JPS62257867A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable constructed printing data to be freely deleted through a manual operation at the moment printing data outputted from the host side are stored in a page memory, by clearing printing information constructed in a page buffer memory by a data-controlling means in accordance with the input status of a clearing switch. CONSTITUTION:A CPU 4 analyzes printing data and control data stored in an input buffer 3, stores printing control information based on the analyzed data into a printing control memory 5, and stores dot patterns for characters based on the printing data into an output page buffer 6. A character generator 7 generates dot patterns for characters corresponding to character codes analyzed by the CPU 4, and transfers the dot patterns to the output page buffer 6. A printer interface part 8 interfaces to a page printer 9, e.g., a laser beam printer, whereby page-basis printing data stored in the buffer 6 are sent to the page printer 9. A clearing switch 10 commands the CPU 4 to clear the printing data stored in the page buffer 6.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a printing device that prints print information stored in a page buffer memory.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, in this type of device, print data (code data) and control codes input from an external device, such as a host computer, are temporarily stored in an input buffer of the printing device, and the stored print data is analyzed and the control code is processed. An analysis is performed, characters corresponding to the analyzed print data are generated, and character data for one page is stored in a page memory. Then, printing was performed while synchronizing the printer, etc.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

However, even if some of the print data sent from the host computer is not important enough to be printed, the printer must print the input print data serially in the order in which it was sent. However, there have been problems in that subsequent printing data cannot be analyzed and printed, resulting in a significant delay in printing efficiency and throughput.

This invention was made to solve the above-mentioned problems.Once the print data sent from the host side is stored in the page memory, the created print data can be freely erased by manual operation. The purpose is to obtain a printing device.

[Means for solving problems]

The printing device according to the present invention includes a clear switch that outputs a stop command to stop printing the print information built in the page buffer memory, and a clear switch that outputs a stop command to stop printing the print information built in the page buffer memory, and a clear switch that outputs a stop command to stop printing the print information built in the page buffer memory. A data control means for clearing the data is provided.

[Effect]

In this invention, the data control means clears the print information constructed in the page buffer memory according to the input state of the clear switch.

[Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a control configuration of a printing apparatus showing an embodiment of the present invention. Reference numeral 1 indicates an external device such as a host computer, which transmits print data and control data to a printer control board 2. Let's go out.

3 is an input buffer that temporarily stores print data and control data sent from the external device 1; 4 is CPU
The print data and control data stored in the input buffer 3 are analyzed, and print control information based on the control data is stored in the print control memory 5, and the print data (
A character dot pattern based on the character code) is stored in the output page buffer (page buffer memory) 6.

A character generator (CG) 7 generates a character dot pattern according to the character code analyzed by the CPU 4 and transfers it to the output page buffer 6. Reference numeral 8 denotes a printer interface unit that interfaces the page-by-page print data stored in the output page buffer 76 to a page printer 9 constituted by, for example, a laser beam printer. 1
0 is a clear switch, which instructs the CPU 4 to clear the print data stored in the output page buffer 6. Note that the CPU 4 also serves as data control means of the present invention.

Next, the data control operation according to the present invention will be explained with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the character generation start position of the output page buffer 6 shown in FIG. 0, 0) from the coordinate value (x
, y).

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the print data clearing operation procedure according to the present invention. In addition, (1) to (
11) shows each step.

Print data and control data sent from the external device 1 are first stored in the input buffer 3. The CPU 4 performs initialization such as clearing the print control memory 5 (1)
. Next, one unit code is read out from the input buffer 3 (2), and the end of the data is determined (3). With this judgment, YE
If S, it is determined whether or not there is space in the output page buffer 64), and if YES, the control is terminated, and if No, the print data stored in the output page buffer 6 is transferred to the printer interface section 8. The data is transferred to the page printer 9 via the printer 9 and printed (5).

On the other hand, if the determination in step (3) is No, the print control information of the print data stored in the output page buffer 6 is stored in the print control memory 5, for example, as shown in FIG. Store character generation start address 11 (8)
0 Next, whether or not the clear switch 1o was pressed,
That is, it is determined whether a printing stop command has been input (7), and if No, the CPU 4 searches the character generator 7 for a corresponding character dot pattern according to the character code, and generates a character in the output page buffer 6 (8). ). Then,
When the output page buffer 6 becomes full, the print data stored in the output page buffer 6 is transferred to the page printer 9 via the printer interface unit 8 and printed (9).

On the other hand, if the judgment in step (7) is YES, NULL is sent to all addresses in the output page buffer 6, and the stored print data is deleted (10). Check the delimiter of the printing data (print data) and send NULL to the output page buffer 76 up to that delimiter to delete the data. Next, character generation start position 1 stored in the print control memory 5
Return the character occurrence position in the output page buffer 6 to 11) and return to step (2).

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, the present invention includes a clear switch that outputs a stop command to stop printing print information stored in a page buffer memory, and a clear switch that outputs a stop command to stop printing print information stored in a page buffer memory, and a clear switch that outputs a stop command to stop printing print information stored in a page buffer memory. Since the printer is equipped with a data control means for clearing the data, the print data built in the page buffer can be freely erased by manual operation before printing, and the print information sent from an external device can be selected and printed. Paper waste can be significantly reduced. Further, at the time of erasing print information, subsequent print data can be stored continuously from the print start position, which has excellent advantages such as greatly improving printing throughput.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the control configuration of a printing apparatus showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the character generation start position of the output page buffer shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the print data clearing operation procedure according to the present invention. In the figure, 1 is an external device, 3 is an input buffer, 4 is a CPU,
5 is a print control memory, 6 is an output page buffer, 7 is a character generator, 8 is a printer interface unit, 9 is a page printer, ]0 is a clear switch. Figure 3

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) In a printing device that builds and prints print information sent from an external device in a page buffer memory for each page, outputs a stop command to stop printing the print information built in the page buffer memory. A printing apparatus comprising: a clear switch; and data control means for clearing print information constructed in the page buffer memory based on an input state of the clear switch. (2) The data control means, after clearing the print information constructed in the page buffer memory, instructs the write address of the page buffer memory to the start address. printing device.