JPS5825980A - Information output unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable users to discover errors in a paper size quickly by judging paper size information from a printing section in comparison with the paper size based on a printing command in a recorder designed to output information by pages. CONSTITUTION:In a print information output unit InD designed to monitor print information output action between a host computer 101 and a recorder 105, a first control section 201 receives and sends information to a second control section 202 from the host computer 101. Paper size information from a recorder 105 is inputted into the second control section passing through a discriminator section 108a. When the paper size is wrong, it provides a wait signal to the first control section 201 while indicating an error on a display 108. When receiving the wait signal, the first control section 201 outputs a wait signal to the host computer 101 to halt the direction for the subsequent page.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an information output device, and more particularly to an information output device that outputs desired text information to a recording device such as a printer under the supervision of an arithmetic processing unit.

Conventionally, for example, electrostatic recording devices or inkjet recording devices using laser beams, optical fibers, etc.
Various devices have been developed and proposed for outputting page information using CRT display devices and the like.

This type of recording device, for example, when recording text, takes out each line sequentially from a storage device such as a magnetic tape (MT) or disk (continuously in the sweep direction of a raster scan such as a laser beam) Generally, a character code is output for each line, and a necessary character signal is generated by a character generator in accordance with the character code to record the characters on the recording paper.

However, when the information is output by the information output device that outputs information to the recording device described above, the recording of one page is completed;
When recording text information for the next page, a device with a recording section for only one page cannot record the next page immediately after finishing recording the previous page, making continuous high-speed recording impossible. There was a flaw. Another drawback is that even if the paper size changes during continuous recording, the process is not noticeable from the outside.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and allows the user to quickly know the current state suitable for printing when the paper size differs from the one set at the time of recording. The object of the present invention is to provide an information output device that enables high-speed recording.

In order to achieve this objective, the present invention uses a specified paper size and printing section based on a printing command from an arithmetic processing unit.
The present invention is characterized by the provision of information output means for comparing and determining the paper size information of the paper sizes and informing the outside of the current state suitable for printing.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings.

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram including an information output device according to the present invention (2), and 101 is a host computer, and a recording device 1 including a printing unit such as a laser beam printer.
Print information output device In for outputting print information to 05
The print information output operation of D is monitored.

The host computer 1 is connected to this print information output device 1nD.
Information from 01 is input via interface 102. Its internal structure manages the page storage devices 103 and 104 shown in FIG. 1 and the second page that record text information on a page-by-page basis, and the information in each page storage device 103 and 104. First and second control units 106 and 107 containing central processing units CPU 1 and CPU 2, and the recording device 10 described above.
5 and a paper size determination device that determines the paper size based on information from control units 106 and 107.

The operation of the information output device 1nD having the above-described configuration will be explained. One page worth of text information is output from the host computer 101 and is sent to the first control unit 10 via the interface 102.
6, the receiver stores the taken text information in the first page storage device 103 as an image of the paper size specified by the host computer 101. Upon receiving one page of text information, the first control unit 106 transfers the information in the first page storage device 103 to the second page storage device 104. The second control unit 107 transfers information from the second page storage device 104 to the recording device 10.
5, and the recording device 105 outputs a character code for each line, generates necessary character signals in accordance with the character code, and performs recording.

The first control unit 106 and the second control unit 107 execute processing asynchronously, and are synchronized only when transferring data between the page storage devices 103 and 104.
While outputting the information in the page storage device 104 to the recording device 105, the first control section 106 controls the host computer 101.
Parallel processing for importing data into the first page storage device 103 can be performed. The first control unit 106 mainly registers characters and stores text information in the first page storage device 103 according to the format and paper size.
The second page storage device 107 controls the recording device 105 and outputs the text information in the second page storage device 104 to the recording device 105 line by line.

FIG. 21 is a block diagram of the system shown in FIG.
The same reference numerals as in FIG. 1 indicate corresponding parts. 201
1 is a first control device including an interface 102, a first page storage device 103, and a first control unit 106 shown in FIG. The information is input and based on the paper size judgment result, if they do not match, a wait signal is given to the host computer 101 to temporarily stop instructing the next page. A second control device 202 includes a second page storage device 104 and a second control unit 10, 7 shown in FIG. Information such as the paper size is input, and based on the paper size determination result, if they do not match, a wait signal is given to the first control unit 201, and data regarding the next page, print signal, paper size, etc. Pause the transfer of information. Reference numeral 108b is a display device, and the paper size determining unit 108a displays information from the host computer 10.1 to the first . The second control unit 201 displays the current state suitable for printing externally based on the result of comparing and determining the paper size instructed via the bolt 202 and the paper size information detected from the storage device 105. The recording device 105 includes a paper size detection device 105a and a printing unit 105.
The paper size detection device 1 receives a check request from the paper size determination unit 108b when checking the paper size.
05a to the printing unit 105b, and the current paper size is returned from the printing unit 105b to the paper size 2 discrimination IP' 103a via the paper size detection device 105a. Therefore, the paper size discrimination device 108 in FIG. 1 includes a paper size discrimination section 108a and a display device 10.
8b.

Next, the operation of the apparatus shown in FIG. 2 will be explained.

The host computer 101 receives character information (
data), print signals, paper size, and other information to the first control unit 201. The first control unit 201 creates character information (data) into a page image and uses the built-in storage device 10.
3 (see FIG. 1), and when the processing of one page sentence is completed, this text information is stored in the built-in storage device 104 (see FIG. (see).

The second control unit 202 that has received this text information notifies the paper size determination device 108 of the paper size. When the paper size determination device 108 receives the paper size from the second control unit 202, it issues a signal called a check request to activate the paper size detection device 105a of the recording device 105. The activated paper size detection device 105a checks the state of the printing unit 105b, receives information corresponding to the paper size, and sends this information back to the paper size discrimination device 108. The paper size determination device 108 compares the paper size information received from the paper size detection device 105a with the paper size instructed by the second control unit 202, and sends the status indicating this state to the second control unit 2.
Send it back to 02. The second control unit 202 checks this status and if the paper sizes match, it outputs to the printing unit 105b, and if they do not match, the second control unit 202 judges the status and instructs to replace the paper in the recording device 105. At the same time as outputting the message to the display device 203, the first control unit 2
01, a wait signal is output to temporarily stop the transfer of the next page's information. The first control unit 201 transmits this wait signal to the host computer 101 to temporarily stop receiving data.

The status sent from the paper size determination unit 108a varies depending on the type of paper size that the recording device 105 can output, but for example, A4. B4. A5. If four types of B5 are made, the table shown in FIG. 3 will be created, for example.

In Figure 3, the status is 0.5. In the case of A and F, since the paper sizes match, printing is performed as is, and in the case of other statuses, the following processing is performed. In other words, when the status is 1.2.3, it instructs to load A4 paper, and when the status is 4.6.7, it instructs to load B4 paper.
and the status is 8.9.
If it is H, set A5 paper (two instructions and the status is C or D.

When E, instructs to set B5 paper.

One embodiment of the present invention has the configuration and operation described above, so if the paper size differs from the one set during recording,
The user can display the current state suitable for printing on the display device 203, and can quickly change the display to an appropriate paper size to perform high-speed printing.

Note that if the paper sizes do not match, in this embodiment the message is simply displayed on the display device, but instead of this display device, a buzzer or voice output device is attached to determine the paper size to be set. If you do this, you will be able to tell if something is wrong even if you are far away, and all you have to do is replace the cassette according to the voice prompts.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, processing is performed by giving priority to the paper size received from the host computer, but conversely, priority is given to the paper size of the recording device, and if the paper size is different, this information is notified to the host computer. If the host computer performs appropriate processing, more efficient processing can be achieved.

Furthermore, even if the paper size is different, if the text information output by the host computer is exchanged and processed according to the paper size, you can insert any paper size; Sakoninnu = ζ poison, same image. The host computer can output text information without being aware of the paper size.

As explained above, the information output device according to the present invention is
We have provided an information output means that compares and judges the specified paper size based on the print command and the paper size information from the printing unit and informs the outside of the current state suitable for printing. If there is a difference, the user can quickly know the current state suitable for printing, and this also enables high-speed recording.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a system configuration diagram including an information output device according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is a system block diagram including an information output device according to the present invention, and Fig. 3 is a system block diagram including the information output device according to the present invention. It is a table diagram showing the status at the time of detection.InD...Information output device 101...Host computer 102...Interface 103...
-First page storage device 104...second page storage device
105...Recording device 105a...Paper size detection device 105b...Printing section 106...First control section
107...Second control unit 108a...Paper size determination unit 108b...Display device 201...First control device 202...W12 control device patent applicant Canon Corporation

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1) In an information output device that outputs desired text information to a printing unit of a recording device based on a predetermined print command from an arithmetic processing device, a designated paper size based on the print command and the print 1. An information output device characterized by comprising information output means for comparing and determining paper size information from different sets and informing an external device of the current state suitable for printing. 2) The information output means includes a control unit that creates page-by-page text information based on a print command from the arithmetic processing unit, a storage unit that temporarily stores this text information, a paper size determination section that compares and determines paper size information from a printing section that performs a designated paper size based on the paper size, and a display device that notifies the outside of the current state suitable for printing based on the output of the paper size determination section. An information output device according to claim 1, characterized in that: