1990-10-31
1992-09-08
Evans, Arthur G.
395101, G06K 1500
Patent
active
051465442
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the control of printing operations on text data produced by a word processor or by a computer running a word processing programme. The device is intended to be connected between an output port of a word processor or computer and an input port of a printer.
In most office situations, where a word processor is being used to prepare letters, it is necessary to print not only the letter but an envelope or label for such an envelope containing the address data which is usually to be found embedded in the text data of the letter. In order to produce both the letter and label or envelope, a secretary normally has to produce two separate documents and carry out two separate printing operations. Some specialist word processing software provides facilities for printing address labels. However, this is normally limited to "mail merge" type programmes which are intended for producing large numbers of similar letters to addresses selected from a database. In such applications, the label or envelopes are printed altogether as a separate print run. The secretary who produces a number of different letters on a word processor usually finds it necessary to resort to a typewriter to prepare the envelopes required. This results in a considerable expenditure of time and detracts considerably from the efficiency that is otherwise available from the use of a word processor.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to a first aspect of this invention, a dedicated printer control device comprises at least one input port for receiving text data, a first output port for connection to a printer on which the text data is to be printed, means for designating characters as control codes identifying the beginning and end respectively of a part of the data, which part is to be separately printed, means for recognising the or each control code in the input text data, user operable selection means for selectively directing the identified part of the text data to a second or third printer output port for the said separate printing, and means for modifying the format of the said part of the text data applied to the second or third output port whereby the device is operable automatically to feed all of the text data to be printed, including the said part, to the first output port for a first printing operation, and the said part to the second or third output ports for a separate, second printing operation.
With such a device it is possible to connect the main printer to the first output port and an auxiliary printer to the second printer output port. The auxiliary printer can be loaded with envelopes or labels so that the address data identified between the control codes is not only sent to the main printer as part of the letter or other document but also to the auxiliary printer for preparation of the required envelope at the same time as the letter is being printed. This results in time saving and also avoids the need for the secretary to type the address data twice. The auxiliary printer may preferably be integral with the device thereby producing a device which merely needs to be connected into the cable from a word processor to a printer and which requires no further modification of the system. In an alternative version a third printer output port may be provided. The address data may be output at the second and third ports in different preset formats for use by a label or envelope printer respectively.
The designating means is preferably a keyboard associated with the device by means of which the characters to be used as control codes may be changed. The designating means may comprise a memory in the device in which default characters are stored. The control codes are characters which may be inserted in the document to be printed by the word processor operator at the appropriate place. Typically they will be characters which are not frequently used in normal correspondence, for example "/, *, , or .about.". These characters are called printable control codes because they act as c
REFERENCES:
patent: 3810109 (1974-05-01), Morris, et al.
patent: 4085445 (1978-04-01), Blevins et al.
patent: 4960338 (1990-10-01), Sheldon
Altham David R.
Prince Andrew P.
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