Outputting apparatus for characters and graphics

In an outputting apparatus for characters and graphics such as a printer, in which data stored in an input buffer is being fetched one after another for analysis and output for printing, the present invention provides the installation of a new data string storage, and a data processing unit for storing a data string designated by a specific controlling code to the data string storage after fetching them from the input buffer and for reading out a data string designated by a specific controlling code from the data string storage. The present invention makes it possible to output for printing a data string stored in the data string storage only by inputting a specific controlling code, so that it improves the efficiency of data transfer.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to an outputting apparatus for outputting 
characters and graphics such as printers, plotters or the like. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
Conventional outputting apparatus for outputting characters and graphics 
such as printers and plotters is composed of an input buffer for 
temporarily storing data inputted from outside, a data processing unit for 
sequentially fetching data from the input buffer, separating them into 
controlling codes and data for characters and graphics and analyzing them, 
and an outputting unit for displaying or printing characters and graphics 
in accordance with output signals outputted from the data processing unit. 
The input buffer is simply a storage for temporarily storing inputted data. 
As a result, such data as stored in the input buffer are lost once they 
were fetched for processing. Therefore, it becomes necessary to input anew 
data strings consisting of the same characters, graphic data, controlling 
codes and others at each time when the same character strings and graphics 
previously inputted should repeatedly be used for outputting. 
In a system such as POS and information terminals which require repeated 
outputs of the same character strings and graphics, the load on the side 
of its host system to transfer data becomes greater because the data 
strings having exactly the same characters, graphics data, controlling 
codes and others are inputted as required at each time, and the processing 
efficiency of the host system is lowered. 
Also, if the speed with which data are transferred from a host system to 
the outputting apparatus is slower than the outputting speed of the 
outputting apparatus, a longer period of time is required for the data 
transfer, and the utilization efficiency of the outputting apparatus for 
outputting characters and graphics is lowered. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
An object of the present invention is to provide an outputting apparatus 
for outputting characters and graphics which is able to minimize an amount 
of data transferred from a host system. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide an outputting 
apparatus for outputting characters and graphics which improves on the 
processing efficiency of the host system and the utilization efficiency of 
the outputting apparatus simultaneously. 
To realize above objects, the outputting apparatus of the present invention 
comprises an input buffer for storing temporarily string data inputted 
from the host system, a data string storage for memorizing data strings 
consisting of character data, graphics data, controlling codes and others, 
an outputting unit for displaying or printing characters and graphics in 
accordance with outputting signals outputted from a data processing unit 
and the data processing unit for sequentially fetching data from the input 
buffer, analyzing them and processing them according as the result of the 
analysis. 
According to the present invention the data string inputted from the host 
system consist of characters, graphics, controlling codes and others. The 
controlling codes have a write controlling code to write designated data 
strings in the data string storage and a read controlling code to read 
designated data strings from the data string storage. 
The data string storage can be made up of RAM and a disk unit or of ROM in 
which character strings, graphic data and others are written in advance. 
The outputting apparatus of the present invention can enter up the data 
strings, which are transferred frequently from the host system to the 
outputting apparatus, in the data string storage with the write 
controlling code. The data strings stored in the data string storage are 
reusable repeatedly if only they are designated for use by the read 
controlling code. Consequently, the more the same data should repeatedly 
be used, the transferring amount of data between the host system and the 
outputting apparatus becomes less.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying 
drawing representing and embodiment thereof. 
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the present invention. 
An outputting apparatus 2 has an input buffer 3, a data string storage 4, a 
data processing unit 5 and an outputting unit 6, receives data inputted 
from a host system and outputs an output 7 in accordance with the data. 
The data processing unit 5 is a controlling circuit formed by a 
microcomputer, controls the input buffer 3 and the data string storage 4 
formed by a memory, and outputs outputting signals to the outputting unit 
6. 
The outputting unit 6 can be made up a driving circuit, a controlling 
circuit and a liquid crystal display panel or a thermal head array or 
other, and outputs characters and graphics in accordance with outputting 
signals. 
The data inputted from the host system 1 includes characters codes, 
graphics, controlling codes and others. The controlling codes have a write 
controlling code, which orders designated data strings to write in the 
data string storage 4, and a read controlling code, which orders 
designated data strings to read out from the data string storage 4. 
The data outputted from the host system 1 are temporarily stored in the 
input buffer 3. 
The data processing unit 5 fetches a data from the input buffer 3 for 
analysis one after another. If the data thus fetches are characters or 
graphics, it sends outputting signals in accordance with the data to the 
outputting unit 6. And the outputting unit 6 prints out or displays 
characters or graphics according as outputting signals. If the data thus 
fetched are the controlling code, it processes the data according to such 
data. 
In the case of a data fetched by the data processing unit 5 from the input 
buffer 3 being the write controlling code, the data processing unit 5 
writes assigned data string into the data string storage 4 after having 
fetched such assigned data string from the input buffer 3. 
Also, in the case of a data fetched by the data processing unit 5 from the 
input buffer 3 being the read controlling code, the data processing unit 5 
fetches a data from the assigned data string of the data string storage 4 
one after another, and processes them exactly in the same manner as it 
fetches data directly from the input buffer 3. 
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a data string storage of the present 
invention. 
The data string storage 4 can be RAM or a disk device, and has a data area 
22 in where one data string or more can be stored and a directory area 21 
in where the first address and length of each of the data strings are 
stored. An address 24 and a length 25 stored in a 1st data string of the 
directory area 21 are equivalent to first address and length of data 
string A 26 stored in the data area 22. 
The data string inputted from the host system 1 is a string of data and 
each data consists of one byte code which represents character, graphics, 
a write controlling code, a read controlling code, a carriage return (CR), 
a reductive command, a magnifying command or others. 
For illustration of the invention, we explain the operation of the present 
invention according to an exemplary data string shown in FIG. 3 and a flow 
sheet shown in FIG. 4. 
Firstly, the host system 1 sends data to the outputting apparatus 2 one 
after another and the data are stored in the input buffer temporarily 
(step 401). 
The data processing unit 5 judges whether the input buffer 3 has the data 
(step 402). When the input buffer 3 has not the data, the data processing 
unit 5 orders the host system 1 to send the data. When the input buffer 3 
has the data, step 403 is executed and the input buffer 3 loses a fetched 
data. 
Next, the data processing unit 5 judges whether the fetched data is data of 
character or graphics (step 404). When the fetched data is data of 
character or graphics, the data processing unit 5 outputs an outputting 
signal in accordance with the fetched data to the outputting unit 6 (step 
405) and returns to step 403 for fetching a next data from the input 
buffer 3. 
In this process, characters of A, B, . . . , E and F are outputted from the 
outputting unit 6 one after another. 
When the fetched data is the controlling code, the data processing unit 5 
judges whether the fetched data is the write controlling code (W.C.C.) 
302. 
When the fetched data is the write controlling code, step 407 is executed 
and the data processing unit 5 gets the number of the data string stored 
(step 408). Further, step 409 is executed and the data processing unit 5 
gets the length of the data string stored from the fetched data and 
searches a area stored in the data area 22 of the data string storage 4 
(step 410). 
And the data processing unit 5 writes a first address and the length of the 
area stored into a directory area 21 of the gotten number of the data 
string stored (step 411). 
Furthermore, step 412 is executed and the fetched data is written into the 
area stored of the data area 22 (step 413). And the data processing unit 5 
judges whether all of the data string stored are written (step 414). When 
all of the data string stored are not written, its process returns to step 
412 for processing the remaining data. When all of the data string stored 
are written, its process returns to step 401 for processing next data. 
In this process, the data string which consists of A, C, . . . and D 305 
are written into the data area 22 for the data string A, and the first 
address and the length 304 of the data string A are written into the 
address 24 and the length 25 of 1st data string 23 of the directory area 
21. 
In step 406, if the fetched data is not he write controlling code, step 415 
is executed. When the fetched data is not a read controlling code (R.C.C.) 
306, its process returns to step 402 for processing the next data. When 
the fetched data is the read controlling code 306, step 416 is executed 
and the data processing unit 5 gets a number of a data string read out 307 
(step 417). The data processing unit 5 gets the first address and the 
length of the data string read out from the directory area 21 of the 
gotten number "2" (step 418). Further, the data processing unit 5 reads 
out a first data from a data string B corresponding to the gotten number 
"2" (step 419) and outputs an outputting signal in accordance with the 
read out data to the outputting unit 6 (step 420). Furthermore, the data 
processing unit 5 judges whether all of the data string B are read out 
(step 421). When all of the data string B are not read out, its process 
returns to step 419 for processing the remaining data. In this manner, 
each data of the data string B is processed one after another and the data 
string B is outputted. When all of the data string B are read out, its 
process returns to step 402 for processing the next data. 
Lastly, the data which represents the carriage return, the reductive 
command, the magnifying command or others is processed in the same manner 
as the data of character or graphics was processed and is stored for a 
part of the data string in the data string storage. 
As set forth above, according to the present invention, the transferring 
amount of data between the host system 1 and the outputting apparatus 2 
can be reduced, and the processing efficiency of the host system 1 and the 
utilization efficiency of the outputting apparatus 2 can be improved.