JPH0813561B2 - Ticket printer - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a ticket printing apparatus that prints out a character corresponding to print data externally input to a predetermined area of a ticket such as an airline ticket.

[Prior Art] For example, an airline ticket 1 purchased at a travel agency or an airport generally has a rectangular shape, and the surface of the airline ticket 1 has an airline name, a boarding date, and a boarding date as shown in FIG. 2A. Items such as boarding section and flight number are shown. Further, as shown in FIG. 2B, a magnetic stripe portion 2 is formed on the back surface, and each of the above items is coded and magnetically recorded.

A ticket printing device that prints each item on such an airline ticket is connected to the host computer online.
The data of each item transmitted from the host computer is recorded on rectangular paper using a print head and a magnetic head, and is issued as an airline ticket 1.

By the way, the print items on the airline ticket 1 are not so different among airlines, but the print format is devised for each company. Therefore, each airline has its own ticket printing device and sets its own printing format in advance, and when issuing an airline ticket, only the data of each item such as boarding space, flight number, seat number, etc. is hosted. Transmission from a computer is preferable because the amount of data to be transmitted is reduced. However, if you try to install ticket printing devices of each airline at each airport or travel agency, there is a problem in terms of cost because it requires a large space.
In fact, several airlines shared one ticket printer. Therefore, in the host computer, when the data of each item is input, it is incorporated into the corresponding print format, the data of each item is sent to the ticket printing device together with this print format data, and the received data is dot imaged in the ticket printing device. The data is converted into bit data of and is recorded on a predetermined paper by the printer unit.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] As described above, conventionally, data of each item was incorporated into a predetermined print format by a host computer and then transmitted to a ticket printing apparatus, so that the amount of transmitted data was large.
Therefore, in the ticket printing apparatus, the processing amount of received data is enormous and burdened, and the processing speed until completion of printing is slow. Moreover, since the amount of transmitted data is large, the reliability of data communication may be deteriorated.

Therefore, the present invention is intended to provide a ticket printing apparatus which does not require transmission of print format data and minimizes transmission of duplicate print data to reduce the amount of received data.

[Means for Solving the Problems] A ticket printing device according to the present invention includes a format table for storing at least print start position information of print data corresponding to each item number indicating an item of each print data, and one ticket. A text buffer that stores the print data in accordance with the print format, an image buffer that converts the print data in this text buffer into bit data and stores the data, and the bit data in this image buffer prints a specified area of the ticket. The printer section to perform, the data input means for inputting data consisting of the print data on the ticket and the item number designating the item from the outside, and the format table is searched by the data input by this means, and the corresponding item number The input print data is stored in the text buffer based on the print start position information corresponding to The print data processing means for processing and the fact that the data for one ticket is stored in this text buffer is developed, bit data corresponding to the data is developed in the image buffer, and the printer unit is drive-controlled to the ticket. The print data processing means stores the input print data from the area corresponding to the print start position information of the text buffer when the print start position information corresponding to the corresponding item number is one. When the print start position information corresponding to the corresponding item number is plural, the input print data is stored in the areas corresponding to the print start position information of the text buffer.

Further, a plurality of text buffers and image buffers are provided, and an attribute code table for storing at least one attribute code for designating at least one print format corresponding to each item number is provided, and the format table is formed by the data input by the data input means. And the attribute code table are searched, and when the print start position information corresponding to the applicable item number is 1 and the print format specified by the attribute code corresponding to the applicable item number is 1, the input print data is the text of this print format. Stored from the area corresponding to this print start position information in the buffer, and when there is one print start position information corresponding to the corresponding item number and there are multiple print formats specified by the attribute code corresponding to the corresponding item number, the input print data For each text buffer in these print formats The storage processing is performed from each area corresponding to the print start position information of, and when the print start position information corresponding to the corresponding item number is plural and the print format specified by the attribute code corresponding to the corresponding item number is 1, the input print data is Storing processing is performed from each area corresponding to these print start position information of the text buffer of this print format, and the print format specified by the attribute code corresponding to the corresponding item number when there are multiple print start position information corresponding to the corresponding item number When there are a plurality of input print data, the input print data is stored in each area corresponding to the print start position information of each text buffer of these print formats.

[Operation] In the case of the ticket printer adopting the former method, when data consisting of the print data on the ticket and the item number designating the item is inputted from the outside, the format table is searched with this input data. The input print data is stored in the text buffer based on the print start position information corresponding to the corresponding item number. In this case, when the print start position information corresponding to the corresponding item number is plural, the input print data is stored in the areas of the text buffer respectively corresponding to the print start position information. Then, when data for one ticket is stored in this text buffer, bit data corresponding to the data is expanded in the image buffer, and the printer unit prints on the ticket. Therefore, the data transmitted from the outside is the data consisting of the print data of each item and the item number indicating the item, and it becomes unnecessary to transmit the print format data, and the duplicate print data corresponds to the corresponding item number. Since a single transmission is required by setting a plurality of pieces of print start position information, the amount of transmission data can be reduced.

Then, by taking the latter means, the input print data is stored in the text buffer of at least one print format designated by the attribute code corresponding to the corresponding item number based on the print start position information corresponding to the corresponding item number. To be done. Therefore, the number of transmitted data can be reduced, and a plurality of tickets having different print formats can be printed in parallel.

[Embodiment] An embodiment in which the ticket printing device of the present invention is applied to an airline ticket issuing device will be described below.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an air ticket issuing device,
This apparatus prints on a CPU 11 as a control unit main body, a ROM 12 for storing program data and CG (character generator) data, a RAM 13 having a memory such as a receiving buffer and an image buffer, and a printing area of a rectangular ticket 1. Printer section 14, magnetic stripe section 2 of ticket 1
An encoder 15 for magnetic recording, a communication controller 17 for controlling online data communication with a host computer 16, a card reader, an input / output device 18 such as an FFD (floppy disk drive) Has been done.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the ticket 1 has a printing area on which the necessary information such as airline name, boarding date, boarding section, flight number, seat number, etc. is printed, and on the back surface thereof. As shown in FIG. 2B, a magnetic stripe portion 2 in which each necessary item is magnetically recorded is formed.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the RAM 13, in addition to the reception buffer 31 for receiving the reception data from the host computer 16, the format table 32, the first and second text buffers 33 ₁ , 33 ₂ , 1, ₂ , The second encode buffers 34 ₁ , 34 ₂ ,
First and second image buffers 35 ₁ and 35 ₂ are formed.

The first and second text buffers 33 ₁ and 33 ₂ are memory areas for storing print data to the print area of one ticket 1 according to an array determined by an arbitrary print format. As shown in FIG. 4, a matrix of row directions A to G and column directions 01 to 40 is formed. The print data is stored as a character code such as an ASCII code or an internal code.

The first and second encode buffers 34 ₁ and 34 ₂ are memory areas for storing magnetic recording data on the magnetic stripe portion 2 of one ticket 1 according to an array determined by an arbitrary magnetic recording format. Thus, as shown in FIG. 5, a matrix of row directions 1 to 3 and column directions 01 to 25 is formed. Then, according to the data in the encode buffers 34 ₁ and 34 ₂ , the encode unit 14 magnetically records the magnetic stripe unit 2.

The first and second image buffers 35 ₁ and 35 ₂ are memory areas for converting the character codes stored in the corresponding text buffers 33 ₁ and 33 ₂ into bit data of dot images and storing the bit data. This image buffer 35 ₁ , 35 ₂
Ticket 1 by printer unit 14 according to the bit data in
Is printed out.

In the format table 32, as shown in FIG. 6, in correspondence with each item number indicating each item such as the airline name, boarding section, flight number, seat number, etc. printed on the airline ticket,
The character size of the item, the print start position for the print area, the magnetic recording start position for the magnetic stripe portion 2, and at least one attribute code (A, B, C, ...) Designating the print format are set.

The data at the print start position and the magnetic recording start position are stored in the text buffer 33 and the encode buffer, respectively.
It is the data that designates one cell on 34, and you can set more than one.

Then, the CPU 11 is configured to execute the program processing shown in FIG. 7 after the power is turned on and the predetermined initial processing is completed. That is, when the data from the host computer 16 is received as P1, it is once stored in the reception buffer 31, and if necessary, taken out from the reception buffer 31 and the type of the data is checked. Then, if the received data as P2 is the data related to the format table 32, the process of changing or creating the format table 32 is executed based on this received data.

On the other hand, if the received data as P3 is the data consisting of the print data on the ticket 1 and the item number indicating the item of the data (hereinafter referred to as ticket data), the format table 32 is searched to find the corresponding item number. Size, print start position, magnetic recording start position data, and attribute code. Then, for the text buffer 33 corresponding to the format specified by the attribute code,
The received print data is stored in the designated size in order from the print start position. Similarly, the received print data is sequentially stored in the encode buffer 34 corresponding to the format designated by the attribute code from the magnetic recording start position. In this way, if all the print data for one airline ticket is stored in the text buffer 33 and the encode buffer 34, the character code in the text buffer 33 is referred to the CG data in the ROM 12, and the dot data of the dot image is referred to. And converts this bit data into the corresponding image buffer 35. Then, the printer unit 14 is drive-controlled to print on the printing area of the ticket 1 by the bit data in the image buffer 35. Further, the encoder section 15 is drive-controlled to cause the magnetic stripe section 2 of the ticket 1 to perform magnetic recording by the encoded data in the encode buffer 34. In this way, the ticketing operation of the airline ticket 1 is completed.

Other processes based on the received data include a process of driving the encoder 18 to read the recorded contents of the magnetic stripe unit 2 and confirming that the magnetic recording was performed correctly.

In the present embodiment having such a configuration, the format table 32 is created in the RAM 13 in advance. Then, when performing a ticket issuing business, the host computer 16 is operated to input necessary items such as a boarding section and a flight number. Then, the ticket data in which the item number is added to the print data (character code) of each item is sequentially transmitted from the host computer 16 to the airline ticket issuing device online.

Now, it is assumed that the format table shown in FIG. 6 has been created. In this state, for example, the ticket data on the data table shown in FIG.
More inputted, firstly retrieved format table 32 in accordance with item number "001", for example, the print data "× size" 12 "from a position corresponding to the first print start position of the text buffer 33 _1" B02 " In addition to storing “X aviation”, magnetic recording data “XX aviation” is stored from the position corresponding to the magnetic recording start position “101” of the first encode buffer 34 ₁ , for example. Then, item number "002"
Print start position "C03" of the first text buffer 33 _1.
From the position corresponding to "C25" and "C25", size "13" respectively
The print data “Tokyo → Osaka” is stored, and the magnetic recording data “Tokyo → Osaka” is stored from the position corresponding to the magnetic recording start position “303” of the first encode buffer 34 ₁ . Then, the print data for each size from a position corresponding to the print start position of ₁ first text buffer 33 by item number "004" and "E20" and "E25", "3", "0001
"Stool" is stored and the first encoding buffer 34
_The magnetic recording data “0001 flight” is stored from the position corresponding to the magnetic recording start position “205” of ₁ . Finally, with each size from a position corresponding to the print start position of ₁ first text buffer 33 by item number "005" and "F20" and "F25", "3", the print data "1A seat" of it is stored The magnetic recording data "1A seat" is stored from the position corresponding to the magnetic recording start position "209" of the first encode buffer 34 ₁ .

In this way, the data for one ticket is stored in the first text buffer.
33 ₁ and when it is stored in the first encoding buffer 34 _1, is expanded in the first image buffer 35 ₁ data in the text buffer 33 ₁ corresponds as bit data, the printer unit 14 and the encoding unit 15 is controlled drive Data is printed in the print area of the ticket 1 by the data in the image buffer 35 ₁ , and magnetic recording is performed in the magnetic stripe portion 2 by the data in the encode buffer 34 ₁ , and the ticket is issued as an airline ticket. The format (I) of the air ticket issued at this time is shown in FIG. 9A.

Also, when the ticket data on the data table shown in FIG. 8B is transmitted from the host computer 16, the same processing is performed, and the air ticket printed in the format (II) shown in FIG. 9B is issued. It

On the other hand, when ticket data on the data table shown in FIG. 8C is transmitted from the host computer 16, the same processing is performed. However, in this case, the attribute code A corresponds to the format (I), and the attribute code B corresponds to the format (I).
Assuming that the attribute code C corresponds to I) and the format is defined to correspond to both formats (I) and (II), the attribute code of the item number "006" is A, and the print data of this item number is For example, the first text buffer 33 ₁
If you were to set in, the attribute code of the next item number "007", so B, print data of this item is set to ₂ other text buffer 33. Further, since the attribute codes of the item number “008” are A, B and C, first the print data “Tokyo → Osaka” is set in the first text buffer 33 ₁ by the print start position data “C03” corresponding to the attribute code A. and, and then set the print data "Tokyo → Osaka" in _Paragraph 2 of the text buffer 33 by the print start position data "E02" corresponding to the attribute code B, the print start position data corresponding to the last to attribute code C " 1st and 2nd by C25 "
To set the text buffer 33 _1, 33 ₂ to the print data "Tokyo → Osaka", respectively. As a result, the data in the _first text buffer 33 ₁ issues an airline ticket in the format (I) shown in FIG. 9A, and at the same time, the data in the _second text buffer 33 ₂ causes the format shown in FIG. 9B. The ticket of (II) is issued.

As described above, in the case of the air ticket issuing device of the present embodiment, by creating the format table 32 in the RAM in advance, the data of the necessary items from the host computer 16 at the time of issuing the air ticket and the items indicating the items. Only the ticket data including the number and the format data need be transmitted, and the amount of transmission data can be reduced as compared with the conventional case in which the format data must also be transmitted. Further, when printing the same print data at a plurality of locations on one airline ticket, by setting a plurality of print start position information in advance in the format data 32 corresponding to the item number of the corresponding print data, The print data need only be transmitted once, and from this point as well, the amount of transmission data can be reduced. As a result, the aviation issuing device only needs to process print data,
Since the processing of format data is unnecessary, the burden on data processing can be greatly reduced. Further, since the amount of transmission data is reduced, the time required for data transmission is shortened and the data processing speed is also shortened. Therefore, the ticketing business can be performed in a short time, and the serviceability to the customer is improved. Furthermore, since the amount of transmitted data is reduced, the reliability of data communication can be improved.

Further, by setting the attribute code designating the print format for each item when the format table 32 is created, a plurality of types of airline tickets having different print formats can be issued at the same time. Moreover, in this case, by defining the attribute code so as to specify a plurality of print formats, the print data duplicated in each airline ticket need only be transmitted once. As a result, the amount of transmission data can be further reduced, the processing speed can be increased, and the reliability of data communication can be further improved.

In the above embodiment, the case where two text buffers, two encode buffers and two image buffers are provided has been described, but a plurality of each buffer may be provided within the storage contents of the RAM 13. In this case, by properly setting the attribute code, it becomes possible to issue airline tickets in a format corresponding to the number of buffers at the same time. On the contrary, if only one type of air ticket format can be used, only one buffer is required, and in this case, the attribute code is unnecessary.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the format table 32 is created by data transmission from the host computer 16 has been shown, but it may be built in a memory card or a floppy disk and supplied via the input / output device 18.
By doing so, the data in the format table 32 can be easily changed.

In addition, it goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[Effects of the Invention] As described in detail above, the present invention has the following effects.

That is, according to claim 1, the transmission of the print format data is not necessary, and the print data duplicated in one ticket needs to be transmitted only once from the outside, thereby reducing the amount of transmission data from the outside. While reducing the burden,
It is possible to provide a ticket printing device capable of increasing the processing speed and improving the reliability of data communication.

Further, according to claim 2, a plurality of tickets having different formats can be printed out at the same time, and the print data duplicated in the plurality of tickets need only be transmitted from the outside only once, so that the transmission data amount can be further reduced. A ticket printing device can be provided.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an airline ticket issuing device, and FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the airline ticket issuing device.
2A and 2B are views showing the front and back sides of an airline ticket, the third
Figure shows the main memory structure of RAM, Figure 4 shows the text buffer, Figure 5 shows the encode buffer, Figure 6 shows the format table, and Figure 7 shows the CPU ticketing business. FIG. 8A, FIG. 8B, and FIG. 8C are flow charts showing the program processing for, respectively, showing an example of ticket data transmitted from the host computer.
FIG. 9A and FIG. 9B are diagrams each showing an example of issuing an airline ticket. 11 …… CPU, 12 …… ROM, 13 …… RAM, 14 …… Printer section, 15 …… Encoding section, 16 …… Host computer,
17 …… Communication controller, 31 …… Reception buffer, 32 ……
Format table, 33 ₁ , 33 ₂ ...... First and second text buffers, 34 ₁ , 34 ₂ ...... First and second encode buffers, 35 ₁ , 35 ₂ ...... First and second image buffers .

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A format table storing at least one or more print start position information of print data corresponding to each item number indicating each print data item, and print data for one ticket in a predetermined print format. A text buffer to store in, and an image buffer to convert the print data in this text buffer into bit data and store it.
A printer section for printing on a predetermined area of a ticket by bit data in the image buffer, a data input means for inputting data consisting of print data on the ticket and an item number designating the item from outside, and by this means Search the above format table with the entered data,
Print data processing means for storing the input print data in the text buffer based on the print start position information corresponding to the corresponding item number, and detecting that the data for one ticket is stored in this text buffer, Print control means for developing bit data corresponding to the data in an image buffer and drivingly controlling the printer section to print on a ticket, wherein the print data processing means prints the print data corresponding to the corresponding item number. When the start position information is one, the input print data is stored from the area corresponding to the print start position information of the text buffer, and when the print start position information corresponding to the corresponding item number is plural, the input print data is stored in the text buffer. 2. A ticket printing apparatus, wherein storage processing is performed from each area corresponding to each of these print start position information. 2. A format table storing at least one or more print start position information of print data corresponding to each item number indicating an item of each print data, and different print formats for print data of one ticket. A plurality of text buffers provided for each print format to be stored in, a plurality of image buffers for converting the print data in the corresponding text buffer into bit data and storing the bit data, and a predetermined ticket according to the bit data in the image buffer. A printer unit that prints on an area, an attribute code table that stores an attribute code that specifies at least one print format corresponding to each item number, print data on a ticket from the outside, and an item number that specifies the item Data input means for inputting data consisting of The format table and the attribute code table are searched by data, and the input print data is based on the print start position information corresponding to the corresponding item number, and the text buffer of the print format specified by the attribute code corresponding to the corresponding item number. And a print data processing means for storing the data, detecting that the data for one ticket is stored in the text buffer, developing bit data corresponding to the data in the image buffer, and controlling the driving of the printer section. And a print control means for performing printing on a ticket. The print data processing means has one print start position information corresponding to the corresponding item number and a print format designated by an attribute code corresponding to the corresponding item number. If there is one, the input print data is sent to this print format in the text buffer of this print format. If the print start position information corresponding to the corresponding item number is 1 and the print format specified by the attribute code corresponding to the corresponding item number is multiple, the input print data of these print formats is stored from the area corresponding to the position information. When the storage processing is performed from each area corresponding to the print start position information of each text buffer, and the print start position information corresponding to the corresponding item number is plural and the attribute code corresponding to the corresponding item number specifies one print format. Store the input print data from each area corresponding to these print start position information of the text buffer of this print format,
When there are multiple print start position information corresponding to the corresponding item number and multiple print formats specified by the attribute code corresponding to the corresponding item number, the input print data corresponds to these print start position information of each text buffer of these print formats respectively. A ticket printing device, wherein storage processing is performed from each area.