terminal device 1 (printing control apparatus) that controls the printer 5. Further, a printer 6 (printing device) can be connected to the terminal device 1 instead of the printer 5.
The printing system 100 is a system in which an operator operates the terminal device 1, the terminal device 1 outputs print data to the printer 5 according to this operation, and the printer 5 prints on a print medium based on the print data. When the printer 6 is connected to the terminal device 1, the printer 6 prints on the print medium by operating the terminal device 1.

The terminal device 1 and the printers 5 and 6 are connected by a communication line 3. The communication line 3 is composed of a communication cable or a wireless communication line. For example, the communication line 3 is a one-to-one connection communication cable compliant with various standards such as USB, IEEE1284, IEEE1394, RS-232C, or a wired network compliant with Ethernet (registered trademark). Further, the communication line 3 may employ a short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or Wireless USB, or a wireless communication network such as a wireless LAN.
Although the number of printers 5 and 6 connected to the terminal device 1 is not limited, an example in which one printer 5 or printer 6 is connected to the terminal device 1 will be described as an example in the present embodiment.
In the following description, it is more preferable that the terminal device 1 and the printer 5 are connected by a communication line 3 including a wired LAN or a wireless LAN.

  The terminal device 1 is a computer operated by an operator, and is, for example, a so-called smart phone or mobile phone in addition to a desktop computer, a notebook computer, and a tablet computer. The terminal device 1 has an operating system such as a Windows (registered trademark) operating system, an Android (registered trademark) operating system, or an iOS (registered trademark) installed in hardware. The terminal device 1 detects an input operation by using the function of the operating system, executes a function according to the operation, and displays a screen regarding the function to be executed.

  The terminal device 1 includes a terminal input unit 21 that detects an operation on the terminal device 1, a terminal display unit 22 that displays various information, and a communication interface (I / F) 23 connected to the printers 5 and 6. The terminal input unit 21 and the terminal display unit 22 are used for operator operations. In addition, the communication interface 23 (communication unit) executes data communication with the printer 5 or the printer 6 via the communication line 3. The communication interface 23 is, for example, a wired communication interface compliant with USB, IEEE1284, IEEE1394, RS-232C, Ethernet, or the like, or a wireless communication interface such as Bluetooth, Wireless USB, or wireless LAN.

The terminal device 1 includes a terminal control unit 10 (control unit) that controls each unit of the terminal device 1. The terminal control unit 10 includes an application execution unit 11 and a driver execution unit 12. The terminal control unit 10 includes a CPU, ROM, RAM, and the like (not shown), and realizes the function of the terminal device 1 by executing a program. The ROM of the terminal control unit 10 stores a basic control program that can be executed by the CPU in a nonvolatile manner. The RAM temporarily stores programs executed by the CPU, data to be processed, and the like.
A terminal storage unit 15 is connected to the terminal control unit 10. The terminal storage unit 15 includes a storage device including a magnetic storage medium and a semiconductor memory device, and stores a program executed by a CPU (not shown) of the terminal control unit 10 and data processed by the CPU in a nonvolatile manner. Remember. The terminal storage unit 15 stores, for example, an application program 16 executed by the terminal control unit 10, a library 17 processed by the terminal control unit 10, setting data 18, and printer information 19.

  The application program 16 is an application program such as a document creation program, an image editing program, a POS application, or a label creation program. The application program 16 is executed by the application execution unit 11 included in the terminal control unit 10. In other words, the application execution unit 11 is a functional block that indicates a function for the CPU of the terminal control unit 10 to execute the application program 16. When the application execution unit 11 executes the application program 16, the terminal device 1 can use various functions such as document creation, image editing, operation as a POS terminal, and label creation.

  The library 17 is middleware that constitutes a part of the operating system of the terminal device 1 and executes functions such as control of peripheral devices. The library 17 according to the present embodiment has a function of transmitting a command for instructing printing and data to be printed to the printers 5 and 6. When the CPU of the terminal control unit 10 executes the library 17, the function of the driver execution unit 12 is realized. The driver execution unit 12 executes a printer driver program (not shown) corresponding to the printers 5 and 6 stored in the terminal storage unit 15. The driver execution unit 12 acquires document and image data generated by the application execution unit 11 and transmits print data including various commands and data in a form suitable for the printers 5 and 6 through the communication interface 23. This print data includes, for example, a command for instructing printing and data to be printed.

  The printer 5 performs printing on a print medium (not shown) based on the print data transmitted by the terminal device 1. The print medium used by the printer 5 is a cut sheet or a continuous sheet cut into a predetermined size, and these sheets are made of paper or synthetic resin and may be subjected to surface processing. The continuous sheet is, for example, roll paper or fanfold paper. Moreover, you may use the label paper which put the label of the fixed size which attached the adhesive on the back surface on release paper (mounting paper), and wound it in roll shape. The printing method of the printer 5 is arbitrary. In this embodiment, an ink jet printer that prints by using a roll paper obtained by winding plain paper in a roll shape as a print medium and ejecting ink onto the print medium is taken as an example.

The printer 5 includes a print head 64. The print head 64 of this embodiment is an ink jet print head provided with nozzles that eject ink. The print head 64 is a line head in which nozzles are arranged in rows over the entire print range in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction. The print head 64 has nozzle rows for each of four colors of cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K), and can print on a print medium in full color. Further, the print head 64 may be configured to use more multi-color inks, or may be configured to use two-color or monochrome inks.
The print head 64 may be a thermal head that prints by applying heat to the thermal paper, and the printer 5 may be a thermal printer.

  The printer 5 includes a printer control unit 50 that controls each unit of the printer 5. The printer control unit 50 includes a CPU, ROM, RAM, and the like (not shown). Firmware that can be executed by the CPU, data related to the firmware, and the like are stored in the ROM of the printer control unit 50 in a nonvolatile manner. The RAM temporarily stores data related to firmware executed by the CPU. The printer control unit 50 may include other peripheral circuits.

In addition to the print head 64 described above, the printer control unit 50 includes a printer input unit 61, a printer display unit 62, a communication interface (I / F) 63, a sensor 66, a transport motor 65, and a printer storage unit 55. Connected.
The printer input unit 61 includes various switches, and outputs a signal corresponding to the operation of these switches to the printer control unit 50. The printer display unit 62 includes an LED indicator and a liquid crystal display panel that display an operation state of the printer 5 under the control of the printer control unit 50. The communication interface 63 performs data communication with the terminal device 1 via the communication line 3. The communication interface 63 is, for example, a wired communication interface compliant with USB, IEEE1284, IEEE1394, RS-232C, Ethernet, or the like, or a wireless communication interface such as Bluetooth, Wireless USB, or wireless LAN.

The conveyance motor 65 rotates a conveyance roller (not shown) according to the control of the printer control unit 50 and conveys the print medium.
The sensor 66 is an optical sensor provided on the print medium conveyance path. The printer control unit 50 uses the sensor 66 to detect a print medium or a position detection mark (not shown) attached to the print medium.

The printer control unit 50 includes a print server unit 51 and a print control unit 52 as execution units that execute functions. These execution units correspond to functions realized when the CPU executes firmware. Further, a reception buffer 53 and a print buffer 54 are provided in a storage area of a RAM (not shown) that constitutes the printer control unit 50. Either or both of the reception buffer 53 and the print buffer 54 can be provided in the printer storage unit 55 or in a RAM externally connected to the printer control unit 50.
The printer storage unit 55 includes a storage device including a magnetic storage medium and a semiconductor memory device, and stores various data in a rewritable manner. The printer storage unit 55 stores communication setting data 56 including information related to data communication specifications and the like of the printer 5.

When a predetermined communication port is specified for the communication interface 63 and http (hypertext transfer protocol) access is made, the print server unit 51 performs processing as a web server for this access.
The print server unit 51 performs data communication with the terminal device 1 via the communication interface 63. When the print server unit 51 receives print data transmitted from the terminal device 1 via the communication interface 63, the print server unit 51 stores the received print data in the reception buffer 53. The received print data is stored in the reception buffer 53 in the order of reception.

  The print server unit 51 is configured to receive and process print data in a predetermined data format. The data format of the print data corresponds to an example of the data format of the present invention. Examples of the data format supported by the print server unit 51 include an XML format and ESC / POS (registered trademark). In the configuration corresponding to the data in the XML format, the communication port from which the print server unit 51 receives the print data is, for example, port 8009 set in advance for the XML data. When there is an access from the terminal device 1 to the port 8009, the print server unit 51 receives XML format data transmitted by the terminal device 1 in response to this access. The print server unit 51 converts the received data into data that can be processed by the print control unit 52 and stores the data in the reception buffer 53. In the configuration corresponding to the data in the ESC / POS format, the communication port from which the print server unit 51 receives the print data is, for example, port 9100 set in advance for ESC / POS.

  The print control unit 52 analyzes a command included in the print data stored in the reception buffer 53. When a print execution instruction and data to be printed are detected, the print control unit 52 develops the data in the print buffer 54 and generates a print image. The print control unit 52 controls the print head 64 and the transport motor 65 to print the print image developed in the print buffer 54 on the print medium.

  Further, the print server unit 51 has a function of transmitting to the terminal device 1 a list of communication ports (port information) with which the printer 5 can communicate in response to http access by the terminal device 1. Information indicating a communication port with which the printer 5 can communicate is included in the communication setting data 56 stored in the printer storage unit 55. Further, the communication setting data 56 itself may be a list of communication ports. In response to http access to the communication interface 63, the print server unit 51 reads the communication setting data 56 and transmits a list of communication ports to the terminal device 1.

Similar to the printer 5, the printer 6 is a printer that executes printing based on the print data transmitted from the terminal device 1. Of the components provided in the printer 6, those common to the components provided in the printer 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.
The printer 6 includes a printer control unit 50 a that controls each unit of the printer 6. Similar to the printer control unit 50, the printer control unit 50a includes a CPU, ROM, RAM, and the like (not shown). Firmware that can be executed by the CPU, data related to the firmware, and the like are stored in a nonvolatile manner in the ROM of the printer control unit 50a. The RAM temporarily stores data related to firmware executed by the CPU. The printer control unit 50a may include other peripheral circuits. Similar to the printer control unit 50, the printer control unit 50 a includes a print control unit 52, a reception buffer 53, and a print buffer 54. On the other hand, the printer control unit 50 a does not have the application execution unit 11. Therefore, when the printer 6 receives the print data transmitted from the terminal device 1 via the communication interface 63, the printer control unit 50 a stores the received print data in the reception buffer 53.

Further, the printer 6 includes a printer storage unit 55 a instead of the printer storage unit 55. Similar to the printer storage unit 55, the printer storage unit 55a stores programs and data in a nonvolatile manner. The printer storage unit 55a does not store the communication setting data 56. Data such as the communication setting data 56 may be stored, but it is not necessary to store the communication setting data 56 at least for the purpose of transmitting a list of communication ports like the printer 5.
The printer 6 receives print data in a preset format and other commands, stores them in the reception buffer 53, and executes the printing operation and the operation specified by the command. In addition, when the communication interface 63 receives a command that is not defined in the command system supported by the printer 6, the printer control unit 50a of the printer 6 stores the command in the reception buffer 53, but discards it without executing it.

The printer 6 can be said to be a conventional printer that corresponds to a known command system such as ESC / POS. The printer 6 does not support XML format data. Unlike the printer 5, the printer 6 does not include a print server unit. Therefore, when an http access is made from the terminal device 1, the printer 6 does not respond to the http access as a web server.
Thus, two types of printers 5 and 6 can be connected to the terminal device 1, and there is a possibility that the forms of data corresponding to the printers 5 and 6 are different. In this embodiment, the data format is either the XML format or the ESC / POS format, but it is unknown to the terminal device 1 whether the data format that can be processed by the printer 5 is the XML format or the ESC / POS format. . The terminal device 1 needs to transmit control data and print data to the printer 5 or the printer 6 connected to the communication interface 23 in a data format that can be supported by the printer.

  FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of the operation of the printing system 100. FIG. 2A shows the operation when the printer 5 or the printer 6 corresponding to ESC / POS is connected to the terminal device 1. FIG. 2B shows the operation when the printer 5 corresponding to XML is connected to the terminal device 1. FIG. 2C shows an operation of specifying the data format corresponding to the printer connected to the terminal device 1.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, when the printer connected to the terminal device 1 is a printer (printer 5 or printer 6) compatible with ESC / POS, the terminal device 1 uses the ESC / POS command to Print instructions for 5 and 6 are given. On the other hand, when the printer 5 corresponding to XML is connected to the terminal device 1 as shown in FIG. 2B, the terminal device 1 transmits print data in XML format to the printer 5 for printing. Is executed.

  The operation of the terminal device 1 shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B is possible when the terminal device 1 acquires information on the data format supported by the printer connected to the terminal device 1. Therefore, the terminal device 1 transmits an http request to the printer connected to the terminal device 1 as shown in FIG. This http request requests a list of port numbers at which the printer connected to the terminal device 1 can receive data. As in the example described above, when XML data is transmitted / received in the printing system 100, the port number at which the printer 5 receives the XML data is 9100, and the port number at which the ESC / POS command is received is 8009. It is. Therefore, the terminal device 1 can identify whether the data format corresponding to the connected printer 5 is ESC / POS or XML based on the list of port numbers returned by the printer 5. When there is no response to the http request, the terminal device 1 can determine that the printer 5 or the printer 6 that does not have a function of responding to the http request is connected. In this case, the terminal device 1 selects a data format of a preset initial value (default). The default data format is, for example, an ESC / POS command that can be handled by an old printer.

Note that the port numbers given here are port numbers when communication using TCP / IP or UDP is executed. When the terminal device 1 and the printer 5 or the printer 6 are connected in a form that does not use TCP / IP or UDP, the http request is not executed. For example, this corresponds to a case where the connection is made by a one-to-one connection communication cable compliant with various standards such as USB, IEEE1284, IEEE1394, RS-232C, or Bluetooth.
2C is applied when the printer 5 or the printer 6 is connected to the terminal device 1 in a form corresponding to TCP / IP or UDP, such as a wired LAN or a wireless LAN.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the printing system 100. 3A shows the operation of the application execution unit 11, FIG. 3B shows the operation of the driver execution unit 12, and FIG. 3C shows the operation of the printer 5.
When document creation or image editing is performed by the application execution unit 11 and printing is instructed by an operator's operation, the application execution unit 11 calls the library 17 to request connection to the printer and printing (step S11). . The driver execution unit 12 starts to operate in response to the call of the library 17 and acquires the connection and print request output by the application execution unit 11 (step S21). Here, the driver execution unit 12 acquires the print target data generated by the application execution unit 11.

The driver execution unit 12 generates and transmits an http request for requesting a list of port numbers to the printer connected to the communication interface 23 (step S22). This http request is transmitted to, for example, the TCP port 80 as in the case of normal http access.
The printer 5 receives the http request transmitted from the terminal device 1 (step S31), generates a list of requested ports based on the communication setting data 56 stored in the printer storage unit 55, and the terminal device 1 (Step S32).

  The driver execution unit 12 waits until a list of ports is transmitted from the printer 5 (step S23). When a list of ports is received within the set time (step S23; YES), the driver execution unit 12 refers to the received list of ports and selects a port to which the driver execution unit 12 is connected when transmitting print data. (Step S24). For example, if TCP 8009 is included in the port list, the driver execution unit 12 sets the port number of the print data transmission destination to 8009. If the port list includes a plurality of port numbers to which the driver execution unit 12 can transmit print data, the driver execution unit 12 selects a port according to a preset priority order.

The driver execution unit 12 determines the data format corresponding to the selected port (step S25). If the driver execution unit 12 does not receive the list of ports via the communication interface 23 within the set time (step S23; NO), the driver execution unit 12 proceeds to step S25 and selects a default data format. Here, the driver execution unit 12 generates printer information 19 (data format information) indicating the data format of the printer 5 connected to the communication interface 23 and stores it in the terminal storage unit 15.
The printer information 19 associates at least information identifying the printer 5 with information indicating a data format supported by the printer 5. The printer information 19 may include a communication port number that can be received by the printer 5 together with a data format supported by the printer 5. If there are a plurality of communication ports that can be accepted by the printer 5, the driver execution unit 12 registers in the printer information 19 the data format determined in step S <b> 25 and information regarding the communication port corresponding to this data format.
By using the printer information 19, when the driver execution unit 12 subsequently causes the printer 5 to execute printing, the operations in steps S22 to S25 can be omitted.
The driver execution unit 12 transmits print data including a print instruction and data for printing the data acquired from the application execution unit 11 to the printer 5 in the data format selected in step S25 (step S26).

The printer 5 receives the print data transmitted from the terminal device 1 (step S33), and executes printing based on the received print data (step S34). When the printing of the received print data is completed, the printer 5 generates a print completion notification and transmits it to the terminal device 1 (step S35).
The driver execution unit 12 detects the print completion based on the print completion notification transmitted from the printer 5 (step S27), and notifies the application execution unit 11 of the print completion (step S28). The application execution unit 11 detects the completion of printing based on the notification from the driver execution unit 12 (step S12), and notifies the terminal display unit 22 of the completion of printing, for example.

  In addition, even when the printer 6 is connected to the terminal device 1, the application execution unit 11 and the driver execution unit 12 of the terminal device 1 execute the operations illustrated in FIGS. In this case, since the printer 6 does not have a function of receiving and analyzing an http request, the driver execution unit 12 cannot receive a list of ports (step S23; NO). Therefore, the driver execution unit 12 selects a default format (for example, ESC / POS) as the transmission data format, and registers the printer 6 and the default data format in the printer information 19 in association with each other. Thereby, the terminal device 1 can control the printer 6 to execute printing.

As described above, the printing system 100 according to the first embodiment to which the present invention is applied includes the terminal device 1 and the printer 5 or the printer 6 connected to the terminal device 1. The terminal device 1 includes a communication interface 23 that is communicably connected to the printers 5 and 6. Further, the terminal device 1 requests port information indicating a communication port capable of communicating with the printers 5 and 6 through the communication interface 23 and receives terminal information transmitted from the printers 5 and 6 in response to the request. The unit 10 is provided. Based on the port information received from the printers 5 and 6, the terminal control unit 10 determines the form of data that can be handled by the printers 5 and 6. For this reason, the terminal device 1 can select the data format suitable for the printer 5 or the printer 6 connected to the communication interface 23, transmit the print data, and execute printing. For this reason, even if the terminal device 1 does not have information regarding the specifications of the printers 5 and 6, the printers 5 and 6 can be controlled. Further, the information transmitted by the printers 5 and 6 is information regarding communication ports that can communicate and is general information. For this reason, the present invention can be applied without mounting special functions in the printers 5 and 6.
In the terminal control unit 10, the application execution unit 11 calls the driver execution unit 12, so that the driver execution unit 12 selects a data format corresponding to the printer 5 or the printer 6 connected to the communication interface 23. For this reason, it is not necessary for the application execution unit 11 to perform processing in consideration of the data format supported by the printer. Therefore, there is an advantage that it is not necessary to mount a function corresponding to a specific printer in the application program 16 executed by the application execution unit 11.

  Here, the data format can be interpreted not only to indicate a data format such as an XML format, an ESC / POS format, but also to a command system. For example, the operation of determining the type and command system of the command transmitted from the terminal device 1 to the printers 5 and 6 can be referred to as determining the data form.

The driver execution unit 12 of the terminal control unit 10 can control the printers 5 and 6 by communicating with the printers 5 and 6 through the communication interface 23 using data suitable for the form determined based on the port information. In addition, the driver execution unit 12 can send print data to the printers 5 and 6 using data suitable for the determined form to execute printing.
The driver execution unit 12 determines the form of data that can be supported by the printers 5 and 6 based on the list of communication ports received from the printers 5 and 6 through the communication interface 23, and data that associates the determination results with the printers 5 and 6. Generate format information. This data format information is stored in the terminal storage unit 15 as, for example, printer information 19.
If the driver execution unit 12 does not receive the list of ports via the communication interface 23 after transmitting the http request to the printers 5 and 6, the driver execution unit 12 sets the data format corresponding to the printers 5 and 6 in advance. It is determined that it has been made. For this reason, the driver execution unit 12 can control a printer that does not have a function of responding to an http request or a printer that does not have a function of transmitting a list of communication ports.

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of a printing system 101 according to the second embodiment to which the present invention is applied. In this printing system 101, the same reference numerals are given to the same components as those in the printing system 100 described in the first embodiment, and illustration and description thereof are omitted.
A printing system 101 shown in FIG. 4 has a configuration in which a plurality of printers 5 are connected to a terminal device 1 via a communication network 4. In this configuration, the terminal device 1 selects one printer 5 and executes printing.
A unique network address is assigned in the communication network 4 to the terminal device 1 and each printer 5 of the printing system 101, and the terminal device 1 and each printer 5 can be specified on the communication network 4. The communication network 4 may be either a wired LAN or a wireless LAN, and a part of the communication network 4 may be configured with a wide area communication line.

  In the printing system 101, the terminal device 1 can search for the printer 5 even if the terminal device 1 does not have information on the form of data supported by each printer 5 and the number of usable printers 5. Information regarding the form of data supported by the printer 5 can be acquired.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the printing system according to the second embodiment. 5A shows the operation of the application execution unit 11, FIG. 5B shows the operation of the driver execution unit 12, and FIG. 5C shows the operation of the printer 5. Further, in the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 5A to 5C, processing steps common to FIGS. 3A to 3C are denoted by the same step numbers and description thereof is omitted.
When the application execution unit 11 calls the library 17 in step S11, the driver execution unit 12 starts operation in response to the call of the library 17 in step S21. In step S <b> 21, the driver execution unit 12 acquires a connection and print request output from the application execution unit 11, and acquires print target data generated by the application execution unit 11.

Here, the driver execution unit 12 transmits an http request requesting an IP address in order to detect the printer 5 connected to the communication network 4 (step S41). The http request transmitted in step S41 is broadcast, for example, and can be received by all printers 5 that can communicate via the communication network 4.
When receiving the http request (step S51), the printer 5 transmits the IP address of the printer 5 to the terminal device 1 in response to the http request (step S52). In step S <b> 52, the host name in the communication network 4 of the printer 5, the model name of the printer 5, the number of the communication port that can be used by the printer 5, and other information related to the printer 5 may be transmitted to the terminal device 1. .

The terminal device 1 receives the response including the IP address transmitted from the printer 5, and registers the printer 5 based on the received IP address (step S43). Registration of the printer 5 is processing for registering the list of IP addresses transmitted from the printer 5 in the printer information 19. In step S43, when there is a response including an IP address from a device other than the printer 5 connected to the communication network 4, the driver execution unit 12 may select and register the response from the printer 5.
Thereafter, the driver execution unit 12 selects the printer 5 (step S43). For example, the operator may perform an input operation on the terminal device 1 and select the printer 5 designated by this operation. In this case, the IP address and the like of the printer 5 registered in the printer information 19 may be displayed on the terminal display unit 22. Further, the driver execution unit 12 may select one printer 5 according to a preset priority order.

  Thereafter, the driver execution unit 12 executes the operations of steps S23 to S28 for the selected printer 5. The selected printer 5 executes the operations in steps S31 to S35 described in the first embodiment.

  Thus, in the configuration in which the communication interface 23 of the terminal device 1 is connected to the communication network 4 to which the plurality of printers 5 and 6 can be connected, the driver execution unit 12 searches for a printer connected to the communication network, Request port information from the searched printer. Therefore, it is possible to check the printers that can be used via the communication network 4 and to determine the data format that the printers can handle. Therefore, when the driver execution unit 12 can communicate with a plurality of printers or when the number of usable printers is unknown, these plurality of printers can be selected and used without complicated processing. Then, the printers that can be used via the communication network 4 are checked, and information on the form of data that can be handled by each printer can be obtained.

In each of the above-described embodiments, there are two types of data that the printer can handle, the XML format and the ESC / POS format, and the terminal device 1 has been described as a configuration that determines the data format to which the printers 5 and 6 correspond.
Here, the data format that can be supported by the printer is a command system that can be used by the printer, a usable language, a usable character code, a usable communication protocol, a usable data format (packet size, packet format). Etc.). That is, the data format is not limited to the data format, and may be a command system, a language, a character code, a communication protocol, or the like. In the present embodiment, as a method of determining the data format that the printer can handle, it is determined whether the communication port number included in the port information transmitted by the printers 5 and 6 is 9100 or 8009. An example was given. The port information may include port specifications such as the name of the communication port and the type of communication protocol that can be used in the communication port, in addition to the port number. In this case, the terminal device 1 may determine the data format that can be supported by the printer based on the port specifications other than the port number.

Moreover, each embodiment mentioned above shows the one aspect | mode of this invention to the last, and a deformation | transformation and application are arbitrarily possible within the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the terminal device 1 transmits data in the XML format or ESC / POS format has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the data is transmitted in more forms. It may be possible to transmit. The form of data to be transmitted is not limited to the above two examples.
Each functional block shown in FIG. 1 can be arbitrarily realized by cooperation of hardware and software, and does not suggest a specific hardware configuration. Further, the functions of the terminal device 1 and the printers 5 and 6 may be provided in other devices externally connected to these devices. In addition, the terminal device 1 may execute various operations by executing a program stored in an externally connected storage medium. Further, the printers 5 and 6 are not limited to ink jet printers, and the present invention is also applicable to various printing apparatuses such as a dot impact type, a laser type, and a thermal type, and a multi-function machine incorporating this type of printing unit. Is applicable.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Terminal device (printing control apparatus), 3 ... Communication line, 4 ... Communication network, 5, 6 ... Printer (printing apparatus), 10 ... Terminal control part (control part), 11 ... Application execution part, 12 ... Driver execution 15, terminal storage unit, 16, application program, 17, library, 19, printer information (data format information), 23, communication interface (communication unit), 50, 50 a, printer control unit, 51, print server unit , 52 ... print control unit, 53 ... reception buffer, 54 ... print buffer, 55, 55a ... printer storage unit, 56 ... communication setting data, 63 ... communication interface, 64 ... print head, 100, 101 ... printing system.

Claims (8)

A communication unit capable of communicating with the printing apparatus;
Control for requesting communication using a specific communication port to the printing apparatus by the communication unit, and determining a data form that the printing apparatus can handle based on a response state of the printing apparatus to the request And comprising
Wherein, when receiving a response to the request from the printing apparatus, using a form of data is determined based on the response received, communication with the printing apparatus by the communication unit,
When the control unit does not receive a response to the request from the printing apparatus , the control unit determines a data form that the printing apparatus can handle as a first data form .
Print control device. Wherein, if the previous SL printing apparatus has received a response to the request, the printing device you another form and determine the second data in the form of possible response data,
The print control apparatus according to claim 1. Wherein, if the previous SL printing apparatus has received the port information in response to the request, based on the port information, the printing apparatus determine different forms of possible corresponding data,
The printing control apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. The control unit transmits print data to the printing apparatus using data that conforms to a data format that can be supported by the printing apparatus, and executes printing.
The printing control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The communication unit is connected to a communication network capable of connecting a plurality of the printing apparatuses,
Wherein the control unit by the communication unit, searching for the printing device connected to the communication network, requests the communications utilizing the specific communication port for retrieved the printing apparatus,
The printing control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The control unit generates data format information for associating a determination result of a data form that can be supported by the printing apparatus with the printing apparatus;
The printing control apparatus according to claim 5. A printing device that performs printing based on the print data; and
A communication unit capable of communicating with the printing device; and the communication unit requests communication using a specific communication port to the printing device, and the printing device based on a response state of the printing device with respect to the request A printing control device including a control unit that determines the form of data that can be supported,
The control unit of the print control apparatus, when receiving a response to the request from the printing apparatus, using a form of data is determined based on the response received, communication with the printing apparatus by the communication unit,
When the control unit does not receive a response to the request from the printing apparatus , the control unit determines a data form that the printing apparatus can handle as a first data form .
Printing system. A printing control method for a printing apparatus,
Request communication using a specific communication port to the printing device,
If it receives a response to the request from the printing apparatus, based on the response received, the printing apparatus determines the form of possible response data,
Using data in a form determined based on the response state of the printing device, communicate with the printing device,
When a response to the request is not received from the printing apparatus, the form of data that can be handled by the printing apparatus is determined as the form of the first data .
Print control method.

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