Facsimile and static presentation processing – Static presentation processing – Detail of medium positioning
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-27
2003-07-29
Coles, Edward (Department: 2724)
Facsimile and static presentation processing
Static presentation processing
Detail of medium positioning
C358S001150, C358S001100, C358S001130, C358S001140, C358S296000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06600569
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printing control apparatus for controlling to print out a print job transmitted from a host computer and, more particularly, to a printing control apparatus for analyzing and printing print jobs, each having a data size as additional information, in units of commands, when data is exchanged between a client and a host, a printing control method, a storage medium in which a printing control program is stored, and a printing control system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art will be described with reference to
FIGS. 5 and 6
.
FIG. 5
shows the arrangement of a printing apparatus.
FIG. 6
is a flow chart showing the operation of the prior art which is to be performed upon reception of data from a host computer.
Referring to
FIG. 5
, reference numeral
501
denotes a printing apparatus main body;
502
, a host computer (host) for sending data to the printing apparatus main body
501
;
503
, a input unit for receiving the data sent from the host
502
;
504
, a print processing unit for generating a video signal of each print page by analyzing the data of a print job;
505
, a central processing unit for controlling the overall printing apparatus
501
;
506
, an output unit for the video signal of each page sent from the print processing unit
504
onto a printing paper sheet and outputting it;
507
, a paper cassette for storing and supplying printing paper sheets; and
508
, an operation unit that is used by a user to set a printing mode and the like.
Conventionally, print data which is described in a printer language starting with a print start command and ending with a print end command (
FIG. 8
) is sent from the host
502
to the printing apparatus
501
shown in FIG.
5
.
In a peripheral device such as a printer, data received from a host computer includes print data that is to be actually printed and expressed in a page description language (PDL), which is bracketed by command information called a job language (JL). With this data, control on a print job and the like are performed. The JL is independent of the PDL but is expressed by the same text sequence.
The data sent from the host
502
is received by the input unit
503
(step S
601
in FIG.
6
). The input unit
503
determines that any data starting with a print start command is a print job, and handles the subsequent data as one print job up to the detection of a print end command.
Upon detection of a print start command (JL), the input unit
503
sends a job start notification to the central processing unit
505
. Upon reception of the job start notification, the central processing unit
505
instructs the print processing unit
504
to start print processing for the currently received print job.
Upon reception of this instruction, the print processing unit
504
loads the data from the input unit
503
and prints the currently received print job (step S
602
).
Upon analyzing the data of the print job and completing a 1-page video signal, the print processing unit
504
sends the video signal to the output unit
506
, and generates a video signal for the next page. Upon reception of the video signal, the output unit
506
receives a paper sheet from the paper cassette
507
, prints out the video signal onto the paper sheet, and discharges it. When the print processing unit
504
processes the print job up to the print end command (YES in step S
603
), the print processing unit
504
sends a print end notification to the central processing unit
505
.
The print processing unit
504
continues processing for the received print job until the print end command (JL) is received (NO in step S
603
).
When another print job is sent from the host
502
, the print processing unit
504
performs the same processing as described above. Consider, for example, print jobs A and B, as shown in FIG.
8
.
When print jobs are continuously sent from the host
502
, the central processing unit
505
may receive a print start notification of the next print job from the input unit
503
before receiving a print end notification of the preceding print job. In this case, the central processing unit
505
instructs the print processing unit
504
to start printing the next print job after receiving the print end notification of the preceding print job from the print processing unit
504
.
Upon completion of a print job A
801
(FIG.
8
), print processing for a print job B
802
is started.
If, therefore, it takes much time to analyze a print job in the print processing unit
504
, another subsequent print job cannot be quickly executed/managed.
FIG. 14
is a block diagram showing the schematic arrangement of a printing system that acquires information and sets environment in such a conventional printing system.
In the conventional printing system, a host computer
109
is connected to a printing apparatus
110
through a predetermined communication medium
1413
.
The host computer
109
includes an application unit
1401
, a printer driver unit
1402
, a transmission buffer
1403
, an I/F (interface) driver unit
1404
, and a utility unit
1405
.
The application unit
1401
provides the user with a graphical user interface and generates image data suited to user's purpose. The printer driver unit
1402
converts the image data generated by the application unit
1401
into page description language (PDL) data that can be printed.
The transmission buffer
1403
temporarily stores the PDL data generated by the printer driver unit
1402
. The I/F driver unit
1404
transmits the PDL data stored in the transmission buffer
1403
to the printing apparatus
110
, and transmits/receives information to/from the printing apparatus
110
. The utility unit
1405
acquires information from the printing apparatus
110
to provide it for the graphic user interface, or changes the environment settings in the printing apparatus
110
in accordance with a request from the user.
The printing apparatus
110
includes an I/F driver unit
1406
, a reception buffer
1407
, a JL (job control language) parser unit
1408
, a PDL translator unit
1409
, a rendering buffer
1410
, a rendering unit
1411
, a printer engine unit
1412
, and a device database unit
1413
. The I/F driver unit
1406
receives PDL data transmitted from the host computer
109
, transmits information about the printing apparatus
110
, and receives environment setting information. The reception buffer
1407
temporarily holds the entire data received through the I/F driver unit
1406
to buffer any delay in subsequent processing.
The JL parser unit
1408
analyzes the received data and determines, on the basis of predetermined JL information, whether the data supplied indicates information about the printing apparatus
110
or PDL data, thereby sending the data to the corresponding processing. The PDL translator unit
1409
performs PDL translation processing for the PDL data sent from the JL parser unit
1408
, thereby converting the data into intermediate data as a rendering object suitable for rendering. The device database unit
1413
stores the information about the printing apparatus
110
which is set by the JL and acquires the information by the JL, or supplies it to the PDL translator unit
1409
on the subsequent stage. In this case, environment information indicates, for example, the number of copies.
The rendering buffer
1410
temporarily stores the intermediate data of the rendering object generated by the PDL translator unit
1409
until it is actually printed. The rendering unit
1411
generates image data as a bitmap image by actually rendering the rendering object temporarily stored in the application unit
1401
. The printer engine unit
1412
receives the bitmap image generated by the rendering unit
1411
, and prints it on a medium such as a paper sheet by a known printing technique.
The job control language (JL) will be described next. A print data transmission means using the JL will be described first.
JL (Job Language) data is data that is generated and tra
Osada Mamoru
Shimotai Naoko
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Coles Edward
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
Ghee Ashanti
LandOfFree
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