MXPA06005466A - Methods and apparatus for determining print progress - Google Patents

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for determining print progress of a document being printed are provided. The print progress of a document is monitored during printing by monitoring means included in the printer. The percentage of the printing which has been completed is then computed in real time based on information received from the monitoring means. The computed percentage may be used to determine the print completion status of each print field of a document having a plurality of print fields. The computed percentage may be reported to a host device associated with the printer. The computed percentage may be stored in non-volatile memory of the printer and/or of the host device so that the computed percentage of completed printing is maintained during a power failure. The computed percentage of printing completed can be recovered from non-volatile memory upon power recovery.

Description

APPARATUS AND METHODS TO DETERMINE THE PROGRESS DS PRINTING BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to the field of printing. More specifically, the present invention provides the apparatus and methods for determining the printing progress of a document to be printed. When a document is printed, you want to verify that the document has finished printing. This is done frequently by placing a sensor at the end of the path of the printed document completely. When the document reaches this sensor, it can reasonably be assumed that the document was printed. This method has the disadvantage of not having the ability to know the progress of printing as the document is going to be printed. This method indicates only when printing has finished. Another method of the prior art is to place a sensor just after the printing mechanism. This sensor can detect that the document has left the printing mechanism. When the document leaves the printing mechanism and passes completely through this sensor, it can reasonably be assumed that the document was printed. This method has the disadvantage of not having the ability to know the * print progress as the document is printed. This method only determines that you have started printing and that printing has been completed. An additional method of the prior art is to monitor the progress of paper movement within the paper handling / advancing mechanism. A disadvantage of such a system which detects the progress of paper direction is that it does not ensure that the paper was actually successfully moved through the printing mechanism. For example, such a system may indicate that a document has been completely printed, even though it has jammed just after the printer's address mechanism that prevents the document from completely passing through the printing mechanism. Therefore, it would be advantageous to provide the apparatus and methods for detecting the printing progress of a document to be printed. In addition, it would be advantageous to provide a real-time indication of the printing percentage that has been completed. Additionally, it would still be advantageous to be able to determine the printing status of each print field of a document having a plurality of print fields as the document is printed. It would also be advantageous if such apparatus and methods were independent of the paper steering mechanism. The apparatus and methods of the present invention provide these and other advantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides the apparatus and methods for determining the printing progress of a document to be printed. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the printing progress of a document is monitored during printing by the monitoring means. Subsequently, the percentage of the printout can be calculated. It has been completed in real time based on the information received from the monitoring means, for example, by means of a processor associated with the monitoring means. The calculated percentage can be stored in the permanent memory of the printer. Additionally, the calculated percentage can be reported to a central device associated with the printer. Once the calculated percentage is reported to the central device, it can be stored in the permanent memory of the central device.

The calculated percentage of the completed printout can be displayed on a screen of the printer and / or a screen of the associated central device. A printing error can be detected if less than 100 percent of the document is printed. If a printing error is detected, the processor can determine if enough information was printed to provide a usable document. The document can comprise virtually any type of document. Nevertheless, it is particularly valuable to determine whether enough information was printed to provide a usable document when the document comprises one of a ticket, coupon, voucher, receipt, or any type of similar document that has a legal or monetary value. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the monitoring means can monitor the movement of a paper-handling mechanism of the printer during printing. In this modality, monitoring means in software or in hardware can be implemented. In an alternative exemplary embodiment of the invention, the monitoring means may be independent of the printer's paper handling mechanism. For example, the monitoring means may comprise a sensing wheel that traverses the document and rotates as the document passes along the path of the paper during printing. Subsequently, a sensor can be provided to detect the rotational movement of the sensing wheel. The sensor may comprise an optical sensor. Alternatively, the sensor may comprise a magnetic sensor. In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the monitoring means may comprise a series of sensors fitted along a path of the paper that detects the position of the document as the document passes along the path of the paper during scanning. Print. The sensors forming the series of sensors may comprise optical sensors. Alternatively, the sensors forming the series of sensors may comprise mechanically driven sensors that are actuated by the movement of the document along the path of the paper. In a further exemplary embodiment of the invention, the monitoring means may comprise a cam that is rotated through the document as the document passes along a path of the paper during printing. A sensor can be provided to detect the rotational movement of the cam. The sensor may comprise an optical sensor. Alternatively, the sensor may comprise a magnetic sensor.

In a further exemplary embodiment of the invention, the monitoring means may comprise an optical navigation sensor that detects the position of the document as the document passes along a paper path during printing. In a further exemplary embodiment of the invention, the document may comprise a plurality of print fields. The processor may determine a state of completion of the printing of each of the plurality of printing fields based on the calculated percentage. The completion status of the print field can be reported from the printer to a central device. For example, the completion status of the print field can be reported in real time during the printing of the document. The end state of the print field can be stored in the permanent memory of the printer and / or permanent memory of the central device. The end state of the print field can be displayed on at least one of a printer screen or a central device screen. A printing error can be detected if less than all the plurality of printing fields is printed. If a printing error is detected, the processor can determine if a sufficient number of print fields were printed to provide a usable document. The processor can determine a location and size of each print field and compare the location and size of each print field with the calculated percentage to determine the end state of the print field for each print field. In an exemplary embodiment, the plurality of the print fields may comprise critical and non-critical fields. In such mode, the processor can determine a location and size of each critical field and compare the location and size of each critical field with the calculated percentage to determine the state of completion of the print field for each critical field. A usable document can be created when all critical fields are printed. The processor can also determine the location and size of each non-critical field and compares the location and size of each non-critical field with the calculated percentage to determine the completion status of the print field for each non-critical field. Corresponding methods for detecting the printing progress according to the invention are also provided.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES The present invention will now be described in conjunction with the accompanying figures, wherein the elements are denoted as numerical references, and: Figure 1 shows a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of the invention. Figure 2 shows an exemplary embodiment of a means of monitoring the printing progress according to the present invention. Figure 3 shows an alternative exemplary embodiment of a means of monitoring the progress of printing according to the present invention. Figure 4 shows an alternative exemplary embodiment of a means of monitoring the printing progress according to the present invention. Figure 5 shows an alternative exemplary embodiment of a means of monitoring the printing progress according to the present invention. Figure 6 shows an example of a document having a plurality of printing fields to be used according to the invention.

Figure 7 shows an example of a printed document created in accordance with the printing fields of Figure 6. Figure 8 (Figures 8a and 8b) shows a flow chart illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a method for determining the completion status of the printing field of a document having a plurality of printing fields according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The detailed description below provides exemplary modalities only, and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the invention. On the contrary, the detailed description below of exemplary embodiments will provide a description permissible to those skilled in the art to implement an exemplary embodiment of the invention. It should be understood that various changes may be made in the function and adjustment of the elements without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention set out below in the appended claims. The present invention provides the apparatus and methods for determining the printing progress of a document to be printed. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 1, the progress of printing a document during printing is monitored by the monitoring means 12 included in the printer 10. Subsequently, the printing percentage that has been recorded can be calculated. completed in real time based on the information received from the monitoring means 12, for example, by means of a processor 14 associated with the monitoring means 12. The calculated percentage can be stored in the permanent memory 16 of the printer 10. Additionally, the calculated percentage can be reported to a central device 20 associated with the printer 10. The calculated percentage can be stored in the permanent memory 22 of the central device 20. By storing the calculated percentage of the completed printout in the permanent memory, the printing percentage is maintained completed even during a power failure of the printer 10 and / or the central device 20. This retention of d atos is useful for determining the percentage of printing completed at the time the energy is recovered. The central device 20 may comprise a personal computer, a cash register, a point of sale terminal, a vending machine, a gaming terminal, a lottery ticket machine, a ticket vending machine, a ticket selling machine of entertainment, or similar. The calculated percentage of the completed print can be displayed on a screen 18 of the printer 10 and / or on a screen 24 of the associated central device 20. A printing error can be detected in case less than 100 percent of the document is printed. For example, printing errors such as lack of paper feeding and paper jams can be detected in case less than 100% of the document is printed. In case a printing error is detected, the processor 14 can determine if enough information was printed to provide a usable document. The document can comprise virtually any type of document. However, it is particularly valuable to determine whether sufficient information was printed to provide a usable document when the document comprises one of a ticket, coupon, voucher, receipt, or any other similar document having a legal or monetary value. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the monitoring means 12 can monitor the movement of a paper-handling mechanism of the printer 10 during printing. In said mode, the monitoring means 12 can be implemented in software or in hardware.

In an alternative exemplary embodiment of the invention as shown in. 2, the monitoring means may comprise a sensing wheel 30 and a sensor 32. The sensing wheel 30 may pass through the document 5 and may be rotated as the document 5 passes along a path of the paper (shown in FIG. the arrow A) during printing by means of the printing mechanism 34. A paper steering mechanism 36 directs the document 5 to pass through the printing mechanism 34 and along the path of the paper A. The detecting wheel can be suspended 30, for example, from a printer housing, by means of an arm 37 and tensioned by means of a spring 38. The sensor 32 detects the rotational movement of the sensor wheel 30. The sensor 32 can be mounted on the adjacent arm 32 to the sensor wheel 30. Subsequently, the printing percentage can be calculated based on the amount of rotational movement of the sensor wheel 30 detected by the sensor 32. The sensor 32 can comprise an optical sensor. Alternatively, the sensor 32 may comprise a magnetic sensor. Virtually any type of magnetic sensor can be used, including a magnet and Hall effect sensor, a magnet and detection coil, two interaction coils in which a coil is electrically excited, or the like.

In an alternative embodiment of the invention as shown in Figure 3, the monitoring means may comprise a series of sensors 40 adjusted along the path of the paper A which detects the position of the document 5 as the document passes to the document. along the paper path A during printing. Subsequently, the printing percentage can be calculated based on the distance that the document 5 has passed along the path of the paper A, as detected by the sensors 40. The sensors forming the series of sensors 40 can comprise sensors optical Alternatively, the sensors forming the series of sensors 40 may comprise mechanically driven sensors that are actuated by means of the movement of the document along the path of the paper. In a further exemplary embodiment of the invention as shown in Figure 4, the monitoring means may comprise a cam 50 which is rotated by means of the document 5 as the document 5 passes along the path of the paper A during the impression. The cam can be rotated around a bolt 54, which can be fixed in the housing of the printer. A sensor 52 can be provided to detect the rotational movement of the cam 50 (shown by arrow B). The sensor 52 adjacent the cam 50 can be fixed in the printer housing. Subsequently, the printing percentage can be calculated based on the amount of rotational movement of the cam 50 detected by the sensor 32. The sensor 32 can comprise an optical sensor. Alternatively, the sensor 32 may comprise a magnetic sensor. Virtually any type of magnetic sensor can be used, including a magnet and Hall effect sensor, a magnet and detection coil, two interaction coils in which a coil is electrically excited, or the like. In a further exemplary embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 5, the monitoring means may comprise an optical navigation sensor 60 (eg, a "mouse" type sensor) that detects the position of the document 5 as the document 5 passes along a path of paper A during printing. To properly detect the document 5, the optical navigation sensor 60 can be placed close enough to the document 5 to detect the movement of the paper. Subsequently, the printing percentage can be calculated based on the distance that the document 5 has passed along the paper path A co or was detected by the optical navigation sensor 60. The monitoring means shown in each of Figures 2-5 is independent of the paper steering mechanism 36 which directs the document 5 to pass through the printing mechanism 34 and to the lake of the path of the paper A. Therefore,, the exemplary modalities of the monitoring medium shown in Figures 2-5 ensure that the document was actually successfully moved through the printing mechanism. In a further exemplary embodiment of the invention, the document 11 may comprise a plurality of printing fields, such as the printing fields 1-7, as shown in Figure 6. The processor can determine a print completion status of each of the pluralities of the printing fields 1-7 based on the percentage completed. Once a print field has been completed, a completion flag of the print field can be set for that field. The completion status of the printing field can be reported (for example, indicating which printing field completion flags have been set) from the printer 10 to a central device 20. For example, the print field completion status can be reported. in real time during the printing of the document 11. The end state of the printing field can be stored in the permanent memory 16 of the printer 10 and / or permanent memory 22 of the central device 20. The state of completion of the printing field can be displayed. in at least one screen of the printer 18 or a screen of the central device 24. A printing error can be detected if less than all the plurality of the printing fields 1-7 are printed. In case a printing error is detected, the processor 14 can determine if a sufficient number of printing fields was printed to provide a usable document. The processor 14 can determine a location and size of each print field 1-7 and compare the location and size of each print field 1-7 with the calculated percentage to determine the print field completion status for each print field 1-7. In an exemplary embodiment, the plurality of printing fields 1-7 may comprise critical and non-critical fields. For example, the critical fields of document 11 may include field 3"bar code" and field 4"Quantity". Other critical fields may include field 5"Expiry field" or other fields containing critical information, such as a validation number, date, serial number, or the like. Non-critical fields may include information and text fields such as fields 1 and 2. Figure 7 shows an example of a printed document 11 created using the print fields shown in Figure 6. In the example shown in the figure 7, document 11 may comprise a voucher with a value of $ 20.00 that expires in 30 days from the printed date of February 19, 2004. The coupon also includes a bar code and serial number, along with the message of text "Thank you for your visit, come back soon". The processor 12 can determine a location and size of each critical field and compare the location and size of each critical field with the calculated percentage to determine the state of completion of the print field for each critical field. A usable document can be created at the time all the critical fields are printed. The processor 12 can also determine a location and size of each non-critical field and compare the location and size of each non-critical field with the calculated percentage to determine the print state completion status for each non-critical field. Figure 8 (Figures 8a and 8b) is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a method for determining the end state of the print field of a document having a plurality (n) of print fields. The printer will first determine whether or not the print data has been received from the central device (101). Once it is determined that the print data has been received, the printer will erase all the completion flags from the print field (102) that could have been set during the previous printing operations and start printing (103). Later, the printer monitors the printing progress (for example, through several monitoring means mentioned above) and determines if a first field (104) has been printed. If this is the case, a print completion flag is set for the first field (105) and subsequently, the printer will determine if a second print field (106) has been printed. If the first field has not been printed, the printer will continue and determine if the second field (106) has been printed. If the second field has been printed, a print completion flag will be set for the second field (107). That procedure will continue for N number of fields. Subsequently, the printer will determine if the field N (108) has been printed. If so, a print completion flag will be set for the N (109) field. Whether or not the N field has been printed (that is, the last field), the printer will store or update the completion status of the print field obtained up to that point (110). Subsequently, the state of completion of the printing field can be made available to the central device (111). Subsequently, the printer will determine whether printing has been completed (112). If printing has not been completed, the printer will again check the print field's completion status by starting again with the first field (104). This procedure will continue until the printing of the document has been completed. Due to the possible variations in size and location of the respective printing fields (Figure 6), the printing of numerous print fields can be completed later before a previous print field. Therefore, since the print completion status is determined by the percentage of the document that has been printed, the printer will check the print completion status of each print field of each print field before starting again, instead of waiting for each print field to be completed. It will now be appreciated that the present invention provides the apparatus and advantageous methods for determining the printing progress of a document to be printed. Although the invention has been described in conjunction with several illustrated embodiments, numerous modifications and adaptations thereto can be made without

Claims (3)

1. Depart from the spirit and scope of the invention set out in the claims below. NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION Having described the present invention, it is considered as a novelty and, therefore, the content of the following is claimed as a priority: CLAIMS 1. - A method for determining the printing progress of a document to be printed on a printer, comprises: monitoring the printing progress of a document during printing; and calculate the percentage in real time of said impression that has been completed based on said monitoring.
2. 2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising: storing the calculated percentage in the permanent memory.
3. 3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: reporting the calculated percentage for a central device associated with the printer. 4. - A method according to claim 3, further comprising: storing the calculated percentage in the permanent memory of the central device. 5. - A method according to one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: displaying the calculated percentage on a screen of the printer. 6. A method according to one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising: displaying the calculated percentage on a screen of a central device associated with said printer. 1 . - A method according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that said monitoring comprises the movement of monitoring of a paper direction mechanism of said printer during printing. 8. - A method according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that said monitoring is independent of a paper direction mechanism of said printer. 9. A method according to one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising: detecting a printing error in case less than 100 percent of the document is printed. 10. - A method according to claim 9, further comprising: determining whether or not enough information was printed to provide a usable document. 11. A method according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that said document comprises a ticket, a coupon, a voucher, or a receipt. 12. A method according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that said document comprises a plurality of print fields, further comprising: determining the state of print completion of each of said pluralities of print fields in base to said calculated percentage. 13. A method according to claim 12, further comprising: reporting said state of completion of the print field from said printer to a central device. 14. - A method according to claim 13, characterized in that said report comprises reporting in real time during said printing. 15. A method according to one of claims 12 to 14, further comprising: storing the end state of the print field in at least one permanent memory of the printer and permanent memory of the central device. 16. A method according to one of claims 12 to 15, further comprising: displaying the state of completion of the printing field on at least one screen of the printer or a screen of the central device. 17. A method according to one of claims 12 to 16, further comprising: detecting a printing error in case all of said plurality of printing fields are printed. 18. A method according to claim 17, further comprising: determining whether or not a sufficient number of printing fields was printed to provide a usable document. 19. A method according to one of claims 12 to 18, characterized in that said step of determining comprises: determining a location and size of each printing field; compare the location and size of each print field with the calculated percentage to determine the end state of the print field for each print field. 20. A method according to one of claims 12 to 19, characterized in that said plurality of printing fields comprises critical and non-critical fields; and said determining step comprises: determining a location and size of each critical field; compare the location and size of each critical field with the calculated percentage to determine the completion status of the print field for each critical field. 21. A method according to claim 20, characterized in that a usable document is created when the critical fields are printed. 22. A method according to claim 20 or 21, characterized in that said determination step further comprises: determining a location and size of each non-critical field; compare the location and size of each non-critical field with the calculated percentage to determine the end state of the print field for each non-critical field. 23. A method according to one of claims 1 to 22, characterized in that said monitoring comprises: detecting the rotary movement of a detector wheel that travels the document and that is rotated as the document passes along a path of the paper during said printing. 24. A method according to claim 23, characterized in that the rotational movement of the sensor wheel is detected by means of an optical sensor. 25. A method according to claim 23, characterized in that the rotational movement of the sensor wheel is detected by means of a magnetic sensor. 26.- A method according to one of claims 1 to 22, characterized in that said monitoring comprises: detecting the position of the document as the document passes along the path of the paper during said printing through a series of sensors adjusted along the path of the paper. 27. A method according to claim 26, characterized in that said sensors comprise optical sensors. 28. A method according to claim 26, characterized in that said sensors comprise mechanically driven sensors driven by the movement of the document along the path of the paper. 29. A method according to one of claims 1 to 22, characterized in that said monitoring comprises: detecting the rotary movement of a cam that is rotated through the document as the document passes along a paper path during said impression. 30. A method according to claim 29, characterized in that the rotational movement of the cam is detected by means of an optical sensor. 31. A method according to claim 29, characterized in that the rotational movement of the cam is detected by means of a magnetic sensor. 32.- A method according to one of claims 1 to 22, characterized in that said monitoring comprises: detecting the position of the document as the document passes through a paper path during said printing through a navigation sensor optical. 33.- The apparatus for determining the printing progress of a document to be printed on a printer, comprises: the monitoring means to monitor the progress of printing a document during printing; and a processor to calculate the percentage in real time of said printing that has been completed based on said monitoring. 34. - The apparatus according to claim 33, further comprising: the permanent memory for storing the calculated percentage. 35.- The apparatus according to claim 33 or 34, characterized in that the calculated percentage is reported to a central device associated with the printer. 36.- The apparatus according to claim 35, characterized in that the calculated percentage is stored in the permanent memory of the central device. 37. The apparatus according to one of claims 33 to 36, further comprises: a screen for displaying the calculated percentage. 38.- The apparatus according to one of claims 33 to 37, characterized in that the calculated percentage is displayed on a screen of a central device associated with said printer. 39.- The apparatus according to one of claims 33 to 38, characterized in that said monitoring means monitors the movement of a paper direction mechanism of said printer during printing. 40.- The apparatus according to one of claims 33 to 39, characterized in that said monitoring means is independent of a paper direction mechanism of said printer. 41. The apparatus according to one of claims 33 to 40, characterized in that a printing error is detected in case less than 100 percent of the document is printed. 42. The apparatus according to claim 41, characterized in that said processor determines whether or not enough information was printed to provide a usable document. 43.- The apparatus according to one of claims 33 to 42, characterized in that said document comprises a ticket, a coupon, a voucher, or a receipt. 44. The apparatus according to one of claims 33 to 43, characterized in that said document comprises a plurality of printing fields; and said processor further determines the state of print completion of each of said plurality of print fields based on said calculated percentage. 45.- The apparatus according to claim 44, characterized in that said state of completion of the printing field is reported from said printer to a central device. 46. - An apparatus according to claim 45, characterized in that said state of completion of the printing field is reported in real time during said printing. 47. The apparatus according to one of claims 44 or 45, characterized in that the state of completion of the printing field is stored in at least one of the permanent memory of the printer and permanent memory of the central device. 48. The apparatus according to one of claims 44 to 47, characterized in that the state of completion of the printing field is displayed on at least one of a screen of the printer or a screen of the central device. 49. The apparatus according to one of claims 44 to 48, characterized in that a printing error is detected if less than all of said plurality of printing fields are printed. 50. The apparatus according to claim 49, further comprises: determining whether or not a sufficient number of printing fields was printed to provide a usable document. 51. The apparatus according to one of claims 44 to 50, characterized in that said processor determines a location and size of each print field and compares the location and size of each print field with the percentage calculated to determine the status of the print field. end of the print field for each print field. 52. The apparatus according to one of claims 44 to 51, characterized in that said plurality of printing fields comprises the critical and non-critical fields; and said processor determines a location and size of each critical field and compares the location and size of each critical field with the calculated percentage to determine the end state of the printing field for each critical field. 53.- A method according to claim 52, characterized in that a usable document is created when all the critical fields are printed. 54.- A method according to claim 52 or 53, characterized in that said processor further determines a location and size of each non-critical field and compares the location and size of each non-critical field with the calculated percentage to determine the completion status of the print field for each non-critical field. The apparatus according to one of claims 33 to 54, characterized in that said monitoring means comprises: a detecting wheel that runs through the document and that is rotated as the document passes along a paper path during said impression; and a sensor to detect the rotational movement of the sensing wheel. 56.- The apparatus according to claim 55, characterized in that the sensor comprises an optical sensor. 57. The apparatus according to claim 55, characterized in that the sensor comprises a magnetic sensor. 58.- The apparatus according to one of claims 33 to 54, characterized in that said monitoring means comprises: a series of sensors adjusted along a paper path that detects the position of the document as the document passes to along the paper path during said printing. 59. The apparatus according to claim 58, characterized in that said sensors comprise optical sensors. 60.- The apparatus according to claim 58, characterized in that said sensors comprise mechanically driven sensors driven by the movement of the document along the paper path. 61. - The apparatus according to one of claims 33 to 54, characterized in that said monitoring means comprises: a cam that is rotated by means of the document as the document passes along a paper path during said printing; and a sensor to detect the rotating movement of the cam. 62.- The apparatus according to claim 61, characterized in that the sensor comprises an optical sensor. 63.- The apparatus according to claim 61, characterized in that the sensor comprises a magnetic sensor. 64.- The apparatus according to one of claims 33 to 54, characterized in that said monitoring means comprises: an optical navigation sensor that detects the position of the document as the document travels along a paper path during said impression.