CONTROL DEVICE, METHOD OF CONTROLLING A RECORDING DEVICE, AND A STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20110122438A1
• Filed: 11/17/2010
• Published: 05/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Someya, Tomohito, Sato, Yoshitake
• Granted Patent: US 8,694,882 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1208 resulting in improved quality of the output result, e.g. print layout, colours, workflows, print preview
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1229 Printer resources management or printer maintenance, e.g. device status, power levels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1284 Local printer device
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/02 using printers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1831 characterized by the format of the data

Abstract

A recording device is made to record text after suitably correlating universal character code characters to font data that is actually stored in the printer. A printer 20 stores a plurality of code pages CP each storing font data for a plurality of characters that is used when recording text on a recording medium. Based on the plural code pages CP stored by the printer 20, a character code conversion table 18 that stores Unicode characters correlated to information identifying a code page CP containing font data corresponding to the Unicode character and information denoting the storage address of the font data on the code page CP is created or updated.

Claims

1. A control device that can be connected to and controls a recording device that records on a recording medium and stores a plurality of font groups each storing font data for a plurality of characters used to record text on the recording medium, the control device comprising:

a table processing unit that creates or updates a character code conversion table that correlates each of a plurality of universal character codes that are rendered in a single font group and are specified from the control device side to information identifying a font group on the recording device side containing font data corresponding to the universal character code and information denoting the storage address of the font data in the font group.

2. The control device described in claim 1, further comprising:

a storage unit that stores the character code conversion table; and

a font group information storage unit that stores font group information correlating a specific universal character code to a recording device-side font group that corresponds to the universal character code;

wherein the table processing unit, based on the font group information stored in the font group information storage unit, creates or updates the character code conversion table that is stored in the font group information storage unit and correlates each universal character code to information identifying a font group on the recording device side containing font data corresponding to the universal character code and information denoting the storage address of the font data in the font group.

3. The control device described in claim 1, further comprising:

a conversion processing unit that, when a recording job instructing the recording device to record a character is asserted, converts a universal character code contained in the recording job to a font data address including information identifying a font group containing font data corresponding to the universal character code and information denoting the storage address of the font data in the font group, based on the character code conversion table created or updated by the table processing unit.

4. The control device described in claim 1, wherein:

when identical font data is stored in a plurality of different font groups, and a plurality of universal character codes are contained in the recording job,

the conversion processing unit converts the universal character codes in a specific order to the font data address, and when converting one universal character code, first determines if, among the plural font groups, font data corresponding to the one universal character code is contained in the font group storing the font data corresponding to the most recently converted universal character code, and if the font data is stored in the most recently used font group, converts the one universal character code to a font data address including information denoting the address of the font data in the font group using information denoting the font group.

5. The control device described in claim 1, wherein:

the universal character codes and font data stored in the font groups can be edited.

6. The control device described in claim 1, further comprising:

a font group information update processing unit that gets information identifying a plurality of font groups stored in the recording device from the recording device, and updates the font group information according to the plural font groups.

7. A method of controlling a control device that controls a recording device that records on a recording medium and stores a plurality of font groups storing font data for a plurality of characters, the control method comprising steps of:

creating or updating a character code conversion table that correlates each of a plurality of universal character codes that are rendered in a single font group and are specified from the control device side to information identifying a font group on the recording device side containing font data corresponding to the universal character code and information denoting the storage address of the font data in the font group; and

based on this character code conversion table, converting the universal character code to a font data address including information identifying a font group containing font data corresponding to the universal character code, and information denoting the address of the font data in the font group.

8. The method of controlling a control device described in claim 7, further comprising steps of:

storing the character code conversion table in a storage unit;

storing font group information correlating a specific universal character code to a recording device-side font group that corresponds to the universal character code in a font group information storage unit; and

based on the font group information stored in the font group information storage unit, creating or updating the character code conversion table that is stored in the font group information storage unit and correlates each universal character code to information identifying a font group on the recording device side containing font data corresponding to the universal character code and information denoting the storage address of the font data in the font group.

9. The method of controlling a control device described in claim 7, wherein:

when a recording job instructing the recording device to record a character is asserted, a universal character code contained in the recording job is converted to a font data address including information identifying a font group containing font data corresponding to the universal character code and information denoting the storage address of the font data in the font group, based on the character code conversion table.

10. The method of controlling a control device described in claim 7, comprising steps of:

converting the universal character codes in a specific order to font data addresses when identical font data is stored in a plurality of different font groups and a plurality of universal character codes are contained in the recording job;

first determining when converting one universal character code if, among the plural font groups, font data corresponding to the one universal character code is contained in the font group storing the font data corresponding to the most recently converted universal character code; and

if the font data is stored in the most recently used font group, converting the one universal character code to a font data address including information denoting the address of the font data in the font group using information denoting the font group.

11. The method of controlling a control device described in claim 7, wherein:

the universal character codes and font data stored in the font groups can be edited.

12. The method of controlling a control device described in claim 7, further comprising a step of:

getting information identifying a plurality of font groups stored in the recording device from the recording device, and updating the font group information according to the plural font groups.

13. A storage medium storing a program that is executed by a control unit that controls a control device connected to a recording device that records on a recording medium and stores a plurality of font groups storing font data for a plurality of characters, wherein:

the program causes the control unit to operate as a table processing unit that creates or updates a character code conversion table that correlates each of a plurality of universal character codes that are rendered in a single font group and are specified from the control device side to information identifying a font group on the recording device side containing font data corresponding to the universal character code and information denoting the storage address of the font data in the font group.

14. The storage medium described in claim 13, wherein the stored program includes steps of:

storing the character code conversion table in a storage unit;

storing font group information correlating a specific universal character code to a recording device-side font group that corresponds to the universal character code in a font group information storage unit; and

based on the font group information stored in the font group information storage unit, creating or updating the character code conversion table that is stored in the font group information storage unit and correlates each universal character code to information identifying a font group on the recording device side containing font data corresponding to the universal character code and information denoting the storage address of the font data in the font group.

15. The storage medium described in claim 13, wherein:

when a recording job instructing the recording device to record a character is asserted, the stored program converts a universal character code contained in the recording job to a font data address including information identifying a font group containing font data corresponding to the universal character code and information denoting the storage address of the font data in the font group, based on the character code conversion table created or updated by the table processing unit.

16. The storage medium described in claim 13, wherein the stored program comprises steps of:

converting the universal character codes in a specific order to the font data addresses when identical font data is stored in a plurality of different font groups and a plurality of universal character codes are contained in the recording job;

first determining when converting one universal character code if, among the plural font groups, font data corresponding to the one universal character code is contained in the font group storing the font data corresponding to the most recently converted universal character code; and

if the font data is stored in the most recently used font group, converting the one universal character code to a font data address including information denoting the address of the font data in the font group using information denoting the font group.

17. The storage medium described in claim 13, wherein the stored program enables editing the universal character codes and font data stored in the font groups.

18. The storage medium described in claim 13, wherein the stored program further comprises a step of:

getting information identifying a plurality of font groups stored in the recording device from the recording device, and updating the font group information according to the plural font groups.