JPH06424B2 - Cut paper discharge control method for printer document classification - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a print control method for a printer, and more specifically, to connect a plurality of host computers to a single printer and use the plurality of host computers. A method for controlling cut paper discharge for document classification of a printer, which can distinguish between each other's own documents and other documents, and can also distinguish between documents for each copy of the same document when printing a plurality of copies of the same document It is about.

[Background of the Invention]

Conventionally, continuous paper has been often used as a print paper for a printer connected to a computer, but recently, cut paper is used as a print paper in a word processor or the like,
Document information composed of multiple pages is often printed.

A laser beam printer is known as a printer that prints a large amount of cut paper.

By the way, when a plurality of host computers are connected to a single printer and used, it is desirable that each person who uses the plurality of host computers can distinguish between themselves and other documents in order to easily perform the sorting work between the documents.

On the other hand, when printing a plurality of copies of the same document, it is also desirable to be able to distinguish between the documents of each copy of the same document in order to facilitate the sorting work between the documents.

[Object of the Invention]

An object of the present invention is to connect a plurality of host computers to a single printer for use, to identify between each other's own documents of each person who uses a plurality of host computers, and to print a plurality of copies of the same document. (EN) Provided is a printer for controlling cut sheet ejection for document classification of a printer, which has two functions of simultaneously discriminating between documents of each copy of the same document and which can more easily perform sorting work between documents. Especially.

[Outline of Invention]

The purpose is to connect the printer to the host computer,
In a print control method for a printer that executes printing on a cut sheet based on print data transmitted from the host computer to the printer side, a plurality of host computers are connected to a single printer, The printer detects the print copy number information and delimiter information transmitted from the host computer to the printer side,
On the printer side, the same document is repeatedly printed on cut sheets based on the detected number-of-prints information and division information, and the cut-sheet for document division is placed between the cut sheets for each copy during printing. Is achieved by sending

Example of Invention

 Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

First, FIG. 1 is a block configuration diagram of a printer used for carrying out the method of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an example of a format of communication data thereof, and FIG. 3 is an example of a format of document information thereof. FIG. 4 and FIG. 4 are flowcharts showing the operation procedure of the device according to FIG. 1, and FIG. 5 is a side view in which the products printed by the flowchart of FIG. 4 are stacked.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a communication circuit related to communication means, which receives communication data from a host computer.

Reference numeral 3 denotes a cut sheet printer main body related to a printing unit, which prints characters, figures, and images on a cut sheet supplied from a sheet cassette 4 according to print information given from a host computer, and discharges the sheet onto a sheet tray 5. , To be sent.

The discharged cut sheets are sequentially stacked on the paper tray 5 so that the printed surface faces upward and is on the cut sheet discharged first.

Reference numeral 2 denotes a control device relating to control means for controlling the operation of these devices, which is composed of a CPU, a program memory, a work memory and an interface, and the above-mentioned communication circuit according to a program stored in the program memory therein. 1, which controls the operation of the cut sheet printer body 3. Note that P is a counter and is not used in this embodiment.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the structure of communication data transmitted from the above-mentioned host computer.

That is, the communication data includes the start code 101, the end code 103, and the document information 102.

Here, as an example, the number of document information is document information A102.
-1, B102-2, C102-3, D102-4 4
Two cases will be described.

FIG. 3 also shows an example of a detailed configuration of each document information in FIG.

For example, the document information A 102-1 is the document start code 2
01, document name 202, number of prints 203, data 204
-1 to 204-M, the print information of the first to Mth pages, the page break code 205, and the document end code 2
06.

Next, the operation of each unit in FIG. 1 will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

When the communication data shown in FIG. 2 is started to be received through the communication circuit 1 connected to the host computer (step 301), the control device is based on a series of plural pages of document information as shown in FIG. The CPU 2 controls the cut sheet printer body 3 to print and send it (step 302).

That is, by this operation, the data is printed on the cut sheets supplied from the sheet cassette 4 and stacked on the sheet tray 5.

After that, the control device 2 sends out a document classification cut sheet for classification (step 303).

Next, the CPU in the control device 2 checks the communication data received from the host computer and determines whether there is the following document information, that is, for example, the document information A1 in FIG.
It is determined whether or not there is document information next to 02-1 (step 304).

If there is no next document information, the process ends (step 30).
5) If there is document information such as document information B102-2, the process returns to step 302 and the process is repeated.

When the communication data of FIG. 2 is processed according to the flow chart of FIG. 4, a stack of prints as shown in FIG. 5 is obtained.

FIG. 5 is a side view of cut sheets printed and stacked on the sheet tray 5.

Here, 61 is printed by the document information A 102-1 in FIG. 2, 62 is printed by the document information B 102-2, and 63 is document information C 102-3.
Printed by, 64 is document information D102
-4 shows the one printed by -4.

65 is sent according to step 303 of FIG. 4,
It is a cut sheet for document classification.

The document classification cut sheet 65 may be any sheet that can be visually distinguished from the cut sheets (61, 62, 63, 64) printed by the document information.

For example, when the cut sheet 65 for document classification is of the same type as the cut sheet printed according to the document information, it may be a blank sheet with nothing printed, or the document classification 202 such as the document name 202 in FIG. You may print the data which shows that it is a cut sheet.

Further, the cut sheet printer main body 3 can be provided with a plurality of sheet cassettes 4 having cut sheets of a plurality of types, and the control device 2 selects which cut sheet in the sheet cassette is to be used. When it is possible to control and automatically select and print a plurality of types of cut sheets, the control device 2 sends out a cut sheet of a type that is not used in printing based on the document information as a cut sheet for document classification. In this case, it is possible to easily discriminate the boundaries of the printed sheets in the stacked state on the paper tray 5.

As the type of cut paper used for this separation, the shape such as the paper size or the difference in the thickness of the paper may be adopted, the difference in the color of the paper, the difference between the opaque paper and the transparent paper, etc. Alternatively, a difference depending on the material of the paper may be adopted.

From these points, the cut sheet for document classification relating to the cut sheet for classification is, regardless of the type, printed with or without printing by the control device 2 and the above difference. Is something that can be done.

Here, the main part of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing an operation procedure which is an essential part of the present invention. When the print information of each of a plurality of pages shown in FIG.
It shows a flowchart for inserting a cut sheet for document classification for each.

First, when one document information is transmitted from the host computer connected to the communication circuit 1 (step 40).
1), the CPU of the control device 2 reads the print copy number N (see reference numeral 203 in FIG. 3) and stores it in the counter P of the print copy number counter in the control device 2 (step 40).
2).

Next, the print information for each page is similarly read and temporarily stored in the work memory in the control device 2 (step 403).

After that, the print information for each page stored in the control device 2 is sequentially read by the CPU, converted into data for the cut sheet printer body 3, and printed by this (step 404).

Next, the control device 2 outputs a command for sending a cut sheet for document classification (step 405), and the value of the print copy counter P is decremented by 1 (step 406).

Finally, the value of the print copy counter P is determined, and if it is 0, the process is terminated (step 408). If it is not 0, the process returns to step 404.

By this series of control, when a plurality of copies of the same document are printed out, the cut sheets for document classification can be inserted between them, so that the printout of the document information can be easily separated for each copy.

In addition, according to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 7, a plurality of host computers 71-
, 71-2, 71-3, ... 71-n are connected to each host computer 71-1 ,.
It is possible to distinguish between the printed ones according to the document information transmitted from 71-n, that is, the own and other documents of each person using a plurality of host computers.

It should be noted that JP-A-55-1 entitled "Electrophotographic information recording method"
Japanese Patent No. 61265 discloses a technique of utilizing a communication period with an external information source and sending out one cut sheet for document classification during this period.

However, the technique described in the publication only ends up in the effect of facilitating the identification of cut sheets containing different information, and when a plurality of host computers are connected to a single printer as in the present invention, Each person who uses a plurality of host computers discriminates between himself / herself and other documents, and when printing a plurality of copies of the same document, it simultaneously has two effects of discriminating between documents for each copy of the same document. It is not easy to sort documents.

〔The invention's effect〕

The present invention is as described above, and according to the present invention, when a plurality of host computers are connected to a single printer and used, the individual and other documents of each person who uses the plurality of host computers are identified, and When a plurality of copies of the same document are printed, it simultaneously has two functions of discriminating between documents of each copy of the same document, and the sorting work between the documents can be performed more easily than before.

[Brief description of drawings]

1 shows an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a printer used for implementing the present invention, FIG. 2 is an illustration of a format of communication data thereof, and FIG. An example of the format of the document information is shown in FIG.
5 is a flowchart showing the operation procedure of the one related to the drawing, FIG.
FIG. 6 is a side view in which the printed matter is stacked according to the flow chart of FIG. 4, FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing an operation procedure which is an essential part of the present invention, and FIG. It is a block diagram of a printer and a host computer provided. 1 ... Communication circuit, 2 ... Control device, 3 ... Cut paper printer main body, 4 ... Paper cassette, 5 ... Paper tray.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A printer is connected to a host computer,
In a print control method for a printer that executes printing on a cut sheet based on print data transmitted from the host computer to the printer side, a plurality of host computers are connected to a single printer, The printer side detects the print copy number information and the delimiter information transmitted from the host computer to the printer side, and the printer side repeatedly cuts the same document based on the detected print copy number information and the delimiter information. A method for controlling the discharge of cut sheets for document classification in a printer, which comprises printing on paper and sending cut sheets for document classification between the cut sheets for each copy during printing.