JP5515642B2 - Printing device, program, and server device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus, a program, and a server apparatus having a printing function including a facsimile machine, a printer, a copier, and a multifunction machine.

Facsimile devices, printers, copiers, and multifunction devices (also abbreviated as “MFP”) having a mechanism for installing and updating software including page description language (PDL) such as PostScript (PostScript, registered trademark) and PCL (registered trademark). In order to make the printer system recognize the installed or updated PDL, the printing apparatus main body needs to be restarted (turned off and on) after the installation or update is executed.
This is because the function using the newly incorporated PDL cannot be validated without restarting the printing apparatus main body after installation or update.

Therefore, after the installation or update as described above, a mechanism for requesting the user to restart the printing apparatus main body or automatically restarting the printing apparatus main body is required.
However, during the restart, the user cannot use all the functions of the printing apparatus, and all the print jobs submitted during the PDL installation are erased at the restart.
Conventionally, when performing a software update installation, if it is necessary to restart the device because the software module cannot be overwritten, the updated software module is not overwritten on the software module to be updated, but copied to the specified storage area. Then, by loading and executing the updated software module in the storage area, an apparatus (for example, refer to Patent Document 1) that can execute the processing of the updated software module without restarting the apparatus. there were.

However, the above-described conventional apparatus has the following problems.
1. In order to delete the software module before the update, it is finally necessary to restart the apparatus at some timing.
2. During the restart, all functions in the device cannot be used.
3. Data and settings on the memory may be lost.
4). Since the software module before update and the updated software module are both present in the storage area, the storage area is compressed.
The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and can enable functions using the page description language after installation or update without requiring restart of the entire apparatus after installation or update of the page description language. The purpose is to do so.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention achieves the above-mentioned object by generating image data from a print job based on a page description language, and printing for printing an image based on the image data generated by the image data generating means. In the printing apparatus comprising the means, when installing or updating the page description language in the image data generating means, the function of the image data generating means is stopped, and the page description language is installed or updated. Only the image data generation means is restarted, and the image data generation means is provided with a control means for enabling the function of generating image data based on the page description language after installation or update, and connected via a network. Receiving means for receiving the print job from the apparatus; Even during installation or updating, the receiving unit can receive a print job, and when the control unit receives a print job while the image data generating unit is restarted, the print job is spooled in the buffer and restarted. A printing apparatus that sends the spooled print job to the image data generation means after the end of the image data generation to generate image data .
Further, when the control means determines whether or not the image data generation means is in the process of generating image data when the page description language is installed or updated in the image data generation means. It is recommended to cancel installation or update.

Furthermore, it is preferable that receiving means for receiving the print job from an apparatus connected via a network is provided so that the receiving means can receive the print job even during installation or update of the page description language.
Also provided is a program for causing a computer to control a printing apparatus to realize functions as respective means constituting any of the above-described printing apparatuses.
Furthermore, a server apparatus is provided that transmits the above-described program to a printing apparatus that is the installation or update destination of the page description language via a network.
Further, the server device may be provided with means for setting a timing for transmitting the above-mentioned program to the printing device to which the page description language is installed or updated.

The printing apparatus according to the present invention can validate the function using the page description language after installation or update without requiring restart of the entire apparatus after installation or update of the page description language.
The program according to the present invention enables a computer to enable functions using the page description language after installation or update without requiring restart of the entire apparatus after installation or update of the page description language. This function can be realized.
Further, the server device of the present invention can cause the printing device to execute installation or update of the page description language.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the system of one Example of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structural example of a postscript package. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing processing for installing or updating a page description language in the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating only functional units related to installation or update of a page description language in the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing only functional units related to installation or update of a page description language in the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.
〔Example〕
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
This system includes an image forming apparatus 1 corresponding to a printing apparatus having a printing function including a facsimile machine, a printer, a copier, and a multifunction machine, and installation of a page description language of the image forming apparatus 1 to the image forming apparatus 1. An update server device 2 that performs the update, a print server device 3 that sends a print job to the image forming device 1, and a computer that sends the print job to the image forming device 1 via the print server device 3 and executes printing ( PC) 4 are communicably connected to each other via a network including the Internet and a local area network.

The image forming apparatus 1 includes a control unit 10 realized by a microcomputer including a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM, a print unit 11 that performs printing based on image data sent from the control unit 10, and reads an image of an original. A scanner unit 12 that sends data to the control unit 10 and a communication unit 13 that performs data communication between the update server device 2 and the print server device 3 (or PC 4) via a network are provided.
The control unit 10 includes various functional units, and installs a page description language (PDL) such as PostScript (registered trademark) or PCL (registered trademark) based on software called a page description language package described later. And an install / update system unit 20 that executes processes of uninstall, update, validation, and invalidation. That is, the install update system unit 20 functions as the control means.

In addition, a print job (printer job) received from the print server apparatus 2 by the function of the network system unit 25 is generated through the print control unit 26 using a page description language including PS, PCL, and PJL. A printer system unit 21 is included. That is, the printer system unit 21 functions as the image data generating unit.
FIG. 1 shows a case in which PCL 27 and PJL 28 of page description languages are installed in the printer system unit 21 in advance.
In addition to the printer system unit 21, as a system that realizes each application function, a scanner system unit 22 that implements an image reading function using the scanner unit 12, and a copy function that uses the scanner unit 12 and the printing unit 11. A copy system unit 23 to be realized, and a FAX system unit 24 to realize a facsimile transmission / reception function using the print unit 11 and the communication unit 13 or the scanner unit 12 and the communication unit 13 are provided.

The network system unit 25 communicates with the update server device 2 and the print server device 3 using the communication unit 13.
The update server device 2 also includes a control unit implemented by a microcomputer including a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM, an input device, and a display device. It has a function of transmitting and executing it to the image forming apparatus 1 that is an installation or update destination printing apparatus, and a function of a means for setting the timing for transmitting the program.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration example of the Postscript package.
This postscript package 30 is a kind of page description language package,
A postscript module (PS module) 32 to be installed (or updated) in the image forming apparatus 1 and a procedure for installing (or updating) the postscript module 32 in the installation update system unit 20 of the image forming apparatus 1 And an installation program 31 including
Although the PS module 32 including the postscript is shown in the figure, this module may be other page description languages.

Next, the process of installing and updating the page description language for the image forming apparatus 1 will be described.
Here, postscript installation and update processing by the postscript package 30 shown in FIG. 2 will be described.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the process of installing or updating the page description language in the image forming apparatus shown in FIG.
4 and 5 are block diagrams showing only functional units related to installation or update of the page description language in the image forming apparatus shown in FIG.

The update server device 2 on the network has a timing for transmitting the Postscript package 30 set in advance by the server administrator. At that timing, the PostScript package 30 is transmitted to the image forming device 1 for installation and update. Is executed.
In this way, the PDL can be automatically installed or updated for the image forming apparatus 1.
In addition, it is possible to set the PDL update timing (every day, etc.) and periodically update it.

In the image forming apparatus 1, when the network system unit 25 receives the postscript package 30 by the communication unit 13, it sends it to the installation update system unit 20.
Upon receiving the postscript package 30, the installation update system unit 20 executes it.
When the installation update system unit 20 executes the installation program 31 of the postscript package 30, as shown in FIG. 3, in step (indicated by “S” in the figure) 1, the printer system unit 21 is printing (print processing is performed). If the printing is in progress, the operation of the printer system unit 21 cannot be stopped during the printing of the printer. Therefore, the process proceeds to Step 5, and an error message, for example, “Printing the printer at the time of executing the installation. In this case, the message “Printer cannot be installed because it is printing” is displayed, the execution of the postscript package 30 is stopped, the installation or update process is stopped, and this process ends.

If it is determined in step 1 that the printer system unit 21 is not printing, the operation of the printer system unit 21 is stopped in step 2, and the page description language is installed or updated in the printer system unit 21 in step 3. If the PS module 32 is installed in the printer system unit 21, it is copied, and if it is updated, it is overwritten on the old PS module.
In this state, as shown in FIG. 4, the PS module 32 exists in the printer system unit 21 (shown by hatching in the PS 32 in the figure), but the printer control unit 26 recognizes the presence of the PS module 32. Therefore, the function using the PS module 32 is in an invalid state.

Returning to FIG. 3, in step 4, the printer system unit 21 is restarted, and the process is terminated.
When the printer system unit 21 is restarted, processes such as stop and start of each process and memory initialization are performed. When the process is started, the print control unit 26 recognizes the presence of the PS module 32, so that FIG. As shown, the PS module 32 is used to enable the function of generating image data from a print job based on a postscript (in the figure, the arrow from the print control unit 26 to the PS 32 is hatched). .
In this way, the entire image forming apparatus 1 is not restarted when installing and updating the PDL, but only the printer system unit 21 of some systems may be restarted.

Accordingly, since there is no need for manual restart, the user can use the image forming apparatus 1 without being aware of PDL installation and update.
Further, during the restart of the printer system unit 21, unlike the restart of the entire image forming apparatus 1, the other system units are operating. For example, even if a print job is input during this time, the network system unit 25 can be received and spooled to a buffer.
When the user of the PC 4 inputs a print job for the image forming apparatus 1 while the printer system unit 21 is restarted, the print server apparatus 3 transmits the print job from the PC 4 to the image forming apparatus 1.

In the image forming apparatus 1, system units other than the printer system unit 21 are operating. Therefore, when the network system unit 25 recognizes the print job received by the communication unit 13, the print job is not displayed while the printer system unit 21 is restarted. Spool into buffer.
Therefore, it is possible to prevent a print job from being lost due to installation or update of PDL.
Further, since only the printer system unit 21 needs to be restarted, data on the memory of the control unit 10 is not lost.
When the restart of the printer system unit 21 is completed, the network system unit 25 sends the print job spooled in the buffer to the printer system unit 21, and the printer system unit 21 starts printing the print job.

In this way, even when PDL is installed or updated in the image forming apparatus 1, the user of the PC 4 can request printing to the image forming apparatus 1 at any time without being aware of it.
Therefore, the user cannot use the image forming apparatus 1 at all during installation or update of PDL.

In the above-described processing, installation and update are stopped when the printer system unit 21 determines that printing is in progress. However, when printing is in progress, a process of determining whether printing is being performed after waiting for a predetermined time is repeated. Installation and update may be executed when printing is no longer being performed.
Further, the PostScript package 30 is stored in a recording medium including an SD card, the recording medium is attached to a reading device provided in the image forming apparatus 1, and the Postscript package 30 read by the reading device is installed and updated. It can also be sent to the section 20 for execution.

  The printing apparatus and program according to the present invention can also be applied to image forming apparatuses including facsimile machines, printers, copiers, and multifunction machines. The server apparatus according to the present invention can be applied to the image forming apparatus and personal computers such as desktop personal computers and notebook personal computers.

1: Image forming device 2: Update server device 3: Print server device 4: PC 10: Control unit 11: Print unit 12: Scanner unit 13: Communication unit 20: Installation update system unit 21: Printer system unit 22: Scanner system unit 23: Copy system unit 24: FAX system unit 25: Network system unit 26: Print control unit 27: PCL 28: PJL 30: Postscript package 31: Installation program 32: PS module

JP 2007-66132 A

Claims (6)

In a printing apparatus comprising image data generating means for generating image data from a print job based on a page description language, and printing means for printing an image based on the image data generated by the image data generating means,
When the page description language is installed or updated in the image data generation unit, the function of the image data generation unit is stopped, the page description language is installed or updated, and only the image data generation unit is re-executed after the execution. A control unit that activates and enables a function to generate image data based on a page description language after installation or update by the image data generation unit;
A receiving means for receiving the print job from an apparatus connected via a network is provided, so that the print job can be received by the receiving means even during installation or update of the page description language,
When the control unit receives a print job while the image data generation unit is restarted, the control unit spools the print job in the buffer, and sends the spooled print job to the image data generation unit after the restart. A printing apparatus characterized by generating image data .   The control means determines whether or not the image data generation means is in operation of generating image data when installing or updating the page description language in the image data generation means. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the updating is stopped. Let the computer control the printing device ,
Image data generation means for generating image data from a print job based on a page description language;
Printing means for printing an image based on the image data generated by the image data generating means ;
During installation or updating of the page description language to said image data generating means, to stop the function of the image data generating means, to perform the installation or update of the page description language, only the image data generating means after the run again start is a control means for enabling a function for generating image data based on the page description language of the installation or updated by the image data generating means,
Function as a receiving means for receiving the print job from a device connected via a network;
Even during installation or update of the page description language, the reception unit can receive a print job,
When the control unit receives a print job while the image data generation unit is restarted, the control unit spools the print job in the buffer, and sends the spooled print job to the image data generation unit after the restart. A program comprising a function for generating image data. When the control means installs or updates the page description language in the image data generation means , the control means determines whether or not the image data generation means is operating to generate image data. The program according to claim 3, further comprising a function of canceling the update. 5. A server apparatus, wherein the program according to claim 3 or 4 is transmitted to a printing apparatus to which the page description language is installed or updated via a network and executed. 6. The server apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising means for setting a timing for transmitting the program according to claim 3 or 4 to a printing apparatus to which the page description language is installed or updated.

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