JPH05338279A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To early solve an obstacle by providing a detachable RAM card in a body apparatus, storing the same received data as that at the time of a fault in a RAM card when a print fault occurs at a user, sending it to a fault searching department, and executing analysis of print data and a recall test. CONSTITUTION:A body apparatus 2 has a RAM card 9 having a RAM and a power source for holding data written in the RAM, a print buffer 3 for transmitting print data received from a host apparatus 1 to the RAM and reading data written in the RAM, and can attach or detach the card 9. That is, when a print fault occurs, the same receive data as that at that time is stored in the card, the card is sent to a fault searching department, the department executes analysis of print data and a recall test by using the data of the card to shorten a searching time of cause of the fault and to early solve the fault.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printing device which receives print data from a host device and performs output printing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A printing device which receives print data from a host device and performs output printing has a problem that when a user has a problem in the print data editing control system, such as missing print or erroneous printing, as a result of output printing. It is necessary to determine whether the failure is specific to the user's printing device or is common to printing devices of the same type due to a defective control program (so-called bug). Then, it is necessary to perform a reproduction test to print the same print data as when the user failed. However, since there are many types of high-level equipment and application software used by users, it is virtually impossible to set the environmental conditions of the reproduction test to the same environmental conditions as when the user failed. Is.

Therefore, paying attention to the fact that the print data sent from the host device to the printer is always sent in the same format even if the environmental conditions of the host device are different. The print data is printed (dumped) on the printing paper in the format (HEX format), and the fault investigation section manually inputs it to the host device owned by itself according to the dumped HEX format print result, and prints it on the printing device. A reproduction test is conducted by outputting and printing.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the conventional printing apparatus as described above.

The printer 12 of FIG. 2 causes the upper panel device 1 to output the same print data as when a fault occurs by the user, after the dump mode for printing in the HEX format is designated from the operator panel 18. The print data output from the host device 1 is stored in the print buffer 13 of the printer 12. The command editing unit 14 is the printer management unit 1.
Since 7 has instructed the HEX format dump printing,
Without editing the print data stored in the print buffer 13, the print data is sent to the print control unit 16 as it is,
The print control unit 16 sends it to the print unit 20 and outputs and prints it on a print sheet.

[0006]

As described above, in the conventional printing apparatus, it is necessary to obtain the HEX format dump print for the user for the reproduction test of the trouble, but the trouble investigation department is separated from the user. If there is a place, there is a problem that it takes time to obtain the dump print. To avoid this, if you use fax, the output print quality of the fax is poor and the characters are crushed and difficult to read.
Another problem is that accurate data may not be obtained. Moreover, since the re-input of the HEX format dump print in the fault investigation department is a manual input, it takes a long time to input, and since an input error occurs, it takes time to search the cause of the fault, and it is possible to detect the fault early. It also has the drawback of hindering the solution. ..

[0007]

A printer according to the present invention is a RAM having a random access memory and a power supply for holding data written in the random access memory.
A main body device having a card and a print buffer capable of transmitting print data received from a higher-level device to the random access memory and reading the data written in the random access memory, to which the RAM card can be attached / detached It has and.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 1 has an operator panel 8 for giving commands to each section, a print buffer 3 for receiving and storing print data output from the host device 1, and print data stored in the print buffer 3. A received data editing unit 4 for outputting the data in the same format or after editing, an image developing unit 5 for developing the data sent from the received data editing unit 4 into a dot image, a received data editing unit 4 or an image developing unit. 5, a print control unit 6 for sending data input from the print unit 5 to the print unit 10 for printing, a print unit 10 for performing output printing on print paper, a print buffer 3 and received data editing in response to a command from the operator panel 8. The main body device 2 having a printer management unit 7 for controlling the operations of the image forming unit 4, the image developing unit 5, and the print control unit 6, and a detachable unit for the main body device 2. , And the and a RAM card 9 that exchanges data with the print buffer 3.

The RAM card 9 stores data sent from the print buffer 3 and stores it in the random access memory (RAM) for sending the stored data to the print buffer 3 and the random access memory (RAM). And a power supply for holding the stored data.

Next, the operation of the printing apparatus configured as described above will be described.

When a fault occurs and HEX format dump printing is performed, the operator operates the operator panel 8 to perform HEX format printing.
X format dump mode) is specified. The HEX format dump mode is a method for collecting the HEX format dump print by causing the printing unit 10 to print the print data received from the higher-level device 1 in the same format as when the print data was received, as in the case of the conventional printing apparatus. The operator panel 8 is provided with a selection unit for designating the transfer to the RAM card 9 so that two methods, that is, a method of transferring to the RAM card 9 and storing in the RAM, can be selected. Printer management unit 7
Monitors the state of the operator panel 8 and, when transfer to the RAM card 9 is selected, issues a transfer command to the print buffer 3 and prints the print data received from the host device 1 to R.
Transfer to the AM card 9. If the RAM card 9 cannot accommodate all the print data due to the large amount of print data,
A new RAM is displayed by displaying it on the display unit provided on the operator panel 8 or by giving a buzzer sound.
Insert the card.

When the transfer of the print data to the RAM card 9 is completed, the operator removes the RAM card 9 from the main unit 2 and sends it to the fault investigation department. The failure investigation section installs the RAM card 9 in the main body device 2 of the same type of printing device of the printing device in which the user has a failure, and from the operator panel 8 the RAM card 9
To output the print data stored in the RAM. The print data is output in the HEX format dump mode in which the print unit 10 prints the print data in the same format as when the print data was received, and the received data editing unit 4 edits the print data.
In the image developing unit 5, two modes, a normal printing mode in which a dot image is developed and printed, can be selected. As a result, both the analysis of the print data sent from the host device and the reproduction test can be performed.

When the normal print mode is selected, the printer management unit 7 gives an instruction to the print buffer 3 to read the print data stored in the RAM from the RAM card 9, and the print buffer 3 uses the RAM. The print data read from the RAM of the card 9 is sent to the received data editing unit 4, and the same process as the normal print process is performed.

[0016]

As described above, the printing apparatus of the present invention is provided with a RAM card which is detachable from the main body,
When a printing failure occurs in the user, the same received data as when the failure occurred is stored in the RAM card and the RAM card is sent to the failure investigation department, and the failure investigation department uses the RAM card data for printing. By enabling the data analysis and the reproducibility test, it is possible to shorten the investigation time of the cause of the failure, and it is possible to solve the failure early.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a conventional printing device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Host device 2 Main unit 3 ・ 13 Print buffer 4 Received data editing unit 5 Image development unit 6 ・ 16 Print control unit 7 ・ 17 Printer management unit 8 ・ 18 Operator panel 9 RAM card 10 ・ 20 Printing unit 12 Printing device 14 Command Editorial department

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A RAM card having a random access memory and a power supply for holding data written in the random access memory; print data received from a higher-level device is transmitted to the random access memory; A printer having a print buffer capable of reading data written in a random access memory, and a main unit to which the RAM card can be attached / detached.