JP2009131964A - Operation menu setting method of small printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce use of rolled paper for menu setting. <P>SOLUTION: The method prints and displays an operation menu on rolled paper, and allows a user to make selection out of a displayed print. The method also includes: printing selections on each item included in each directory of the operation menu; giving a font attribute to the selection now selected; selecting a new item when the presently selected selection must be changed; applying display cancellation to the presently selected item; and applying a font attribute to the item newly selected in a new item selection step. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an operation menu setting for a printer, and more particularly to an operation menu setting method for a small printer having no menu setting screen.

Many small printers are used for issuing receipts. Unlike a large printer, such a small printer does not have a screen or operation panel for displaying an operation menu and allowing the user to select one to be used. Therefore, as described in Patent Document 1, an operation menu is often printed and displayed and selected from the displayed ones. For this reason, printing paper is used for purposes other than the original use of issuing a receipt, for example. In particular, when a menu is set in multiple layers and a plurality of options are provided in each layer, a large amount of printing paper is used.
For example, FIG. 13 shows an example in which the setting A1 is changed to the setting A2 for the item A, and all items and options are printed again.

JP-A-2005-14547

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to reduce the amount of paper used for displaying and selecting an operation menu.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an operation menu setting method for a roll paper printer,
The roll paper printer prints and displays the operation menu on the roll paper, and the user selects from the printed display, and the operation menu is composed of a plurality of pyramid layers and is included in each layer. When the option is printed for each item to be displayed, character modification is given to the currently selected option, and the currently selected option needs to be changed,
A method is provided for selecting a new item, adding a cancellation display to the current selection item, and adding character modifiers to the item newly selected in the new item selection step.
According to the invention of claim 2, in the invention of claim 1, the roll paper printer has a push button for control instruction, and when changing the currently selected item, the pattern indicating the option to be newly selected is used. A method is provided in which a push button is pressed, and if the switch is not pressed for a predetermined time after the last press, it is determined that the new option has been selected.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method according to the second aspect, wherein the predetermined time can be changed.
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for distinguishing choices by the number of times the push button is pressed.
According to the invention of claim 5, in the invention of claim 1, when selecting an option that has been canceled and displayed again, there is provided a method of starting over from the printing of the option.
According to the invention of claim 6, in the invention of claim 1, in the option printing, in addition to printing the contents of the option together with the number, only the number is printed, and the selection display is a number on which only the number is printed. There is provided a method to be applied.
According to the invention of claim 7, in the invention of claim 1, when the option includes the contents of the font, a method of printing with the contents is provided.

  According to the present invention, since a cancel display is given to a print once printed, the use of roll paper for setting a menu can be reduced.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a roll paper printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 indicates a roll paper printer. The printer 1 has a base portion 2 and a cover 3, and the roll paper can be exchanged by opening the cover 3.
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 4 is a power switch, and reference numeral 5 is an operation unit. Details of the operation unit 5 are shown in FIG. The operation unit 5 is provided with a power lamp 6 that is turned on when power is supplied, an error lamp 7 that is turned on or blinking when an error occurs, and a feed switch 8 that is used when performing an operation according to the present invention. Although the feed switch 8 will be described in detail later, the contents of the command are made different depending on the length of time the button is pressed.
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 9 is an exit from which printed roll paper comes out.
Although not shown, the base unit 2 is provided with a control circuit including a microcomputer in which a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, an output interface, an input interface, a timer, and the like are connected by a common bus circuit.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a cross-sectional structure of the printer 1 according to the embodiment. The cover 3 is held so as to be rotatable about the fulcrum 21 with respect to the base portion 2 and can be opened and closed. Although not shown, a switch that switches when the cover 3 is completely closed is provided so that the open / closed state of the cover 3 can be detected. The base unit 2 includes a roll paper storage unit 22 that stores a roll paper roll 10 (hereinafter, the entire roll paper roll is indicated by reference numeral 10 and the roll paper is indicated by reference numeral 11), and a lower conveyance roller 23a. A lower first conveyance guide 24, a platen roller 29, a lower second conveyance guide 30, and a movable blade 31a constituting a cutter. The cover 3 includes an upper transport roller 23b, a roll paper end detection mechanism that detects the absence of the transported roll paper 11, a position mark detector 27 that detects the position mark 14, a thermal head 28, and a cutter. The fixed blade 31b which comprises is provided. In addition, although the upper conveyance guide is also provided in the cover 3, illustration is abbreviate | omitted here.

  When the cover 3 is closed, the upper transport roller 23a and the lower transport roller 23b come into contact with each other to sandwich the roll paper 11, and the two rollers rotate to transport the roll paper 11. The lever 25 and the photo interrupter 26 constitute a roll paper end detection mechanism that detects the end of the roll paper. When the roll paper 11 is present, the lever 25 is in a position indicated by a solid line in the figure, one end is in contact with the roll paper 11, and the other end is located in the photo interrupter 26, thereby closing the photo interrupter 26. Accordingly, when the photo interrupter 26 is in the shut-off state, a signal indicating that the roll paper 10 exists is output. When this portion of the roll paper 11 is exhausted, the lever 25 rotates to the position indicated by the broken line, and the other end moves out of the photo interrupter 26 so that the photo interrupter 26 passes. Therefore, when the photo interrupter 26 is in the passing state, a signal indicating that the roll paper 11 has run out, that is, the roll paper end is output. When a signal indicating the roll paper end is output, a display is made to inform the user that the roll paper roll 10 has been used up and a new roll paper roll 10 needs to be set (not shown).

  The position mark detector 27 includes a light beam irradiation unit that irradiates the surface of the roll paper 11 with a light beam, and a light detection unit that detects reflected light reflected by the surface of the roll paper 11. In the case where the position mark is provided, the position mark (not shown) provided on the roll paper 11 is different from the position mark (not shown) on the roll paper 11 in the reflected light intensity at other portions. Detect passage.

Reference numeral 28 denotes a print head. Here, the print head 28 is a thermal head in which a plurality of heating elements that can independently control heat generation are arranged. When the cover 3 is closed, the thermal head 28 faces the platen roll 29. In synchronization with the detection of the position mark by the position mark detector 27, the thermal head 28 selectively heats the roll paper 11 conveyed between the platen rolls 29 in accordance with the shape of the characters, etc. To print. The printed roll paper 11 is guided between the movable blade 31a and the fixed blade 31b constituting the cutter and cut at a predetermined position.
The thermal head 28 has the same printing width as that of the roll paper 11 and is fixed so as not to move.

When the roll paper roll 10 is set, it has a large diameter as indicated by a solid line, and the roll paper 11 enters the transport rollers 23a and 23b along a path indicated by a solid line. As the printing is performed, the diameter of the roll paper roll 10 decreases and becomes indicated by a broken line, and the roll paper 11 enters the transport rollers 23a and 23b along the path indicated by the broken line.
As described above, a switch for detecting the open / closed state of the cover 3 is provided, and a roll paper end detection mechanism for detecting the absence of the roll paper 11 to be conveyed is also provided. Here, a paper set request signal is generated based on a cover open detection signal in which the switch detects that the cover 3 is opened and a roll paper end detection signal in which the roll paper end detection mechanism detects that the roll paper 11 has been removed. Is done. The state where the paper set request signal is generated is a state where printing cannot be performed. The state in which the paper set request signal is not generated, that is, the paper set state is a state where printing can be performed.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a method of setting roll paper, and shows a state where the cover 3 of the printer 1 of FIG. 1 is opened. As shown in the figure, with the cover 3 opened, the roll paper roll 10 that is not shown in this figure is placed in the storage unit 22, and the leading end of the roll paper 11 is pulled out so as to be sandwiched between the rollers 23b. It is set by closing the cover 3.

  The basic configuration and operation of the roll paper printer according to the embodiment of the present invention have been described above. However, these configurations are similar to the prior art, and the configurations described in the above-described known examples can be used. Since it can be easily understood by those skilled in the art, further detailed explanation is omitted here.

The roll paper printer according to the embodiment of the present invention has the basic configuration as described above, but has a feature in menu setting, particularly processing for changing the setting. This feature will be described below.
First, the menu structure will be described.
In many cases, the operation menu of the printer is hierarchically arranged in a pyramid shape. For example, in this embodiment, there are A, B,... , Setting A1, setting A2, setting A3 ... as options in the lower second hierarchy for item A, setting B1, setting B2, setting B3 ... as options in the lower second hierarchy for item B. Is configured to be.
In the present embodiment, it is composed of two layers as described above. However, it may be increased or decreased as necessary. For example, a lower third layer may be set under the setting A1, or conversely. , The second hierarchy may not be set.
A save / end selection is provided for each item when the setting parameter setting is completed.

Next, the operation procedure will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the operation procedure.
After the start, the menu mode is entered by operating the switch in step S1, and the menu item is selected in step S2. In step S3, it is determined whether or not save / end is selected.
If a negative determination is made in step S3, the setting parameter is selected in step S4 and the process returns to step S2. If an affirmative determination is made in step S3, the process proceeds to step S5 to save the setting contents in the nonvolatile memory and exit the menu mode. finish.

FIG. 7 shows details of step S2 in FIG.
First, an item list is printed, and, for example, an underline is added as a character modification to the current selection position (cursor position) (step S201). Next, switch information is detected (step S202), and it is determined whether or not the switch information is an item selection (step S203).
If the determination in step S203 is affirmative, first, the internal item information is updated, that is, another item is selected (step S204), and the item deletion information stored in the RAM is referred to (step S204). Next, it is determined whether or not the newly selected item has been erased (step S206). Note that items are switched by briefly depressing the switch.

If a negative determination is made in step S206, the paper is retracted (step S207), a strikethrough is added to the selected item that has already been printed (step S208), and the erasure information is stored in the RAM ( Step S209), the process proceeds to Step S212.
Note that the sheet backward movement operation in step S207 is caused by a line feed after the operation in step S201.
If an affirmative determination is made in step S206, the erase information is cleared (step S210), the item list is reprinted (step S211), and the process proceeds to step S212.
In step S212, for example, an underline is added to the newly selected item as character modification, and then the process returns to step S202.
On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step S203, the process jumps to step S213 to determine whether the switch information is an item determination or not. If a positive determination is made, the process proceeds to step S214 and ends. The item is determined by long-pressing the switch.

FIG. 8 shows details of step S4 in FIG.
First, a list of setting parameters is printed, and for example, an underline is added as a character modification to the current selection position (cursor position) (step S401). Next, switch information is detected (step S402), and it is determined whether or not the switch information is a setting parameter selection (step S403).
If an affirmative determination is made in step S403, first, the internal item information is updated, that is, another setting parameter is selected (step S404), and the setting parameter deletion information stored in the RAM is referred to. (Step S405) Then, it is determined whether or not the newly selected setting parameter has been erased (Step S406). Note that the setting parameters are switched by briefly depressing the switch.

If a negative determination is made in step S406, the paper is retracted (step S407), a strikethrough is added to the selected setting parameter that has already been printed (step S408), and the erase information is stored in the RAM. (Step S409), the process proceeds to Step S412. Note that the paper retraction operation in step S407 is caused by a line feed after the operation in step S401.
If an affirmative determination is made in step S406, the erase information is cleared (step S410), the setting parameter list is reprinted (step S411), and the process proceeds to step S412.
In step S412, for example, an underline is added as a character modification to the newly selected setting parameter, and then the process returns to step S402.

  On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step S403, the process jumps to step S413 to determine whether or not the switch information is a setting parameter determination. If an affirmative determination is made, the process proceeds to step S414 and ends. The setting parameter is determined by depressing the switch for a long time.

Next, input of a new option will be described in more detail below with reference to FIG.
For example, when the setting A1 is currently selected but it is desired to change it to the setting A2, the feed switch 8 is pressed down once, and then the feed switch 8 is not pressed down for a predetermined time (for example, T). By doing this, it is confirmed that the setting A2 is newly selected.
Similarly, when selecting the settings A3, A4, and A5, the feed switch 8 is pressed twice, three times, and four times, respectively, and then the feed switch 8 is not depressed for a predetermined time (for example, T). To be confirmed.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for executing the above contents.
In step S1001, switch information is detected, that is, how many times the switch is pressed shortly. Since this number represents the selected setting, the value n indicating the selected setting is updated (that is, n = n). For example, if setting A2 is selected, n = 1 is set based on FIG.
In step S1002, timer measurement is started. In step S1003, timer counts are compared. In step S1004, it is determined whether the elapsed time t measured by the timer is greater than the predetermined value T described above.

If a negative determination is made in step S1004, switch information is detected in step S1005, and it is determined whether or not the switch is pressed in step S1006. If a negative determination is made in step S1006, the process directly returns to step S1003. If an affirmative determination is made in step S1006, the process proceeds to step S1007, where the timer count is cleared, and n described for step S1001 is updated to n + 1.
If an affirmative determination is made in step S1004, timer measurement is stopped in step S1008, the process proceeds to step S1009, the parameter is updated to a position corresponding to n, and then the process proceeds to step S1010 and ends.
The above is performed in step S404 of FIG. 8 regarding the new selection of the setting parameter, but is also performed in step S204 of FIG. 7 regarding the new selection of the item.

For example, when the item A is the font type and the settings A1-A5 are, for example, Mincho, Gothic, etc., printing is performed with the respective fonts. If the item B is the font size and the settings A1-A5 are 9 points, 10 points, etc., printing is performed at the respective sizes.
Also, when using narrow roll paper, as shown in FIG. 11, if the contents such as the setting A1-A5 as an option are long, the contents are printed with a line feed, and a classification number such as A1-A5 Are printed on the same line, and underline and strikethrough are added to them.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the menu setting of the roll paper printer according to the present invention described above. FIG. 12A shows the option setting A1 to setting A5 of item A, and the current settings are set therein. The setting A1 is underlined. FIG. 12B shows a case where the currently set setting A1 is changed to the setting A2, where a strikethrough is given to the setting A1 and an underline is given to the setting A2. Then, when proceeding from the state of FIG. 12A to the state of FIG. 12B, overwriting is performed, so paper is not wasted.

  On the other hand, FIG. 13 is a diagram showing printer menu settings according to the prior art, and FIG. 13A prints option setting A1 to setting A5 of item A, and sets the currently set setting A1. The underline is shown. FIG. 12B shows a case where the currently set setting A1 is changed to the setting A2. The setting A1 to the setting A5 of the item A is printed again, and the newly selected setting A2 is underlined. Has been granted. Therefore, when proceeding from the state of FIG. 13A to the state of FIG. 13B, it is necessary to advance the roll paper by the amount of the arrow.

  The present invention is suitable for application to a printer, particularly a small printer that does not have a menu display screen, but can also be applied to a printer having a screen.

1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure explaining the operation part of the printer of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the printer of embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a roll paper setting method in the printer of the embodiment. It is a figure which shows the relationship between an item and the setting as its choice. It is a flowchart of an operation procedure. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of step S2 of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of step S4 of FIG. It is a figure explaining the input of a new choice. It is a flowchart for performing the content of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of printing in the case of a roll paper with a narrow width | variety. It is a figure which shows the menu setting on the roll paper by this invention. It is a figure which shows the menu setting on the conventional roll paper.

Explanation of symbols

5 Operation section 8 Feed switch 10 Roll paper 11 Roll paper roll 28 Thermal head

Claims (7)

An operation menu setting method for a roll paper printer,
The roll paper printer prints and displays the operation menu on the roll paper, and the user selects from the printed and displayed items.
The operation menu is composed of multiple layers of pyramids,
Print the choices for each item in each layer, add character modifiers to the currently selected choices,
If it is necessary to change the currently selected option,
Select a new item,
Add a cancel display to the current selection,
Add character decoration to the item newly selected in the new item selection step.
A method characterized by that. The roll paper printer has a push button for control instructions,
When changing the currently selected item, press the push button with a pattern indicating the option to be newly selected, and if the switch has not been pressed for a predetermined time after the last press, it is determined that the new option has been selected. To
The method according to claim 1.   The method of claim 2, wherein the predetermined time is changeable.   3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the choices are distinguished by the number of times the push button is pressed.   The method according to claim 1, wherein, when the canceled option is selected again, the option is printed again.   2. In the option printing, in addition to printing the contents of the option together with the number, only the number is printed, and the selection display is performed on the number printed with only the number. Method.   The method according to claim 1, wherein if the option includes a content of a font, printing is performed with the content.

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