JPS63122583A - Recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To assort the output recorded on the basis of the data inputted from each host by host, by mounting a printing control means for printing a discriminated page preliminarily stored when the discrimination element stored in a memory means is rewritten. CONSTITUTION:Interfaces 3a-3c give and receive the printing data transmitted from hosts 1a-1c through communication paths 7a-7c. An interface register 5 stores a discrimination element for discriminating the interfaces accessed by CPU 4. CPU 4 also functions as an output control means to process printing data and transmits the image data for a discriminated page preliminarily stored to a printer engine 6 when the discrimination element stored in the interface register 5 is written to output the same in front of the leading page of the printing data from the next host.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a recording device that receives an input digital signal and forms an image on a recording medium, and particularly relates to a recording device that has a plurality of data input means. It is something.

[Conventional technology]

Traditionally, general-purpose computers, minicomputers.

2. Description of the Related Art It is widely practiced to record output from an information processing device (hereinafter referred to as a host) such as a personal computer or a word processor onto a recording medium using a recording device.

With the rapid advancement of electronic technology in recent years, hosts are rapidly becoming cheaper and becoming more popular, but the price of recording devices has been falling at a slower pace than that, and they are relatively expensive compared to hosts. This makes it expensive and prevents the use of recording devices. Furthermore, the usage time of the recording device is shorter than the usage time of the host, and the expensive recording device is often idle for most of the time.

In order to improve these problems, a recording device has been proposed that has a plurality of data input means and is connected to a plurality of hosts, thereby increasing usage efficiency.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

However, even in this type of recording system, when processing data input from multiple hosts, the output based on the input data from each host, that is, the output paper, will be mixed, and the output for each host will be different. There were problems such as it became very difficult to sort or separate the paper.

This invention was made to solve the above problems, and when a recording device sends and receives input data input from each host, the host destination information of the input data is stored and the host destination information is rewritten. To provide a recording device capable of sorting recorded output based on data input from each host by each host by printing an identification page stored in advance according to the host.

[Means for solving problems]

The recording device according to the present invention stores a plurality of data exchange means for exchanging each print data inputted from a plurality of hosts, and an identifier for identifying the data exchange means to be used among the plurality of data exchange means. A storage means and a print control means for printing an identification page stored in advance when rewriting the identifier stored in the storage means are provided.

[Effect]

In this invention, when print data sent from a plurality of hosts is sent and received by each data transfer means, and when each data transfer means prints the print data sent and received, an identifier for identifying each data transfer means is stored in the storage means. When the identifier stored in the storage means is rewritten, the print control means prints the previously stored identification page.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which 1 is a host section that serves as a data supply source, for example, in the case where it is composed of three hosts (la to 1C). This is an indication. 2 is a recording apparatus main body, which includes interfaces 3a to 3c, a CPU 4. Interface register 5.
Consists of print engine 6, etc., and interface 3
A to 3c exchange print data transferred from hosts 1a to 1C via communication paths 7a to 7C. The interface register 5 stores an identifier for identifying the interface that the CPU 4 is accessing. The CPU 4 also serves as an output control means of the present invention, and when the print data being processed by the CPU 4 is rewritten to the identifier stored in the interface register 5, the image data for the identification page stored in advance is sent to the printer engine 6. and output it before the first page of print data from the next host. Note that the interface register 5 is CP
It may be provided in the RAM area of U4. Note that the recording device main body section 2 is provided with a member for recording print data inputted by a known electrophotographic process, but since it has little relevance to the present invention, a description thereof will be omitted.

Next, the printing control operation according to the present invention will be explained with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the printing control procedure according to the present invention. Note that (1) to (6) indicate each step, and each procedure is stored in a program memory (not shown).

The CPU 4 initializes the interface register 5 (1
), Next, refer to the identifier stored in the interface register 5 to determine whether or not there is print data from the host unit 1 (2). If YES in this determination, it corresponds to the identifier stored in the interface register 5. 3) Analyzes the print data from the interface to be used, for example, the interface 3a, and prints it using the print engine 6.
, return to step (2), and if NO, change the identifier stored in the interface register 5 to the identifier of the next interface, for example, interface 3b! (4) Next, refer to the identifier stored in the interface register 5 to determine whether or not there is print data from the host unit 1 (5). If the determination is No, step (4)
Return to step 6), and if YES, transfer the print data of the identification page according to a predetermined format stored in advance to the print engine 6, and print the identification page.
Return to 3). In this way, YES in step (5) above
This occurs when there is print data immediately after each interface 3a to 3C switches, so it is immediately before printing the first page of a series of data groups from that interface, and at this point, the CPU 4 Since an identification page is printed for each host, marks are used to sort all the print outputs, making it possible to identify the print outputs from each host.

FIG. 3 shows the steps (
4) is a flowchart explaining the detailed operation procedure of step 4). Note that (11) to (15) indicate each step.

The CPU 4 determines whether the identifier stored in the interface register 5 indicates the interface 3a (11), and if the determination is YES, rewrites the identifier so as to indicate the interface 3b (12);
Proceed to step (5) shown in Figure 2, and if No, the CPU
4 determines whether the identifier stored in the interface register 5 indicates the interface 3b (13), and if YES, rewrites the identifier so as to indicate the interface 3C (14), and steps shown in FIG. Proceeding to step (5), if NO, CPtT4 rewrites the identifier stored in the interface register 5 so as to specify the interface 3a (15), and proceeds to step (5) shown in FIG.

In the above embodiment, a case has been described in which the print data is processed by cyclically switching the interfaces 3a to 3C, but a priority is given to one of the interfaces 3a to 3c to process the print data. If configured to process specific data, specific data processing can be performed smoothly. It goes without saying that the identification page can be clearly distinguished from print output from other hosts by printing a predetermined mark on the edge of the ejected output paper.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, the present invention includes a plurality of data exchange means for exchanging each print data inputted from a plurality of hosts, and an identifier for identifying the data exchange means to be used among the plurality of data exchange means. Since the storage means and the print control means for printing the pre-stored identification page when rewriting the identifier stored in the storage means are provided, printing can be performed based on print data input from multiple hosts. It becomes possible to easily sort the printed output based on the identification page, and sorting has the excellent advantage of greatly reducing work.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. In the figure, 1 is a host unit, and 2 is a recording device main unit. 3a to 3c are interfaces 7, z-s, 4 is a CPU, 5 is an interface register, and 6 is a print engine.

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a recording device that forms an image on a recording medium based on print data input from the outside, a plurality of data exchange means for exchanging each print data input from a plurality of hosts; , comprising a storage means for storing an identifier for identifying the data exchange means to be used, and a print control means for printing an identification page stored in advance when rewriting the identifier stored in the storage means. recording device.