KR20050117852A - Network printing system - Google Patents

Abstract

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a network printing system, comprising: transmitting and receiving a print time calculation signal to calculate a transmission time of print data between a network printer and a user terminal, and transmitting and receiving the print time calculation signal and supplying power to the printer. The print time is calculated using the time required for setting and warming up at the initial time, FPOT, warm-up time, printing time and printing time. The calculated print time is displayed on the display unit of the user terminal and the network printer, respectively. Accordingly, by selecting the print command, the print time required for printing can be displayed on the display unit so that the user can easily grasp the print time.

Description

Network Printing System {NETWORK PRINTING SYSTEM}

The present invention relates to a network printing system, and more particularly, by calculating the time required for printing and displaying on a user terminal and a network printer, so that the user can know the time when the print job is completed to facilitate user convenience It relates to a network printing system that allows.

In recent years, computers have been networked to share software or a database so that they can be efficiently used and large computers can be used remotely. As computers are introduced into various tasks and shared work contents, networking of computing environments becomes indispensable.

In particular, in the office, peripheral devices such as printers, scanners, copiers, and facsimile are networked by connecting to a local area network (LAN), so that the peripheral devices can be shared and used by multiple users.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a network printer and a plurality of computers connected to each other through a wireless or wired communication network to form a network printing system. In FIG. 1, a plurality of computers 20 and a network printer 10 are connected to one hub 30 and networked to transmit and receive data to each other, and the hub 30 includes an external network such as a LAN or the Internet. Router 35 for communication is connected. When the router 35 transmits and receives data, the router 35 reads the address of the destination included in the packet and transmits the packet to another communication network through the most appropriate communication path.

On the other hand, the network printer 10 is generally equipped with a network card 21 to communicate with the computer 20, but recently the products that are configured by integrating the function of the network card on the board of the network printer 10 appeared This aims to facilitate the construction of network printing systems. The network printer 10, together with the network card 21, should be provided with a protocol module in the computer 20 and the network printer 10, and the protocol modules include TCP / IP, IPX / SPX, Apple Talk, Socket, NETBIOS, NetBEUI is mainly used.

The network printer 10, as shown in Figure 2, the printer 10, the central computing device 11 for controlling the operation and overall operation of the printer 10, and the program and data necessary for network operation and data transmission and reception ROM 12 for storing network protocols for communication, RAM 13 for temporarily storing transmitted and received data and internal data, NV RAM 15, which is a flash memory, and communication for transmitting and receiving data through a wired or wireless network. The module 16 has an input / output interface 14 for interfacing data transmitted and received between the central computing unit 11 and the network.

The input / output interface 14 uses a PCI, ISA, shared memory method in the case of the built-in method, and uses a method such as IEEE1284, USB, etc. in the case of the external method.

The communication module 16 is composed of a MAC controller 17 and a PHY 18, and the PHY 18 is a physical layer itself that changes an external LAN signal into a signal system that can be recognized by the computer 20. The communication module 16 registers a MAC address, a broadcast address, a multicast address, etc. to be received by the system, such as a storage buffer of data to be transmitted and received through a network, a network connection mode, and the like.

On the other hand, each computer 20 connected to the network printer 10 is also equipped with a network card 21 for communication with the network printer 10.

Looking at the printing process in such a network printing system with reference to FIG.

First, a user who wants to print using the network printer 10 needs to register and set a network printer port in the computer 20. In this case, the registered information is an IP address, a port number, etc. of the network printer 10, and a network printer name, a network printer MAC address, location information, and the like may be included according to an implementation method.

After the network printer 10 is registered in this way, when the user creates a document using the application 22 and selects a print command, the document is converted into printing data via the printer driver 23 and then the spooler SPOOLER (24). Then, it is again sent to the network printer 10 using a network protocol via a PORT MONITOR 25.

Meanwhile, with the recent development of the wireless network field, a network printer 10 that can be connected to a user terminal through a wireless network has emerged. Wireless connection methods include wireless PAN (Personal Area Network), Bluetooth, and the like, capable of wireless connection within a radius of 10 m.

However, when the communication between the network printer 10 and the computer 20 is made by using the wireless network, the communication speed is remarkably different according to the environment of the wireless network or the characteristics of the wireless channel. In other words, when the environment of the wireless network or the characteristics of the wireless channel are poor, the communication speed is significantly reduced, and the printing speed is also slowed. Similarly, in the case of the wired network, although the change in communication speed is less than that of the wireless network, the communication speed varies depending on the state of the communication line or the network.

Therefore, in the case of a local printer, the time for which the print data is transmitted from the user terminal to the local printer is almost constant. Therefore, the user can predict the time at which the printing will be completed according to the amount of printing. Since the communication speed is changed according to the characteristics of the channel, it is difficult for the user to predict when printing will be completed. Moreover, when the network printer is installed remotely from the user terminal, the user may not be able to determine when the printing has been completed, so that the user may be able to check whether the printing is being performed or to confirm that the printing has been completed. There is an inconvenience of having to move back and forth between the places where the user terminal is installed.

As a result, the user can estimate the print time required for the printed matter to be printed through the network printer, thereby preventing the user from having to move back and forth between the network printer and the user terminal to check the printing progress or completion status. You will need to find a way to remove it.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a network printing system that enables the user's convenience by informing the user of the printing time required to complete printing of a printed matter.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printer system including at least one user terminal and a network printer connected to the user terminal in a wired or wireless manner to perform a print command transmitted from the user terminal. The printer includes a communication module for communicating with the user terminal in a wired or wireless manner, and a control unit for retransmitting the print time calculating signal to the user terminal when receiving a signal for calculating a printing time from the user terminal; The user terminal may include a communication module for communicating with the network printer in a wired or wireless manner, a storage unit storing printer performance information including at least one of a warm-up time, a printing speed, and an initialization time of the network printer, and the network printer. A calculation unit for calculating the print time using the transmission / reception time of the print time calculation signal retransmitted from the printer and the printer performance information stored in the storage unit, a display unit for displaying the print time calculated by the operation unit, and selection of a print command And a control unit which transmits a signal for calculating a print time to the network printer and provides a print time calculation signal retransmitted from the network printer and printer performance information from the storage unit to calculate the print time. Featured Network Printing Achieved by the system.

Here, it is preferable that the calculation unit calculates the print time by adding the time taken for the signal for calculating the print time to the network printer, the warm-up time, the required time according to the print amount and the print speed.

When the calculation unit is immediately after applying power to the network printer, it is preferable to further add a time required for initialization of the network printer to the printing time.

The calculating unit may calculate a printing time for a printer by adding a transmission time to the network printer to the calculated printing time, and the controller may provide the printing time for the printer to the network printer.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the following embodiments, as well as a personal computer, various types of terminals, such as a laptop, a PDA, a mobile phone, and a digital imaging device including a digital camera, may be applied as well as a personal computer.

4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a network printing system according to the present invention.

The network printing system according to the present embodiment includes a network printer 110 having a function of a network card integrated in a board, and a plurality of user terminals which are terminals equipped with a network card to communicate with the network printer 110 by a predetermined protocol. 120.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the network printer 110 includes a ROM 112, a RAM 113, an NV RAM 115, a communication module 116, an input / output interface 114, a display unit 117, and a control unit. And (111).

The ROM 112 stores a program necessary for the operation of the network printer 110 and a network protocol for data transmission and reception, and the RAM 113 temporarily stores transmitted and received data and internal data and is connected to the network printer 110 by wire or wireless. Information about the user terminal 120 is stored. Here, the information about the user terminal 120 includes the IP of the user terminal 120, a port number in the case of a wired line, and information on a channel in the case of a wire. The NV RAM 115 is a flash memory where the print time calculation signal provided from the user terminal 120 is temporarily stored.

The communication module 116 transmits and receives data through a wired or wireless network, and the input / output interface 114 interfaces data transmitted and received between the control unit 111 and the input / output device.

The control unit 111 controls the overall operation of the network printer 110, and upon receiving a print time calculation signal provided from the user terminal 120, information of the user terminal 120 stored in the RAM 113, for example, For example, the IP of the user terminal 120 and the received IP of the user terminal are compared with each other, and if both IPs are the same, the print time calculation signal is retransmitted to the corresponding user terminal 120 again. In addition, the control unit 111 displays the print time calculated and provided by the user terminal 120 on the display unit 117.

Meanwhile, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the user terminal 120 includes the storage unit 123, the communication module 126, the interface 124, the operation unit 125, the display unit 127, and the controller 121. Include.

The storage unit 123 stores a driver for operating the network printer 110 connected to the user terminal 120, and the driver includes performance information of the printer 110. The printer performance information includes the first print out time (FPOT), the print speed calculated according to how many sheets can be printed per minute in black and white, and the warm-up time, which is a preparation time for the network printer 110 to operate. It includes, FPOT refers to the time taken until the network printer 110 is ready to print in the initial state of applying power to the network printer 110, the initialization time required for setting of the network printer 110 at power up And initial warm-up time.

The communication module 126 is for communicating with the network printer 110 by wire or wirelessly, and the interface 124 interfaces information between the control unit 121 and other input / output devices.

The calculation unit 125 calculates a print time required to complete the printing of the printed material to be printed by the user, and the calculation unit 125 transmits and receives a time for transmitting / receiving a print time calculation signal retransmitted from the network printer 110 and the storage unit 123. The print time is calculated using the printer performance information stored in). Here, the transmission and reception time of the signal for calculating the print time, the user terminal 120 transmits the signal for calculating the print time to the network printer 110, and then retransmits the signal for calculating the print time from the network printer 110 to the user Refers to the time taken to reach the terminal 120 again.

The calculation unit 125 calculates a print time according to the state of the network printer 110. If the network printer 110 is initially supplied with power, the calculation unit 125 transmits / receives time of the signal for calculating the print time, FPOT, warm-up time, print speed and the like. The print time is calculated by summing the print time required for the printed matter according to the print quantity. For example, if the transmission / reception time of the signal for calculating the print time is 2 seconds, the FPOT is 10 seconds, the warm-up time is 2 seconds, the print amount is 15 sheets, and the print speed is 15 PPM (Paper Per Minute), the print time according to the print amount is required. Is 1 minute, so the print time is calculated to be 1 minute 14 seconds plus the previous hours. On the other hand, when the network printer 110 is not the first print after the power is applied, the calculation unit 125 is the sum of the transmission and reception time, the warm-up time, and the printing time required according to the print amount, i.e., 1 in the above example. The minute 4 seconds is calculated as the print time.

The calculation unit 125 calculates the print time in real time while the printing is being executed, and the calculated print time is displayed through the display unit 127. As the printing time is reduced, the printing time is reduced, so that the display unit 127 prints. The remaining time to complete is displayed.

This printing time is also displayed on the display unit 117 of the network printer 110, for this purpose, the calculation unit 125 calculates the printing time for the printer to be provided to the network printer 110. The printing time for the printer is the printing time displayed on the user terminal 120 plus the time taken during transmission from the user terminal 120 to the network printer 110, and the printing time calculated by the calculating unit 125 and the network printer ( The printing time displayed on the 110 is to prevent the difference from occurring as long as the time taken while the user terminal 120 is transmitted to the network printer 110.

Meanwhile, in the above-described embodiment, the printing time is calculated by the user terminal 120, but it is of course possible to calculate the printing time by the network printer 110. In this case, the print time calculation signal is first transmitted from the network printer 110 or the print time calculation signal transmitted from the user terminal 120 and retransmitted from the network printer 110 is again transmitted from the user terminal 120 to the network printer. The process of transmitting to 110 will be required. The printing time calculating process may be calculated in the same manner as that performed by the calculating unit 125.

The display unit 127 displays a popup window displaying the print time while the printing is in progress, so that the user can check the remaining print time until the printing is completed.

The control unit 121 transmits a print time calculation signal to the network printer 110 when the print command is selected, the print time calculation signal retransmitted from the network printer 110, and the printer 110 from the storage unit 123. By extracting the performance information and providing it to the calculation unit 125, the printing time can be calculated.

Looking at the print time calculation and display process in the network printing system by such a configuration with reference to Figure 7 as follows.

First, a user who wants to print using the network printer 110 must register and set a network printer port in the user terminal 120. At this time, the registered information is an IP address, a port number, etc. of the network printer 110, and a network printer name, a network printer MAC address, location information, etc. may be included according to an implementation method.

When the information about the network printer 110 is registered in the user terminal 120, the user terminal 120 transmits the user terminal 120 information including the IP of the user terminal 120 to the network printer 110. 110, the user terminal 120 information is stored in the RAM of the network printer 110.

When the information on the other side is registered in the network printer 110 and the user terminal 120 in this way, the print job can be executed.

When the user creates a document using an application program and selects a print command (S710), the controller 121 provides a signal for calculating a print time to the communication module 126 through the interface 124, and provides a communication module ( In step 126, the device transmits to the network printer 110 through a wired or wireless network (S720).

When the print time calculation signal is received from the user terminal 120, the control unit 111 of the network printer 110 stores the user terminal stored in the IP and RAM of the user terminal 120 that has transmitted the print time calculation signal ( Compare the IP of 120 to determine whether there is a matching IP (S730). At this time, if the matching IP does not exist, the control unit 111 discards the signal for calculating the printing time (S735). If the matching IP exists, the control unit 111 returns the signal for calculating the printing time again to the user terminal. Retransmit to 120 (S740).

When the print time calculation signal is retransmitted from the network printer 110, the control unit 121 of the user terminal 120 extracts the retransmitted print time calculation signal and the printer performance information from the storage unit 123 to calculate the operation unit ( 125). The calculation unit 125 first calculates the transmission / reception time that the signal for calculating the print time is round-trip to the network printer 110 (S750). Then, the calculation unit determines whether the network printer 110 is the first print job after powering on. The print time is calculated using the appropriate printer performance information and the transmission / reception time of the signal for calculating the print time (S760).

At this time, when the network printer 110 is initially powered on, the calculating unit 125 prints the print time by adding the transmission / reception time of the signal for calculating the print time, the FPOT, the warm-up time, the print speed and the print time according to the print amount. To calculate (S770). However, when the network printer 110 does not print for the first time after the power is applied, the print time is calculated by adding only the transmission / reception time, the warm-up time, the print speed, and the print time according to the print amount for the print time calculation signal (S775). The calculation unit 125 continuously calculates the print time in real time, and as time passes, the print time decreases, so that the print time indicates the time remaining until the completion of printing.

When the print time is calculated in real time by the calculator 125, the controller 121 displays the print time on the display 127 using a separate popup window (S790).

On the other hand, the calculation unit 125 calculates the print time for the printer to be displayed on the display unit 127 of the network printer 110, the print time for the printer and the print time to be displayed on the user terminal 120, and the user terminal 120 ) Is calculated by summing the time for transmitting information on the print time to the network printer 110 (S780).

When the printing time for the printer is calculated in the calculation unit 125 as described above, the control unit 121 transmits the printing time for the printer to the network printer 110 through the communication module 126 (S790). The control unit 111 of the network printer 110 displays the provided printing time for the printer through the display unit 117 (S800). In this case, the same print time is displayed on the display units 117 and 127 of the network printer 110 and the user terminal 120.

As described above, in the network printing system, the printing time required for the completion of the printing operation during the printing operation is calculated to be displayed to the user through the user terminal 120 and the network printer 110. Therefore, even if the print time is changed by factors affecting the communication speed, such as the environment of the wired or wireless network, the path of the communication channel, and the interference, the user can know the time when the print job of the printed material to be printed is completed. have. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the hassle of moving to a network printer in order to confirm whether printing is completed, so that the user's convenience can be achieved.

As described above, in the detailed description of the present invention, specific embodiments have been described, but it should be taken as exemplary, and various modifications may be made without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the described embodiments, but should be defined not only by the claims below, but also by the equivalents of the claims.

As described above, according to the present invention, since the user can easily know the printing time required to complete the print job of the printed matter, the user's convenience can be achieved.

1 is a configuration diagram showing an example of a network printing system,

2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a conventional network printing system;

3 is a block diagram showing a printing process in a computer of the network printing system of FIG.

4 is a schematic structural diagram of a network printing system according to the present invention;

5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the network printer of FIG.

6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a user terminal of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a printing process of the network printing system of FIG. 4.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

110: network printer 111: control unit

116: communication module 117: display unit

120: user terminal 121: control unit

123: storage unit 125: calculation unit

126: communication module

Claims (4)

A printer system comprising at least one user terminal and a network printer connected to the user terminal in a wired or wireless manner to perform a print command transmitted from the user terminal. The network printer, A communication module for communicating with the user terminal in a wired or wireless manner, and a printer controller for retransmitting the print time calculating signal to the user terminal upon receiving a signal for calculating a printing time from the user terminal; The user terminal, A communication module for communicating with the network printer in a wired or wireless manner, a storage unit storing printer performance information including at least one of a warm-up time, a printing speed, and an initialization time of the network printer, and a signal for calculating a print time retransmitted from the network printer. A calculation unit for calculating a print time using transmission / reception time and printer performance information stored in the storage unit, a display unit for displaying a print time calculated by the calculator, and a signal for calculating print time to the network printer when a print command is selected And a control unit which transmits a signal for calculating a print time retransmitted from the network printer and printer performance information from the storage unit to the calculating unit to control a print time. The method of claim 1, And the calculating unit calculates a print time by adding a time taken for the print time calculation signal to return to the network printer, a warm-up time, and a time required according to the print amount and print speed. The method of claim 1, And the calculator is further configured to add a time required for initialization of the network printer to the printing time when the power supply is immediately applied to the network printer. The method of claim 3, wherein And the calculating unit calculates a printing time for the printer by adding a transmission time to the network printer to the calculated printing time, and the control unit provides the printing time for the printer to the network printer.