Communication system, information processing apparatus, output apparatus, control method, and memory medium

• US 20040049719A1
• Filed: 09/08/2003
• Published: 03/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Sugiyama, Hideki
• Granted Patent: US 7,035,947 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/712
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/32 Architecture of open systems interconnection [OSI] 7-layer type protocol stacks, e.g. the interfaces between the data link level and the physical level

Abstract

It is an object to allow an output apparatus to certainly recognize an error when the error occurs at the time of a data transfer using an upper layer (IEEE 1284.4). In a communication system in which an information processing apparatus and an output apparatus can communicate data by using an interface constructed by the upper layer (IEEE 1284.4) and a lower layer (IEEE 1284), when the information processing apparatus detects an error at the time of a data communication using the upper layer, a predetermined command (device ID request) specified in the lower layer is used in order to allow the output apparatus to recognize the occurrence of the error.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising an information processing apparatus and an output apparatus for outputting in accordance with data from said information processing apparatus, wherein

said information processing apparatus and said output apparatus can perform a data communication by using an interface comprising an upper layer and a lower layer, and

when said information processing apparatus detects an error at the time of a data communication using the upper layer, a predetermined command specified in the lower layer is used for allowing said output apparatus to recognize the occurrence of the error.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein said lower layer is IEEE 1284, said upper layer is IEEE 1284.4, and said predetermined command is a device ID request.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein said output apparatus is a printer.

4. An information processing apparatus which can communicate data with an output apparatus by using an interface comprising an upper layer and a lower layer, wherein

said apparatus comprises issuing means for, when an error is detected at the time of the data communication using the upper layer, issuing a predetermined command specified in the lower layer in order to allow said output apparatus to recognize the occurrence of the error.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said lower layer is IEEE 1284, said upper layer is IEEE 1284.4, and said predetermined command is a device ID request.

6. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said output apparatus is a printer.

7. An output apparatus which can communicate data with an information processing apparatus by using an interface comprising an upper layer and a lower layer, wherein

said apparatus comprises control means for finishing the data communication using the upper layer when a predetermined command specified in the lower layer is received at the time of a data communication using the upper layer.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein when the predetermined command specified in the lower layer is received at the time of the data communication using the upper layer, said control means performs a resetting process and finishes the data communication using the upper layer.

9. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein when said predetermined command is received at the time of a data communication using the lower layer without using the upper layer, said control means performs a process corresponding to the predetermined command.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said predetermined command is a device ID request and the process corresponding to said predetermined command is a device ID transmitting process.

11. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said resetting process includes a process to cancel data received before said predetermined command is received or a process to forcedly output said data.

12. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said lower layer is IEEE 1284, said upper layer is IEEE 1284.4, and said predetermined command is a device ID request.

13. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said output apparatus is a printer.

14. A control method of an information processing apparatus which can communicate data with an output apparatus by using an interface comprising an upper layer and a lower layer, wherein

said method comprises an issuing step of, when an error is detected at the time of the data communication using the upper layer, issuing a predetermined command specified in the lower layer in order to allow said output apparatus to recognize the occurrence of the error.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein said lower layer is IEEE 1284, said upper layer is IEEE 1284.4, and said predetermined command is a device ID request.

16. A method according to claim 14, wherein said output apparatus is a printer.

17. A control method of an output apparatus which can communicate data with an information processing apparatus by using an interface comprising an upper layer and a lower layer, wherein

said method comprises a control step of finishing the data communication using the upper layer when a predetermined command specified in the lower layer is received at the time of a data communication using the upper layer.

18. A method according to claim 17, wherein when the predetermined command specified in the lower layer is received at the time of the data communication using the upper layer, in said control step, a resetting process is performed and the data communication using the upper layer is finished.

19. A method according to claim 17, wherein when said predetermined command is received at the time of a data communication using the lower layer without using the upper layer, in said control step, a process corresponding to the predetermined command is performed.

20. A method according to claim 19, wherein said predetermined command is a device ID request and the process corresponding to said predetermined command is a device ID transmitting process.

21. A method according to claim 17, wherein said resetting process includes a process to cancel data received before said predetermined command is received or a process to forcedly output said data.

22. A method according to claim 17, wherein said lower layer is IEEE 1284, said upper layer is IEEE 1284.4, and said predetermined command is a device ID request.

23. A method according to claim 17, wherein said output apparatus is a printer.

24. A machine-readable memory medium which stores a control program of an information processing apparatus which can communicate data with an output apparatus by using an interface comprising an upper layer and a lower layer, wherein

said program comprises an issuing step of, when an error is detected at the time of a data communication using the upper layer, issuing a predetermined command specified in the lower layer in order to allow said output apparatus to recognize the occurrence of the error.

25. A medium according to claim 24, wherein said lower layer is IEEE 1284, said upper layer is IEEE 1284.4, and said predetermined command is a device ID request.

26. A medium according to claim 24, wherein said output apparatus is a printer.

27. A machine-readable memory medium which stores a control program of an output apparatus which can communicate data with an information processing apparatus by using an interface comprising an upper layer and a lower layer, wherein

said program comprises a control step of finishing the data communication using the upper layer when a predetermined command specified in the lower layer is received at the time of a data communication using the upper layer.

28. A medium according to claim 27, wherein when the predetermined command specified in the lower layer is received at the time of the data communication using the upper layer, in said control step, a resetting process is performed and the data communication using the upper layer is finished.

29. A medium according to claim 27, wherein when said predetermined command is received at the time of a data communication using the lower layer without using the upper layer, in said control step, a process corresponding to the predetermined command is performed.

30. A medium according to claim 29, wherein said predetermined command is a device ID request and the process corresponding to said predetermined command is a device ID transmitting process.

31. A medium according to claim 27, wherein said resetting process includes a process to cancel data received before said predetermined command is received or a process to forcedly output said data.

32. A medium according to claim 27, wherein said lower layer is IEEE 1284, said upper layer is IEEE 1284.4, and said predetermined command is a device ID request.

33. A medium according to claim 27, wherein said output apparatus is a printer.