Abstract:
An image outputting apparatus comprises program storing means prestoring therein a control program for processing print information conforming to a command system, the program storing means being removably mountable with respect to the body of the apparatus, memory means disposed in the apparatus, and registering means for copying and registering the control program in the program storing means on the memory means.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    This invention relates to an image outputting apparatus which outputs images on the basis of printing information input from a host, and particularly to an image outputting apparatus which outputs images on the basis of printing information input from a host in conformity with a command system memorized by a memory medium such as a cartridge.  
           [0003]    2. Related Background Art  
           [0004]    An apparatus of this tape has heretofore been designed such that a character code and a control command output from a data supply source such as a host computer are given and received and the character code and the control command input analyzed to generate a character pattern which is an object to be printed, and the generated character pattern is developed, for example, into a frame buffer corresponding to one page and is output to the print driving circuit of a printer, whereby a desired character and an image can be output.  
           [0005]    However, the control command system output from the data supply source such as the host computer is a command system inherent to each printer maker and therefore, usually, the printer of one maker cannot be made to function as the printer of another maker, and interchangeability is low and an improvement therein has been waited for.  
           [0006]    For this reason, in apparatuses of this type, there has been put into practical use an emulation-corresponding printer in which when a command system inherent to a printer is the native command, there is carried an emulation program for processing the command of a command system differing from this native command so that a printing process conforming to the command of a discrete system can be executed.  
           [0007]    However, usually in an image outputting apparatus for executing the printing process by an emulation mode of this kind, design is made such that an emulator program for executing said emulation mode is memorized by a cartridge type memory medium and image outputting in the emulation mode can be executed in accordance with the user&#39;s requirement, i.e., by the user inserting the cartridge into the mounting port of image outputting means, but usually the emulator program of one emulation mode is only memorized in said cartridge type memory medium and therefore, to enhance the printing interchangeability in the image outputting apparatus body, it has been necessary to buy a plurality of such cartridge type memory mediums and mount a cartridge type memory medium corresponding to each emulation mode each time.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0008]    The present invention has been made to solve the above-noted problem and the object thereof is to provide an image outputting apparatus in which an emulation program is memorized by a cartridge type memory medium and a hard disk or the like is mounted as an auxiliary memory device and provision is made of means for copying and registering the emulation program in the cartridge onto the hard disk or the like, whereby a plurality of emulation programs are contained in the hard disk at a time and the execution of any emulation program memorized in the hard disk can be easily indicated without a cumbersome cartridge interchanging process being carried out.  
           [0009]    In the present invention, by the emulation program being copied and registered on auxiliary memory means, it becomes possible to dismount the copied and registered emulation program cartridge and further, it also becomes possible to copy and register a second emulation cartridge in the same manner. Thereby, the user is liberated from the cumbersomeness with which the cartridge is interchanged during the changeover of the emulation program mode. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]    [0010]FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an image outputting apparatus according to the present invention.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the construction of the printer control unit of FIG. 1.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 3 is a pictorial perspective view of a program package. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0013]    [0013]FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the construction of an image outputting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0014]    The laser printer shown in FIG. 1 can also accomplish the registration of character patterns and form patterns from a data supply source, not shown.  
         [0015]    In FIG. 1, the reference numeral  1  designates a body which converts character information (character code) and form information (form code), supplied from an outside host computer which will be described later into a character pattern and a form pattern corresponding thereto and images them on paper which is a recording medium. The reference numeral  2  denotes a printer control unit which controls the entire body  1  and analyzes character information, etc. supplied from the host computer, and the printer control unit  2  converts chiefly the character information into a video signal of a corresponding character pattern and outputs the converted video signal to a laser driver  3 . The laser driver  3  is a circuit for driving controlling a semiconductor laser  4 , and ON-OFF-changes over laser light  5  emitted from the semiconductor laser  4  in comformity with the input video signal. The laser light  5  is deflected in a direction from left to right by a rotatable polygonal mirror  6  and is applied onto an electrostatic drum (photosensitive drum)  7 , whereby the latent image of the character pattern is formed on the electrostatic drum  7 . This latent image is developed by a developing unit  8  around the electrostatic drum  7 , whereafter the developed image in transferred to the paper. The paper used is cut sheets, which are contained in a paper cassette  9  mounted to the body  1 , and the cut sheets are introduced one by one into the apparatus by a paper feeding roller  10  and conveying rollers  11  and  12 , and supplied to the electrostatic drum  7 . The reference numeral  13  designates an operation panel comprised of an operation switch and an indicator comprising an LED. The operation panel  13  informs of the state of the body  1 .  
         [0016]    The reference character  2   a  denotes a connector which provides a mounting mechanism. A program cartridge which is program supply means to be described is mounted on the connector  2   a.    
         [0017]    The reference character  2   b  designates a hard disk which is a large capacity auxiliary memory device. The hard disk  2   b  secures an area for copying and registering an emulation program in the program cartridge.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the construction of the printer control unit  2  shown in FIG. 1. In FIG. 2, members identical to those in FIG. 1 are given identical reference characters.  
         [0019]    In this figure, the reference numeral  21  denotes an input interface portion which receives a control code and a character code from a host computer  28  which is an outside apparatus, and causes them to be temporarily accumulated in an input buffer memory  22  comprising, for example, a random access memory RAM. The reference numeral  23  designates a CPU which serves also as the emulation program starting control means of the present invention. The CPU  23  executes the print information processing on the basis of a control program stored in a control program ROM  25 . Particularly in the control program ROM  25 , there is stored a print processing sequence during the native mode. The reference numeral  24  denotes a character pattern generator which stores therein a character font pattern corresponding to a character code in the form of a dot matrix. The reference numeral  26  designates a frame buffer memory comprising, for example, an RAM. The frame buffer memory  26  image-develops and memorizes for one page a character pattern corresponding to a predetermined character code obtained from the character pattern generator  24  at a suitable position in conformity with a printing position command input from the host computer  28 .  
         [0020]    The reference numeral  27  designates an output interface portion which generates a video signal conforming to the dot pattern information developed and memorized in the frame buffer memory  26 , and outputs the video signal to a page printer portion  30  in synchronism with a print control signal. The page printer portion  30  prints image information corresponding to the video signal by the mechanism shown in FIG. 1.  
         [0021]    The reference numeral  29  also indicated in FIG. 3 denotes a program package which provides program supply means. The program package  29  is comprised of an emulation program ROM  29   a  and a socket  29   b  for processing print information corresponding to any command system, and is designed to be removably mounted on the connector  2   a.    
         [0022]    In the emulation program ROM  29   a,  there is stored the emulation program P 1  of the emulation program mode differing from the native mode (a purser and an execution procedure for analyzing a combination of commands (a command system) from the host computer  28  are stored as a program), and when a “copy” switch  32  on an operation panel  34  is depressed with the program package  29  mounted on the connector  2   a,  the CPU  23  which is emulation program copying and registering means reads out the emulation program P 1  through the connector  2   a  and copies and registers it on the hard disk device.  
         [0023]    It is possible to store a plurality of emulation programs on the hard disk by performing a similar operation by the use of a cartridge in which an emulation program discrete from said emulation program is stored.  
         [0024]    It is to be understood that which of the emulation programs on the hard disk should be executed is determined by a rotary switch-like emulation program “selection” switch  33  on the operation panel  34  and follows the designation by this switch during power on. Specifically, the hard disk is generally at a low speed to fetch the emulation program and therefore, it is to be understood that a further emulation program is recopied on an emulation program execution area  31  comprising an RAM and the instruction fetch of the CPU  31  is effected from this area.  
         [0025]    The above embodiment has been described with respect to a case where the printer control unit  2  processes the image information for the page printer portion  30  correspondingly to various emulation modes, whereas the outputting medium is not limited to a printer apparatus, but the present invention can also be applied to a CRT apparatus capable of displaying a bit map.  
         [0026]    As described above, according to the present invention, various emulation programs can be copied and registered in various ways and therefore, for example, even when it is necessary to effect copying and registration with a plurality of emulation programs changed over, the necessary image can be output solely by a simple switch operation.  
         [0027]    Also, according to the present invention, the inconvenience that indiscriminately many cartridge slots are provided or cartridge interchange is done frequently can be prevented.