JPS6230116B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a printing device that prints on a medium having a limited printing surface, such as a bankbook or magregiar (ledger card with magnetic stripe).

When printing on such media, if the number of lines to be printed at one time (i.e., the number of printed lines) is greater than the number of printable lines remaining on the medium (i.e., the number of remaining lines to print), data that cannot be printed may It will remain. In this case, all you have to do is replace the medium on which printing has expired with a new medium and print the remaining data on the new medium, but conventionally, when the medium reaches the end of printing, the staff member is notified to replace the medium. Ta.

This conventional method is inefficient because the printing device remains stopped from the time printing is completed until the staff comes with a new medium, and it also makes the user or operator of the printing device wait. This is inconvenient because it takes a long time.

In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a printing device with a notification function that notifies that when the print surface of a medium is insufficient, it is necessary to replace the medium with a new medium as soon as possible. be.

The present invention includes a reading means for reading data regarding the number of lines to be printed from a medium, an input means operated by a user, and a method for storing print data sent from a center based on the user's operation of the input means. a storage means, a comparison means for comparing the number of print lines to be printed on the medium and the number of lines remaining to be printed based on the print data stored in the storage means and the data read by the reading means; Notification means for notifying an attendant that the medium needs to be replaced in response to the comparison means detecting (number of remaining print lines) < (number of print lines); ), or a printing unit that starts printing the print data stored in the storage unit based on the notification from the notification unit.

Therefore, according to the present invention, when the comparing means detects that (number of remaining lines to be printed) < (number of lines to be printed this time), the notifying means first notifies the staff that the medium needs to be replaced, and then the printing means starts printing. As a result, staff can quickly prepare new media, the time required for the printing device to stop when printing is completed is shortened, and the operation rate of the printing device is improved, while the waiting time for users (operators) is reduced. The time will also be shorter.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

In this embodiment, a passbook is used as the medium, and an automatic teller machine, a payment machine, or a bookkeeping machine in a deposit dispensing machine is assumed as the printing device. A magnetic stripe is attached to the cover of the passbook, and this magnetic stripe records the subject, account number, last page printed last time (hereinafter referred to as the previous page), and last line printed last time (hereinafter referred to as the previous line). . Here, the subject represents the type of passbook, that is, whether it is a general deposit passbook or a regular deposit passbook.

In FIG. 1, the user opens the previous page and inserts the passbook through insertion slot 1. The inserted passbook is conveyed along a conveyance path 5 by a roller (or belt) 2, and along the way, the above-mentioned data on the magnetic stripe is read by a magnetic head 3. after that,
The passbook is stopped at a position where the current printing start line faces the printer 4. This positioning is performed based on the previous line read by the magnetic head 3 and the detection of the passbook feed amount (for example, the amount of pulses supplied to a rotary encoder or pulse motor), which itself is well known.

Then, when the printer 4 completes printing a predetermined number of lines, the passbook is returned to the insertion slot 1.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a bookkeeping machine, in which a microprocessor 6 as an example of comparison means has an address bus 7, a data bus 8, and a control bus 9.
These buses include a bankbook recording/reproducing circuit 10 including a magnetic head 3 as an example of a reading device, a printer control circuit 11 including a printer 4 as an example of a printing device, and a transport control circuit 12 including the roller 2 described above. , a monitoring interface circuit 13, a buffer circuit 14 as an example of storage means, and a memory 15 are connected, respectively. A monitoring device 130 is further connected to the monitoring interface circuit 13. The monitoring device 130 is installed in a clerk's office away from a deposit machine or the like having a memory machine, and
Lamp indicating that passbook replacement is required for each subject (an example of a notification method)
have. That is, 131 is a lamp for a general deposit passbook, and 132 is a lamp for a savings account passbook.

Note that the microprocessor 6 controls the operations of the above-mentioned devices connected to the bus according to a program, and also performs various calculations. The address bus 7 specifies input/output destinations, the data bus 8 transmits data and commands, and the control bus 9
indicates the input/output distinction.

Unrecorded data and current transaction data are sent to the buffer circuit 14 from the central processing unit of the center in a telegram format as shown in FIG.
Data 1, data 2, ... in Figure 3 are the data to be printed on each printing line of the passbook, and include space codes, etc. Also, LF is an abbreviation for line feed, which is used to cause the printer 4 to feed a line. is the control code of Therefore, the number of LFs in the data is equal to the number of lines to be printed. Furthermore, E is an identification code indicating the end of data.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained with reference to the flow chart of FIG.

The data on the magnetic stripe of the inserted passbook is read by the passbook recording/reproducing circuit 10 including the magnetic head 3, passed through the data bus 8, and then loaded into the accumulator (not shown) in the MPU 6, where the data is read again. The data are stored one after another in the memory 15 via the bus 8. In other words, the subject is in area 151, the previous page is in area 152, and the previous row is in area 15.
3, and the account number is also stored in an appropriate area.

Subsequently, the passbook is positioned based on the previous line in area 153 and under the control of conveyance control circuit 12 so that the current printing start line faces printer 4 .

After that, the user operation for depositing (or withdrawing) is performed via an input means (not shown), and after communicating with the center, the unrecorded data and the current transaction data are sent from the center by the message shown in Figure 3. It is sent as data to be printed. These data are then stored in the buffer circuit 14.

Next, printing is performed, but before that, ST1 is performed to check whether the previous page opened and inserted this time is the last page. This test is carried out in area 15.
The MPU 6 may determine whether the previous page of 2 is the final page (for example, page 5). In ST1, when the MPU 6 detects that the page is not the last page, the printer control circuit 11 immediately starts printing in ST9. For printing, data is transferred word by word from the buffer 14 to the printer control circuit 11 for printing, and when the printer control circuit 11 detects LF, the conveyance control circuit 12 feeds the bankbook by line feed.

In ST1, when the MPU 6 detects that it is the last page, ST2 clears the numerical value N in the area 155 to 0. Next, ST3 reads the first word of the data to be printed from the buffer 14 to the accumulator of the MPU 6, and ST4 checks whether this word is LF. If it is LF, add 1 to N and ST
5. Read all words in buffer 14 sequentially,
ST6 repeats the above until reading is completed. Note that reading is completed by detecting that the word read into the accumulator is the identification code E indicating the end of the message. Through the above steps ST2 to ST6, the numerical value N in the area 155 is the number of LFs in the data, that is, the number of lines to be printed this time.

Next, ST checks whether M≦N using MPU6.
7. Here, M is the number of printable lines remaining in the passbook, that is, the number of remaining print lines, and is calculated by MPU 6 by subtracting the previous line in area 153 from the total number of print lines (for example, 24 lines) on the passbook print page. is,
It is stored in area 154 at an appropriate stage before ST1.

Now, in ST7, when the MPU 6 detects N<M, the current number of lines to be printed is less than the number of remaining lines to be printed in the passbook, so printing is immediately performed in ST9. MPU
When the MPU 6 detects M≦N, the MPU 6 transfers the area 151 to the interface circuit 13 via the data bus 8.
subject as an alarm signal. The interface circuit 13 decodes the input item, and in the case of a general deposit, the lamp 1 of the monitoring device 130
31 is lit, and in the case of ordinary deposits, the lamp 132 is lit, which notifies the staff that a passbook replacement is required.
ST8. Thereafter, the data in the buffer 14 is printed by the printer 4.

When (number of lines printed this time)<(number of lines remaining to be printed), after printing is completed, the previous line of the magnetic stripe is updated and recorded by the magnetic head 3, and then the passbook is returned to the insertion slot 1. Here, the new previous row is calculated as (previous row in area 153)+(N) in the MPU 6, and this is updated and recorded.

If the page being printed this time is not the last page, and (number of remaining lines to be printed) ≦ (number of lines to be printed this time), when printing on that page is complete, when should the passbook be returned to the user? Ask the user to turn the page, or turn the page automatically, and print the remaining print data on the next page.
In addition, in the case of "=", the passbook is printed on the first line of the next page, the previous page and previous line are updated, and the passbook is immediately returned to the user. Further, the printing completion of the above-mentioned page is determined by counting the currently printed lines or by detecting the bankbook position.

If the page being printed this time is the last page and (number of remaining lines to be printed) ≦ (number of lines to be printed this time), when the last page is printed, the bookkeeping machine will stop and the clerk will Wait for someone to come with a new passbook. Then, when the clerk comes and operates the clerk key, the passbook inside the bookkeeping machine is returned, and then the clerk opens the first page of the new passbook and inserts it into the bookkeeping machine, and the rest of the printing is done.
Additionally, the previous page and line are updated and recorded on the magnetic stripe of the passbook and returned.

Note that when (number of remaining lines to be printed)≦(lines to be printed this time), the previous page plus 1 in area 152 becomes the previous page to be updated. Also, if (N-M+1) is stored in area 155 as a new N,
The new N in area 155 becomes the last updated row.

In addition to the above-mentioned embodiments, the present invention may include various embodiments as follows.

(1) The format of the print data includes the number of print lines itself as shown in Figure 5 (in this case
(no need to count the number of LF), or data that is always included in the print data as shown in Figure 6,
For example, the number of print lines may be determined by counting the number of date identification codes ID.

(2) The previous page and previous line may be detected by scanning the printed page of the medium with an optical scanning means. In this case, an optical scanning device is an example of the reading means.

(3) Instead of magnetically recording the previous page and previous line on the medium, the remaining pages and remaining lines may be recorded. In this case, the data indicating the remaining lines is an example of data regarding the number of lines to be printed.

(4) The notification means may be a buzzer or a combination of a lamp and a buzzer.

(5) When (current number of printed lines) = (number of remaining lines to be printed),
If carryover printing is not performed, there is no need to notify that medium replacement is required.

(6) It may be constructed using conventional wire logic circuits without using a microprocessor. In this case, one signal can command both the notification and the start of printing at the same time.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show an embodiment of the present invention, in which Fig. 1 is a schematic mechanical diagram of a bookkeeping machine (printing device), Fig. 2 is an electrical block diagram of the bookkeeping machine, Fig. 3 is a format diagram of print data, and Fig. Figure 4 is a flowchart of the main parts.
FIGS. 5 and 6 are diagrams showing other formats of print data, respectively. 6: Microprocessor, 11: Printer control circuit, 14: Print data buffer circuit, 15: Memory, 130: Monitoring device.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A reading means for reading data regarding the number of printed lines from the medium, an input means operated by the user, and a storage means for storing the print data sent from the center based on the user's operation of the input means. , a comparing means for comparing the number of print lines to be printed on the medium and the number of lines remaining to be printed based on the print data stored in the storage means and the data read by the reading means, and the comparing means (Number of remaining lines to be printed)<(Number of lines to be printed) Notifying means for notifying a staff member that a medium needs to be replaced in response to detection of (Number of remaining lines to be printed)<(Number of lines remaining to be printed);
1. A printing device with a notification function, comprising: a printing device that starts printing the printing data stored in the storage device based on the detection of the printing data or the notification from the notification device.