JPH03119417A - Page printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To attain a printing task without use of a computer based on the print information received from a cartridge by processing the information obtained from the cartridge based on the print command given via a control panel as the print command data and at the same time invalidating the on-line connection state to a device of the host side of carry out the print task. CONSTITUTION:A control panel part 5 has the functions to write the command data received from a host into a cartridge and to produce an instruction to use the contents of the cartridge as the print information. A control program stored in a memory 3 is started based on a print command of the panel 5. Then a printer control part 2 reads successively the information out of the cartridge part and interprets these information as commands and data to drive a printer part. Meanwhile an external interface part 1 performs the control to stop the reception of information from a computer. Thus it is possible to carry out a printing task based on the information in the cartridge part and regardless of presence or absence of the computer.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a page printer used as an output device for personal computers, distributed processing computers, and the like.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, page printers have been widely used as output devices for personal computers and distributed processing computers because of their good print quality and high printing speed. The current situation is that various printing processes exist depending on each company. Additionally, each company has its own language for page printers, and emulation firmware has also been developed as a substitute for conventional dot printers. Emulation firmware is generally a cartridge type that can be inserted and removed, and fonts for various character generators are also generally cartridge type so that you can replace and use your favorite fonts.

However, these page printers only print based on commands and data sent from the host computer through an interface cable.
The reality is that there is no way to print information without a host computer.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) As mentioned above, conventional printers have had a disadvantage in terms of useware because they do not have a means for printing without a host computer. This invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a page printer that has a function that allows printing operations without a computer by using print information from a cartridge in addition to the conventional connection with a computer. shall be.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) The page printer of the present invention includes a cartridge that can be inserted into and removed from the printer, an operation panel that includes an input device for instructing printing commands from the outside, and a page printer that can be connected to the printer through the operation panel. A data processing unit that processes information obtained from the cartridge as print commands and data based on print commands given by and a printer control unit for executing the printer control unit. Furthermore, the present invention includes a write control unit that issues a storage command from the operation panel and writes print commands and data sent from the host device to the writable non-volatile memory cartridge without image development based on the storage command. Features.

(Function) With the above-mentioned configuration, in addition to the functions that a page printer normally has, it also has the function of storing commands and data from the computer as they are in the cartridge section without converting them into images (or in parallel) according to instructions from the operation panel. have,
It also has the function of interpreting information stored in the cartridge section as if it were commands and data from a computer based on instructions from the operation panel, and performing printing operations, so that printing information can be exchanged and printing operations can be performed using the cartridge as a medium. To realize a page printer that is capable of Of course, it is of course possible to print by connecting a computer and sending commands and data from an interface cable as in the past.

This makes it easy to use the page printer without having to reconnect the interface between the computer and the page printer. Also.

This has the effect of improving useware, such as making it easier to exchange print information using cartridges as a medium.

(Example) Embodiments of the present invention will be described below using the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes an external interface unit, which communicates information with the host computer, controls commands, and print data. Reference numeral 2 denotes a printer control section, which is the middle section 6 that interprets commands and controls the printing of one mark accordingly. Reference numeral 3 denotes a memory, which is used to store program data for various print controls, and as a line buffer and image buffer. Reference numeral 4 denotes a cartridge section, which in addition to being used for emulation firmware and various fonts, is also used in the present invention to store commands and print data, and to read commands and print data in place of instructions from the host. .

Reference numeral 5 designates an operation panel section which, in addition to the conventional general functions, also has the features of the present invention, such as writing command data from the host to the cartridge and instructions for sipping using the contents of the cartridge as print information. have the ability to do so. Reference numeral 6 is a print mechanism section, which indicates a mechanism section that performs printing.

The operation of the embodiment of the present invention will be explained in detail below. The present invention uses commands sent from a computer through an interface cable like a conventional page printer;
In addition to the ability to perform printing operations based on data, it is also possible to perform printing operations by interpreting information stored in the cartridge as commands and data, even without a computer.

That is, when the control program stored in the memory 3 is activated based on a print command from the operation panel section 5, the printer control section 2 sequentially reads information from the cartridge section, interprets them as commands and data, Drives the printer unit to perform printing operations. During this time, the external interface unit 1 controls the computer to stop transmitting and receiving information. This makes it possible to perform a printing operation based on the information in the cartridge section, regardless of the computer.

Furthermore, in the present invention, another control program stored in the memory 3 is started based on a storage command from the operation panel 5, and the printer control section 2 prints commands and data from the computer while developing the image. The operation of storing commands and data in the cartridge section 4 is performed in parallel with the operation of , or without performing the conventional operation.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, the page printer can be easily used without reconnecting the interface between the computer and the page printer. In addition, it is expected that useware will be improved, such as easier exchange of print information using cartridges as a medium.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...External interface section, 2...Printer control section, 3...Memory, 4...Cartridge section, 5...
- Operation panel section, 6... Print mechanism section.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) An operation panel equipped with a cartridge that can be inserted into and removed from the printer, and an input device that instructs printing commands from the outside;
A data processing unit processes information obtained from the cartridge as print commands and data based on print commands given via the operation panel, and when this data processing unit is functioning, it monitors the online connection status with the host device. 1. A page printer comprising: a printer control unit that executes an invalid printing operation. (2) an operation panel equipped with an input device for externally instructing a storage command, and a print command sent from a host device to a writable nonvolatile memory cartridge based on the storage command obtained through the operation panel; 2. The page printer according to claim 1, further comprising a write control section that writes data without image development.