KR19990051350A - Network Printer Operation - Google Patents

Abstract

In a method of operating a network printer according to the present invention, the method of operating a plurality of network printers connected to a host computer, the method comprising: periodically checking information on an error occurrence state of the network printers, and a network printer designated by the user When a print command to the network is generated, checking the error occurrence status information of the network printer designated by the user to determine whether or not printing is possible, and if the designated network printer cannot print, printing is possible by the user's selection. Performing printing on another network printer or stopping printing, and performing printing when a designated network printer is in a printable state.

Description

How to operate a network printer

The present invention relates to a method of operating a network printer, and more particularly to a method of operating a network printer when a plurality of network printers are connected to a host computer.

In general, in a network system in which a plurality of computers are connected to at least one host computer by a LAN or the like, when there are a plurality of network printers connected to the host computer, each computer and each network printer are independent recognition addresses. Has At this time, users who use the computer can list some or all of the network printers by making them available, but the network printers listed because the image information data must be converted into printer-specific printing data for printing. Only one of them is selected to send a print command signal.

Conventionally, in operating such network printers, when a specific network printer designated by a user has a large amount of waiting work and cannot accept print data anymore, or can no longer print due to an error of the network printer itself. In the meantime, the user had to wait until the problem was solved, or reassign other network printers listed to find a printable network printer. In addition, each network printer is configured to display a message such as a paper shortage or a paper jam occurrence through its own display panel when printing can no longer be performed such as when the paper runs out or when a paper jam occurs. Therefore, in order to confirm whether a user performing a print job at a predetermined distance is whether or not printing is normally performed, there is a cumbersome problem of visually checking a printing state and a display panel of a network printer.

Created to improve the above problems, the first object of the present invention is to print jobs by other network printers that operate normally by the user's selection when a printing failure such as an error occurs in the network printer designated by the user. To provide a method of operating a network printer to be performed.

A second object of the present invention is to provide a network printer which allows a print job to be performed by another network printer that operates normally by a user's selection when the network printer designated by the user has a heavy waiting job and no longer receives print data. To provide a method of operation.

A third object of the present invention is to provide a method of operating a network printer such that a print job is performed by another network printer that operates normally in a predetermined order when a printing failure such as an error occurs in a network printer designated by a user. To provide.

A fourth object of the present invention is to allow a network to perform a print job by another network printer operating normally according to a preset order when the network printer designated by the user has an excessive amount of waiting work and no longer receives the print data. It is to provide a method of operating a printer.

1 is a system block diagram for performing a method of operating a network printer according to the present invention.

2A and 2B are flowcharts for explaining a method of operating a network printer according to a first embodiment of the present invention performed by the system of FIG.

3A to 3C are flowcharts for describing a method of operating a network printer according to a second embodiment of the present invention performed by the system of FIG. 1.

4 is a system block diagram for performing a method of operating a network printer according to another embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating a network printer according to a third embodiment of the present invention performed by the system of FIG.

6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating a network printer according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention performed by the system of FIG.

<Explanation of symbols for main parts of the drawings>

1, 4 ... host computer

2a, 2b, 2c,... , 5a, 5b, 5c,... ... network printer

3, 6 ... network interface 11, 41 ... printer management system

12, 42 ... Network port 111, 411 ... Network printer controller

112 ... Network Printer User Interface

113, 412 ... printer controller

In order to achieve the first object, the network printer operating method according to the present invention, in the method of operating a plurality of network printers connected to a host computer, (A) periodically information on the error occurrence state of the network printers Confirming with; (B) when a print command to a network printer designated by the user occurs, determining whether or not printing is possible by checking error occurrence state information of the network printer designated by the user; (C) if the designated network printer cannot print, performing printing on another network printer printable by the user's selection or stopping printing; And (D) performing printing when the designated network printer is in a printable state.

In order to achieve the second object, the network printer operating method according to the present invention, in the method of operating a plurality of network printers connected to a host computer, (E) the error occurrence status and the amount of work waiting for the network printers Periodically checking the information; (F) determining whether printing is possible by checking the error occurrence state information of the network printer designated by the user when a print command to the network printer designated by the user occurs; (G) if the designated network printer cannot print, performing printing on another network printer printable by the user's selection or stopping printing; (H) if the designated network printer is in a printable state, determining whether the amount of waiting work of the designated network printer is greater than a reference value; (I) if the waiting workload is greater than the reference value, printing or stopping printing by another network printer having a waiting workload less than the reference value by the user's selection; And (J) printing the designated network printer when the waiting workload is not greater than the reference value.

In order to achieve the third object, a method of operating a network printer according to the present invention, in the method of operating a plurality of network printers connected to a host computer, (K) information on the error occurrence state of the network printers Periodically checking; (L) determining whether printing is possible by checking error occurrence state information of the designated network printer when a print command to the network printer designated by the user occurs; (M) if the designated network printer cannot perform printing, designating another network printer as the highest priority according to a preset priority, and returning to step (L); And (N) performing printing when the designated network printer is in a printable state.

And, in order to achieve the fourth object, the operating method of a network printer according to the present invention, in the operating method of a plurality of network printers connected to a host computer, (O) the error occurrence state and standby of the network printers Periodically checking information regarding the amount of work; (P) determining whether or not printing is possible by checking error occurrence state information of the designated network printer when a print command to the network printer designated by the user occurs; (Q) if the designated network printer is unable to print, designating another network printer as the highest priority according to a preset priority, and returning to step (P); (R) if the designated network printer is in a printable state, determining whether the amount of waiting work of the designated network printer is greater than a reference value; (S) returning to step (Q) if the waiting workload of the designated network printer is larger than a reference value; And (T) performing printing if the waiting workload of the designated network printer is not greater than a reference value.

Hereinafter, a network printer operating method according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 shows a system for performing a method of operating a network printer according to the present invention. 1, a plurality of network printers 2a, 2b, 2c,... Are connected to a host computer 1 via a network interface 3. Within the host computer 1 is a printer management system 11, which is connected to a network interface 3 via a network port 12. Meanwhile, in the printer management system 11, the network printer controller 111, the network printer user interface 112, and the printer controller 113 can perform bidirectional communication with each other.

The network printer controller 111 controls the entire system according to a method of operating a network printer according to the present invention, the network printer user interface 112 performs an interface with a user, and the printer controller 113 is The operation of each network printer 2a, 2b, 2c, ... is controlled.

Thus, the operation method of the some network printer 2a, 2b, 2c, ... connected to the host computer 1 is demonstrated according to each Example.

First, FIG. 2A is a flowchart illustrating a first embodiment of a method of operating a network printer according to the present invention. 1 and 2A, a first embodiment of a method of operating a network printer according to the present invention will be described.

First, when the host computer 1 is turned on, the network printer controller 111 periodically checks information on an error occurrence state of all network printers 2a, 2b, 2c, ... registered in the host computer 1. (Step 20). Here, the error is an error that makes it impossible to perform a normal printing operation such as a paper shortage or a paper jam.

In this state, the network printer controller 111 determines whether a print command signal from the user has been input (step 21). In this determination, if the print command signal is not input, the flow returns to step 20, and if the print command signal is input, the user designates the first network printer 2a and sends the print command signal to the host computer 1. Then, the network printer controller 111 checks the error occurrence state information for the first network printer 2a (step 22). Then, it is determined whether the first network printer 2a is capable of printing (step 23). If the first network printer 2a is in the printable state, that is, no error has occurred and normally operates, a print execution command signal is sent to the printer controller 113. The printer controller 113 which has received this print execution command signal controls the printing to be performed to the first network printer 2a via the network port 12 (step 24).

On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step 23, when the first network printer 2a cannot print, that is, when an error occurs and is in an abnormal state, printing is performed to another network printer printable by the user's selection or Stop printing. This process is described in more detail with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 2B.

As a result of the determination in step 23, when the first network printer 2a cannot print, the network printer controller 111 sends the first network printer 2a to the user through the network printer user interface 112. A message is displayed, for example, a state in which printing cannot be performed, and it is checked whether or not to continue printing (step 231). Then, it is determined whether a print continue command from the user has been input (step 232). In this determination, if a print continue command signal is not input from the user until a predetermined time elapses, the print stop command signal is input to the printer controller 113 to stop printing (step 233). However, when a print continue command signal is input from the user, the network printer controller 111 determines whether there is an extra network printer in the list of network printers set to be available to the user (step 234). In this step 234, when there is no other network printer, the network printer controller 111 inputs a print stop command signal to the printer controller 113 to stop printing (step 233). And, if there are extra network printers, the network printer controller 111 displays the list of extra network printers to the user via the network printer user interface 112 (step 235). In this case, it is preferable to display a corresponding message even when there is no extra network printer.

On the other hand, after displaying a list of extra other network printers, such as the second and third network printers 2b and 2c, to the user, the network printer controller 111 selects the user through the network printer user interface 112. Request (step 236). Here, if the selection command signal from the user is not input until the predetermined time has elapsed, printing is stopped (step 233). When the selection command signal, for example, a signal for selecting the third network printer 2c is input, the step 24 is performed to print to the third network printer 2c.

3A is a flowchart illustrating a second embodiment of a method of operating a network printer according to the present invention. The operation method according to the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the waiting workload of the network printer designated by the user is taken into consideration. This will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3A as follows.

Since the processes of steps 30 to 33 shown in FIG. 3A are substantially the same as the steps 20 to 23 of FIG. 2A, description thereof will be omitted and the differences will be described here.

First, in step 30 of FIG. 3A, the information periodically checked by the network printer controller 111 stands by in addition to the error occurrence state information of the network printers 2a, 2b, 2c,... Registered in the host computer 1. Information on workload is also included. In addition, in step 32 of FIG. 3A, when a print command to a network printer designated by the user, for example, the first network printer 2a occurs, information about the amount of waiting work other than the error occurrence state of the first network printer 2a. It is also confirmed.

As described above, the determination operation of step 30 to step 33 is made in consideration of the waiting amount of the network printer, and then, as a result of the determination in step 33, the network printer designated by the user, for example, the first network printer 2a, performs printing. If it cannot be performed, printing is performed or the printing is stopped by another network printer which can be printed by the user's selection. In this way, a process performed when the first network printer 2a cannot perform printing is shown in the flowchart shown in FIG. 3B. This will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 3B.

First, when the first network printer 2a designated by the user is in a state where printing is not possible, the network printer controller 111 provides the user with the state of the first network printer 2a through the network printer user interface 112. That is, a message indicating that printing cannot be performed is displayed and it is confirmed whether to continue printing (step 331). Then, it is determined whether the print continue command signal from the user has been input (step 332). Until a certain time has elapsed, if a print continue command signal is not input from the user, a print stop command signal is input to the printer controller 113 to stop printing (step 333). However, when a print continue command signal is input from the user, the network printer controller 111 checks whether or not there are extra network printers in the list of network printers set to be available to the user (step 334).

Next, the network printer controller 111 displays the confirmation result to the user via the network printer user interface 112 (step 335). In other words, if there are no other network printers, a message corresponding thereto is displayed and printing is stopped (step 333). If there are other redundant network printers, such as the second and third network printers 2b and 2c, the list is displayed to the user via the network printer user interface 112 (step 335). The user is then asked to make a selection (step 336). After requesting a selection from the user, the network printer controller 111 determines whether a selection command signal from the user has been input (step 337). If the selection command signal from the user is not input until the predetermined time elapses, printing is stopped (step 333). However, when the selection command signal, for example, a signal for selecting the third network printer 2c is input to the network printer controller 111, confirm the information on the error occurrence state and the waiting amount of work of the third network printer 2c. Return to step 32. On the other hand, in step 337, if there is only one spare network printer, for example, the third network printer 2c, there is no need to request the user for selection. Therefore, in such a case, the flow returns to step 32 immediately.

On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step 33, when the first network printer 2a (or the third network printer 2c newly selected by the user) is in a printable state, the first network printer 2a ( Alternatively, the third network printer 2c determines whether the print data can no longer be accepted due to the excessive amount of waiting work even in a normal state in which no error occurs. For this purpose, data corresponding to an appropriate reference value is input to the network printer controller 111. Therefore, it is determined whether the waiting amount of the first network printer 2a (or the third network printer 2c) is larger than this data (step 34). Here, the printer controller 113 when the waiting workload of the first network printer 2a (or the third network printer 2c) is not larger than the reference value, that is, when the print data can be continuously accepted. Printing is performed to the first network printer 2a (or third network printer 2c) via (step 35).

However, when the waiting workload of the first network printer 2a (or the third network printer 2c) is larger than the reference value, that is, when the print data cannot be accepted, the waiting workload is selected by the user. Printing or stopping printing is performed with another network printer having less than this reference value. This process will be described with reference to the flow chart shown in FIG. 3B, for example, in which the user designates the first network printer 2a and sends a print command.

The network printer controller 111 displays the waiting amount of work of the first network printer 2a to the user via the network printer user interface 112 and confirms whether to continue printing (step 341). Then, it is determined whether a print continue command signal from the user is input (step 342). If the print continue command signal is not input until a predetermined time has elapsed, printing is stopped (step 343). When the print continuation command signal is input, the second and third network printers 2b and 2c set up to be used by the user can be checked, that is, by checking a waiting amount of the network printer that does not currently generate an error. The result is displayed to the user (steps 344 and 345).

Next, it is determined whether there are other network printers whose waiting workload is less than the reference value (step 346). If both waiting jobs of the second and third network printers 2b and 2c are larger than the reference value, printing is stopped (step 343). And, if there is a network printer having less waiting workload than the reference value among the second and third network printers 2b and 2c, for example, each waiting workload of the second and third network printers 2b and 2c is, for example. If all are less than the reference value, the user is asked to make a selection (step 347). At this time, if there is only one network printer with a waiting amount less than the reference value, the printing is performed immediately without asking the user for selection.

Next, it is determined whether a selection command signal from the user has been input (step 348). If a selection command from the user does not occur until a predetermined time elapses, printing is stopped (step 343). When the selection command, for example, a command to select the third network printer 2c is generated, printing is performed to the third network printer 2c (step 349).

The operation method described so far is a method of operating a network printer in consideration of the user's selection through data exchange with the user. However, in general, since the user who issues the print command is most likely to continue printing for most selection requests, the time required for printing is unnecessarily long due to time consuming due to data exchange with the user. Is generated.

4 illustrates a system for performing a method of operating a network printer according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention in order to prevent time consumption due to data exchange with a user as described above. As shown, a plurality of network printers 5a, 5b, 5c, ... are connected to each other via the network interface 6 in the host computer 4. Within the host computer 4 is a printer management system 41, which is connected to a network interface 6 via a network port 42. On the other hand, in the printer management system 41, the network printer controller 411 and the printer controller 412 can perform bidirectional communication with each other.

The network printer controller 411 controls the entire system according to the method of operating the network printer according to the present invention, and the printer controller 412 controls the operation of each network printer 5a, 5b, 5c,... .

5 is a flowchart showing a method of operating a network printer according to a third embodiment of the present invention which can be employed in such a system. 4 and 5, the operating method of the network printer according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described.

First, when the host computer 4 is turned on, the network printer controller 411 periodically checks information on an error occurrence state of all network printers 5a, 5b, 5c, ... registered in the host computer 4. (Step 50). As described above, the error is an error that makes it impossible to perform a normal printing operation such as a paper shortage or a paper jam.

In this state, the network printer controller 411 keeps checking whether a print command signal from the user has been input (step 51). When a print command signal to a network printer designated by a user, for example, the first network printer 5a is input, the network printer controller 411 checks error occurrence status information for the first network printer 5a (step 52). . Then, it is determined whether the first network printer 5a is capable of printing (step 53). When the first network printer 5a is in a printable state, that is, when no current error has occurred, a print execution command signal is sent to the printer controller 412. The printer controller 412, which has received this print execution command signal, controls the printing to be performed to the first network printer 5a via the network port 42 (step 54).

On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step 53, when the first network printer 5a cannot print, that is, when an error occurs and is in an abnormal state, the network printer list currently set to be available to the user is present. It is determined whether there is a network printer other than the designated network printer (step 55).

Next, if there is no network printer other than the printer currently specified in the user's network printer list, printing is stopped (step 56). If there is a network printer other than the printer currently specified in the user's network printer list, the network printer in the highest order is set as the user-specified printer according to the preset order (step 57). In this case, the order may be arbitrarily determined by the user and inputted in advance.

For example, the first, second, and third network printers 5a, 5b, and 5c are registered in the user's network printer list, and the first network printer 5a is currently designated and a print command is generated. Let's think about it. It is assumed that the order is determined in order of the first, second and third network printers 5a, 5b, 5c.

In the above case, if the first network printer 5a cannot perform printing due to an error or the like as a result of the determination in step 53, the second and third network are displayed in the user's network printer list. Since the printers 5b and 5c are also registered, one of these two network printers 5b and 5c is set as a user-specified network printer. That is, the second network printer 5b, which is a priority among the remaining network printers 5b and 5c, is set as a user-specified network printer.

In this way, when the user-specified network printer is set, the set network printer is deleted from the user network printer list, and the flow returns to step 53 (step 58).

6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating a network printer according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. The operation method of the network printer according to the present embodiment allows the printing to be performed to another normal network printer when printing is not performed due to the excessive waiting workload in consideration of the waiting workload of the network printer designated by the user. It has its features. This will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 6 as follows.

Processes of steps 60 to 67 shown in FIG. 6 are substantially the same as steps 50 to 57 of FIG. 5 which have already been described, and thus the differences will be described here.

In step 60 of FIG. 6, the information checked by the network printer controller 411 is not only an error occurrence state information of the network printers 5a, 5b, 5c,... Registered in the host computer 4 but also information about the waiting workload. Included. In addition, in step 62 of FIG. 6, when a print command to a network printer designated by the user, for example, the first network printer 5a occurs, information about the amount of waiting work as well as an error occurrence state of the first network printer 5a is also displayed. This is different from the case of the third embodiment described above in that it confirms.

As a result of the determination in step 63 of FIG. 6, when the designated network printer, for example, the first network printer 5a is in the printable state, printing is not performed immediately, and the waiting amount of work of the first network printer 5a is a reference value. Determine if more (step 68). As a result of the determination in step 68, if the waiting workload of the first network printer 2a is greater than the reference value, the flow returns to step 64, and if the waiting workload of the first network printer 2a is not greater than the reference value, Perform printing (step 69).

As described above, according to the operating method of the network printer according to the present invention, when the network printer designated by the user cannot perform printing or the waiting workload is excessive, the user can selectively select another network printer. In particular, by allowing printing to be performed to the network printer which is in the highest priority order automatically in accordance with the preset priority order, the waiting time can be reduced, thereby increasing the work efficiency. In addition, it is possible to efficiently manage network printers by preventing the concentration of work on a specific network printer.

Claims (10)

In the operation method of a plurality of network printers connected to a host computer, (A) periodically checking information on an error occurrence state of the network printers; (B) when a print command to a network printer designated by the user occurs, determining whether or not printing is possible by checking error occurrence state information of the network printer designated by the user; (C) if the designated network printer cannot print, performing printing on another network printer printable by the user's selection or stopping printing; And And (D) performing printing when the designated network printer is in a printable state. The method of claim 1, wherein step (C) comprises: (C1) displaying an error occurrence state of the network printer designated by the user to the user and confirming whether to continue printing; (C2) As a result of checking whether to continue printing, if a printing continue command from the user does not occur until a predetermined time elapses, printing is stopped; Checking whether there is a network printer; (C3) after displaying the confirmation result in step (C2) to the user, stopping printing if there are no extra network printers, and requesting the user for selection if there are extra network printers; And (C4) stopping printing if a selection command from the user is not generated until a predetermined time has elapsed, and performing printing to the network printer selected by the selection command when the selection command is generated. Operation method of network printer. In the operation method of a plurality of network printers connected to a host computer, (E) periodically checking information on an error occurrence state and waiting workload of the network printers; (F) determining whether printing is possible by checking the error occurrence state information of the network printer designated by the user when a print command to the network printer designated by the user occurs; (G) if the designated network printer cannot print, performing printing on another network printer printable by the user's selection or stopping printing; (H) if the designated network printer is in a printable state, determining whether the amount of waiting work of the designated network printer is greater than a reference value; (I) if the waiting workload is greater than the reference value, printing or stopping printing by another network printer having a waiting workload less than the reference value by the user's selection; And (J) if the waiting workload is not greater than the reference value, performing printing to the designated network printer. The method of claim 3, wherein step (G) comprises (G1) displaying an error occurrence state of the designated network printer to the user and confirming whether to continue printing; (G2) As a result of checking whether to continue printing, if a printing continue command from the user does not occur until a predetermined time elapses, printing is stopped; Checking whether there is a network printer; (G3) after displaying the confirmation result in step (G2) to the user, stopping printing if there are no extra network printers, and requesting the user for selection if there are extra network printers; And (G4) stopping the printing if a selection command from the user does not occur until a predetermined time elapses, and returning to step (H) if the selection command is generated. Operating method. The method according to claim 4, wherein in step (G3), And if there is one extra network printer in the list of network printers available to the user, returning to the step (H) without requesting the user to make a selection. The method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein step (J) comprises: (J1) displaying a waiting amount of the designated network printer to the user and confirming whether to continue printing; (J2) As a result of checking whether the printing continues, if the printing continue command from the user does not occur until a certain time elapses, the printing is stopped. Identifying a waiting workload; (J3) displaying the confirmation result to the user and requesting the user to select when there are network printers having a waiting amount less than the reference value among other network printers that the user can use and print; And (J4) stopping printing if a selection command from the user does not occur until a predetermined time elapses, and performing printing to the network printer selected by the selection command when the selection command is generated. Operation method of network printer. The method of claim 6, wherein in step J3, And when there is one network printer having a waiting amount less than the reference value among other network printers that the user can use and print, printing is performed without requesting the user to select the network printer. In the operation method of a plurality of network printers connected to a host computer, (K) periodically checking information on an error occurrence state of the network printers; (L) determining whether printing is possible by checking error occurrence state information of the designated network printer when a print command to the network printer designated by the user occurs; (M) if the designated network printer cannot perform printing, designating another network printer as the highest priority according to a preset priority, and returning to step (L); And (N) if the designated network printer is in the printable state, performing printing. The method of claim 8, wherein step (M) comprises (M1) determining whether there is another network printer in the list of network printers set to be available to the user; (M2) if there is no other network printer set to be available to the user, stopping printing; (M3) if there are other network printers that are set to be available to the user, setting another network printer of the highest priority according to a preset priority as a custom printer; And (M4) A method of operating a network printer, comprising the step of: returning to the step (L) after deleting the network printer set as the user-specified printer from the network printer list. In the operation method of a plurality of network printers connected to a host computer, (O) periodically checking the information on the error occurrence status and the waiting workload of the network printers; (P) determining whether or not printing is possible by checking error occurrence state information of the designated network printer when a print command to the network printer designated by the user occurs; (Q) if the designated network printer is unable to print, designating another network printer as the highest priority according to a preset priority, and returning to step (P); (R) if the designated network printer is in a printable state, determining whether the amount of waiting work of the designated network printer is greater than a reference value; (S) returning to step (Q) if the waiting workload of the designated network printer is larger than a reference value; And (T) performing printing when the amount of waiting work of the designated network printer is not greater than a reference value.