JPH01308658A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To use more font patterns with a least necessary number of slots and perform printing by transferring the pattern from an external memory connected to the slot of a connector to a transfer font memory, and replacing the external memory with an external memory for storing the other type of font pattern. CONSTITUTION:When an external memory 101 is removed from a slot 91, a printer 12 can print by using a standard font pattern stored in a standard font memory 7 or a font pattern of a type A stored in a transfer font memory 8. For example, when an external memory 102 for storing a type B of a font pattern is connected to the slot 91, a CPU 5 is connected with a font pattern of the type B stored in the memory 102 in addition to the font patterns of the memory 7 and the font pattern of the type B stored in the memory 8. That is, the printer 12 can print by using the font patterns of the standard and the types A and B.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a printing device that prints using a font pattern stored in a built-in memory, an external memory, or the like.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, there are printing devices such as page printers that receive print data (code) from a host computer or the like and print a font pattern (font) corresponding to the code. In addition, this printing device has a means for storing font patterns in advance in a built-in memory (JROM), a means for storing font patterns in advance in a removable external memory (memory card, memory cartridge, etc.), and this external memory is used in the printing device. It is now possible to print documents containing a mixture of various fonts by using a means to connect or a means to transmit a font pattern from a host computer and store this font pattern in internal memory (RAM). JP-A-60-80895, JP-A-60-
159068, JP 60-159069, JP 60-232974, JP 62-81
Publication No. 694).

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, when printing a document containing a mixture of various fonts using a conventional printing device, there is a problem in that as the number of fonts to be printed increases, the memory capacity for storing font patterns must be increased.

That is, in the above-mentioned means for pre-storing font patterns in the built-in memory, as the number of types of fonts to be printed increases, it becomes necessary to install an additional ROM, which increases the memory configuration and increases the price.

In addition, with the means for storing font patterns in external memory, as the number of types of fonts to be printed increases, it is necessary to increase the number of external memories connected to the printing device.
It is necessary to add additional slots. As a result, prices will rise.

Furthermore, with the method of storing font patterns from a host computer, etc. in the built-in memory, it is necessary to store various font patterns on the host computer, etc., and when the number of font types to be printed increases, it is necessary to store font patterns in the internal memory. There is a limit to the types of font patterns that can be stored in computers and the like, resulting in the inconvenience that the functions of the host computer and the like cannot be fully utilized.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a printing device that can print using font patterns stored in a large number of external media using the minimum necessary number of slots.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a connecting portion to which an external memory is detachably connected, and a font stored in the external memory connected to the connecting portion. A transfer font memory for storing patterns, a read control means for reading out font patterns in an external memory and the transfer font memory connected to the connection section, and a printing section for printing using the read font patterns. It is prepared.

[Effect]

According to the printing device configured as described above, a font pattern to be printed is read out from a font pattern stored in the transfer font memory or a font pattern in an external memory connected to the connection part, and printing is performed based on the read font pattern. be able to.

(Embodiment) FIG. 1 shows a block configuration of an embodiment of a printing device according to the present invention.

The host computer 1 is connected to the printing apparatus main body 3 via an interface section 2, and is used to transmit printing codes to the main body 3, as well as signals for controlling the printing operation. The operating section 4 has an operating switch (not shown) and the like, and the user can use the operating switch of the operating section 4 to operate the printing II (II control).

A central control unit (hereinafter referred to as CPU) 5 controls the printing device based on a program stored in a control program memory 6 and control signals from the host computer 1 or operations on the operation unit 4. . In addition, during printing, the CPU 5 transfers the font pattern corresponding to the print code stored in the text memory 13 (to be described later) to the standard font memory 7, the transfer font memory 8, or the external memory 10 connected to the connection section 9. The readout control means) stores the readout font pattern in the print pattern memory 11.

The control program memory 6 consists of a ROM, etc., and the CPU
5 is stored therein. The standard font memory 7 is composed of a ROM or the like, and stores standard font patterns in advance.

The transfer font memory 8 is composed of a RAM or the like, and is configured to store the font patterns stored in the external memory 10. The connecting portion 9 has one or more slots (not shown) to which external memories 10 are detachably connected. The external memory 10 is composed of a memory card, a memory cartridge, etc., and stores, for example, font patterns for each type of font in advance.

The print pattern memory 11 stores the font pattern read out by the CPtJ5. The printing unit 12 prints the font pattern stored in the print pattern memory 11. The text memory 13 is used to temporarily store the print code sent from the host computer 1.

Next, regarding the operation of the above configuration, FIGS. 2(a) to (
This will be explained using d).

First, as shown in FIG. 2(a), when nothing is stored in the transfer font memory 8 and the external memory 10 is not connected to the slot 91 of the connection section 9, the printing section 12 can only print font patterns stored in the standard font memory 7.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2(b), for example, the external memory 101 in which type A font patterns are stored is connected to the slot 91. And host computer 1
The font pattern stored in the external memory 101 is stored (transferred) in the transfer font memory 8 by a control signal (transfer signal) transmitted from the font controller 8 or by a transfer operation by the operation unit 4.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2(C), the external memory 101 connected to the slot 91 in FIG. 2(b) is inserted into the slot.
Remove it from 91. At this time, the printing unit 12 can print using the standard font pattern stored in the standard font memory 7 or the type A font pattern stored in the transfer font memory 8. Next, for example, the external memory 102 in which type B font patterns are stored is connected to the slot 91. Then, as shown in FIG. 2(d), the CPLI 5 saves the standard font memory 70 font pattern and the type A font pattern stored in the transfer font memory 8.
The type B font pattern stored in the external memory 102 is connected. That is, the printing unit 12 can print using a standard font pattern, a type A font pattern, and a type B font pattern.

In addition, although only one type of font pattern is transferred to the transfer font memory 8 in FIGS. 2(a) to 2(d), it is possible to transfer a large number of font patterns to the transfer font memory 8 from a plurality of external memories 1o. You may also do so.

Furthermore, a plurality of external memories 10 may be connected to the connection unit 9 so that the font pattern to be printed can be read out from a larger number of font patterns.

Furthermore, the external memory 10 in which the program of the emulation function is stored is connected to the connection part 9, and this program is transferred to the transfer font memory 8, so that the print data transmitted from the plurality of host computers 1 having print codes of different formats can be transferred to the transfer font memory 8. The CPU 5 may be able to handle the code.

Furthermore, when nothing is stored in the transfer font memory 8, the transfer from the external memory 10 to the transfer font memory 8 is automatically performed without a transfer signal from the host computer 1 or a transfer operation by the operation unit 4. It may also be done in the following manner.

〔Effect of the invention〕

The present invention transfers a font pattern from an external memory connected to a slot of a connecting part to a transfer font memory, and then replaces the external memory with an external memory in which a font pattern of the type font is stored. This makes it possible to use connected font patterns in addition to the transferred font patterns, so it is possible to print using more font patterns with the minimum number of slots required. Furthermore, as a result, the configuration of the printing 1iH can be made smaller and the price can be reduced.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the printing device according to the present invention, and FIGS. 2(a) to 2(d) explain the operation of transferring from the external memory to the transfer font memory of the printing device according to the present invention. This is a diagram. 3...Printing device main body, 5...Central control unit (reading control means), 8...Transfer font memory, 9...Connection unit, 10...External memory, 12...Printing unit. Patent applicant: Mita Kogyo Co., Ltd. Representative: Patent attorney: Etsushi Kotani No. 2
Figure (a) Figure 2 (b) Figure 2

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A connection part to which an external memory is detachably connected, a transfer font memory that stores font patterns stored in the external memory connected to this connection part, an external memory connected to the connection part, and readout control means for reading out the font pattern in the transfer font memory;
A printing device comprising: a printing section that prints using the read font pattern.