JPH0454624A - Automatic setting device for output device information - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To automatically set the information related to a printer to be used to a processor by providing this device on the processor, and storing the information transmitted from the output device to be connected in an output device information storage means. CONSTITUTION:When an output device information setting means 12 is actuated, information related to an output device 3, transmitted from the output device 3 and received by an automatic setting control means 14 is stored in an output device information storage means 10. As a result, an output control means 11 recognizes a machine kind name, etc., of the output device 3 connected to the own device 1 from the storage contents of the storage means 10. In this case, in the case it is decided to be the output device 3 which cannot be utilized, the automatic setting control means 14 displays it on a display device 4. In such a way, information related to the output device such as a printer to be used, etc., can be set automatically to the processor.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to an information processing device having a processing device such as a personal computer and an output device such as a printer connected to the processing device, and in particular, information related to the output device used. The present invention relates to an automatic output device information setting device that automatically sets output device information to a processing device.

[Conventional technology]

In general, the type of printer that can be used by connecting to a personal computer is determined by the model of the personal computer and the type of application program running on it, and is usually one of several predetermined models. must be selected. In actual use, it is necessary to physically connect the printer to the burner computer via a cable or the like, and to set the type of printer to be used on the personal computer. Conventionally, this setting has been performed by the user himself, by calling up the storage area in the personal computer that holds the type of printer connected to the screen of the display device, and checking the type of printer currently connected. Information was set in that storage area. Since application programs and the like running on the personal computer control output by the printer according to the information stored in the above-mentioned storage area, output using the printer becomes possible for the first time by performing the above-mentioned settings.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

As mentioned above, in the past, the information related to the printer was set by the user himself, and therefore, (1) Setting operations could only be performed by a person who was familiar with the operating procedures related to the settings.

■ Because it is a human operation, it is easy to make mistakes.

■ Setting operations are required each time the printer is replaced, making printer replacement time-consuming.

There were problems such as.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an automatic output device information setting device that can automatically set information regarding a printer to be used in a processing device such as a personal computer.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to achieve the above object, the automatic output device information setting device of the present invention includes a processing device and an output device connected to the processing device and used, and the processing device stores information related to the output device. an information processing device comprising: an output device information storage means for controlling the output device; and an output control means for controlling the output from the output device connected to the own processing device according to the output device information stored in the output device information storage means; a self-device information storage means provided in the output device for storing information related to the output device; a transmitting means provided in the output device and transmitting information stored in the self-device information storage means to a processing device of a connection partner; The processing apparatus further includes output device information setting means provided in the processing device and storing information transmitted from a connected output device in the output device information storage means.

Further, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a determination information table provided in the processing device records the types of output devices that can be used in the processing device itself; Determining whether the output device can be used by the own processing device based on information transmitted from the device and the contents of the determination information table;
and automatic setting control means for operating the output device information setting means only when the output device information setting means is available.

Further, the automatic setting control means is configured to display, in the case of an unusable output device, a message to that effect and the types of all usable output devices on a display device.

[Effect]

In the output device information automatic setting device of the present invention, the own device information storage means provided in the output device holds information related to the output device such as the type of the output device, and the output device is connected to the processing device by a cable or the like. After the output device is connected, at least at an arbitrary point before the start of output processing, a transmission means provided in the output device transmits the information stored in the own device information storage means to the processing device of the connection partner, The output device information setting means provided in the processing device stores this transmitted information in the output device information storage means.

Further, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the determination information table provided in the processing device records the types of output devices that can be used in the own processing device, and information related to the output device from the output device of the connection partner. is transmitted, automatic setting vi control means provided in the processing device determines whether or not the output device can be used in the own processing device based on the transmitted information and the contents of the determination information table. However, the output device information setting means is operated only when the output device is usable, and in the case of an unusable output device, a message to that effect and the types of all usable output devices are displayed on the display device.

[Example] Next, an example of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment shows a processing device Wtl, an output device Wt3 which is used by being connected to the processing device Ml by a cable 2, and a display bag connected to the processing device Ml! The present invention is applied to an information processing device equipped with the following.

The processing device 1 is a personal computer or the like, and includes an output device information storage means 10 for storing information related to the output device to be used, such as model name, etc., and output device information stored in the output device information storage means 10. Accordingly, the output from the output device 3 connected to the own processing device ff is t.
In addition to conventional means such as the output control means 11 for IJgrJ, output device information setting means I2 for storing information transmitted from the output device 3 of the connection partner in the output device information storage means 10, and a self-processing device! Based on the determination information table 13 that records the types of output devices that can be used in fl, the information sent from the connected output device N3, and the contents of the determination information table 13, the output device 13 is determined to be the self-processing device M1. Automatic setting control means 14 is provided for determining whether or not the output device information setting means 12 can be used, and operating the output device information setting means 12 only when the output device information setting means 12 can be used.

Further, the output device M3 is a printer or the like, and inside thereof,
In addition to the original configuration of the output device, there is also a non-volatile self-device information storage means 21 for storing information related to the self-installed M3, such as the model name, etc., and a non-volatile self-device information storage means 21 for storing information related to the self-installation M3, such as the model name, etc. ! 1 is provided.

The output device M3 and the processing device M1 are connected by a connector 5.6 and a cable 2, so that data and control signals can be transmitted and received between them.

Next, the operation of this embodiment configured as described above will be explained.

In Figure 1, the output device! 3 is a processing device by cable 2! When connected to l and power is applied to both devices,
After that, at least the processing equipment! The automatic setting control means 14 is activated at any time until the output lll11 means 11 in the output control means 1 starts operating.

When the automatic setting control means 14 is activated, it first requests the output device M3 to transmit output device information via the cable 2.

In response to this, the transmitting means 22 of the output device 3 reads information such as the model name of the own device 3 stored in the own device information storage means 21 and transmits it to the processing device 1 via the cable 2.

This transmitted information is received by the automatic setting control means 14, and the automatic setting control means 14 determines whether the model name in the received information is one of the model names recorded in the determination information table 13. By checking, it is determined whether the output device M3 is a usable output device. If it is determined that the output device 13 can be used, the information received this time is passed to start the output device information setting means 12, and a message indicating that the output device 13 can be used and its model name are displayed in the bag! Display on screen 4.

When the output device information setting means 12 is activated, the output device information setting means 12 sets the output device M3.
The information regarding the output device 3 transmitted from the automatic setting control means 14 and received by the automatic setting control means 14 is stored in the output device information storage means 10. As a result, the output control means 11 can recognize the model name, etc. of the output device W13 connected to the own device ll from the storage contents of the output device information storage means IO, and adapt the output device f3 to the output device f3 according to the information during output processing. The output device N3 is controlled by sending control codes and data using the method described above. Note that if the output device information setting means 12 has already stored information regarding the output device in the output device information storage means 10, the output device information setting means 12 updates the output device information by overwriting the information.

On the other hand, if the automatic setting control means 14 determines that the output device is not usable, it displays a message to that effect and a list of model names of all output devices that can be connected to the own processing device M1 on the display device M4. to be displayed. This causes the user to output the wrong bag! It is possible to notice that f3 has been connected, and it is also possible to immediately know the model name of the output device to be connected.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view showing an example of an information processing device to which the automatic output device information setting device of the present invention is applied. This information processing apparatus is composed of a personal computer 1', a printer 39 connected to the personal computer 1' by a cable 2, and a display device M4, such as a CRT display, provided on the personal computer 1'. In addition, the display! On the screen of 4, the message "The connected printer is PC-PR602. It can be used." is displayed, indicating that the printer 3° is a usable printer and that the information related to printer 3' is automatically set. The user is notified that the process has been completed and is ready for use.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, according to the output device information automatic setting device of the present invention, it is possible to automatically set information related to an output device such as a printer to be used in a processing device such as a personal computer, so that: Even a person who is unfamiliar with such operating procedures can perform the setting operation.

■ Automatic setting eliminates setting errors caused by human operations.

■ Settings for printer replacement are also automatically performed, allowing for quick printer replacement.

■ By performing settings only when relevant information is sent from an available output device, incorrect settings can be reliably prevented.

■ If an unusable output device is connected incorrectly,
Since a message to that effect and the types of all available output devices are displayed on the display device, the user can quickly recognize incorrect connections and easily know the type of output device to be connected. I can do it.

Effects such as this can be obtained.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of an example of an information processing apparatus to which the present invention is applied. In the figure, 1...Processing device 2...Cable 3...Output device 4...Display device 5.6...Funecta 10...Output device information storage means 11-...Output control means 12 ... Output device information setting means 3 ... Judgment information table 4 ... Automatic setting control means l ... Own device information storage means 2 ... Transmission means

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) A processing device and an output device used by being connected to the processing device; the processing device includes an output device information storage means for storing information related to the output device; An information processing device comprising an output control means for controlling output by an output device connected to the own processing device according to output device information, the own device information storage means provided in the output device and storing information related to the output device. and a transmitting means provided in the output device for transmitting the information stored in the own device information storage means to the processing device of the connection partner, and a transmission device provided in the processing device and transmitting the information transmitted from the output device of the connection partner. an output device information automatic setting device, comprising: output device information setting means for storing the output device information in the output device information storage means. (2) a determination information table provided in the processing device and recording the types of output devices that can be used by the processing device; information provided in the processing device and sent from the output device of the connection partner; Determine whether the output device can be used by the own processing device based on the contents of the determination information table,
2. The automatic output device information setting device according to claim 1, further comprising automatic setting control means for operating said output device information setting means only when the output device information setting means is usable. (3) The output device information according to claim 2, wherein the automatic setting control means is configured to display, in the case of an unusable output device, a message to that effect and the types of all available output devices on a display device. Automatic configuration device.