JPH01229289A - External character processing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the loading time for character patterns from becoming long by transferring the external character patterns from a nonvolatile memory to a character pattern memory while a Japanese word output device is in its waiting state. CONSTITUTION:When the Japanese word output device 4 detects a character code which is not registered in the character pattern memory 43, a control part 41 requests a host computer 1 to load the character pattern corresponding to the code. The host computer 1 responds to the request and the control part 41 writes the dot patterns in the character pattern memory 45 and a nonvolatile memory 42 similarly to internal character loading. Then when the output device is turned off and then on, the dot patterns are loaded in the memory 45 from the memory 42. At this time, only the internal characters are loaded and the external characters are loaded when the output device 4 waits for output data from the host computer 1. Consequently, the external characters are loaded as internal characters without increasing the loading time for the character patterns.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a Japanese language processing method, particularly to a method for processing unregistered characters (external characters).

[Prior Art] Conventionally, Japanese language output devices receive character code data, read dot patterns corresponding to the code from a built-in character pattern memory, and draw characters. The dot pattern stored in this character pattern memory is downloaded from the host when the Japanese output device is started up. Typically, this character pattern memory is 4,000 or 1,000 first level or first and second level characters. Other characters are treated as external characters, and each time they are used, the character pattern is loaded from the host and drawn.

Normally, the number of non-standard characters that can be handled within one page is 256 to 512 characters.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

As described above, in the conventional character processing method in the Japanese language output device, the printing speed is slow because the dot pattern is loaded from the host and then drawn each time it is used.

In addition, the pattern memory for external characters is usually 256 to 51
Since there are only about two characters available, there is a limit to the number of types of external characters that can be used on one page.If the external character registration is full, and you want to register a new external character, you must delete the previously registered one and re-register it. Must be registered.

In addition, if the character pattern memory capacity is expanded to have enough capacity to include all characters that were previously treated as non-standard characters, the download time for character patterns when the Japanese output device starts up will be 2 times longer than before. It ends up requiring ~4 times as much.

[Means to solve the problem]

According to the present invention, there is provided a Japanese language output device that has a built-in character pattern memory and downloads character dot patterns from a host, which has a readable character pattern memory and a non-volatile memory, and which downloads character dot patterns from the host. An external character processing method is obtained in which a dot pattern is written in the character pattern memory and a nonvolatile memory, and the dot pattern is transferred from the nonvolatile memory to the character pattern memory when the Japanese language output device is in a standby state.

〔Example〕

Next, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings showing one embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, in one embodiment of the present invention, when the Japanese language output device 4 is started up, the control unit 4 informs the host 1 that it has started up via the Japanese language output device startup device W3. Report. At this time, when the O8 issues a connection command for the Japanese output device 4, the Japanese output device 4 is incorporated under the O8 and at the same time downloads dot patterns for internal characters from the character pattern file 2. The control unit 41 is
The head pattern is written into the character pattern memory 45 through the character drawing control section 44, and at the same time, it is also written into the nonvolatile memory 42. Thereafter, the output data transferred from the host 1 is edited by the control unit 41 and stored in the main memory 43.
The character drawing control section 44 is started.

The character drawing control section 44 reads the character code from the output buffer in the main memory 43, reads out the corresponding dot pattern from the character pattern memory 45, edits it, and writes it into the drawing memory 46. In this way, once one page of output data has been drawn in the drawing memory 46,
Next, the device control section 47 is activated, and the device section 48 performs a printing operation.

In the output buffer editing process described above, when a character code that is not registered in the character pattern memory 43 is detected, the control unit 41 reports to the host 1 that there is an unregistered character (external character), and the character corresponding to the code is Request pattern loading. The host 1 searches the character pattern of the external character code from the character pattern file, and sends it to the Japanese output device 4.
It will load to. At this time, the control section 41 also writes the dot pattern into the nonvolatile memory 42 in the same way as when loading internal characters.

In this way, the dot pattern is written into the nonvolatile memory 42 and the character pattern memory 45 each time the external character pattern is used. External characters registered in the - degree character pattern memory 45 are treated as equivalent to internal characters until the Japanese language output device 4 is powered off.

Next, when the Japanese output device 4 is powered off and then powered on again, the dot pattern is loaded into the character pattern memory 45 from the nonvolatile memory 42. However, only internal characters are loaded at startup.

This is to avoid increasing the loading time of character patterns.

Next, the external character dot pattern registered in the nonvolatile memory 42 is loaded by the control unit 41 into the character pattern memory 45 while the Japanese language output device 4 is waiting for output data from the host 1 which is not performing an output operation.

By controlling in this way, in Japanese processing,
To import external characters as internal characters without increasing the loading time of a character pattern, and without deteriorating output performance.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, according to the present invention, it has a character pattern memory with a capacity that includes all the characters that were treated as 6-1 non-standard characters up to now, and also has a large capacity non-volatile memory,
When starting up the Japanese output device, 4 is treated as an internal character (a character that makes the dot pattern stay resident in the device) as with conventional devices.
Download a dot pattern of 1,000 or 8,000 characters (GO set).

Other external characters are also loaded from the host into the character pattern memory when used, as before. Furthermore,
At this time, it is also written to non-volatile memory. The character pattern written to this non-volatile memory is that when the Japanese output device is started up, the dot pattern of the internal characters is loaded from the non-volatile memory to the character pattern memory, and when this device is in the standby state, it is registered in the non-volatile memory. By loading the dot pattern of a custom character into the character pattern memory,
There is no increase in character pattern loading time when the device is started up, and there is no deterioration in print output performance due to external character processing.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the present invention. 1z host, 2; character pattern file, 3: Japanese output device connection device, 4; Japanese output device, 41-control unit,
42-nonvolatile memory, 43: main memory, 44: character drawing control section, 45: character pattern memory, 46: drawing memory, 47: device control section, 48: device section. Agent Patent Attorney Susumu Uchihara

Claims (1)

[Claims] A Japanese output device that has a built-in character pattern memory and downloads character dot patterns from a host has a readable character pattern memory and a non-volatile memory, and has a readable character pattern memory and a non-volatile memory, and downloads dot patterns downloaded from the host into the character pattern. A non-volatile character processing method, characterized in that dot patterns are written into a memory and a non-volatile memory, and a dot pattern is transferred from the non-volatile memory to the character pattern memory when the Japanese language output device is in a standby state.