JPH0467648B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Table of Contents] Overview Industrial Application Fields Conventional Technology Problems to be Solved by the Invention Means for Solving the Problems (Fig. 1) Working Examples (a) 1 Explanation of the configuration of the embodiment (Figures 2, 3, and 4) (b) Explanation of the operation of one embodiment (Figure 5) (c) Explanation of other embodiments Effects of the invention [Summary] In a received data display control method of a terminal device that displays received data on a display unit having a display area for m lines, the display data for n lines is divided and displayed on the display unit for each m line in response to the operation of a change key. By providing a control section for controlling the display, even if received display data exceeding the number of display digits of the display section is received, it can be displayed.

[Industrial application field]

The present invention provides a terminal device having a display section,
Regarding the received data display control method for displaying received data, especially for display parts with a limited number of display digits,
The present invention relates to a received data display control method for a terminal device that is capable of displaying received data with a display line number exceeding this number.

With the development of computer systems in recent years,
Various terminal devices (hereinafter referred to as terminals) are provided on the market.

Such a terminal communicates with a host computer via an online private line or a public line and performs instructed tasks, and various terminals are connected to the host computer.

For example, in a POS (Point Of Sales) system, as shown in Figure 6, multiple POS terminals POS are connected online to the host computer HOST via the POS controller PIU (Figure 6A), and multiple There is a slave POS terminal S-POS connected to a master POS terminal M-POS, and a master POS terminal M-POS connected to a host computer HOST via a public line (Figure 6B).
The POS terminals POS, S-POS, and M-POS can all communicate with the host computer HOST.

[Conventional technology]

Although a simple terminal such as a POS terminal is equipped with a display, it is mainly used for checking input data, and the number of display lines is limited as shown in Figure 7. It is about 2 lines. In other words, unlike general-purpose display devices, simple terminals have a display section that is kept to a minimum in order to reduce the size and cost of the device. Examples of this include the aforementioned POS terminals, portable terminals, and handheld devices. The same applies to terminals, etc. This type of terminal with a limited number of display lines may cause the host computer to
When communicating, for example, in a POS terminal, when a customer's account inquiry, usage status inquiry, or inventory inquiry is made to the host computer, the number of display lines is limited. By printing the received data as a response using a built-in printer, sufficient information for the inquiry was obtained.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

On the other hand, depending on the content of the inquiry, it may not be necessary to print it out using a printer, and it may be sufficient to just display it.

However, in terminals with a limited number of display lines, it is not possible to display more than the number of display lines, so there is a problem that if the received data exceeds the number of display lines, it cannot be displayed.

For this reason, a method such as a normal display terminal that receives display data for the number of display lines from the host computer for each communication can be considered, but in this case, for one inquiry, the terminal will send the display data many times. It is necessary to issue a request for the next display data to the host computer, which causes problems in that the operation is laborious and the cost of using the line is high.

In view of the above, the present invention provides a received data display control method for a terminal device that is capable of sequentially displaying display data on a display unit even if display data exceeding the number of display lines is received through one communication. The purpose is to

[Means for solving problems]

FIG. 1 is a diagram explaining the principle of the present invention.

In FIG. 1A, 1 is a control unit, which is composed of a microprocessor, etc., and reads display data for m display lines from a memory (described later) that stores received data, and causes it to be displayed on a display unit (described later). , 2 is a memory that stores received messages containing n lines of display data from the host computer;
3 is an input section, which includes a change key for instructing the control section 1 to change the display contents of the display section; 4 is a display section, which has a display area for m lines, and is used for controlling the control section 1; Therefore, m lines of display data are displayed.

As shown in FIG.
The memory 2 is composed of display data for rows separated by control data, and the memory 2 stores n rows of display data from the host computer as shown in FIG. Stored in rows. On the other hand, the control section 1 reads the display data from the memory 2 m lines at a time in response to instructions from the change key of the input section 3 and causes the display section 4 to display the data.

[Effect]

In the present invention, since the display data in the received message is sent separated by m lines in accordance with the number of display lines on the display unit 4, even if display data for n lines is sent, the control unit 4 In this case, it is sufficient to perform display control on the divided m lines of display data.

Therefore, in response to an instruction from the change key of the input unit 3, the control unit 1 only reads m lines of display data from the memory 2 and displays it on the display unit 4, and receives n lines of display data at once. Even if the information is displayed, it can be displayed on the display section 4 one after another.

As a result, even if display data for n lines exceeding the number of display lines is received at once, it is possible to display these data sequentially on the display section 4 for m lines in accordance with the instruction of the change key, and also to control the display data. The display control of section 1 can also be simple.

〔Example〕

(a) Explanation of the configuration of one embodiment FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of one embodiment of the present invention.
Shows the configuration of a POS terminal.

In the figure, the same parts as those shown in Figure 1 are indicated by the same symbols, and 2a is a display record area, which stores the display record in the received message, and the control data mentioned above. CT and m line (2
2b is a memory store record area that stores the display data for (rows) in association with each other.
2c is the print record area that stores the memory store record in the received message.
2d is a display buffer that stores the print record of received messages; 5 is a printer that prints and issues receipts/journals; 6 is a cash drawer. 7 is a line control unit and a POS controller.
For communicating with the host computer via PIU or master POS terminal M-POS, 10
is a microprocessor (referred to as MPU),
8 is a bus that constitutes the main control unit 1 and executes display control processing, message transmission/reception processing, product registration processing, etc., which includes an MPU 10, a memory 2, an input unit 3, a display unit 4, a printer 5, a cash drawer 6, It connects with the line control section 7.

30 is a forward key, which is used as a change key to move the screen contents forward; 31 is a backward key, which is used as a change key to move the screen contents backward; 32 is a stop key, which is used to cancel the display. belongs to.

Therefore, this POS terminal has 2 lines (40
A display section 4 having a display area for digits) is provided, and can display only two lines of display data at a time.

To change the screen (display content), press forward key 3.
This is instructed by pressing the 0 or backward key 31, and the display contents of the display section 4 change according to the contents of the display record area 2a of the memory 2.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the structure of a message format in such a POS terminal, and FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of its display record.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the inquiry message sent to the host computer is a header and an account number in the case of an account inquiry.

The format of the message received from the host computer in response to this is, as shown in FIG. 3B, a header followed by a memory store record, a print record, and finally a display record.

This display record forms one block with control data and display data for the number of display lines of the display section 4 (two lines in the example in Figure 2), and displays the required number of lines (in the figure, six lines or three blocks). will be added.

This control data separates two lines of display data, and is composed of 8 bits as shown in FIG. A forward key valid flag, a backward key valid flag, and a flag indicating validity/invalidity of a change key are provided.

Therefore, the control data for each block of the six lines of display data in FIG. 3B is as shown in FIG. 4, and the control data for the first block has the display first row flag and advance key valid flag as shown in FIG. 4A. As shown in FIG. 4B, the control data of the intermediate block is set to "1", the forward key valid flag and backward key valid flag are set to "1" as shown in FIG. The backward key valid flag is set to "1" as shown in FIG. 4C.

Therefore, the control unit 1 can separate two lines of display data using the control data, can know the first and last lines, and can also recognize the change key that is effective when displaying the display data.

(b) Description of operation of one embodiment FIG. 5 is a display control flow diagram in the configuration of FIG. 2.

The operator inputs an inquiry instruction, account number, etc. from the input section 3 for inquiry.

As a result, the MPU 10 creates an inquiry message as shown in FIG. 3A, and transmits it via the line control section 7.

The MPU 10 waits for reception, and when it receives the received message shown in FIG.
Print records are stored in area 2c, and display records are stored block by block in display record area 2a.

When you receive the final message in this way,
The MPU 10 enters display control processing.

First, the first block of the display record area 2a of the memory 2 is read out.

Next, the display data of the read block is transferred to the display buffer 2d, and the MPU 10 provides the display section 4 with the contents of the display buffer 2d converted into character patterns, so that the display section 4 displays two lines of display data. At the same time, the control data of the read block is analyzed to check whether the keyboard (input section) is designated as valid or not using the forward/backward key valid flag.

When there is no keyboard enable designation, that is, when the display record consists of only two lines of display data, no further display is required, and the process ends.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the keyboard is valid according to the forward/backward key valid flag, it is checked whether the forward/backward keys are valid, and if both the forward/backward keys are valid, the forward key 30, backward key 31 of the input unit 3, Processing by pressing the stop key 32 is enabled.

Further, if only the forward key is valid, processing by pressing the forward key 30 and the stop key 32 of the input section 3 is valid.

Further, if only the backward key is valid, processing by pressing the backward key 31 and the cancel key 32 of the input section 3 is valid.

Then, the system waits for a key press on the input unit 3 to be pressed.

When the key on the input section 3 is pressed, the MPU 10
Determine whether the key is valid in the step. If a key that is not valid is pressed, the display last line flag of the control data described above is checked, and if it is not the last line to be displayed, the pressed key is ignored, and if it is the last line to be displayed, the process ends.

When the MPU 10 determines that a valid key has been pressed, it checks whether the forward key 30 has been pressed;
If the forward key 30 is pressed, the next block in the display record area 2a of the memory 2 is read out and the process returns to the step.

On the other hand, when the MPU 10 determines that the depression of the valid key is the depression of the backward key 31, the MPU 10 stores the memory 2
The previous block in the display record area 2a is read out and the process returns to the step.

For MPU10, pressing the valid key is forward key 30
If neither the button nor the backward key 31 has been pressed, it is determined that the stop key 32 has been pressed, the printer 5 is caused to stop displaying and print, and the process ends.

For example, in the example shown in FIG. 4, the display data of the first and second lines of the first block are first displayed on the display section 4, and the forward key 30 and stop key 32 are enabled by this control data.

When the operator presses the forward key 30 while this display is displayed, the step moves to the third line of the next block.
The display data on the fourth line is displayed on the display section 4, and the forward key 30, backward key 31, and stop key 32 are enabled by the control data of this block.

Therefore, to display the display data of the next 5th and 6th lines, press the forward key 30, and to display the display data of the 1st and 2nd lines of the previous block for operator confirmation. , by pressing the backward key 31, the display data of the next block or the previous block can be displayed.

Furthermore, when the forward key 30 is pressed and the display data on the 5th and 6th lines are displayed, the backward key 31 and the stop key 32 are enabled by the control data of this block, and the forward key is activated. Even if 30 is pressed, it is not valid, the display ends, and the back key 3 is pressed.
By pressing 1, the display data on the third and fourth lines of the previous block can be displayed.

During these times, if the cancel key 32 is valid,
The display can be terminated by pressing the stop key 32, and the process can proceed to, for example, product registration processing.

In this way, the MPU 10 can sequentially change the display contents according to instructions from the change keys 30 and 31 from the received message in units and in an order that match the display lines of the display unit 4, and the number of lines exceeding the display line. The display data can be divided and displayed by using the change key.

Moreover, since the control data includes whether the key is valid or invalid, the split display control process in the control unit 1 is simple, and only requires adding change key processing to the normal display control process. .

(c) Description of other embodiments In the above embodiments, the change key is a back key,
Although a stop key is provided, these may not be provided and only forward movement is performed, or the stop key may not be provided and forward/backward movement may be performed.

Further, the key validity flag may not be provided in the control data, and may be managed by the MPU 10.

Furthermore, although the explanation has been given using the example of a POS terminal, it can also be applied to other terminals with a limited number of display lines, such as portable terminals.

Although the present invention has been described above using one embodiment, the present invention can be modified in various ways according to the gist of the present invention, and these are not excluded from the present invention.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, according to the present invention, the following effects are achieved.

In a terminal device that has a display unit with a limited number of display digits, the host device sends display data with a number of display digits exceeding the number of display digits separated by control data according to the number of display digits of the terminal device. It can be separated by control data and displayed on the display, allowing you to check the received content even if the number of display digits is small.

The display content can be changed by the number of display digits using the change key, and the display content can be changed by the operator's confirmation of the display content.

The host device can send display data that exceeds the number of display digits at once, so communication only needs to be done once.
In addition, line usage costs can also be reduced.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram explaining the principle of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of an embodiment of the invention, FIG. 3 is a diagram of a message format configuration of an embodiment of the invention, and FIG. 4 is a diagram of the display record in FIG. FIG. 5 is a display control flow diagram of an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the POS system, and FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the display unit. In the figure, 1...control section, 2...memory, 3...input section, 4...display section, 30, 31...change key.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] Display means having a display area for 1 m lines; input means having a change key for instructing to change the display content of the display means; and n lines (n>m) from a host device. In a terminal device having a memory for storing received telegrams including display data, and a control means for reading the display data from the memory and displaying it on the display means, the host device is configured to display the display data for the n lines. , control data is attached and transmitted every m lines, which is the number of display digits of the terminal device, and the control means, in response to the operation of the change key, displays m lines from the memory according to the control data. A received data display control method for a terminal device, characterized in that data is read out and n lines of display data are divided and displayed on the display means in m lines each.