JPH08142441A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To enable an operator to easily select the setting condition of printing paper to be used among registered setting conditions. CONSTITUTION: A printer is constituted so as to have a memory medium 3 in which the predetermined set data 4 related to printing paper 6 is registered as the name data 5 showing the kind of the paper and a setting means 2 reading the corresponding set data from the memory medium on the basis of the name data indicated from an input means 1 to set the same.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improvement of a printer device which mainly registers a group of set values relating to printing paper sheets as a group for paper sheets.

In a printer device, various items are set according to the printing paper used. For example, since the paper thickness differs depending on whether the used paper is normal paper or copy paper,
Adjust the gap between the printhead and platen by specifying the paper thickness.

Further, the print format is edited according to the set paper size, left margin, page length and the like. Especially pre-printed paper, such as shipping slips,
These settings are important when using shipping instructions.

For this reason, when many kinds of printing papers are used in one printer, every time the paper is replaced, the page length, line feed pitch, left margin, paper thickness, etc. must be set for many items. However, the work is complicated.

In order to eliminate this complication, conventionally, set values are grouped for each sheet, and the set information (hereinafter also referred to as a set value group) collected into one is numbered and registered in the printer device. In addition, the method of specifying and setting the number when changing the paper was adopted.

However, when many types of paper are numbered, it may be inconvenient because the correspondence between the actual paper and the number may not be known when the setting information of the paper is selected by number later. Therefore, there is a demand for a printer device that allows an operator to easily select desired setting information from the registered setting information group for paper.

[0007]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a conventional example. There are many items such as page length, line feed pitch, left margin, and paper thickness as setting information relating to the paper set in the printer device.

These setting information may be sent from the host device to the printer device together with the print data at the time of printing, but the setting information must be sent in a format suitable for the printer device, and various printer devices are installed. In such a system, it is convenient to register the setting information on the printer device side.

FIG. 8 shows an example of a printer device in which setting information is registered for each sheet and the setting information is selected on the operator panel 11. Where the setting information table
22 is, for example, stored in a read-only memory,
A series of set values such as page length, line feed pitch, left margin, and paper thickness are registered in advance based on the number (registration number) assigned to each paper.

When the setting information of the paper to be used is extracted from the setting information table 22, the registration number is designated from the operator panel. Since there are only simple keys such as a few keys, this selection operation is a little troublesome and is performed as follows.

Now, assume that the registration number of the paper to be used is 2. The operator first presses the setting mode key 12. As a result, the printer device 10 enters the setting mode, and the operator presses the non-lock input key 14.
Each time you press it, the numbers 1, 2, ... Are displayed,
When the required number, "2" here, is displayed, the enter key 13 is pressed.

As a result, the operator panel processing unit 16 passes the registration number 2 to the setting unit 17, and the setting unit 17 extracts the setting information from the column of the registration number 2 of the setting information table 22 and stores it in the corresponding register 18. To do.

In the above state, the paper is hooked and the host device
When the print data is sent together with the print command from 25, the mechanical section setting mechanism 19 controls the printer mechanical section 21 based on the paper thickness set in the register 18 to adjust the gap between the print head and the platen, The print control unit 20 edits the print data received from the host device 25 by referring to the page length, line feed pitch, etc. stored in the register 18, and dot-expands it to control the printer mechanical unit 21 for printing. To do.

Although the registration number may be designated and set prior to sending the print data from the host device 25, the operator sets it by the operator panel 11 when the empty printer device is loaded with paper. Often.

[0015]

As described above,
When the setting information is registered in the printer device 10 by a number and the registration number is specified, the setting is made according to the printing paper, but when each paper is numbered in the work using many papers When selecting setting information by number later, the correspondence between the actual paper and the number is often unknown.

For this reason, the operator must have a table in which the registration numbers correspond to the paper types, which is inconvenient to use. Further, when the printer device is shared by a large number of operators, it is necessary for each operator to manage the registration number so as not to overlap.

In view of the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a printer device which makes it easy to select registered paper setting information when in use.

[0018]

In order to solve the above problems, the printer device of the present invention has the following means. (1) First invention (see FIG. 1 Principle diagram of the present invention) The setting information 4 relating to the printing paper 6 is designated by the input medium 1 and the storage medium 3 registered with the name information 5 for specifying the paper. The setting means 2 reads out the corresponding setting information 4 from the storage medium 3 and sets the setting information 4 based on the name information. (2) Second Invention In the first invention, the storage medium 3 is configured to be a storage medium that can be attached to and detached from the device. (3) Third Invention In the above-mentioned first invention or second invention, it is configured to have a registration means for registering the setting information 4 by a command from the host device. (4) Fourth Invention In the above-mentioned first invention or second invention, it is configured to have a registration means for registering the setting information 4 by the input information from the operator panel. (5) Fifth Invention A storage medium in which predetermined setting information relating to printing paper is registered, and a printer device which reads out and sets corresponding setting information from the storage medium by designation from an input means,
A setting information printout unit is provided which prints out designated setting information or a list of registered setting information according to an instruction from the input unit.

[0019]

(1) First aspect of the present invention Registers the setting conditions (paper thickness, line feed pitch, etc., hereinafter referred to as setting information 4) of the printing paper 6 in the printer to the storage medium 3 provided in the printer. In this case, the specific name information 5, for example, if the paper is a shipping slip, it is named so as to be associated with the paper used, such as "Shucker",
The name information 5 (hereinafter also referred to as “name”) is registered.

When this "name" is designated by the input means 1, the setting means 2 takes out the setting information 4 registered by the "name" and prints the mechanical section setting mechanism, which is the actual setting means. It is stored in a register or the like that the control unit or the like refers to.
In this way, by using the “name” representing the paper name instead of the registration number, it is possible to easily associate the registered name with the paper used, so that the operator's mistake in selecting the setting information is reduced. (2) Second Invention In the first invention, as the storage medium 3, a storage medium detachable from the printer device, for example, a floppy disk is used. This facilitates registration with another device having a sufficient function as an input unit, such as a personal computer, and the operability is improved because it is not necessary to register with the printer device itself. (3) Third invention In the first invention or the second invention, registration means for decoding the command is provided, and the setting information is registered by the command sent from the connected host device.

This eliminates the need for a special registration device and facilitates the registration operation. (4) Fourth invention In the first invention or the second invention, setting information is entered as “name” by inputting kana characters or the like from the operator panel.
Register with. As a result, it becomes possible to register the setting information by "name" in the printer device alone. (5) Fifth Invention A printer is provided with setting information printout means. By starting this means, the designated setting information of the setting information registered in the recording medium or a list of the setting information is printed out. As a result, the contents of the setting information registered by the name, the number, etc. are output and can be easily confirmed.

As described above, since the setting information relating to the paper (or the setting information relating to the printing format) is registered with the name information 5, the selection mistake of the setting information can be reduced, and a plurality of operators can use one machine. The registered name will not be duplicated even when sharing the same printer. Further, since the registered setting information can be printed out, it is easy to confirm the contents.

[0023]

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an embodiment, FIG. 3 is an external view of the embodiment, FIG. 4 is an operation (part 1) flowchart, and FIG.
Is an operation (No. 2) flowchart, FIG. 6 is an operation (No. 3) flowchart, and FIG. 7 is an edit processing flowchart. Note that the same reference numeral represents the same object throughout the drawings.

In this embodiment, as the storage medium 3 (FIG. 1) for registering the setting information 4 in the printer device 30, a removable floppy disk 37 is adopted in the printer device 30 as shown in FIG. The setting information 4 can be registered in the floppy disk 37 by operating the panel 39 and the command from the connected host device 47, and the method of separately registering the setting information 4 in the floppy disk 37 by the personal computer 50 or the like will be described.

Although the setting information 4 can be called and the printing output of the setting information 4 at the time of printing can be performed from both the operator panel 39 and the host device 47, only the method of operating the operator panel 39 will be described for the printing output. To do.

Further, the operator panel 39 has shown an example of one having a minimum required function, but it goes without saying that the operation can be facilitated if the number of kinds of keys can be increased. In the operator panel 39 of FIG. 2, reference numeral 40 is a display, which is composed of, for example, 2 rows and 16 digits, and displays alphanumeric characters and katakana. 41 is an input key.
Katakana is displayed in a predetermined order at a predetermined position to be input, for example, a position designated by a cursor. A confirmation key 42 is pressed, and by pressing this, the character input displayed by the input key 41 is confirmed. Reference numeral 43 denotes a registration key, which is pressed to register the input setting information 4.
A print key 44 prints out a list of the setting information 4 corresponding to the “name” displayed on the display unit 40, or a list of all registered setting information 4. Reference numeral 45 is a call key, and the “name” corresponding to the setting information 4 registered in the setting information table 36b is sequentially displayed on the display unit 40. At this time, if the enter key 42 is pressed, the setting information 4 of the "name" being displayed is set in the register 18, respectively. Reference numeral 46 is a setting mode key, and when pressed, the setting, printing, and registration operations of the setting information 4 by the operator panel 39 become effective.

Reference numeral 31 denotes an operator panel processing unit which is provided with a character generator, item character information of the setting information 4, for example, "calling pitch =", etc., and when the setting mode is set, the character based on the operation input is displayed on the display unit. While displaying on 40, registration and setting of the setting information 4 by the operator panel 39 described later,
Performs processing such as printing.

An IF unit (interface unit) 33 exchanges data with the host device 47. When a command processing unit 34 receives a command related to the setting information 4 from the host device 47, the command processing unit 34 performs registration and setting processing by a command described later.

A setting information table 36b stores setting information 4 corresponding to the registered "name". 36a
Is a name table in which the address (registration destination address) in the setting information table 36b of the setting information 4 corresponding to the registered "name" is stored. With such a table structure, when "Name" is entered, the name table 36
The registration destination address is extracted from a, and the setting information 4 corresponding to the "name" is read from the setting information table 36b based on the registration destination address.

Reference numeral 35 is a memory in which the name table 36a, the setting information table 36b and the like are read from the floppy disk 37 and stored for update processing and the like. Reference numeral 18 denotes a plurality of registers, which are provided for each set value of the setting information 4 and the contents thereof are referred to during setting, printing, and registration processing.

A central processing unit 33 controls each part. FIG. 3 is an external view of one embodiment, particularly the operator panel 39.
However, the present invention is not limited to this, as a matter of course. The display unit 40 displays the status of the printer device 30.

With the above configuration, the following operation is performed. (Processing by the operator panel) See FIG. 4 and FIG. 5. When operating on the operator panel 39, the setting mode key
Press 46. As a result, the printer device 30 is set to the setting mode, and the setting operation by the operator panel 39 becomes possible. The following processing is performed by the operator panel processing unit.
Done at 31. (1) Input of set value Input each set value of the setting information 4 from the operator panel 39. Select the characters one by one using the input key 41 and the enter key 42, and enter as in "Weighing pitch = ***". When the enter key 42 is pressed again after finishing the input, the set value "*" is set in the line feed pitch register of the registers 18.
** "is stored.

There are also the following methods for simplifying these inputs. For example, the registration key 43 (other keys may be pressed) while pressing the input key 41. As a result, the setting value names to be input are sequentially displayed on the upper stage of the display unit 40 as shown in the figure. Then, when "Calling pitch =" is displayed, the input is made as "***" in the lower part of the display section 40. (2) Name input In this way, enter the page length, left margin, paper thickness, etc., and finally enter the registered name "Hisou" (meaning delivery slip, shorter name is preferable if there is no risk of error) Input.

If there is a correction, the content of the register 18 is updated by re-inputting it repeatedly. From the above, register 18
All set values were entered in. In this state ("name" is displayed), registration, printing of print data sent from the host device 47, and printout of the setting information 4 can be performed by the following operations. (3) Registration When the registration key 43 of the operator panel 39 is pressed, the operator panel processing unit 31 performs registration processing of each set value stored in the register 18. [(7) in FIG. 5] First, the floppy disk 37 is searched for free space. If there is, the name table 36a is updated, and then the name table 36a and the setting information table 36b are stored in the floppy disk 37. to register. If not, a message indicating that registration is impossible is displayed on the display unit 40.

The above is the case of updating the created table, and shows the case where the name table 36a and the setting information table 36b are read from the floppy disk 37 to the memory 35 and updated. When a new table is created, the editing process described later is performed. (4) Settings at the time of printing When paper selection by "name" is input from the operator panel 39, paper selection processing is performed. This paper selection is
The call key 45 is used. Each time this key is pressed, the registered “name” is displayed, and by pressing the confirm key 42, the displayed “name” is input to the operator panel processing unit 31. [(8) in FIG. 5] It is searched whether the input "name" is in the name table 36a. The setting information 4 corresponding to the "name" selected from the floppy disk 37 is set in each register. If not, a call not possible message is displayed.

When a print command is output from the host device 47, gap control, edit processing, etc. are performed by each section in charge according to the contents of this setting. In the setting value input of (1) above, when the “name” is displayed, the paper of the “name” is placed on the printer device 30 to print. In other words, if "name" is displayed on the display unit 40,
Since the setting information 4 of the "name" is stored in the register 18, printing is performed based on the contents of the register 18 by the print command. (5) Setting information printing When the "Name" is entered from the operator panel 39 (calling the "Name" with the call key 45) and the print key 44 is pressed, is the entered "Name" in the name table 36a? Will be searched.

The setting information 4 corresponding to the "name" is read from the floppy disk 37 and set in the register 18,
The set value is printed. If not, a call-disabled message is displayed. [(9) in FIG. 5] When printing the list, a specific command is input by the input key 41 and the print key 44 is pressed. As a result, the list of the setting information 4 corresponding to the “name” is printed out. (6) Setting mode end When the setting mode key 46 is pressed again, the setting mode is released.

(Processing by Host) See FIG. 6 The following processing is performed by the command processing unit 34. [Registration] (10) The host unit 47 sends a setting information registration command to the IF unit 33.
Receive via. (11) The "name" of the paper specified by the command and the set value group (setting information 4) are set in each register 18. In addition,
The setting information registration command is composed of a command header + parameter 1 (name) + parameter 2 (line feed pitch) + ... (12) Search the floppy disk 37 for free space. If so, after updating the name table 36a, the name table 36a
Register a and the setting information table 36b in the floppy disk 37. (13) If not, a message that registration is impossible is displayed. [Call for printing] (14) Receive a setting information call command from the host device 47. The call command has the same format as the registration command except for the command header indicating the call. (15) It is searched whether the entered "name" is in the name table 36a. (16) If there is, the "name" of the paper specified by the command and the set value group are set in each register 18. As a result, the settings for printing are performed. (17) If the specified "name" does not exist in the name table 36a, a call impossible message is displayed.

(Registering / editing process by the processing device) See FIG. 7. The floppy disk 37 is used for another processing device, for example, a personal computer.
Insert into the drive device 51 of 50, create new tables,
Registration processing of the setting information 4 is performed. The registered floppy disk 37 is called by the name information 5 (“name”) by inserting it into the printer device 30, and the registered floppy disk 37 is registered.
It is stored in 18 and is used for print settings and print output.
Moreover, it is additionally registered. (1) The editing unit 52 of the personal computer 50 confirms whether the floppy disk 37 is inserted in the drive device 51, and then reads the name table 36a (name of registration sheet and registration destination address) from the floppy disk 37.

If the name table 36a does not exist, an initial value name table 36a is created in the internal memory. Next, the operator selects new editing or call editing using the keyboard. (2) Enter the name of new edit paper, page length, line feed pitch, left margin, etc., and setting information 4 from the keyboard.
The editing unit 52 sets these set values in an internal register of the personal computer 50. The input set value group is displayed on the display at any time.

When the input is completed, the registration is performed according to the following procedure. The name table 36a on the internal memory is updated with the newly input name. Name table 36 shows each setting value set in the internal register.
Write to the floppy disk 37 according to the registered address (newly set) in a.

A message indicating that registration has been completed is displayed. (3) Call edit The name table 36a is read from the already registered floppy disk 37 and set in the table on the internal memory.

When the setting information 4 to be edited is designated from the keyboard, the editing section 52 reads the designated setting information 4 from the floppy disk 37 and sets it in the internal register. The read set values and the like are displayed on the display.

The paper name, page length, line feed pitch, left margin, etc. are input from the keyboard and set in the internal register. The input set value group is displayed on the display at any time.

When the input is completed, it is registered in the floppy disk 37 by the same processing as in the above-described step of new editing. As described above, since the setting information 4 corresponding to the paper is registered with the “name” of the name information 5 corresponding to the paper, the operator's paper selection error is reduced. Further, since the setting information 4 is printed and issued by the printer device 30, confirmation can be facilitated, and it is possible to prevent confusion of registration and setting even when a plurality of operators use various kinds of printing papers. Becomes

Further, the setting information 4 is stored in the floppy disk.
Since the storage medium such as 37 is stored in the storage medium that can be attached to and detached from the printer device 30, there is an effect that registration work becomes easy.

[0047]

As described above, the present invention is a printer in which setting conditions relating to a sheet are set by a "name" corresponding to the sheet and those set values are set by designating the "name". As the device is provided, it is easy for the operator to recognize the correspondence between the registered name and the paper, so there is no setting error, it is not necessary for the individual to manage the correspondence table, and many operators can easily share the printer device. There is an effect that can be done.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a principle diagram of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of an embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an external view of one embodiment

[Fig. 4] Operation (No. 1) flow chart

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the operation (No. 2)

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the operation (No. 3)

[Figure 7] Editing process flowchart

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a conventional example

[Explanation of symbols]

1 input means 2 setting means 3 storage medium 4 setting information,
Set value 5 Name information 6 Printing paper 10 Printer device 11 Operator panel 12 Setting mode key 13 Enter key 14 Input key 15 Display section 16 Operator panel processing section 17 Setting section 18 Register 19 Mechanical section Setting mechanism 20 Print control section 21 Printer mechanical section 22 Setting information table 25 Host device 30 Printer device 31 Operator panel processing unit 32 Central processing unit CPU 33 IF unit 34 Command processing unit 35 Memory 36a Name table 36b Setting information table 37 Floppy disk 39 Operator panel 40 Display unit 41 Input key 42 Confirm Key 43 Registration key 44 Print key 45 Call key 46 Setting mode key 47 Host device 50 Personal computer 51 Drive device 52 Editing section

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Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. Predetermined setting information relating to printing paper (6)
(4) reads the corresponding setting information from the storage medium (3) registered with the name information (5) specifying the paper and the corresponding name information specified by the input means (1). A printer device, comprising: setting means (2) for setting. 2. The printer device according to claim 1, wherein the storage medium is a storage medium that is removable from the apparatus. 3. The printer device according to claim 1, further comprising a registration unit that receives a command from the host device and registers the setting information. 4. The printer device according to claim 1, further comprising an operator panel, and registration means for registering the setting information according to input information from the operator panel. 5. A storage medium in which predetermined setting information relating to printing paper is registered, and a printer apparatus for reading out and setting corresponding setting information from the storage medium by designation from the input means, in accordance with an instruction from the input means. A printer device having a setting information printout unit for printing out a list of designated setting information or registered setting information.