JPH02110626A - Error display control device for printing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To display an abnormal factor in detail at the time of the occurrence of the abnormality in a printing device by saving an output text from a host computer for a while on the occasion when abnormality is detected and a abnormal state is analyzed and result is displayed in detail. CONSTITUTION:When a printing error is detected by an abnormality detecting means 7, an abnormality detection signal is sent to a printing requesting means 4, and abnormal information is sent to a printing error displaying means 14. The saving means 15 of the means 14 secures a picture saving buffer 17, and saves the output text on a picture buffer 8 to the picture saving buffer 17. Next, an abnormal information analyzing means 16 reads the abnormal information from the detecting means 7, and analyzes the contents of it, and constitutes abnormal messages, and transfer them to the picture buffer 8, and displays the corresponding abnormal factor from among eight kinds of the constituted abnormal messages on the picture screen of a display device 10 concretely in Japanese. An operator reads this, and he can deal with the abnormality immediately.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial Application Field) This invention relates to an error display control device for a printing device that prints output text sent to a display device of a workstation coupled with a host computer through an online system;
In particular, it relates to improving recovery from abnormalities in printing devices.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, in screen printing control (hard copy control) that prints output text, which is the main body of transmitted and received data sent in a time sharing system, on the display device of a workstation connected to a host computer in an online system, for example, laser When printing with a printing device consisting of a printer, even if an abnormality occurs in the printing device, the cause of the abnormal condition will be easily displayed on the display device that displayed the output text, or will be displayed on a simple display device on the printing device. It was displayed.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

In the above-mentioned conventional printing device that prints the output text sent to the workstation, the cause of the abnormal condition is easily displayed, so it is possible to display in detail the abnormal condition that is unique to laser printers as a printing device. There wasn't. Therefore, the man-machine interface between the control system for operations to recover from abnormal conditions and the operator who operates it is poor, and it takes a long time for the operator to understand the cause of the abnormality and perform recovery. It had the disadvantage of requiring

The present invention has been made to solve these shortcomings, and when an abnormality occurs in the printing device of a workstation, the cause of the abnormal condition can be detected on the display device without losing the output text displayed on the display device. It is an object of the present invention to provide an error display control device for a printing device that displays errors in detail and improves the man-machine interface.

[Means for Solving the Problems] An error display control device for a printing apparatus according to the present invention is characterized by comprising a print requesting means, a print processing means, and a printing error display means.

When there is a print instruction, the print request means accepts an output text sent from the host computer to the display device of the workstation, and sends a screen display request and a print request to the print processing means.

The print processing means has a command means and an abnormality detection means, and the command means receives a screen display request and a print request from the print request means, sends an output text to a display device, and sends an output text to a printing device that prints the output text. Send a print command. The abnormality detection means receives information from the printing apparatus and determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the printing apparatus, and when an abnormality occurs, sends an abnormality detection signal to the print processing means, and sends abnormality information to the printing error display means.

The printing error display means includes a saving means operated by an abnormality signal of the printing apparatus sent from the printing request means and an abnormality information analysis means. The saving means temporarily saves the output text displayed on the display device in the screen saving buffer upon receiving the abnormal signal. Further, the abnormality information analysis means reads the abnormality information sent from the abnormality processing means, analyzes the cause thereof, and sends an abnormality message to the display device.

[Operation] In the present invention, when an abnormality occurs in the printing device, the abnormality is detected, and the abnormal state is analyzed and displayed on the display device. At the time of this display, the output text from the host computer displayed on the display device is temporarily saved in order to display the analysis result of the abnormal state in detail. Therefore, since the cause of the abnormality can be displayed in detail on the display device, the above-mentioned problem can be solved.

[Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.
In the figure, 1 is a host computer, and 2 is a communication control device that transmits and receives data from the host computer 1 to each workstation.

3 is the input/output interface of the workstation, 4
5 is a print request means that accepts an output text sent from the host computer 1 via the input/output interface 3 and sends out a screen display request and a print request; 5 is a print processing means; and a detection means 7.

The command means 6 receives a screen display request from the print request means 4 and sends the output text accepted by the print request means 4 to the screen buffer 8. The output text sent to and stored in this screen buffer 8 is displayed on a display device 10 via a display device interface 9. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the screen of this display device 10 consists of an area of 80 columns x 25 lines, and output text is displayed in the area of 80 columns x 24 lines. Of the area where this output text is displayed, lines 21 to 24 are also used as an area to display abnormal messages from the printing device.

Note that line 25 is an operator guidance area. Further, the command means 6 receives a print request from the print request means 4, reads the output text stored in the screen buffer 8 into the printer buffer 11, and sends the output text read into the printer buffer 11 via the printer interface 12. For example, the text is sent to a printing device 13 consisting of a laser printer, and the printing device 13 prints the output text displayed on the display device 10. The abnormality detecting means 7 detects a signal from the printing device 13 to the printing device interface 12. Upon receiving the return value information sent via the printer buffer 11,
It is determined whether or not there is an abnormality in the printing device 13, and when an abnormality occurs in the printing device 13, an abnormality detection signal is sent to the print processing means 5.

Reference numeral 14 denotes a printing error display means for receiving an abnormality signal from the print requesting means 4 and sending an abnormality message to the display device 10. The printing error display means 14 has a saving means 15 and an abnormality information analysis means 16. The saving means 15 is the print requesting means 4
When an abnormal signal is received from the screen buffer 8, the output text displayed on the 21st line to the 24th line of the screen among the output texts displayed on the display device 10 is temporarily saved from the screen buffer 8 to the screen save buffer 17. When the abnormality information analysis means 16 receives the abnormality signal from the print requesting means 4, it reads the abnormality information from the abnormality detection means 7, analyzes the cause of the abnormality, and sends an abnormality message to the screen buffer 8. The abnormal message sent to the screen buffer 8 is sent to the display device 10 via the display device interface 9 and displayed on lines 21 to 24 of the screen where the output text was saved.

18 is a keyboard for instructing the print requesting means 4 to print, etc.;
19 is a keyboard interface.

The operation of the error display control device configured as described above is illustrated by a flow chart showing the operation of the print request means 4 in FIG. 3, a flow chart showing the operation of the print processing means 5 in FIG. 4, and a print error display means in FIG. This will be explained with reference to a flowchart showing the operation of step 14.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the operator inputs a print command to the print request means 4 by operating the keyboard 18 (step S1), the print request means 4 accepts an output text sent from the host computer l, and this output text A screen display request is sent to the command means 6 of the print processing means 5, and the output text is displayed on lines 1 to 24 of the screen of the display bag 210 (step S2). In order to prevent this displayed screen from changing, specify refusal to accept the next output text sent from the host computer 1 (step S
3). Next, the print requesting means 4 requests the printing of the output text displayed on the display device 10 to the commanding means 6 of the print processing means 5.
and the displayed output text is printed by the printing device 13 (step S4). When an abnormality occurs during printing, resulting in a printing error, and an abnormality detection signal is received from the abnormality detection means 7 of the print processing means 5 (step S5), the print requesting means 4 changes the processing category to an error display, for example (1).
), an abnormal signal is sent to the print error display means 14 to request intervention from the operator (step S6), and the print error display means 14 displays an abnormal message on the display device 10.
(Step S7). After displaying this abnormal message, wait for the operator to press a key to determine whether to reprint (step S8), and if the operator presses a key, the abnormal message displayed on the screen of the display device 10 will be erased. Erase the error display (1) in the processing category and display, for example, error erase (0) in the processing category (step S
9). By erasing the error (0), a request is sent to the printing error display means 14 to erase the abnormal message displayed on the display device 10 (step 5IO). After that, when reprinting is to be performed, a print request is sent to the print processing means 5 again (Step 511), and when printing is completed without any printing errors, acceptance of the next output text is permitted from the host computer 1 (Step 512). .

Next, the operation of the print processing means 5 to which a screen display request and a print request are sent from the print request means 4 will be explained with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

When the command means 6 of the print processing means 5 receives a screen display request from the print request means 4, it sends the output text accepted by the print request means 4 to the screen buffer 8, and outputs the output text of 80 columns x 24 lines on the screen of the display device 10. The output text is displayed in the display area (step 521). When the command means 6 receives a print request in this state, it displays the print mode in the operator guidance area on the 25th line of the screen (step 522). Next, printer buffer 11
and obtain the address of the printer buffer 11 (
Step S23, 524). Thereafter, the area of 80 columns x 24 lines in the screen buffer 8 is rotated 90 degrees to the right and copied to the printer buffer 11 (step 525), and the contents of this printer buffer 11 are sent to the printer 13 via the printer interface 12 and printed. (step 326). Here, when copying the contents of the screen buffer 8 to the printer buffer 11, the reason why the contents of the screen buffer 8 are rotated 90 degrees to the right is to cope with the fact that the printing paper set in the printing device 13 is oriented vertically. After outputting the contents of the printer buffer 11 to the printing device 13, the printer buffer 11 is released and waits for printing status information to be received from the printing device 13 (step 527). When the information of the printing device 13 is sent to the abnormality detection means 7 of the print processing means 5 via the printer buffer 11, the abnormality detection means 7 judges the contents (step 528), and if there is no printing error, the command means 6 displays the screen. The print mode displayed in the operator guidance area is erased (step 529), and the abnormality detection means 7 notifies the print requesting means 4 that printing has been completed normally (step 530).

On the other hand, when the abnormality detection means 7 detects a printing error, the abnormality detection means 7 sends an abnormality detection signal to the print request means 4 (step 531), and sends abnormality information to the printing error display means 14 (step 532).

Therefore, the operation of the print error display means 14 when a printing abnormality is detected by the print processing means 5 will be explained with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

The saving means 15 of the printing error display means 14 is the display device 10.
In order to display an abnormal message, first line 21 of the screen on screen buffer 8, line 24 from the 1st column,
Find the address (x, y) up to the 80th column (
step 541).

When the abnormality detection signal is sent from the print processing means 5 to the print request means 4 and the processing category becomes error display (1) (step 542), the print request means 4 sends an error detection signal to the print request means 14.
An abnormal signal is sent to Upon receiving this abnormal signal, the saving means 15 secures the screen saving buffer 17 (step 543).
), determines the address of the screen save buffer 17 (step 544), and saves the output text stored in each address from line 21 to line 24 on the screen buffer 8 to the screen save buffer 8 (step 545). Next, the abnormality information analysis means 16 reads the abnormality information from the abnormality detection means 7, analyzes its contents, and assembles an abnormality message (step 546). This abnormal message is sent from the 21st line to the 24th line of the screen buffer 8, and the display device 10
An error message is displayed on lines 21 to 24 of the screen (
step 547). For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the abnormality message displayed on the display device 10 shows that an abnormality has occurred in the printing device 13 on the 21st line of the screen, an error code on the 22nd line, and an error code on the 23rd line. Operation keys for reprinting are displayed on the line. Furthermore, on the 24th line, the cause of the abnormality is specifically displayed in Japanese as shown in (a) to (11) of FIG. Therefore, by reading the abnormality message displayed on the display device 10, the operator can immediately deal with the abnormality.

When the cause of the abnormality is resolved by the operator's processing, the processing category of the print requesting means 4 becomes error erasure (0) (step 542). When the print error display means 14 receives this signal, the saving means 15 moves the output text from lines 21 to 24 of the screen saved in the screen saving buffer 17 to the screen buffer 8, and moves the output text from lines 21 to 24 of the display device 10. The output text is displayed on the line again (step 548), and the screen save buffer 17 is released (step 549).

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, in the present invention, when an abnormality occurs in a printing device, the abnormality is detected, the abnormal state is analyzed, and the cause of the abnormality is displayed on a display device.

When this display is performed, the output text from the host computer displayed on the display device is temporarily saved in order to display the cause of the abnormality, so the cause of the abnormality can be displayed in detail on the display device, making it possible to display the cause of the abnormality in detail. The machine interface can be significantly improved. Therefore, when an abnormality occurs in the printing device, the abnormality can be quickly recovered.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the screen layout of the display device of the above embodiment, and FIG.
5 to 5 are flowcharts showing the operation of the above embodiment, FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the print request means, FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the print processing means, FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the print error display means, and FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the causes of an abnormality displayed as an abnormal message. 1... host computer, 4... print request means,
5... Print processing means, 6... Command means, 7... Abnormality detection means, 10... Display device, 13... Printing device, 14... Print error display means, 15... - Evacuation means, 16... Abnormality information analysis means. Patent applicant Ricoh Co., Ltd. Figure 2 Figure 6 Figure 7 Figure 5

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A printing device that prints output text sent to a display device of a workstation connected to a host computer through an online system, which accepts the output text when a print instruction is received;
print request means for sending out a screen display request and a print request; command means for receiving the screen display request and print request from the print request means and sending an output text to the display device and sending a print command to the printing device; a printing processing means having an abnormality detection means that receives information from the printing apparatus, determines whether there is an abnormality in the printing apparatus, and sends an abnormality detection signal to the printing requesting means; and an abnormality signal of the printing apparatus sent from the printing requesting means. A printing error display having a saving means for temporarily saving output text displayed on a display device in a screen saving buffer, and an abnormality information analysis means for analyzing abnormality information sent from the print processing means and sending an abnormality message to the display device. An error display control device for a printing device, comprising: means.