JP2000322217A - Printing system and print control method - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] To provide a printer in which a control program can be easily updated and memory use efficiency is improved. When a user performs printing, when an image quality and a printing speed are designated (P201), the server receives the information and collects the status of the connected printer (S203), and the user selects a desired state from the collected list. Is specified (P205). The server downloads the necessary print control program to the designated printer, and expands the print data received from the user into a format printable by the printer (S207). The server sends the print data to the printer for printing (S208).

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a printing apparatus represented by, for example, an ink jet printer and a control method thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a printing apparatus has a processor (CP).
U), whereby the entire printing apparatus is controlled by executing a print control program. Further, in order to reduce the amount of data transmitted from the host computer, many printing apparatuses receive print data as codes and generate and print character images using character fonts of the printing apparatus. In such an apparatus, the print control program and the character font are stored in a non-volatile memory on a main body substrate of the printing apparatus, and are supplied to the customer integrally with the printing apparatus. At the time of a printing operation, the above-described print control program is executed using a volatile memory which is a work storage area.

[0003]

However, in the case of a printer having a print control program and a font set, since the program and data are provided as inseparable from the apparatus main body to the customer, the printing control program and the font set are not provided. Even if a problem is found in the program, it requires enormous expense because the work of collecting the produced equipment and replacing parts is required to improve it, It was difficult to respond.

[0004] This problem arises not only in a printing apparatus that generates image data based on a font set or the like from received data, but also in a printing apparatus that receives image data itself and prints it. The same is true if the control is performed by executing a program.

[0005] In addition, there is a printing apparatus having a plurality of printing modes and font sets in a printing apparatus in which all print control programs are stored in a non-volatile memory on a main body board. Memory space must be allocated for the print mode and font set, and the use of the memory area is wasteful.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned prior art, and has a minimum necessary control program, that is, a program for initializing the printing apparatus main body and a communication control program for communicating with the host apparatus. A printing apparatus capable of flexibly coping with a change in the print control program by performing printing by storing the print control program from a connected host, loading the print control program from the connected host, and executing the print control program. The aim is to provide a method. Furthermore, by converting the print data into a format that can be output directly by the printing device instead of the code at the host, there is no need to maintain a font set, and it is possible to output any typeface characters etc. An object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus and a control method thereof.

[0007]

To achieve the above object, the present invention has the following arrangement. That is, a printing system in which a host device and a printing device are connected to each other, wherein the host device transmits a print control program to a selected printing device, and then transmits print data to the printing device. The device stores the print control program received from the host device, executes the print control program, and prints the print data.

Preferably, prior to the transmission of the print control program, the host device inquires of all connected printers about the status, determines a printing device to be used in response to a response from the printing device, The determined printing device is selected as a printing device to be used.

Preferably, the host device determines a print mode based on a response to the inquiry, and transmits a print control program according to the print mode to the printing device.

Preferably, the printing device receives image data as print data and prints the image data as an image, and the host device prints the image data as print data to be transmitted to the printing device. Generate image data.

[0011] Preferably, the host device is further connected to another client device, and based on a print request from the client device, generates and transmits the image data and prints a print control program to the printing device. Send.

Preferably, the host device transmits a response result from the printing device to a client device connected to the host device, and determines a printing device designated by the client device as a printing device to be used. I do.

[0013] Alternatively, a printing control device connected to at least one printing device, and a means for acquiring the status of the connected printing device, and a list of printing devices satisfying the printing request based on the acquired status are stored. Output means; and means for transmitting a print control program and print data to a printing device selected from the list output.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Before describing the printing system according to the present invention, the features of a printing apparatus used therein will be described. (1) The printing device does not have the printing control program and the printing font.

The printer does not have an external nonvolatile memory for storing a print control program and print fonts. These are included in a printer driver program operating on a server existing on a network connected to the printing apparatus. However, the minimum necessary programs are stored in a nonvolatile memory built in the control circuit of the printing apparatus. Here, the minimum required program refers to a program for initializing the printer main body and a minimum communication program. (2) The print control program is read into the printing device when used.

As the print control program, a program corresponding to the print mode specified by the computer is loaded from the host computer and stored in the volatile memory of the printing apparatus for use. In a normal printing device, a printing operation is performed while switching the address of a program on a nonvolatile memory. On the other hand, in the printing apparatus according to the present invention,
Before and after the printing operation, a program existing on the non-volatile memory for reading from the host to the printing device
The program is switched to the program loaded on the volatile memory and executed. (3) The printing apparatus does not perform processing related to image development.

Image processing of the print file is performed by an image processing program included in print software on the server.
After the processing, the print data is transferred to the printer. Therefore, the printer has no print font. The printer records the received data, for example, compressed bitmap data, on paper, and feeds the paper to perform printing. Note that the generation of data in a format to be recorded by the printing apparatus (hereinafter simply referred to as print data) may be performed by the host using the printing apparatus.

Although not a feature of the printing apparatus itself, the print server on the network to which the printing apparatus is connected has the following features. (4) Select a print destination that is optimal for the user's request.

Based on the usage status of all the program-loaded printers on the network and the performance (image quality and speed) of each printer, the server approaches the user's request and adds the printer list to the installation location. To the user in the form Thus, the user can select a print destination in consideration of the simplicity of obtaining a print result in addition to the desired print mode. This makes it possible to provide the user with the best print environment on the network.

Next, an example of a printing system having the above characteristics will be described.

FIG. 1 shows a network configuration assumed in the present invention, FIG. 2 shows a control flow of the present invention, and FIG. 3 shows an internal configuration diagram of a printing apparatus (program load type printer) in the present embodiment.

In FIG. 1, a printer server 3 composed of a personal computer (PC) or the like is connected to a public network (Internet) 6 and a local area network (LAN) 5. It is connected to the. In addition to the server 3, printers 4 a-4 c and a personal computer 7 that is a client of the server 3 are also connected to the LAN 5. The server 3 acquires and holds the print modes (image quality, speed) of all the printers connected to the server 3 at the time of installation, and also holds information on the installation location of the printing apparatus and the personal computer which is a client. . These pieces of information are input from the client terminal or the server itself.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the printer. The printers 4a, 4b, 4c have a control board 2 and a printer engine 3. The control board 2 has a RAM used for a work area and the like and for storing a control program downloaded from the host.
ROM 5, RAM storing minimum programs necessary for receiving and executing downloaded programs such as a communication control program and an initialization program
Or a CP that executes a program stored in the ROM
U7 and the like. In this embodiment, the ROM 5
And the CPU 7 are formed as a single semiconductor device. Further, the control board 2 is provided with an interface unit 4 for communicating with the host device. The control board 2 communicates with the host and controls the entire printing apparatus by such a configuration. As described later, a print server on the network is a host device of the printer in the present embodiment.

The printer engine 3 forms an image on a recording medium by, for example, an ink jet system or an electrophotographic system under the control of the control board 2.

FIG. 5 shows an example of the configuration of the printer engine.
Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of an ink jet type engine. In the figure, the carriage HC that engages with the spiral groove 5004 of the lead screw 5005 that rotates via the driving force transmission gears 5011 and 5009 in conjunction with the forward and reverse rotation of the drive motor 5013 has a pin (not shown). And arrows a and b
It is reciprocated in the direction. An ink jet cartridge IJC is mounted on the carriage HC. The paper pressing plate 5002 presses the paper against the platen 5000 in the moving direction of the carriage. Photo plastic 500
Reference numeral 7,5008 denotes a home position detecting means for confirming the presence of the lever 5006 of the carriage in this area and switching the rotation direction of the motor 5013. The support member 5016 supports a cap member 5022 that caps the front surface of the recording head. The suction means 5015
The suction recovery of the recording head is performed through the opening 5023 in the cap. The member 5019 includes a cleaning blade 501.
7 are members that can be moved in the front-rear direction, and are supported by the main body support plate 5018. Blade 5017
It goes without saying that a well-known cleaning blade can be applied to this example instead of this embodiment. Also, lever 502
Reference numeral 1 denotes a lever for starting suction for suction recovery, which moves with the movement of the cam 5020 engaging with the carriage,
The movement of the driving force from the driving motor is controlled by known transmission means such as clutch switching.

The capping, cleaning, and suction recovery are configured so that desired operations can be performed at the corresponding positions by the action of the lead screw 5005 when the carriage comes to the area on the home position side.

FIG. 6 shows an example of the configuration of an electrophotographic engine. In the figure, 740 is the LBP main body,
An image is formed on recording paper, which is a recording medium, based on the supplied character pattern and the like. Reference numeral 700 denotes an operation panel on which a switch for operation, an LED display, and the like are arranged.
Is a printer control unit for controlling the entire LBP 740 and analyzing character pattern information and the like. The printer control unit 701 mainly converts character pattern information into a video signal and outputs the video signal to the laser driver 702. An external memory 711 for supplying font data, a page description language emulation program, and the like can be connected to the printer control unit 701.

The laser driver 702 is a semiconductor laser 70
And a laser beam emitted from the semiconductor laser 703 in response to an input video signal.
04 is turned on / off. The laser beam 704 is swung right and left by a rotary polygon mirror 705 to scan on an electrostatic drum 706. Thus, an electrostatic latent image of a character pattern is formed on the electrostatic drum 706. This latent image is developed by a developing unit 707 around the electrostatic drum 706,
Transferred to recording paper. A cut sheet is used as the recording paper, and the cut sheet recording paper is stored in a paper cassette 708 mounted on the LBP 740, taken in the apparatus by a paper feed roller 709 and a transport roller 710, and
06.

The toner image transferred to the recording paper is fixed by a fixing unit 71.
2 and is fixed on the recording paper. The recording paper on which the image is formed is discharged from the face-up discharge unit 714 with the recording surface facing up when the wedge 713 is turned upward, and is discharged from the face-down discharge unit 715 when the wedge 713 is turned downward. The paper is ejected with the recording surface down.

In such a configuration, printing is performed according to the procedure shown in FIG. FIG. 2 shows a procedure by the personal computer 2 or 7 as a client and a procedure by the server 3. In the figure, the first character of the reference numeral assigned to each step is “P”, which is a procedure executed by the client personal computers 2, 7, and the step “S” is a procedure executed by the server 3. is there. Although this diagram is shown as a series of flows for the sake of convenience, the processing by the server and the client is independent of each other, and the processing proceeds while mutually transferring data.

First, the user issues a print instruction from the PC in use (step P201). Then, the printer control program on the PC transfers the print file and the printing conditions requested by the user, ie, the image quality and speed, to the server (Step P202).

The printer control program on the server 3 having received the information first notifies each printer to inform the use status of all the printers connected to the server (step S203). Each printer that has received the instruction returns the current usage status to the server. If the status of all printers can be grasped in this way, the print control program on the server will use the current status of all printers, the performance (image quality and speed, etc.) of all printers stored on the server, and print Based on the mode information and the size of the print file, the server creates a list of printers close to the user's request using the printer control program (step S204). Then, the created print destination candidate list is transmitted to the user with the printer installation location added (step S205).

The user selects a desired print destination from the transmitted list in consideration of the position of the printer and the like. The result of the selection is instructed to the client personal computer and sent back to the printer control program of the server 3 (Step P206).

When the print destination printer and print mode are selected in this way, the server downloads the corresponding print control program to the print destination printer (step S207). This program is stored in the volatile memory of the printer and is read at the time of printing control.

The printer control program on the server 3 performs image processing of the print file based on the selected print mode and converts the print file into a printable file. Then, the developed print file is transferred to the printer at the printing destination (step S208). This file is stored in the volatile memory of the printer, and is printed by the printer that has received the print instruction (step S20).
9).

According to the above procedure, the print control program corresponding to the attribute of the print data can be downloaded to the printer every time printing is performed, so that the control program can be distributed to the printer user separately from the main body. Therefore, for example, when a defect is found, or when the function of the printer itself is improved by changing a control program, without changing the printer itself,
By redistributing only the updated programs, it becomes possible to respond. When distributing only the control program, the control program may be distributed via the network 6 in FIG. 1 or may be distributed in the form of some other recording medium.

Further, since only the downloaded control program is held in the memory of the main body, there is no need to allocate a memory space for programs and fonts which are not frequently used, and the memory use efficiency is high.

Further, by minimizing the programs recorded in the ROM, the required ROM size can be reduced to such a size that the CPU can be accommodated in the ROM formed as the same semiconductor device, and the nonvolatile memory (ROM) can be stored in the ROM. There is no need to prepare separately. Therefore, the cost of the printer body can be reduced.

Further, by causing the print server 3 to perform conversion processing into a format printable by the printer, the processing capability of the client PC is not limited.

The location of the network printer on the print server is also taken into consideration from the list of printers whose performance (image quality, speed) of all printers on the network is close to the printing conditions desired by the user. The user can select a desired printer in the form. [Modification of Embodiment] FIG. 4 shows a modification of the embodiment. In FIG. 4, a gate array 8 is provided on the control board 2, and a circuit for communication control is realized by the gate array 8. The ROM 5 is provided inside the gate array 8. The ROM 5 stores a program for communication control and a program for initialization. The contents are as shown in FIG. 2 and are the same as those of the previous embodiment.

[0041]

[Other Embodiments] The present invention can be applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices (for example, a host computer, an interface device, a reader, a printer, etc.), and can be applied to a single device (for example, a copying machine). Machine, facsimile machine, etc.).

Further, an object of the present invention is to provide a storage medium (or a recording medium) recording a program code of software for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or an apparatus, and to provide a computer (a computer) of the system or the apparatus. Alternatively, the present invention is also achieved when a CPU or an MPU reads and executes a program code stored in a storage medium. In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium implements the functions of the above-described embodiment, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention. By executing the program code read by the computer, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized, but also an operating system (OS) running on the computer based on the instruction of the program code. This also includes a case where some or all of the actual processing is performed and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing. In FIG. 2,
Steps beginning with "S" are program steps supplied to the server, and steps beginning with "P" are programs supplied to the client. The print control program itself is supplied to the printer.

Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written into the memory provided in the function expansion card inserted into the computer or the function expansion unit connected to the computer, the program code is read based on the instruction of the program code. This also includes the case where the CPU provided in the function expansion card or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments.

[0044]

As described above, the following effects can be obtained by the present invention. (1) By supplying the control program or the control program and the font set to the printer each time printing is performed, the printer control program can be flexibly changed. Therefore, it is possible to easily cope with a problem, a function expansion, and the like. (2) Since only necessary control programs and data are held in the printer, no memory is consumed for unnecessary programs and data, and the efficiency of memory usage is high. (3) Since the amount of programs stored in the nonvolatile memory can be reduced, the cost of the main body can be reduced. (4) The processing capability of the client does not matter because the print processing is shared by the server. (5) Current usage status of printers on the network, performance (image quality, speed) of all printing devices on the network
Allows the user to select from a list of printers that are close to the printing conditions desired by the user, taking into account the installation location, so that the user can always enjoy the best network printing environment.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a print system.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a flow of a print control procedure by a server and a client according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a program load type printer of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a program load type printer according to a modified example.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an inkjet printer engine.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of an electrophotographic printer engine.

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A printing system in which a host device and a printing device are connected, wherein the host device sends a print control program to a selected printing device, and then sends print data to the printing device. A printing system that stores a print control program received from the host device, executes the print control program, and prints the print data. 2. The host device inquires the status of all connected printers prior to transmission of the print control program, and determines a printing device to be used in response to a response from the printing device. The printing system according to claim 1, wherein the selected printing device is selected as a printing device to be used. 3. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the host device determines a print mode based on a response to the inquiry, and transmits a print control program corresponding to the print mode to the printing device. Printing system. 4. The printing device receives image data as print data and prints it as an image, and the host device prints image data printable by the printing device as print data to be transmitted to the printing device. The printing system according to claim 1, wherein: 5. The host device is further connected to another client device, and generates and transmits the image data and transmits a print control program to the printing device based on a print request from the client device. The printing system according to claim 1, wherein the printing is performed. 6. The host device transmits a response result from the printing device to a client device connected to the host device, and determines a printing device designated by the client device as a printing device to be used. The printing system according to claim 2, wherein: 7. A host device sends a print control program to a selected printing device, and then sends print data to the printing device. The printing device executes the print control program received from the host device. And printing the print data. 8. A printing control device connected to at least one printing device, comprising: means for obtaining a status of the connected printing device; and a list of printing devices satisfying the printing request based on the obtained status. A print control apparatus comprising: output means; and means for transmitting a print control program and print data to a printing apparatus selected from the list output. 9. A printing control method connected to at least one printing device, comprising: obtaining a status of the connected printing device; and generating a list of printing devices satisfying the printing request based on the obtained status. A print control method comprising: outputting a print control program and print data to a printing device selected from the list output. 10. A means for acquiring a status of at least one connected printing device by a computer; a means for outputting a list of printing devices satisfying a print request based on the acquired status; and outputting the list to the list. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program for realizing a print control program and a unit for transmitting print data to a printing apparatus selected from the above.