Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US7210868?dq=ininventor:oliver+ininventor:steele
Timestamp: 2013-12-13 20:17:44
Document Index: 403347673

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 11', 'art 13', 'art 13', 'art 11', 'art 13', 'art 11', 'art 13', 'art 13', 'art 11', 'art 11', 'art 11', 'art 13', 'art 13']

Patent US7210868 - Printer - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inAdvanced Patent SearchPatentsA printer includes: a print performing unit which can change a structure thereof and in which contents of an executable printing process change depending on the structure; an apparatus name information storing unit which stores a plurality of apparatus name information as identification information of...http://www.google.com/patents/US7210868?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US7210868 - PrinterAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS7210868 B2Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 10/766,330Publication dateMay 1, 2007Filing dateJan 29, 2004Priority dateJan 31, 2003Fee statusPaidAlso published asUS7086794, US20040258445, US20060062622Publication number10766330, 766330, US 7210868 B2, US 7210868B2, US-B2-7210868, US7210868 B2, US7210868B2InventorsAtsushi Fujimaki, Osamu AzamiOriginal AssigneeSeiko Epson CorporationExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (19), Referenced by (2), Classifications (10), Legal Events (2) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetPrinterUS 7210868 B2Abstract A printer includes: a print performing unit which can change a structure thereof and in which contents of an executable printing process change depending on the structure; an apparatus name information storing unit which stores a plurality of apparatus name information as identification information of the apparatus coordinated with the structure; and a request responding unit for transmitting the apparatus name information coordinated with the structure at that time when a prescribed request is received among the plurality of apparatus name information to an apparatus transmitting the request.
an apparatus name information storing unit which stores a plurality of apparatus name information as identification information of the apparatus coordinated with the structure;
a request responding unit for transmitting the apparatus name information coordinated with the structure at that time when a prescribed request is received among the plurality of apparatus name information to an apparatus transmitting the request; and
a rewriteable storing unit which stores a machine type designating value as information for designating any of the apparatus name information stored in the apparatus name information storing unit, wherein the request responding unit transmits the information designated from the plurality of apparatus name information by the machine type designating value stored in the rewriteable storing unit to the apparatus which transmits the request when the request responding unit receives the prescribed request.
2. A printer according to claim 1, further comprising: a rewriting unit for rewriting the machine type designating value stored in the storing unit to a value corresponding to a changed structure when the structure is changed.
As well-known, of devices performing a printing operation such as printers, copying machines, complex machines, etc. (refer them to as printers, hereinafter), there are devices capable of operating as devices in which the contents (kind, number) of an executable printing process are different by changing their structures (add optional components/change components).
Further, a window displayed by a program (what is called a printer driver) for operating the printer desirably includes no wasteful items (check boxes incapable of being selected, radio buttons, etc.) The existing structure-changeable printer is a printer in which such a program cannot be installed by a plug and play (a device interface standard which makes it possible to add an expansion card or the like to a system without requiring a manual setting of a user) This is because the existing structure-changeable printer serves as a printer for outputting the same device ID (information used as the identification information of the printer upon installing a program by a plug and play) without depending on the structure.
Beside, in order to reduce the design and production cost of the printers, the maker ordinarily designs a board for each printer in such a way that when a jumper line is attached to a board for one machine, the board functions as aboard for the other machine. Further, the maker forms extremely similar products as farm wares respectively for the printers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a printer in which the contents (kind, number) of an executable printing process are different by changing its structure, an erroneous selection can be prevented irrespective of a fact that a printing operation having intended contents cannot be performed, and a program corresponding to a structure at that time can be installed by a plug and play.
(1) A printer comprising: a print performing unit which can change a structure thereof and in which contents of an executable printing process change depending on the structure;
(2) A printer according to (1), further comprising: a rewriteable storing unit which stores a machine type designating value as information for designating any of the apparatus name information stored in the apparatus name information storing unit, wherein the request responding unit transmits the information designated from the plurality of apparatus name information by the machine type designating value stored in the rewriteable storing unit to the apparatus which transmits the request when the request responding unit receives the prescribed request. (3) A printer according to (2), further comprising: a rewriting unit for rewriting the machine type designating value stored in the storing unit to a value corresponding to a changed structure when the structure is changed. (4) A printer comprising: a print performing unit which can change a structure thereof and operates in either a state capable of a color printing or a state capable of only a monochromatic printing in accordance with the structure; and
(5) A printer comprising; a print performing unit which can change a structure thereof and operates in either a state capable of a color printing or a state capable of only a monochromatic printing in accordance with the structure; and
(6) A printer according to (5), further comprising an output request responding unit for transmitting a device ID corresponding to the operating state of the print performing unit to an apparatus outputting an output request when the output request responding unit receives the output request of the device ID. (7) A printer operating as any one of a plurality of kinds of machines, the printer comprising: a rewriteable nonvolatile storing unit for storing first information used at any time when the printer operates as any of the plurality of kinds of machines and second information whose contents are to be rewritten depending on as which type of machines of the plurality of types of machines the printer operates; and
(8) A printer according to (7), wherein the control part checks the structure of a self-device upon starting to determined whether or not the operation is to be started for the different machine from the machine used up to that time. (9) A printer according to (7); wherein the first information is information related to the number of prints formed in the past. (10) A printer comprising: a printing unit for a monochromatic printing;
(11) A printer according to (10) further comprising an information transmitting unit for transmitting information representing that the determining unit determines that the received pint job data is the color print job data to a computer having a function of informing a user of a message corresponding to the information. (12) A printer comprising: a printing unit capable of operating in a first state capable of only a monochromatic printing and in a second state capable of a monochromatic printing and a color printing;
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a block diagram of hardware of a printer of one embodiment according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Now, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail by referring to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 4, at the time of the updating process, the control part 11 firstly decides whether or not the K toner cartridge is mounted on the printing mechanism part 13 (step S201) When the K toner cartridge is not mounted on the printing mechanism part 13 (step S201; NO), the control part 11 finishes the updating process.
When the K toner cartridge is mounted on the printing mechanism part 13 (step S201; YES), the control part 11 decides whether or not a toner cartridge except the K toner cartridge is mounted on the printing mechanism part 13 (step S202) Then, when the toner cartridge except the K toner cartridge is not mounted on the printing mechanism part 13 (step S202; NO), the control part 11 decides whether or not the machine type designating value on the EEPROM 26 is a designating value for color printing (step S203). When the machine type designating value on the EEPROM 26 is the designating value of the machine type capable of a color printing (step S203; YES), the control part changes (step S204) the machine type designating value on the EEPROM 26 to a designating value for monochromatic printing. Then, the control part finishes the machine type designating value updating process. Further, when the machine type designating value on the EEPROM 26 is the designating value of the machine type exclusively used for a monochromatic printing (step S203; NO), the control part 11 finishes the machine type designating value updating process without rewriting the machine type designating value on the EEPROM 26.
On the other hand, when the print job data is data for requesting a color printing (step S301; YES), the control part 11 performs a process for coping with a warning in step 5303. Here, the process for coping with the warning means a process that a prescribed warning message representing that the print job data for requesting a color printing is received despite a state is capable of only a monochromatic printing is displayed on a liquid crystal display of the control panel 12 and a self-state is brought into a state that status information is returned including information representing that the print job data is, rejected upon receiving a status information request command (a command transmitted by the monitor program).
As described above, the printer 10 according to this embodiment is an apparatus that operates as either the printer of a machine type capable of a color printing or the printer of a machine type capable of only a monochromatic printer depending on its structure (depending on the kind of the toner cartridge mounted on the printing mechanism part 13). Further, the printer 10 serves as an apparatus whose outputted printer name is changed depending on as which machine type of printers the printer 10 operates (an apparatus for outputting the printer name corresponding to the machine type at that time) Accordingly, when the printer 10 of the present embodiment is used in a network environment, a user can grasp as which machine type of the printers the printer 10 of the present invention operates from the printer named is played on the display of the computer. As a result, the printer 10 of the present invention functions as a printer hardly erroneously selected irrespective of a fact that a printing operation of intended contents cannot be carried out.
MODIFIED EMBODIMENTS The printer 10 of this embodiment may have various kinds of modifications. For examples the printer 10 is an apparatus in which the combined programs on the RAM 23 are different between a case in which the printer 10 operates as the printer of a machine type capable of performing a color printing and a case in which the printer 10 operates as the printer of a machine type capable of performing only a monochromatic printing. However, the printer 10 may be modified so that RAM 23 is loaded with the same program even when the printer operates as any type of the printers. In this case, when the printer 10 is modified as described above, a part of the program on the RAM 23 is not actually executed, thereby the storage capacity of the RAM 23 is wastefully used. Thus, the printer is desirably formed in the same manner as that of the above-described embodiment.
Further, information related to the machine type on the EEPROM 26 is not rewritten and two sets or more of information related to the machine type are stored on the EEPRQM 26 and the printer 10 may be modified so that the information related to the machine type corresponding to the machine type designating value is selected from among these information and used. Further, the structure of a self-device (the kind of the toner cartridge mounted on the printing mechanism part 13) is checked upon start-up process and the printer 10 may be modified so that the information related to the machine type on the EEPROM is rewritten. Further, the printer 10 may be modified so that the information related to the machine type on the EEPROM is rewritten when the toner cartridge is replaced by another toner cartridge.
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