Data processing: software development – installation – and managem – Software upgrading or updating
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-16
2002-10-15
Morse, Gregory (Department: 2122)
Data processing: software development, installation, and managem
Software upgrading or updating
Reexamination Certificate
active
06467087
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to a method for updating printing systems, more particularly, to a method for updating a printer firmware which is downloaded from the Internet or some media.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Nowadays, a printer has become a dispensable periphery for a computer as the computer industry is growing explosively and the demand for printing documents from a computer is more and more widely created. For the present, three types of printers, typically, are on the market. In view of the color issue, gray level printing technologies of the past printers have been enhanced and converted into colorful printing technologies. Additionally, the printing speed and the printing quality have also rapidly improved. In another aspect, the gradually decreased cost of the printer has made it possible to be prevailing and widely used from offices to homes.
A typical printer is composed of two main sections: an electronic circuit-based control section and a mechanical apparatus section, wherein the mechanical apparatus section approximately an engine, which is substantially the same as the engine of a Photostat, while the electronic circuit-based control section plays a crucial role for the printer. The electronic circuit-based control section is located on a control board, generally named a controller, comprising a processor, a ROM, a RAM, a font interface, a video frequency interface and the like.
In a printer, a firmware, controlling a printing action, is sent to a ROM, which is permanently stored therein and is not amendable by users. When something wrong undesirably happens to the printer, especially to the firmware of the printer such as the firmware code is wrongly located on the ROM, the users can do nothing about printer repairing but turn to service offered by the manufacturer. Moreover, when the printer system needs to be extended to have some new functions, and all the users can do is ask for a replacement for the ROM from the manufacture.
In light of the aforementioned drawbacks the conventional printer has been suffering, there is a need to develop a method for overcoming the issues that are raised in updating a printer firmware.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to provide a method for updating a printer firmware of a printer. By use of downloading the new-version printer firmware from the Internet or some media and sending the new-version printer firmware into a nonvolatile memory, the updating job for a printer firmware is thus easily achieved.
The present invention provides a method for updating a printer firmware. A new-version printer firmware is downloaded from the network or some media. A Printer Job Language (PJL) Download Command of printer firmware is downloaded through an input port of the printer, such as serial port, parallel port or a network interface. The Printer Firmware Blocks of the printer firmware are then written into a nonvolatile memory of the printer, such as a Flash ROM, so that a printer firmware updating job is thus achieved. After updating the printer firmware, a checking process is executed to confirm whether the updating process is successfully completed, and the checking result is displayed on a computer display. The updating method according to the present invention not only can be executed upon the printer is powered, but also can be executed after some general function conducted by the printer.
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IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin. Update Mechanism for Personal Computer System Resident Firmware. Mar. 1992. pp. 133-136.*
IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin. Dual Indirect Ram/Rom JUMP Tables for Firmware Updates. Jun. 1988. pp. 294-298.
Destiny Technology Corporation
Morse Gregory
Powell Goldstein Frazer & Murphy LLP
Zhen Wei
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