JPH06187121A - Hard copy device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide an operational environment regardless of the hardware of a printer, to provide a function similar to a remote print function and to make possible print even for the unit of a window by transforming data read from a data file to a data in a format to be printed by the printer and transforming them to data coincident with the hardware of the printer later. CONSTITUTION:A part to be printed inside the display picture of an image display device 11 is designated by a keyboard 12 and a mouse 13. This designated signal is applied through a server 14 to a transfer request means 22, and the transfer request means 22 requests the transfer of image data to the server 14 with a transfer request signal. The image data of the requested part transferred from the server 14 are stored in a data file 23. Next, a transforming means 24 reads these image data and transforms them to the data in the format to be printed. The transformed data are transformed to the data coincident with the hardware of a printer 21 by a file 25 and applied to the printer 21.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improvement of a hard copy device for printing a screen image.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A measurement system for simulating an experiment using a virtual space is called Ether Net
Various systems are connected to a communication line such as (bus type LAN using a coaxial cable) to form one system. These stations include stations with image display devices and stations with printers. The image display device or printer displays or prints out the specifications of the virtual instrument prepared for the experiment, the analysis data obtained as a result of the experiment, and the like.

In such a measuring system, a hard copy of a screen image is made by a printer when it is desired to retain the contents displayed on the screen. However, the conventional hard copy device has the following problems. Even at a station that has a printer, how to print is different depending on the printer hardware. Therefore, it is difficult for the user to use. A remote print function is provided to print the screen image displayed on a station that does not have a printer on a station that has a printer, or to print the screen image displayed on another station on your own station. There is a system. However, in order to have the remote printing function, it is necessary to provide a daemon that monitors whether or not there is data for printing in the station having the printer. In addition, the station displaying the screen image must perform the processing unique to remote printing. You can print only on a screen-by-screen basis. Therefore, even if a plurality of windows are displayed on the screen and it is desired to print only one of the display windows, all the display windows are printed. As a result, useless printing occurs.

[0004]

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has the following objects. The same print operation environment is provided to the user regardless of the printer hardware. The function similar to the remote print function can be achieved without providing a daemon in the station or performing processing specific to remote print in the station. It is possible to print either on a screen basis or on a window basis.

[0005]

The present invention is a hard copy apparatus having the following configuration. (1) a station having an image display device,
In a hard copy device applied to a system in which a station having a printer is connected to a communication line, and a screen image displayed on the image display device is printed by the printer, the station having the image display device is And a server for exchanging signals between the image display device and the signal line, and between the designation unit and the signal line. The station, when the designation signal output by the designation means is given via the server, the station returns a transfer request signal to the server, and transfer request means for transferring the image data of the portion designated by the designation means to the server, A data file that stores the image data transferred by the server and this data A converter that reads the image data stored in the file, converts the read data into data for printing by the printer, and the converter after converting the converted data into data that matches the hardware of the printer. A hard copy device, comprising: (2) The apparatus according to item (1), wherein the portion designated by the designation means is a portion in which the window of the display screen is the minimum unit.

[0006]

According to the present invention as described above, the designating means designates a portion to be printed on the display screen. At this time, a designation signal is generated. The designation signal is given to the transfer requesting means via the server. Upon receiving the designated signal, the transfer request means returns the transfer request signal to the server. Upon receiving the transfer request signal, the server transfers the image data of the portion designated by the designating means. The transferred image data is stored in the data file. The conversion means reads the image data stored in the data file and converts the read data into data for printing by the printer. The converted data is converted into data that matches the hardware of the printer by the filter and is given to the printer. This causes the printer to print the screen image.

[0007]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 1 and 2 are stations, 3 is stations 1 and 2.
Is a communication line connected to, for example, Ether Net.

An image display device 11, a keyboard 12 and a mouse 13 are connected to the station 1. The keyboard 12 and the mouse 13 specify a portion to be printed on the display screen. The keyboard 12 and the mouse 13 correspond to the designation means in the claims. Reference numeral 14 denotes a server provided in the station 1, which includes an image display device 11, a keyboard 12 and a mouse 13, and a communication line 3
Passes signals to and from.

A printer 21 is connected to the station 2. In the station 2, 22 is a transfer requesting means, which returns a transfer request signal to the server 14 when a designation signal output from the keyboard 12 or the mouse 13 is given to the server 14 via the communication line 3. As a result, the server 14 transfers the image data of the portion designated by the keyboard 12 or the mouse 13 to the transfer request means 22. The image data to be transferred is the image display device 1.
It is read from the memory in 1. The image data transferred by the transfer requesting unit 22 may be screen unit data or window unit data. Whether to use the screen unit or the window unit depends on how to specify by the keyboard 12 or the mouse 13. Reference numeral 23 is a data file in which the image data transferred by the transfer request means 22 is stored. Reference numeral 24 is a conversion means, which reads image data from the data file 23, converts the read image data into data of a format to be printed by a printer, and outputs the data. When the conversion is performed, the multicolor image data is converted into the single color image data represented by the binary bitmap. In this conversion, for example, the most existing color in the multicolor image data is set to 0, and the other colors are set to 1 to create a binary bitmap. Reference numeral 25 is a filter, and the conversion means 24
The converted data is converted into data that matches the hardware of the printer 21 and output. The printer 21 prints based on this output. Since the filter 25 absorbs the difference in the hardware of the printer, the conversion means 24
Is printer independent.

The operation of the hard copy device configured as above will be described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation procedure. The processing of (1) to (5) in FIG. 2 is performed in (1) to (5) of FIG.
It corresponds to the signal path of (5). In FIG. 2, first, a portion to be printed on the display screen of the image display device 11 is designated by the keyboard 12 and the mouse 13. A designation signal is output from the keyboard 12 and the mouse 13 according to the designation. The designation signal is given to the transfer requesting means 22 via the server 14 and the signal line 3. The transfer request means 22 given the designation signal sends the transfer request signal to the server 14.
To request the transfer of image data. The server 14, which has received the transfer request signal, receives the image data of the requested portion from the image display device 11 and sends it to the transfer request means 22. The transfer request means 22 stores the sent image data in the data file 23. At this time, the image data output from the transfer requesting unit 22 is in a format according to the standard format of X window. Next, the conversion means 24 reads the image data from the data file 23 and converts the read image data into data of a format to be printed by the printer. At this time, conversion from multicolor image data to monochromatic image data is performed. Then, the converted data is converted by the filter 25 into data that matches the hardware of the printer and is given to the printer 21. The printer 21 prints a screen image based on the given data.

In the embodiment, the case in which the station provided with the image display device and the station provided with the printer are different has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the image display device and the printer are provided in the same station. You may make it the structure which provided both.

[0012]

According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained. Since the filter 25 absorbs the difference in the hardware of the printer, the same print operation environment can be provided to the user regardless of the printer. At the time of printing, a station having an image display device simply exchanges signals via a server. In addition, the station having the printer only converts the image data sent into the data that the printer can handle. As a result, the same function as the remote print function can be realized without providing a daemon in the station or performing a process specific to remote print in the station. With the keyboard and mouse, the portion to be printed is designated in screen units or window units, and image data is transferred to the printer in designated units. As a result, printing can be performed in screen units or window units, and wasteful printing can be prevented.

[Brief description of drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure of the apparatus of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 2 stations 11 image display device 12 keyboard 13 mouse 14 server 21 printer 22 transfer request means 23 data file 24 conversion means 25 filter

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Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A hard copy device applied to a system in which a station having an image display device and a station having a printer are connected to a communication line, and a screen image displayed on the image display device is printed by the printer. The station having the image display device includes: designating means for designating a portion to be printed on a display screen; passing signals between the image display device and the signal line; and between the designating means and the signal line. And a server having the printer, the station having the printer returns a transfer request signal to the server when the designation signal output by the designation unit is given via the server, and the portion designated by the designation unit. Transfer request means to transfer the image data of the A data file that stores the transferred image data, a conversion unit that reads the image data stored in this data file, and converts the read data into data that can be printed by a printer, and data that has been converted by this conversion unit. And a filter for converting the data into data that matches the hardware of the printer and giving the data to the printer. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the portion designated by the designation means is a portion in which the window of the display screen is the minimum unit.