JPH085215B2 - Output device - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an output device such as a printer that generates and outputs output information based on input information input from the outside.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, a printing apparatus has been known in which font information corresponding to a code sent from a host computer or the like is read from a font memory and printed. In such a printing apparatus, a printing apparatus is used. The printer is provided with a function of recognizing the type of usable font information by printing a list of attribute information relating to font information contained in the printer.

In addition, when a font cartridge or the like that stores several sets of font information of various different attribute information (typeface, character pitch, character size) is connected to the printing device,
The attribute information regarding the font information built into the printing apparatus and the list of the attribute information regarding the font information written in the connected font cartridge are printed at the same time.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, as described above, in the related art, a list of attribute information relating to font information built in the printing apparatus, and
Since a list of attribute information related to font information contained in a font cartridge that can be attached to and detached from a printing device is output by printing, when there are many types of font information, the printing medium used for printing That is, there is a problem that the number of sheets increases.

Therefore, the output device of the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide the internal storage means and the external storage means when the external storage means is connected to the output device. Among the stored information, a list of attribute information relating to the information stored in the external storage means is output, while when the external transfer means is not connected, it is stored in the internal storage means of the output device. An object of the present invention is to provide an output device capable of reducing waste of a recording sheet as a print medium and shortening the time by selecting and printing out a list of attribute information relating to existing information.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above problems and achieve the object, the present invention is an output device that generates and outputs output information based on input information input from the outside. Internal storage means for storing information used when generating the output information,
Determining means for determining whether or not an external storage means for storing other information different from the information is connected to the output device; and the determining means for connecting the external storage means to the output device. When judged, a list of attribute information relating to the information stored in the external storage unit out of the information stored in the internal storage unit and the external storage unit is output, and the judgment unit outputs the external storage unit. When it is determined that the output device is not connected to the output device, the output control device outputs a list of attribute information relating to the information stored in the internal storage device.

Further, the information used when generating the output information is characterized in that it is a character pattern set.

Further, the attribute information is characterized by a style, pitch, and size of a character pattern set used when generating output information.

The output device is a printer.

[Operation] With the above configuration, when the external storage unit is connected, the attribute information regarding the information stored in the external storage unit among the information stored in the internal storage unit and the external storage unit of the output device. Is output, and when the external storage means is not connected to the output device, a list of attribute information relating to the information stored in the internal storage means is output.

[Embodiment] An embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings and a flowchart. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an output device according to an embodiment.

In FIG. 1, a host computer 1 that outputs print data and various print commands is connected to a control unit 21 in an output device main body 2, while a font cartridge 3 that stores a set of different character patterns is a control unit 21. It is made detachable via a connector 24 connected to.

The output device main body 2 is composed of a microprocessor including a RAM and a ROM (not shown), and converts the character code in the print data input from the control unit 21 and the host computer 1 which performs print control of the output device into corresponding pattern data. Built-in character set 22 and a dot printer unit that forms this converted pattern data as a permanent visible image on paper
It has 23 and.

Next, FIG. 2 shows a table in which the addresses of fonts built in the output device main body 2 are stored.
Further, FIG. 3 shows a table in which the addresses of the fonts contained in the font cartridge 3 are stored.

In both FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the display of “NULL” indicates that there is no font address.
The address value is zeroed.

Next, FIG. 4 is a flowchart for printing and outputting attribute information regarding fonts. In FIG.
In step S1, it is determined whether or not the font cartridge 3 is attached to the connector section 24. The mounting state can be easily detected by, for example, determining whether or not any one pair of connection pins of the connector 24 connected to the control unit 21 is short-circuited by mounting the font cartridge 3 as described above. To be judged. If the font cartridge 3 is not installed, step S2
Then, the pointer is moved to the head address of the built-in font address table shown in FIG. Then step S3
If the content pointed to by the pointer is a built-in font, the process advances to step S4, and the dot printer unit 23 prints attribute information about the built-in font.

On the other hand, if the content pointed to by the pointer is not the internal font in step S3, the process proceeds to step S6. If the content pointed to by the pointer is not "NULL", the process proceeds to step S5 and "NUL
If it is "L", it means that all the attribute information relating to the built-in font on the table has been printed, so the flow advances to step S7, and the print contents of the attribute information relating to the built-in font are printed by the output device and discharged.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S1 that the font cartridge 3 is attached, the process proceeds to step S8, and the pointer is moved to the head of the font address table of the font cartridge 3. Then proceed to step S9,
If the content pointed to by the pointer is the font of the font cartridge, the process proceeds to step S10, and the attribute information related to the font of the font cartridge is changed to the dot printer section.
It is printed by 23, the pointer is advanced by 1 in step S11, and the process returns to step S9.

Next, if the content pointed to by the pointer is not the font of the font cartridge 3 in step S9, the process proceeds to step S6. If the content pointed to by the pointer is not "NULL", the process proceeds to step S7 and the attributes relating to the font of the font cartridge 3 are set. The printed content of information is printed and then ejected.

As described above, when the font cartridge 3 is attached to the output device, it is possible to print only the attribute information regarding the font of the font cartridge 3.

FIG. 5 shows an output example of the attribute information regarding the built-in font when the font cartridge is not attached, and FIG. 6 shows an output example of the attribute information regarding the font inside the cartridge when the font cartridge is attached.

In the above embodiment, an example of a font cartridge, which is a character set storage means that is detachably attached to the output device via a connector, has been described, but an IC, a ROM card, an optical disk ROM having the same function as this The output device of the present invention is also applicable to character set storage means such as.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, a list of font attribute information (font set style, pitch, size, etc.) stored in the output device and font attribute information stored in the font cartridge. By selecting and printing the list of, it is possible to eliminate unnecessary printing of font attribute information.

As described above, according to the present invention, when the external storage means is connected to the output device, the information stored in the internal storage means and the external storage means is stored in the external storage means. While outputting the list of the attribute information related to the stored information, when the external storage means is not connected, the list of the attribute information related to the information stored in the internal storage means of the output device is selected and printed out. By doing so, it is possible to reduce the waste of the storage sheet, which is the print medium, and to shorten the time.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an output device 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a table diagram in which addresses of built-in fonts are stored, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a table diagram in which addresses are stored, FIG. 4 is a flowchart for printing out attribute information regarding fonts, FIG. 5 is an output example of attribute information regarding fonts when the font cartridge 3 is not installed, and FIG. 6 illustrates an output example of attribute information about fonts when the font cartridge 3 is mounted. In the figure, 1 ... Host computer, 2 ... Output device main body, 3 ... Font cartridge, 21 ... Control unit, 22 ...
… Built-in character set, 23 …… dot printer section, 24 …… connector section.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An output device for generating and outputting output information based on input information input from the outside, and internal storage means for storing information used when generating the output information, and the information. Determination means for determining whether or not external storage means for storing other information different from is connected to the output device, and the determination means determines that the external storage means is connected to the output device. Then, out of the information stored in the internal storage means and the external storage means, a list of attribute information relating to the information stored in the external storage means is output, and the determination means causes the external storage means to An output device comprising: output control means for outputting a list of attribute information relating to information stored in the internal storage means when it is determined that the output device is not connected to the output device. 2. The output device according to claim 1, wherein the information used when the output information is generated is a character pattern set. 3. The attribute information is a character pattern set style, pitch, which is used when generating output information.
The output device according to claim 1, wherein the output device is a size. 4. The output device according to claim 1, wherein the output device is a printer.