Facsimile and static presentation processing – Static presentation processing – Data corruption – power interruption – or print prevention
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-09
2003-10-14
Grant, II, Jerome (Department: 2854)
Facsimile and static presentation processing
Static presentation processing
Data corruption, power interruption, or print prevention
C358S001150
Reexamination Certificate
active
06633395
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printer, a printing system, a print control method and a storage medium on which is stored a print control program for controlling a printer, and more specifically to a printer that processes received print data to generate image data and to actually print the image data on a recording medium, such as a sheet of paper; a printing system that employs a predetermined communication medium to connect the above described printer and a host computer, which generates print data in accordance with instructions issued by a user; a print control method for the above described printer; a storage medium on which is stored a print control program for controlling the above described printer; and a transmission device for transmitting a control program for controlling the above described printer.
2. Related Background Art
Conventionally, a printing system that is constituted by the host computer and the printer described above is requested not only to permit the printer to print data that are generated by the host computer, but also to obtain information concerning the printer from the host computer and to set the printing environment. Many printing systems that satisfy these requests are presently being produced.
FIG. 23
is a functional block diagram illustrating the arrangement of a conventional printing system that obtains information concerning a printer from a host computer and sets the printing environment. In the conventional printing system, a host computer
2300
and a printer
2350
are interconnected by a specific communication medium
2380
.
The host computer
2300
comprises an application unit
2301
, a printer driver
2302
, an output buffer
2303
, an I/F (interface) driver
2304
and a utility unit
2305
.
The application unit
2301
provides a graphic user interface for a user, and generates image data that match the purpose of the user. The printer driver
2302
translates image data generated by the application unit
2301
into page description language (hereinafter generally referred to as “PDL”) data that can be printed by the printer
2350
.
The output buffer
2303
is used to temporarily store the PDL data that are generated by the printer driver
2302
. The I/F driver
2304
transmits to the printer
2350
the PDL data that are stored in the output buffer
2303
, and exchanges various types of information with the printer
2350
to obtain information for the printer
2350
or to set the printing environment. The utility unit
2305
acquires information concerning the printer
2350
and transmits it to the graphic user interface, or changes a print job or the setup of the printer
2350
in accordance with an instruction issued by a user.
The printer
2350
comprises an I/F driver
2351
, an input buffer
2352
, a JCL (Job Control Language) parser
2353
, a PDL translator
2354
, a drawing buffer
2355
, a drawing unit
2356
, a printer engine
2357
, and a database
2358
.
The I/F driver
2351
receives PDL data from the host computer
2300
, and exchanges information with the host computer to obtain information concerning the printer
2350
or to set the environment. The input buffer
2352
is used to temporally store data received by the I/F driver
2351
, and serves as a buffer member for delaying the processing performed at the following stage.
The JCL parser
2353
analyzes the received data, and for assigning the processing, employs a predetermined JCL to determine whether an information acquisition request or an environment setup request for the printer
2350
has been received, or whether PDL data has been received. The PDL translator
2354
translates the PDL data that are assigned by the JCL parser
2353
, and converts the PDL data into an adequate drawing object. The database
2358
is used either to store setup contents when the setting up of the environment of the printer
2350
is requested using the JCL, or is used to provide information to the JCL parser
2353
when the acquisition of information is requested in JCL. In addition, at the following stage the database
2358
transmits information to the PDL translator
2354
.
Until the actual printing is initiated, the drawing buffer
2355
is used for the temporary storage of the drawing object that is generated by the PDL translator
2354
. As part of the drawing process, the drawing unit
2356
changes the drawing object temporarily stored in the drawing buffer
2355
into a bitmapped image and transmits it to the printer engine
2358
. After receiving the bitmapped image the printer engine
2358
prints it on a recording medium, such as paper, using a well known printing technique.
An explanation will now be given for the job control language (JCL). First, the means for transmitting a print job using JCL will be described.
FIG. 24
is a listing for a print job which shows the structure used for JCL. The same text structure is used for the example in
FIG. 25
, which is a JCL listing comprising data generated by the printer driver
2302
, and PDL data. In
FIGS. 24 and 25
, <ESC> indicates the escape character.
In
FIG. 24
, row (
1
) contains a UEL (Universal Exit Language) entry, indicating that the JCL parser
2353
is to begin a parsing process. Row (
2
) indicates that the process will be shifted to the PDL translator
2354
, called “LIPS”, for the translation of the PDL data and the performance of a drawing process. Row (
3
) indicates a plurality of lines of PDL data that are described in LIPS form. Row (
4
) indicates that the PDL translator
2354
will be halted and the program control shifted to the JCL parser
2353
. In the above JCL listing, the printer
2350
appropriately switches a plurality of print jobs to perform printing.
An explanation will now be given for the means, using JCL, for obtaining information concerning a printing device or a print job, or for setting up the environment. In
FIG. 25
is shown a list of commands and information that are exchanged in order to obtain information or to set up the environment using JCL. <ESC> indicates the escape character, and <FF> indicates the form feed character.
In row (
1
) in
FIG. 25
, as in row (
4
) in
FIG. 24
, it is indicated that the processing by the PDL translator
2354
will be halted and program control shifted to the JCL parser
2353
to initiate a parsing process. Row (
2
) is a command generated by the utility unit
2305
of the host computer
2300
to acquire from the printer
2350
the initial copy count (COPIES) for the pages that are to be printed by the printer
2350
. The character string COPIES is used only as an example, and other information concerning the printer
2350
can be obtained using an appropriate character string. In row (
3
) is the reply transmitted by the printer
2350
to the host computer
2300
in response to the request in row (
2
). In this case, “1” is transmitted as the initial value for the count of the pages that are to be printed by the printer
2350
. In row (
4
), a final transmission by the printer
2350
to the host computer
2300
signals the end of the reply to the request in row (
2
). Row (
5
) is a command generated by the utility unit
2305
of the host computer
2300
and indicates that the initial count value for the pages to be printed by the printer
2350
is reset to “3”. With the above JCL statements, the host computer
2300
can obtain information and can set up the environment for the printer
2350
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above described printing system has been developed over the years, and requests for obtaining information and for setting up the environment are actually more complicated. Specifically, the first function designated is a request for the cancellation of an arbitrary print job input to the printer
2350
. And then, the second function requested is that the print data for the print job to be canceled be invalidated even before they have been analyzed, i.e., that print data for the print job to be canceled be invalidated even while they are st
Mori Jun-ichi
Tuchitoi Naoki
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
Grant II Jerome
LandOfFree
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