JPH07114449A - Portable computer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the operability of a portable computer in which various operation environments of a built-in printer is easily set. CONSTITUTION:Setting items representing the operation environment of a built-in printer 36 are displayed on a setup or popup screen, and setting/revision of the operation environment is executed on the screen. Thus, the print mode such as setting of selection of international characters, post card setting, selection of paper, setting of paper heading amount, standard print mode, color print mode, mimeographing print mode and tape seal print mode is easily set. Furthermore, printer number of the built-in printer 36 is decided automatically by mode information of an external printer/FDD, and a proper printer number is automatically assigned to the built-in printer 36 and an external printer without complicated setting operation by a user.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a laptop type or notebook type personal portable computer, and more particularly to a portable computer having a built-in printer incorporated in a computer body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, various portable laptop or notebook type portable computers have been developed. When starting an application program or operating system in this kind of portable computer, the program is installed in advance in the hard disk device in the portable computer, or the program is stored from a floppy disk when the program starts. Etc. need to be installed.

Generally, since it takes a lot of time to access a disk device, it takes a lot of time to read a program from such a floppy disk or hard disk.

Further, in the former method of installing a program in the hard disk device in advance, it is necessary to equip the hard disk device as a standard equipment, which causes a problem that the price of the portable computer is increased. Further, since a part of the storage capacity of the hard disk device is occupied by the program, there is a drawback that the hard disk capacity that can be used for storing the user file created by the application program is limited. .

On the other hand, in the latter method of installing a program from a floppy disk, a process of inserting the floppy disk into the main body of the portable computer and a process of reading the program from the floppy disk are required each time. It takes a lot of time before it is actually executed. Therefore, in the latter case, although the built-in hard disk is unnecessary, there is a drawback that sufficient operability cannot be obtained.

Therefore, recently, a portable computer configured to supply an operating system and an application program such as word processing software by a ROM has been developed. With such a configuration in which the programs are stored in the ROM, various programs can be immediately executed without installation work from a floppy disk, so that it is possible to realize a portable computer which is low in price and easy to operate.

Further, since many of the application programs used in this type of portable computer are word processing software, a portable computer incorporating a printer has been recently developed.

Many external printers set the operating mode of the printer by operating a switch or the like provided in the printer. Conventionally, a method similar to this is also used to set the operating environment of the built-in printer. Has been done. Therefore, many switches for setting the operating environment of the built-in printer have to be arranged in the computer main body, which has a drawback that a lot of space is occupied.

Also, in the portable computer having the built-in printer, it is necessary to enable the use of the external printer as in the conventional case, but in this case, there are the following problems.

That is, it is necessary to assign appropriate printer numbers to the built-in printer and the external printer respectively, but in the conventional portable computer having the built-in printer, these printer numbers cannot be automatically assigned. It was For this reason, it is easy for a user to make a mistake in setting the printer number, and it is difficult to use the external printer and the internal printer properly according to the purpose of use.

[0011]

In the conventional portable computer, it is necessary to arrange many switches for setting the operating environment of the built-in printer in the computer main body, which occupies a lot of space. was there. Further, the allocation of the printer number is not automated, and it is difficult to properly use the external printer and the internal printer according to the purpose of use.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a portable computer in which various operating environments of a built-in printer can be easily set without disposing many switches in the computer body. Is the first purpose.

Further, according to the present invention, appropriate printer numbers can be automatically assigned to the built-in printer and the external printer only by setting whether or not the external printer is used, and the purpose of use can be improved without various setting operations by the user. It is a second object of the present invention to provide a portable computer which can easily use an external printer and an internal printer properly according to the situation.

[0014]

Means and Actions for Solving the Problems
In a portable computer having a built-in printer incorporated in a computer body, based on a storage device storing printer setting information for environmental setting of the built-in printer, and printer setting information stored in the storage device, A means for displaying a printer setting screen including various environment setting items used for presenting the current operating environment of the built-in printer and changing the setting of the operating environment, and a setting item selected on the printer setting screen. Accordingly, the printer setting information is rewritten to set / change the operating environment of the built-in printer.

In this portable computer,
It has a function to set the operating environment of the built-in printer on the display screen as well as the system environment setting process such as setup and pop-up. Since it is not necessary to provide the portable computer, the portable computer can be downsized and the portability can be improved.

The operating environment of the built-in printer is as follows.
International character selection settings, postcard settings, paper selection, paper cue setting, and print mode settings such as standard print mode, color print mode, copy mode print mode, and tape sticker print mode Is.

Also, in this portable computer, when the use of the external printer is designated by the printer setting information, the external printer and the built-in printer are respectively assigned the first and second printer numbers, while the printer setting information indicates that the external printer is external. The second feature is that the first printer number is assigned to the built-in printer when the non-use of the printer is designated.

As described above, the priority order of the printer numbers assigned to the built-in printer can be switched between the mode using the external printer and the mode not using the external printer.
In the mode in which the external printer is used, the priority of the external printer is higher than that of the built-in printer, but in the mode in which the external printer is not used, the built-in printer is automatically switched to the highest priority printer instead of the external printer. Therefore, it is possible to easily use the external printer and the internal printer properly according to the purpose of use, without a complicated setting operation by the user.

Also, The present invention has a resume function relating to the operation mode and printer number of the built-in printer, and instantly restores the built-in printer to the state before power-off, like other various I / O devices in the portable computer. You can

[0020]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows the system configuration of a portable computer according to an embodiment of the present invention. This portable computer is a laptop-type or notebook-type system with a built-in printer, and includes a memory bus 1, a system bus 10, a CPU 11, and an I.
A / O gate array 11A is provided. A main memory 12 is connected to the memory bus 1, and an additional memory 13 is optionally connected.

The CPU 11 controls the entire system and has a function of displaying various operation menus on the screen and a function of executing various processes designated by the user on the operation menu screen. .

The I / O gate array 11A performs control for various memories and I / O access, and bus cycle control. The I / O gate array 11A also supports two types of EMS memory control: an EMS memory for expanding the main memory and a ROM-EMS memory described later for expanding the internal memory. Chip select signals CS1, CS2, ... Output from the I / O gate array 11A
Is a Kanji ROM 19, dictionary ROM 20, DOSROM 2
It is used to control a ROM-EMS memory including an application ROM 22, a printer firmware ROM 23, a user ROM 24, an outline font ROM 25, a printer buffer RAM 26, and a menu ROM 27.

The main memory 12 stores programs and data to be processed. The main memory 12 has a storage capacity of 2 Mbytes, for example, 640 Kbytes of the first 1 Mbytes are used as a system memory, and the remaining 384 Kbytes are used as a work area. In addition, a part of the 2 Mbytes of the main memory 12 excluding the above-mentioned system memory area is a hard RA.
It can be set as M or EMS memory. Expansion memory 1
Reference numeral 3 is a memory card of 2 Mbytes / 4 Mbytes / 8 Mbytes, which is mounted as needed for memory expansion. It is also possible to set the above-mentioned hard RAM or EMS memory in the memory area expanded by this additional memory 13.

A real time clock 17 and a backup RAM 18 are connected to the system bus 10. The real-time clock 17 is a clock module having its own battery for operation, and has a CMOS static RAM (hereinafter C
(Referred to as MOS memory).

This CMOS memory is used to store system configuration information indicating the system configuration and the like. System configuration information includes memory configuration, display mode, external printer /
It includes information on the operating environment of the built-in printer 36 as well as information on FDD selection and resume mode / boot mode selection. The operating environment of the built-in printer 36 is international character selection (Japan / USA), postcard selection (Yes / No), paper selection (plain paper / thermal paper), paper cue amount (10 mm / 5 mm), standard printing, color Printing, print mode for making copy plates such as Gocco (registered trademark), and print mode for making tape seals such as Labeka (registered trademark), setting direction of copy original plate when creating copy plate (vertical /
There are setting items such as (horizontal).

The backup RAM 18 is a battery-backed memory and has a storage capacity of 32 Kbytes. The backup RAM 18 stores the hardware status and the like in the resume mode.

The system bus 10 further includes a Chinese character RO.
M19, dictionary ROM20, DOSROM21, application ROM22, printer firmware ROM2
3, user ROM 24, outline font ROM 2
5, printer buffer RAM 26, and menu RO
M27 is connected.

The Kanji ROM 19 has a storage capacity of 1 Mbyte (64 Kbytes × 16 pages), and various Kanji fonts are stored therein. Dictionary ROM20
Has a storage capacity of 512 Kbytes (64 Kbytes × 8 pages) and is used as a Kana-Kanji conversion dictionary. The DOSROM 21 has a storage capacity of 512 Kbytes (64 Kbytes × 8 pages).
An operating system such as S (Disk Operating System) is stored in advance. Also, this DOS
The ROM 21 stores a menu display program as an automatic execution batch file that is executed when the operating system is activated.

The application ROM 22 is 512K
It has a storage capacity of bytes (64 Kbytes × 32 pages) and has a memory area in which a spreadsheet program is stored and a memory area in which a word processing program is stored.

The printer firmware ROM 23 has 2
It has a storage capacity of 56 Kbytes (64 Kbytes × 4 pages), and stores therein firmware for controlling the built-in printer 36 and firmware for developing an image of a character font such as an outline font. The user ROM 24 is connected to the system bus 10 via an IC socket, and is mounted by the user as needed. This user ROM 24 is
For example, it is composed of an OTPROM.

The outline font ROM 25 is 8M
It has a storage capacity of bytes (64 Kbytes × 128 pages), in which outline fonts of various typefaces are stored. As for the font source of the outline font, plural kinds of fonts are prepared for each character type so that an appropriate font can be selected according to the character size to be used. The printer buffer RAM 26 is 2M
This is realized by utilizing a 32 Kbyte area in the byte SRAM, and print data is image-developed therein.

The menu ROM 27 has a storage capacity of 640 Kbytes (64 Kbytes × 10 pages), in which the icons displayed on the menu screen and PIM programs for managing personal information such as schedules and address books are stored. It is stored.

Here, these Kanji ROM 19 and dictionary RO
M20, DOSROM21, application ROM2
2. Printer firmware ROM 23, user ROM
24, the outline font ROM 25, the printer buffer RAM 26, and the menu ROM 27 are configured to be selectively accessed through a window mapped to a predetermined system address. The actual memory map of this system will be described later with reference to FIG. In the following, these memories will be stored in ROM.
-It will be collectively referred to as the EMS memory 100.

The ROM-EMS memory 100 is a semiconductor disk treated as a RAM disk or a ROM disk, and the storage position of each file in this ROM-EMS memory 100 is the file management stored in the empty area of the menu ROM 27. Table (FAT; Fai)
l Allocation Table) 271. This file management table 271 is
In order to emulate the ROM-EMS memory 100 in a disk device, the storage position of each file and the connection of clusters are managed by a cylinder number, a sector number, and a head number.

In addition, the DOS ROM 21, the dictionary ROM 20, and the kanji ROM 19 are actually 2 Mbytes of 1
The application ROM 22 is composed of one mask ROM (ROM # 1).
(ROM # 2), the outline font ROM 25 has three masks RO each of 2 Mbytes.
M (ROM # 3 to # 5), and the printer firmware ROM 23, the menu ROM 27, and the system ROM 28 are 1 Mbytes of one flash EEP.
User ROM 24 composed of ROM (ROM # 6)
Is an OTPROM of 512 Kbytes (ROM # 6)
It consists of

Here, the printer firmware ROM 2
3 is implemented by a flash EEPROM so that the code system of the printer can be freely changed according to the type of external printer used.

The system bus 10 further includes a system ROM 28 and a super integration IC (SI) 2
9, a keyboard controller 32, and a display controller 33 are connected.

The system ROM 28 has a storage capacity of 64 Kbytes, and includes an initialization program, a setup program, a pop-up program, and various basic input / output programs (BIOS; Basic).
I / O System) is stored.

The initialization program includes a routine for initializing the system according to the setup information stored in the CMOS memory. This initialization program is C when the power switch of the system is turned on.
It is executed by the PU 11. The setup program is for displaying the setting items of the above-mentioned setup information on the screen and allowing the user to confirm or change various system configurations such as the operation mode of the built-in printer. The pop-up program is for displaying a window for setting / changing a part of the above-mentioned setup information and allowing the user to confirm or change the system configuration. The pop-up program is executed by the CPU 11 when a predetermined key is input from the keyboard 40 by the user's key operation without affecting the execution of the application program. The system configuration information that can be set / changed by this pop-up program includes information on the operation mode of the built-in printer described above.

Spur integration IC (SI) 2
9 is a DMA for direct memory access control.
Two controllers, two programmable interrupt controllers (PIC), two programmable interrupt timers (PIT), serial input / output interface (S
2), a floppy disk controller (FDC) that controls a floppy disk drive, a variable frequency oscillator (VFO) that generates a clock for FDC, and a printer controller.

The SI29 FDD controller is 3.5
It controls a floppy disk drive (FDD) 38 that drives an inch floppy disk. Floppy disk drive (FDD) 38 is 720 Kbytes / 1
It is a three-mode drive that supports three types of recording formats of 2 Mbytes / 1.44 Mbytes.

Further, the SI 29 controls, for example, a 5-inch floppy disk drive (FDD) which is optionally connected through the FDD / printer connector 39, and F
It controls an external printer optionally connected through the DD / printer connector 39. In this case, which of the printer and the FDD is to be controlled is determined by the external printer / FDD selection information included in the system configuration information.

Further, the SI 29 controls the RS-232C device via the RS-232C driver / receiver 31. The keyboard controller 32 controls the built-in keyboard 40 of 85 keys and the mouse. The display controller 33 has an image memory (VRAM) 34.
Read / write control and display control of the monochrome liquid crystal display 41 having a resolution of 640 × 400 dots.

The portable computer also includes a built-in printer controller 35 and a built-in printer 36.
Is equipped with. The built-in printer controller 35 is for controlling the drive of the built-in printer 36, and the I / O
It is connected to the gate array 11A. The I / O gate array 11A and the built-in printer controller 35 are connected via an interface line for handshake parallel data transfer conforming to the Centronics interface.

The built-in printer 36 is a 56-dot serial thermal transfer printer incorporated in this portable computer main body, and is equipped with a 56-dot serial thermal head. Further, an automatic paper feeder (ASF) for postcards can be connected to the built-in printer 36.

The printing speed of the built-in printer 36 is 1851 dots / sec in the normal mode and 383 in the high speed mode.
1 dot / sec. Here, the normal mode is a method of transferring print data to the built-in printer controller 35 by a handshake method for each byte conforming to the Centronics interface, and the high speed mode is, for example, a print data by a handshake method for every 7 bytes. Is transferred to the built-in printer controller 35. The data transfer in the high speed mode is performed by the FIFO provided in the built-in printer controller 35.
This is realized by burst-transferring 7 bytes of print data to the buffer 400.

Further, this portable computer is
A power controller 42 for supplying operating power and backup power to each of these units is provided, and a 2.5-inch built-in hard disk pack 37 is optionally installed. The hard disk pack 37 includes a hard disk drive (HDD) and a hard disk drive controller (H
DC) is provided.

Next, an example of a memory map managed by the CPU 11 of the portable computer shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in the figure, 64 memory addresses from "0E0000H" to "0EFFFFH"
In the K-byte address space, Kanji ROM 19 and dictionary R
The OM20 and the ROM-EMS window are commonly mapped. As described above, the ROM-EMS window includes the Kanji ROM 19, the dictionary ROM 20, and the DOSR.
OM21, application ROM22, printer firmware ROM23, user ROM24, outline font ROM25, printer buffer RAM26,
ROM-EMS memory 100 including menu ROM 27
To access through that window. Further, regarding the Kanji ROM 19 and the dictionary ROM 20 included in the ROM-EMS memory 100, the ROM-
It can be accessed through the EMS window or directly without using that window. When the ROM-EMS window is not used, the Chinese character ROM 19 and the dictionary ROM 20 are alternatively accessed by a method such as bank switching. Further, in accessing these Kanji ROM 19 and dictionary ROM 20, whether the bank switching method is used or ROM
-Exclusive control is performed as to whether to use the EMS window, and only one of the bank switching and the ROM-EMS window is valid.

Further, the memory address "0D0000H"
An ordinary EMS window for expanding the main memory is allocated to the 64-Kbyte address space from "0" to "0DFFFFH". This EMS window is LI
For example, the additional memory 13 is used as an EMS memory according to the specification called M-EMS.

As described above, the portable computer of this embodiment has the EMS memory and the ROM for expanding the main memory.
It supports two types of EMS memory, ROM-EMS memory for expanding internal memory such as
A printer firmware ROM 23, an outline font ROM 25, and a printer buffer RA necessary for controlling the built-in printer 36 by the EMS memory
Achieved M26.

Next, the parallel I / O port used for communication with the built-in printer and the external printer will be described with reference to FIGS. As mentioned above, this portable computer is a system with a built-in printer and has another parallel I / O port in addition to the conventional parallel I / O port for the FDD / PRT connector 39.

That is, as shown in FIG. 3, in this system, two I / O gate arrays 11A are provided.
Two parallel I / O ports 201 and 202 are provided. The first parallel I / O port 201 is used for communication with the printer with printer number # 1, and the second parallel I / O port 202 is used for communication with the printer with printer number # 2.

The SI 29 is also provided with a parallel I / O port 101 for the FDD / PRT connector 39. The parallel I / O port 101 is used for communication with an external printer to which the printer number # 1 is assigned.

Here, the parallel I / O port 101 is
Parallel I / O port 20 of I / O gate array 11A
It is designated by the same port address as 1. Therefore, when viewed from the CPU 11, the parallel I /
The O ports 101 and 201 are one parallel port corresponding to the printer number # 1.

When using an external printer, the parallel I / O port 101 of SI29 is used for communication with the external printer. Therefore, at this time, the parallel I / O port 201 for the printer number # 1 of the I / O gate array 11A is disabled, and the parallel I / O port for the printer number 2 is used for communication with the built-in printer 36. 20
2 will be used. On the other hand, when the external printer is not used, the parallel I / O port 201 for the printer number # 1 of the I / O gate array 11A has the built-in printer 3
It is used for communication with 6. At this time, the parallel I / O port 101 of SI29 is disabled.

Thus, the parallel I /
There are two types of usage of the O port: (1) built-in printer with printer number # 1 and external FDD, and (2) built-in printer with printer number # 2 and external printer with printer number # 1.

The forms (1) and (2) are determined by assigning printer numbers to the built-in printer and the external printer. The printer number is automatically assigned by the initialization program. In this case, the printer numbers of the built-in printer and the external printer are determined by the above-mentioned external printer / FDD selection information included in the system configuration information.

FIG. 4 shows two I / O ports 201 and 201.
02 configurations are shown. As shown, the I / O port 201 is composed of a data register with a port address 378h, a status register with a port address 379h, a control register with a port address 37Ah, and a mode register with a port address 37Fh. The data register is a readable / writable register and is used for transferring 8-bit print data to the printer. The status register is a read-only register and is used to receive status signals such as BUSY, ACK, and printer select from the printer. The control register is a readable / writable register, and has a strobe signal, an auto feed signal,
It is used to transfer various control signals to the printer, such as printer reset signals. The mode register is used to switch the output mode / bidirectional mode of the data register,
In the bidirectional mode, the data transferred from the outside can be read.

The I / O port 101 is also the I / O port 20.
It is composed of a data register, a status register, a control register, and a mode register to which the same port address as 1 is assigned.

The I / O port 202 has a port address of 2
It is composed of a data register of 78h, a status register of port address 279h, a control register of port address 27Ah, and a mode register of port address 27Fh.

Next, referring to the flowchart of FIG.
Printer number assignment processing for the built-in printer and operating environment setting processing will be described. The user can use the external printer / FDD on the setup screen or popup screen.
When changing the settings of, the operating mode of the built-in printer, or when the power is turned on, the CPU1
1 executes the initialization program of the system ROM 28 to execute the following processing.

That is, the CPU 11 first refers to the mode information indicating the setting of the external printer / FDD stored in the CMOS memory of the real time clock 17,
The mode in which the external printer is used or the mode in which the FDD is used is identified (step S11). If the mode uses the FDD, the CPU 11 assigns the printer port address for the built-in printer 36 to 378h (printer port address = 378h) (step S12). On the other hand, if the mode uses the external printer, the CPU 11 uses the built-in printer 36. The printer port address of is assigned to 278h (printer port address = 278h) (step S13).

Next, when the CPU 11 assigns the printer port address = 378h, the built-in printer 3
The printer number of No. 6 is determined as the printer number # 1 (steps S14 and S15). When the printer port address = 278h is assigned, the printer number of the external printer is determined to be # 1, and the printer number of the built-in printer 36 is determined to be the printer number # 2 (steps S16 and S1).
7). In addition, the printer port address is 378h, 2
If it is other than 78h, the CPU 11 determines that the built-in printer 36
The printer number is determined to be a number other than the printer numbers # 1 and # 2, for example, # 3 (step S18).

Thereafter, the CPU 11 causes the built-in printer 36
It is identified whether is in the selected state (step S19).
When the built-in printer 36 is used, the select switch provided on the computer main body is operated by the user, whereby the select flag is set in a predetermined register of the I / O gate array 11A by hardware. Therefore, the identification process of whether or not the built-in printer 36 is in the select state can be performed by the CPU 11 by determining whether or not the select flag is in the enable state.

If the built-in printer 36 is not in the selected state, the built-in printer 36 is not initialized and the process ends in error. On the other hand, if the built-in printer 36 is in the selected state, the CPU 11 issues a printer setting command to the built-in printer 36 via the parallel I / O port corresponding to the determined printer number, and causes the built-in printer 36 to display a setup screen or pop-up. The mode is set to the operation mode specified on the screen (step S2
0).

When the command ends normally, the CPU 11
Writes the information indicating the set operation mode in the CMOS memory, and then ends the process (step S21,
S22).

As described above, in this system, the printer number is automatically assigned according to the mode information of the external printer / FDD designated by the user. In this case, in the mode in which the external printer is used, the printer numbers # 1 and # 2 are assigned to the external printer and the built-in printer 36, respectively, while the built-in printer 3 is used when the FDD is not used by the mode information.
The printer number # 1 having a higher priority is assigned to the printer 6.

After that, through the I / O port corresponding to the printer number designated by the application program or the printer driver (printer number = # 1 is normal in the printing process), the built-in printer corresponding to that printer number Or an external printer is used for printing.

When the printer numbers # 1 and # 2 are assigned to the external printer and the built-in printer 36, the printing process is mainly performed by the external printer with the printer number # 1. At this time, the printer number # 2 is used for processing such as initial setting of the built-in printer.

Further, the operating system or the printer driver is provided with a function of selecting and specifying the printer channels # 1 and # 2, so that the user selects the channel number so that the printer of the printing destination can change from the printer number # 1 to the printer number. It may be configured to switch to the # 2 printer or vice versa.

The CMOS memory has an external printer /
Since the FDD mode information and the operation mode information of the built-in printer 36 are held, in the resume mode, in response to power-on, the information of the CMOS memory is followed by the same procedure as the flowchart of FIG. Printer number determination processing and mode setting processing are performed, and the built-in printer 36 is reset to the printer number and operation mode immediately before power-off.

Next, referring to FIG. 6, the I / O port 20
The selection operation of 1,202 will be described. I / O port 20
1, 202 is selected by the printer number assigned to the built-in printer 36, and the I / O port corresponding to the printer number is used for communication with the built-in printer 36. The selecting operation of the I / O ports 201 and 202 is realized by the hardware logic as shown in the drawing provided in the I / O gate array 11A or SI29.

That is, the I corresponding to the built-in printer 36
The / O ports 201 and 202 are alternatively set to the enabled state according to the printer number assigned to the built-in printer 36, and the control is performed by the printer number register 301, the printer select register 302, the port address decoder 304, and AND gates 401 and 40
Done by two. In addition, I corresponding to an external printer
The / O port 101 is the FDD / RRT register 30.
3, port address decoder 304, and AND gate 403 for disable / enable control.

The printer number register 301 stores in the built-in printer 36 determined by the initialization program described above.
Printer number flag N indicating the printer numbers # 1 and # 2 of
Is set. The printer number flag N = 1 indicates that the printer number of the built-in printer 36 is # 1, and the printer number flag N = 0 indicates that the printer number of the built-in printer 36 is # 2. The value of the printer number flag N is supplied as it is to the first input of the AND gate 401 corresponding to the I / O port 201, and the I / O port 2
The inverted signal is supplied to the first input of the AND gate 402 corresponding to 02.

A select flag SEL indicating whether or not the built-in printer 36 is in the select state is set in the printer select register 302 by hardware. The select flag SEL = 1 indicates that the built-in printer 36 is in the select state, and the select flag SEL = 0 indicates that the built-in printer 36 is not in the select state. The select flag SEL is supplied to the second inputs of the AND gates 401 and 402.

The port address decoder 304 decodes the system address supplied from the CPU 11 via the system 10 and generates a signal S1 of "1" when the system address is 37xh corresponding to the port # 1. The signal S1 is supplied to the third input of the AND gate 401 and the second input of the AND gate 403 corresponding to the I / O port 101 for the external printer. on the other hand,
When the system address is 27xh corresponding to port # 2, the port address decoder 304 outputs the signal S of "1".
2 is generated. The signal S2 is the third signal of the AND gate 402.
Supplied on input.

The FDD / RRT register 303 stores the CM
A mode flag PRT indicating the mode information of the external printer / FDD read from the OS memory is set. The mode flag PRT = 1 indicates that the external printer is used, and the mode flag PRT = 0 indicates the FD.
Indicates that the mode is D. Mode flag P
RT is supplied to the first input of the AND gate 403.

In this configuration, the mode flag PRT
= 0, the printer number flag N = 1 (the printer number of the built-in printer = #
1), which enables the I / O port 201 on condition that the printer select flag SEL = 1 and the system address = 37xh. At this time, the I / O port 202 has the printer number flag N = 1, and the I / O port 101 has the mode flag PRT = 0.
Are each disabled by.

Therefore, in this state, the printer number # 1, that is, the I / O port 201 of the address = 37xh
Communication between the built-in printer 36 and the system is performed through the.

On the other hand, when the mode flag PRT = 1, the printer number flag N = is set by the above initialization program.
0 (the printer number of the built-in printer = # 2), and the printer select flag SEL =
1, I / O port 202 is enabled on condition that system address = 27xh. At this time, the I / O port 201 is disabled by the printer number flag N = 0, and the I / O port 101 is enabled on the condition that the system address = 37xh.

Therefore, in this state, the printer number # 1, that is, the I / O port 101 of the address = 37xh
Communication is performed between the external printer and the system through the printer number # 2, that is, the I = address = 27xh.
Communication between the built-in printer 36 and the system is performed through the / O port 202.

As described above, in this embodiment, the printer number of the built-in printer 36 is determined according to the content of the mode information of the external printer / FDD,
When the use of the external printer is designated by the FDD mode information, the external printer and the built-in printer 36
Are assigned first and second printer numbers # 1 and # 2, respectively, while the internal printer 36 is assigned the first printer number # 1 when the non-use of the external printer is designated by the mode information.

In this way, the priority order of the printer numbers assigned to the built-in printer 36 is switched between the mode in which the external printer is used and the mode in which the external printer is not used. Although the external printer is expensive, the built-in printer 36 is automatically switched to the highest priority printer in place of the external printer in the unused mode. Therefore, it is possible to easily use the built-in printer 36 and the external printer properly according to the purpose of use, without a complicated setting operation by the user.

Further, this portable computer has a function of setting the operation mode of the built-in printer 36 on the display screen similarly to the system setting processing such as setup and pop-up. Since it is not necessary to provide switches for setting the mode in the computer body, the portable computer can be downsized and the portability can be improved.

Further, this portable computer is
It has a resume function relating to the operation mode and printer number of the built-in printer 36, and like the various I / O devices in the portable computer, the built-in printer can be instantly restored to the state before the power-off.

In this embodiment, the built-in printer 36
The printer number of # 1 is switched to # 1 or # 2. However, for the purpose of selectively using the built-in printer 36 and the external printer, it is possible to disable the built-in printer 36 instead of assigning the printer number # 2. Can be realized.

Next, the environment setting of the built-in printer 36, that is, international character selection setting, postcard setting, paper selection, paper cue setting, standard print mode, color print mode, copy mode print mode, and tape The process of setting the sticker print mode will be described. FIG. 7 shows the environment setting items of the built-in printer 36 displayed on the setup or pop-up screen.

Items for international character selection are Japanese (Japan),
There is English (USA), and either one is selected by a key input operation by the user. In the postcard selection item, whether or not the postcard is printed is selected by a key input operation by the user. The paper selection items include plain paper and thermal paper, and either one is selected by a key input operation by the user. There are 5 mm and 10 mm in the item of sheet cue amount, and either one is selected by a key input operation by the user. The printing mode selection items include a standard mode, a color mode, a copy original mode, and a tape sticker mode, and any one of them is selected by a key input operation by the user. The item of the original copy direction has a vertical direction and a horizontal direction, and a direction that matches the inserting direction of the original copy copy is specified by a user's key input operation.

FIG. 8 shows the environment setting information of the built-in printer 36 stored in the CMOS memory. Bit 0 is information about the amount of paper cueing, and bit 0 =
5mm if "0", 10mm if bit 0 = "1"
Indicates. Bit 1 is information related to paper selection. Bit 1 = “0” indicates thermal paper, and bit 1 = “1” indicates plain paper. Bit 2 is information regarding postcard selection. If bit 2 = "0", thermal paper, bit 2 = "1".
Indicates plain paper. Bit 3 is information related to international character selection. If bit 3 = "0", Japanese, bit 3
== "1" indicates English. Bits 5 and 6 are information relating to print mode selection. If bits 5 and 6 are "00", standard, color printing using a color ribbon if "01", original copy if "10", "11" If so, indicates a tape seal. Bit 7 is information regarding the direction of the original copy, and if bit 7 = "0" indicates the vertical direction, if bit 7 = "1" indicates the horizontal direction.

Next, referring to the flowchart of FIG.
A procedure for the setup program or the pop-up program to set / change the operating environment such as the print mode of the built-in printer 36 will be described.

The setup or pop-up program first determines whether or not the built-in printer 36 is in the selected state (step S31). A command for setting the operating environment is issued to the printer port (the I / O port to which the printer number of the built-in printer 36 is assigned) (step S32).

Next, the setup / pop-up program reads the set value selected by the user on the setup or pop-up screen from the CMOS memory (step S33). Then, the upper 4 bits (bit 7 to bit 4) of the printer setting information in the CMOS memory are taken out and converted into a format that can be output to the built-in printer 36, for example, ASCII code (step S34). After that, the setup / pop-up program issues the converted value to the printer port (step S35).
As a result, the print mode of the built-in printer 36, the direction of the original copy, etc. are set.

Next, the setup / pop-up program is the lower 4 bits of the printer setting information of the CMOS memory.
The bit (bit 3-bit 0) is taken out and converted into a format that can be output to the built-in printer 36, for example, ASCII code (step S36). After that, the setup / pop-up program issues the converted value to the printer port (step S37). This enables international character selection, postcard selection, paper selection, and
The amount of paper cueing is set.

By the above operation, it is possible to set four kinds of settings for the print mode of the built-in printer 36 and two kinds of settings for the copy original direction by the setup / pop-up.

[0095]

As described above, according to the present invention, the operating environment of the built-in printer can be set up or set on the pop-up screen. Therefore, it is not necessary to arrange many switches in the computer body, and the portable computer can be downsized and the portability can be improved. Further, appropriate printer numbers can be automatically assigned to the built-in printer and the external printer, respectively, and these printers can be easily used properly according to the purpose of use without various setting operations by the user.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall system configuration of a portable computer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a memory map in the system of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a printer control circuit including two parallel I / O ports provided in the system of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of registers of the parallel I / O port of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a process of assigning a printer number to a built-in printer provided in the system of the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of hardware logic for selecting two parallel I / O ports provided in the system of the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing environment setting items of a built-in printer displayed on a pop-up / setup screen in the system of the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of printer setting information stored in a CMOS memory in the system of the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an environment setting process for a built-in printer provided in the system of the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 ... System bus, 11 ... CPU, 11A ... Bus controller, 12 ... Main memory, 17 ... Real-time clock, 29 ... SI, 36 ... Built-in printer, 391 ... FDD
/ PRT connector.

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A portable computer having a built-in printer built into a computer body, a storage device storing printer setting information for environmental setting of the built-in printer, and printer setting information stored in the storage device. Means for presenting a current operating environment of the built-in printer and displaying a printer setting screen including various environment setting items used for changing the setting of the operating environment, and selecting on the printer setting screen. A portable computer, comprising means for rewriting the printer setting information according to the set item and setting / changing the operating environment of the built-in printer. 2. The operating environment of the built-in printer includes international character selection settings, postcard settings, paper selection, paper cue setting, and a printer setting screen for designating these environments is displayed on the screen. The portable computer according to claim 1, characterized in that: 3. The built-in printer is a standard print mode,
2. The portable computer according to claim 1, wherein the portable computer has a color printing mode, a copy mode creating print mode, and a tape sticker creating print mode, and one of the printing modes is selected on the printer setting screen. 4. A print mode for producing a copy copy of the built-in printer has two modes, a vertical direction and a horizontal direction, which indicate a setting direction of the copy copy original plate, and one of the vertical direction and the horizontal direction is set on the printer setting screen. 3. The portable computer according to claim 2, wherein one mode is selected. 5. A portable computer having a built-in printer incorporated in a computer body and capable of connecting an external printer, and a storage device storing printer setting information for environmental setting of the built-in printer and the external printer. A printer setting including various environment setting items used for presenting the present operating environment of the built-in printer and the external printer and changing the setting of the operating environment based on the printer setting information stored in the storage device. A means for displaying a screen, means for rewriting the printer setting information according to the setting item selected on the printer setting screen to set / change the operating environment of the built-in printer; When the use of an external printer is specified in, the external printer and built-in printer are A printer number determining means for allocating a first printer number to the internal printer and a first printer number for allocating the first printer number to the built-in printer when the nonuse of the external printer is designated. . 6. The printer setting information set on the printer setting screen and the printer number determined by the printer number determining means are held in the battery-backed storage device, and the storage device is responsive to power-on. 6. The portable computer according to claim 5, further comprising: a resume means for reading the stored data and resetting the built-in printer to the printer number and operating environment immediately before the power is shut off. 7. A first and second I / O port to which a first printer number and a second printer number are respectively assigned and used for data transfer to and from a printer having a corresponding printer number, and the determination is made. The first and second I / O ports are respectively assigned to the external printer and the built-in printer according to the printer number, and the external printer or the built-in printer is connected via the I / O port corresponding to the printer number of the printing destination printer. The portable computer according to claim 5, further comprising a control unit. 8. A command for determining an operation mode of the built-in printer is written in the I / O port corresponding to the printer number decided by the printer number decision means to set the built-in printer to the printer. The portable computer according to claim 5, further comprising means for writing a command for setting the operating environment selected on the screen to set the operating environment of the built-in printer.