Image outputting apparatus

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 Field of the Invention 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. Related Background Art An apparatus of this type 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. 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. 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. 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'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. U.S. Patent No. 4742483 discloses a laser printer receiving font data and program data through removable font cartridges, which permit the user to interchange the particular font style as desired, and allows the servicing of the system by a separate maintenance program which is downloaded from the font cartridge. According to the invention there is provided an information outputting apparatus comprising input means for receiving first information from an information processing apparatus, output means for outputting the generated second information, connection means for connecting first external memory means to said information outputting apparatus, storage control means for controlling second memory means to copy the information stored in the first external memory means and to register the copied information in the second memory means; characterised in that the first external memory means stores information for generating the second information from the input first information and in that said connection means is adapted to connect at least one of a variety of small capacity external memory means, said second memory means being a large capacity memory external to the main body of the apparatus, and said output means being adapted to generate the second information from the first information using the information registered in the large capacity external memory means and for outputting the generated second information. Further according to the invention there is provided an information outputting method for generating second information from first information input from an information processing apparatus and for outputting the generated second information, comprising controlling a large capacity external memory means to copy information for generating the second information from the input first information, which is stored in a small capacity external memory means and to register the copied information in the large size external memory means, generating the second information from the input first information using the registered information, and outputting the generated second information. 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. The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:- Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of an image outputting apparatus according to the present invention. Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the construction of the printer control unit of Figure 1. Figure 3 is a pictorial perspective view of a program package. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the construction of an image outputting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The laser printer shown in Figure 1 can also accomplish the registration of character patterns and form patterns from a data supply source, not shown. In Figure 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 is 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. The reference character 2a denotes a connector which provides a mounting mechanism. A program cartridge which is program supply means to be described is mounted on the connector 2a. The reference character 2b designates a hard disk which is a large capacity auxiliary memory device. The hard disk 2b secures an area for copying and registering an emulation program in the program cartridge. Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating the construction of the printer control unit 2 shown in Figure 1. In Figure 2, members identical to those in Figure 1 are given identical reference characters. 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. 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 Figure 1. The reference numeral 29 also indicated in Figure 3 denotes a program package which provides program supply means. The program package 29 is comprised of an emulation program ROM 29a and a socket 29b for processing print information corresponding to any command system, and is designed to be removably mounted on the connector 2a. In the emulation program ROM 29a, there is stored the emulation program P1 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 2a, the CPU 23 which is emulation program copying and registering means reads out the emulation program P1 through the connector 2a and copies and registers it on the hard disk device. 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. 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. 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. 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. Also, according to the present invention, the inconvenience that indiscriminately many cartridge slots are provided or cartridge interchange is done frequently can be prevented.

Claims: An information outputting apparatus comprising input means (21-22) for receiving first information from an information processing apparatus (28), output means (24-27) for outputting generated second information, connection means (2a) for connecting first external memory means (29) to said information outputting apparatus, storage control means (23) for controlling second memory means to copy the information stored in the first external memory means (29) and to register the copied information in the second memory means; characterised in that the first external memory means stores information for generating the second information from the input first information and in that said connection means (2a) are adapted to connect at least one of a variety of small capacity external memory means, said second memory means being a large capacity memory external to the main body of the apparatus, and said output means (24-27) being adapted to generate the second information from the first information using the information registered in the large capacity external memory means and for outputting the generated second information. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the first information comprises character code and control code. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the second information comprises bit map information. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, characterised in that the information for generating the second information comprises a control program. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1-4, characterised by including a small capacity external memory means comprising a memory cartridge (29) for storing one kind of information. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1-5, characterised in that the large capacity external memory means comprises a hard disc (2b) for storing a plurality of kinds of information. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6, characterised by selection means (33) for selecting one of a plurality of kinds of information registered in the large capacity external memory means (2b), wherein said selection means selects a desired one of the plurality of kinds of registered information in response to an instruction entered externally. An information outputting method for generating second information from first information input from an information processing apparatus and for outputting the generated second information, comprising controlling a large capacity external memory means to copy information for generating the second information from the input first information, which is stored in a small capacity external memory means and to register the copied information in the large size external memory means, generating the second information from the input first information using the registered information, and outputting the generated second information. A method as claimed in claim 8, characterised in that the first information comprises character code and control code. A method as claimed in claim 8 or 9, characterised in that the second information comprises bit map information. A method as claimed in claim 8, 9 or 10, characterised in that the information for generating the second information comprises a control program. A method as claimed in any one of claims 8-11, characterised in that the small capacity external memory means comprises a memory cartridge for storing one kind of information. A method as claimed in any one of claims 8-12, characterized in that the large capacity external memory means comprises a hard disc (2b) for storing a plurality of kinds of information. A method as claimed in claim 13, characterised by the step of selecting one of a plurality of kinds of registered information in response to an instruction entered externally.

Inventors: NAGATA SATOSHI CANON KABUSHIKI, NAGATA, SATOSHI, CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Applicants: CANON KK, CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Application year: 1991
Main classification: B41J25
IPC codes: G06F9, G06F3, G06K15