JPS6373417A - Terminal controller - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To perform the even print control to the print requests given from each terminal equipment by retrieving the available ones out of all printers controlled by the terminal equipments and indicating the print to the print requests of each terminal equipment. CONSTITUTION:When a print request is sent to a print control mechanism 9 from a terminal equipment via a data input/output mechanism 8, the mechanism 9 refers sequentially a printer state table 10 to retrieve an available printer. When an available printer is detected, the corresponding printer state is set under a print unable state in the table 10. Then the mechanism 8 delivers a print indication. If no available printer is obtained, the relevant print request is rejected.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a terminal control device that controls a plurality of terminal devices and a plurality of printing devices.

[Conventional technology]

Figure 5 shows a terminal system using a conventional terminal control device.
In Figure 1, (2) to (4) are terminal devices having means for notifying the terminal control device αD of printing requests from the terminal operator or the adaptive program on the terminal device, (51, +
61 is a printing device that performs printing in response to a print instruction from the terminal control device a11; (81 is a communication line (7) for inputting and outputting data between the multi-terminal control device a9 and the terminal devices (2) to (4); data input/output a! structure, ia is data input/output structure (
This is a print control mechanism that performs print control using an 81 higher-level program.

Next, the operation will be explained. When the data input/output mechanism (81) receives a print request and print data from a terminal device (2) to which a printing device is connected and has a printing function, the print control mechanism rJ's output is the terminal device that made the print request + 2). The printed printing device 15) is instructed to print.

Similarly, in response to a print request from the terminal device (3), the printing device (6) is instructed to print. In addition, in response to a print request from a terminal device (41) that does not have a print function, the print control mechanism a
The printer instructs a predetermined printing device (5) or (6) to print, or rejects the printing request. Therefore, when printing on a predetermined printing device (5) or (6), a print request from the terminal device (2) or (3) to which the printing device is connected and a print request from the terminal device (4) are required.
! There are competing printing requests, and the one that is late will be rejected.Printing requests will be rejected until the printing is completed. Furthermore, when the print control device *a'a rejects a print request from a terminal device (4) that does not have a printing function, all print requests from the terminal device (4) are rejected.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

As described above, in conventional terminal control devices, in response to a print request from a terminal device that does not have a printing function, printing is performed on a predetermined printing device, thereby making it possible to match the print request from a specific other terminal device. In a terminal system that includes terminal devices that do not have a printing function, printing may be controlled unevenly in response to printing requests from each terminal device, such as when conflicts occur or when all printing requests from terminal devices that do not have a printing device are rejected. The problem was that it had to be done.

This invention was made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and provides a terminal system that is composed of a plurality of terminal devices and a plurality of printing devices, and includes a terminal device with a printing function and a terminal device without a printing function. An object of the present invention is to provide a terminal control device that performs uniform printing control in response to printing requests from each terminal device.

[Means for solving problems]

The terminal control device according to the present invention includes a printing device state table that holds a state corresponding to each printing device for managing the states of a plurality of printing devices controlled by the terminal control device, and a printing device state table that holds a state corresponding to each printing device for managing the state of a plurality of printing devices controlled by the terminal control device. A print control @ structure that searches for an available printing device by referring to the printing device status table, instructs the printing device to print, and writes the status of the printing device in the printing device status table at any time. It is prepared.

[Effect]

The terminal control device according to the present invention has a printing function because it searches for a usable printing device among all the printing devices controlled by the terminal control device and instructs printing in response to a printing request from each terminal device. In a terminal system including a terminal device and a terminal device without a printing function, uniform printing control is performed for printing requests from each terminal device.

[Embodiments of the invention]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1st
In the figure, the same reference numerals as in FIG. 5 indicate the same or corresponding parts, and (1) is a communication control device of the present invention.

(9) is a printing control mechanism that manages the status of the printing device and controls printing requests from the terminal device; (11 is a printing device status table that holds the status of each printing device);

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing print request processing from a terminal device in the terminal system of FIG. 1.

(2) to (to) are each step, and FIG. 3 shows a failure occurrence notification from the printing device in the terminal system of FIG. 1, specifically, the power is turned off and a request for operator intervention is generated.

This is a flowchart showing the processing in response to the occurrence of a permanent failure, etc., where ω~(A) indicates each step, and Figure 4 is a notification that printing is possible from the printing device in the terminal system in Figure 1, specifically, when printing has completed normally. , power on.

This is a flowchart showing a process for canceling an operator intervention request, etc., and 01 to 1 are each step.

The operation of the terminal control device in the terminal system of FIG. 1 will be explained below with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4.

A print request from the terminal device is transmitted from the data input/output mechanism (8) to the print controller #1 (91) (step clJ'
l and.

The printing control mechanism (9) sequentially refers to the printing device status table a to search for an available printing device (step c!). l
If there is a usable printing device, the corresponding printing device status in the printing device status table lumi 1 is set to a non-printing state (step C!5), and the data input/output mechanism (8) instructs printing ( Step (1)). If there is no usable printing device, reject the printing request B (step (5))
.

Printing device failure from terminal device occurs in data input/output mechanism 1
8) Information is sent to the print control mechanism (9) (step o
O), the print control mechanism +81 sets the corresponding printer status in the printer status table to a print-disabled state (step 011), and the print-enabled notification from the terminal device is sent to the data input/output mechanism (8) for printing. When this information is transmitted to the control mechanism (9) (step (4G)), the printing control mechanism (9) sets the corresponding printing device status in the printing device status chart Q to a printable state (step (411)).

In the above embodiment, all of the printing devices are connected to a terminal device that can make printing requests, but it is also possible to connect the printing device directly to the terminal control device via a communication line and provide a printing-only terminal in the terminal system. You can.

In addition, in the above embodiment, only one printing device status table exists in the terminal control device, but when there are many printing devices, the printing device status is managed using multiple printing device status tables, and printing requests are handled in response to printing requests. The search range for usable printing devices may be limited by selecting a printing device status table.

Further, in the above embodiment, the printing device status table is searched to determine the printing device for all printing requests. It may also be possible to instruct printing only to.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, in response to a printing request from each terminal device, a usable printing device is searched among all the printing devices controlled by the terminal control device and printing is instructed.
In a terminal system including a foam terminal device with a printing function and a terminal device without a printing function, uniform printing control is performed for printing requests unique to each terminal device.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention. 2 to 4 are flowcharts showing the operation of the device shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the conventional device. (1) is a terminal control device, (2) to (4! Fi terminal device, +51. +61 is a printing device, (71 is a communication line, (
8) is a data input/output mechanism. (9) is a printing control mechanism, and 01 is a printing device status table. Note that the same reference numerals in each figure indicate the same or corresponding parts.

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a terminal control device that is connected to a printing device and has a printing function and a terminal device that does not have a printing function through a communication line, and controls multiple terminal devices and multiple printing devices, A data input/output mechanism that receives print requests and print data, transmits them to a higher-level program, and prints to a specific printing device based on instructions from the higher-level program, and controls the terminal in response to print requests received from the data input/output mechanism. A printing control mechanism that searches for a usable printing device among a plurality of printing devices controlled by the apparatus and issues a printing command, and a printing device status table that holds information necessary for the printing control mechanism to search for a printing device. A terminal control device comprising: