JPH07117289A - Printing equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make registration to a registration label efficient by a method wherein when a first discrimination code determined as containing registered data is judged to coincide with a second discrimination code already registered, the first discrimination code is converted into a third discrimination code and registered to the registered data, and after printing data containing these data are printed, information on the registration is given to a host computer. CONSTITUTION:Receiving printing data, in a printing processing, a formatter control part 105 analyzes the printing data so as to judge the presence or absence of registered data. In the case when the registered data are judged to be present, it is checked up whether a registration label is already registered, and when it is already registered, alteration of the registration label is executed in a registration label alteration part 108. Then, substitution of the altered registration label in the printing data is conducted. After the processing of substitution of the registration label herein is conducted or when the registration label is judged to be not registered, registration is executed. When information on the registration is sent to a registration transfer part 110, it is transmitted to a host computer 101 on an LAN network 102 through an LAN board part 104. The printing processing is conducted thereafter.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printing apparatus used by connecting to a computer network.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a printing apparatus connectable to a computer network, when registering fonts and forms in the printing apparatus, this registration is an identification code for assigning these fonts and forms. If the label is already registered, the first one is deleted and then registered, or an error is issued.

[0003]

However, in the above-described conventional printing apparatus, since print data is randomly sent from a plurality of users on the network, necessary registrations are deleted or a registration error occurs. After all,
There are many disadvantages in use. In addition, other devices other than the registered host computer do not know the registration information in the printing device, so other devices register the same fonts and forms, resulting in wasted registration time and fonts. However, there is a problem in that an error occurs in a printing apparatus that does not allow the same registration, such that registration and printing efficiencies are reduced.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus capable of efficiently performing registration on a registration label.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a printing apparatus connectable to a computer network having a host computer, wherein print data received from the host computer corresponds to predetermined registration information. Determining means for determining whether or not the registration data is included, and, when the determining means determines that the registration data is included, the first identification code for the registration information and the already registered registration. Determining means for determining whether the information matches the second identification code, and the determining means determines the first identification code and the second identification code.
Means for converting the first identification code into a third identification code when it is determined that the first identification code and the third identification code match.
And a means for registering the identification code of the third identification code in the registration data, the print data including the registration data in which the third identification code is registered is printed out, and the third identification code is registered in the host computer. Notify that

[0006]

With the above-mentioned structure, duplicate registration and deletion of necessary registration are prevented, and the registration work is performed efficiently.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the arrangement of a printing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 101 is a host computer, which outputs print information including print data and control data to the printing apparatus 103. Reference numeral 102 denotes a LAN network that connects the host computer 101 and a plurality of printing devices to each other. The printing devices and the host computer exchange data with each other via the LAN network 102.

The printing apparatus 103 according to the present embodiment is roughly classified into a LAN board section 104, a formatter control section 105,
The registration management unit 107, the registration storage unit 109, the registration information transmission unit 110, the connected device list unit 111, and the printer engine unit 112 are included. Of these, the LAN board unit 104
Is a connection device that connects the printing device 103 and the LAN network 102, and sends data sent via the LAN network 102 to the formatter control unit 105. The formatter control unit 105 also receives print data from the host computer 101 via the LAN board unit 104 and performs an analysis process for the print data. Then, the print data is expanded into bitmap data and sent to the printer engine unit 114. Furthermore, when the form or font is registered, the registration data is sent to the registration management unit 107.

The above formatter control unit 105 includes a registration label replacement unit 106, and is composed of a CPU, a RAM, a ROM and the like. The registration label replacement unit 106 receives the information such as the registration label changed by the registration label changing unit 108 in the registration management unit 107, and replaces the registration label before change in the print data with the registration label after change. . The registration management unit 107 receives the registration data from the formatter control unit 105 and performs the registration. Then, the registration content is stored in the registration storage unit 109. If the registered registration label is registered, the registration label changing unit 108
Send to and change to a different registration label and then register.

The contents of the change are registered label replacement unit 10
6 and the registration information transmission unit 110. The registration management unit 107 also includes a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, and the like, but these may be shared with the formatter control unit 105. The registration label changing unit 108, which is a registration label changing unit in the printing apparatus according to the present embodiment, is the registration management unit 1.
The registration label sent from 07 is changed to an unused registration label. The registration storage unit 109 is configured by a storage device such as a RAM or a hard disk in order to store the registration data.

The registration information transmission unit 110, which functions as a registration information broadcasting unit, places the registration information from the formatter control unit 105 in the connected device list in the connected device list unit 111 via the LAN board unit 104. Send to host computer. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing how registration information is registered in the host computer. As shown in the figure, the printer 202 and a plurality of host computers 1 to
4 (201, 203 to 205) transmits and receives registration information.

On the other hand, when the registration label changing unit 108 changes the registration label, the contents of the change are notified to the registered host computer. Further, the registration information transmission unit 110 includes a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, etc., which may be shared with the formatter control unit 105. The connected device list unit 111 stores a connected device list which is a list of devices connected to the LAN network 102 and having font data. This connected device list is created based on the devices connected to the network specified by the control data from the host computer 101 or the control panel.

The connected device list section 111 is a RAM.
Alternatively, it is composed of a nonvolatile storage device such as NVRAM. This eliminates the need to create the connected device list every time the device is turned on. The printer engine unit 112 has a print function for forming print information as a permanent image on recording paper.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a connected device list according to this embodiment. In the figure, the IP address is a unique number indicating each device connected to the LAN network 102. Next, a print processing procedure in the printing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a printing processing procedure in the printing apparatus according to this embodiment. In step S301 of the figure, print data is received, and in step S302, the formatter controller 1 receives the print data.
05 analyzes the above print data. Then, in step S303, the presence / absence of registration data is determined.

If it is determined in step S303 that there is no registered data, the printing process in step S304 is performed.
However, when it is determined that there is registration data, it is checked in step S305 whether the registration label has been registered.
If the registered label is already registered, the registered label changing unit 108 changes the registered label (step S3).
08). Then, in step S309, the changed registration label in the print data is replaced.

After the registration label replacement processing in step S309, or when it is determined in step S305 that the registration label has not been registered,
Registration is performed (step S306). Then, in the subsequent step S307, when the registration information is sent to the registration information transmission unit 110, the registration information transmission unit 110 causes the LAN board unit 104
The registration information is transmitted to the host computer 101 on the LAN network 102 via the. After changing the registration label, the changed contents are transmitted to the host computer that has transmitted the print data. Then, the printing process in step S304 is performed.

Therefore, referring to the flow chart shown in FIG. 5, the registration management unit 1 constituting the printing apparatus according to the present embodiment.
An operation example when the registration label changing unit 108 changes the registration label will be described. Step S4 of FIG.
At 01, the form number is obtained from the registration data of the received print data, and the form number is checked (step S401). Then, in step S402, it is checked whether or not there is a used form number based on the form number use list shown in FIG.

Here, the form number use list shown in FIG. 6 is a list recording use / unuse of each form number. In FIG. 6, it is shown that the form numbers are from 0 to N, and “1” means being used and “0” being not used. If it is determined in step S402 that the form number is an unused form ,. The process proceeds to step S403 and the registration is performed as it is. However, if it is a used form number, an unused form number is searched from the form number use list in step S404. If there is an unused form number (YES in step S405), the form number is converted in step S403, and the changed form number is registered (step S403).

However, if it is determined in step S405 that there is no unused form number, an error message is displayed in step S406 and the printing process is interrupted. As described above, according to the present embodiment, when a font or form is registered in a registered registration label, those fonts are registered by changing the registered registration label and registering the registration information on the network. By notifying the connected device of, it is possible to prevent duplicate registration and deletion of necessary registration, and it becomes possible to perform efficient registration work.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the LAN network is used as the computer network, but the present invention does not depend on the shape or method of the network as long as data can be transmitted and received between the printing apparatus and other devices. Further, regarding the connection by the computer network, when there are a plurality of connections (bidirectional Centronics, SCSI, etc.) capable of transmitting and receiving between the printing apparatus and another device, the registration information regarding the registration data received from one connection terminal You may make it have the function to send to the host computer connected to another connection terminal.

In addition, when the font name is changed, not only the name but also the character attribute is compared, and when it is determined that the fonts are exactly the same, a function of stopping the name change and canceling the registration may be provided. . The replacement of the changed registered label is performed only on the print data being analyzed at that time, but it may be performed on the print data stored in the reception buffer. Further, in this case, a determination may be made such that the user who transmitted the print data is confirmed and the registration label is replaced only with respect to the print data of the user who has registered.

Further, in the above embodiment, when the form number is not empty, an error is displayed and the printing is interrupted. However, even if the form number is not changed and the registration is performed as it is. good. In the above embodiment, the registration information and the registration label change information are transmitted to the host computer, but they may be transmitted to each user.

The present invention may be applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices or an apparatus composed of a single device. Further, it goes without saying that the present invention can be applied to the case where it is achieved by supplying a program to a system or an apparatus.

[0024]

As described above, according to the present invention,
When a new registration label is registered with respect to an already registered registration label, the registration label can be changed and registered to prevent duplicate registration and deletion of necessary registration.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing how registration information is registered in a host computer according to an embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a connected device list in the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a print processing procedure in the printing apparatus according to the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a registration management unit 1 included in the printing apparatus according to the embodiment.
7 is a flowchart showing an operation at the time of changing the registration label in 07 and the registration label changing unit 108.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a form number usage list according to an embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference numeral 101 host computer 102 LAN network 103 printing device 104 LAN board unit 105 formatter control unit 106 registration label replacement unit 107 registration management unit 108 registration label change unit 109 registration storage unit 110 registration information transmission unit 111 connected device list unit 112 printer engine unit

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A printing device connectable to a computer network having a host computer, and a judgment means for judging whether or not the print data received from the host computer includes registration data corresponding to predetermined registration information. When the determination unit determines that the registration data is included, the determination unit determines whether the first identification code for the registration information and the second identification code for the already registered registration information match or do not match. Means for converting the first identification code into a third identification code when the determining means determines that the first identification code and the second identification code match. Means for registering the identification code of No. 3 in the registration data, and printing the print data including the registration data in which the third identification code is registered. As well as the force, the printing apparatus characterized by notifying that the identification code of said 3 is registered in the host computer. 2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the registration information includes a font name and a form number. 3. A plurality of host computers are connected to the computer network, and the fact that the third identification code is registered is notified to the plurality of host computers in addition to the host computer that transmitted the print data. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the printing apparatus is a printing apparatus.