Patent ID: 6549947
Filing Date: 2003-04-15
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
A print system comprising:a printer; and a host device which is connected to said printer in a communicable manner and controls said printer, wherein (a) said printer comprises: memory used as a receiving buffer; receiving means which receives print data transmitted from said host device and stores the thus-received print data into the receiving buffer; print means which performs print operation based on the print data stored in the receiving buffer; status data means which determines the current status of or an error in said printer, prepares status data representing the thus-determined status or error, and retains the thus-prepared status data; and response means which, in response to an individual command sent from said host device, prepares a reply including the currently-retained status data and sends the reply back to said host device; and (b) said host device comprises: print data preparation means for preparing the print data; data transmission means which divide the thus-prepared print data pertaining to a single job into a plurality of fractional data sets, prepare a plurality of data transmission commands, each of which includes a corresponding one of the fractional data sets, and sequentially transmits the data transmission command to said printer; status acquisition means which receives a reply transmitted from said printer in response to each of the data transmission commands and acquires the status data included in the thus-received reply; and user interface means which informs a user of the status of or error in said printer, based on the thus-acquired status data.