Printing system having function of displaying error information and method of displaying error information

• US 6,078,400 A
• Filed: 04/23/1998
• Issued: 06/20/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Mizutani, Norio
• Primary Examiner(s): Popovici, Dov
• Assistant Examiner(s): Garcia, Gabriel I.
• Application Number:
  US09/064,771
• Time in Patent Office: 789 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.1, 358/1.4, 358/1.9, 358/1.12, 358/1.13, 358/1.14, 358/1.15, 358/1.18, 358/401, 358/437, 358/439, 358/442, 358/448, 399/8, 399/9, 399/10, 399/11, 399/18, 399/19, 399/81, 355/77, 355/133, 400/74, 364/183, 364/737, 371/2.1, 371/21.6, 371/47.1, 371/48, 382/309
• US Class Current: 358/1.14
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/00 Digital computers in general details G06F1/00 – G06F13/00; Data processing equipment in general
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/121 Facilitating exception or error detection and recovery, e.g. fault, media or consumables depleted
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1234 Errors handling and recovery, e.g. reprinting G06F3/1261 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1259 Print job monitoring, e.g. job status
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server

Abstract

A printing system has a host apparatus for generating print data and sending the generated print data to a printing apparatus, and the printing apparatus for printing an image on the basis of the received print data. The host apparatus has: a print data generating device for generating the print data; a print data sending device for sending the generated print data to the printing apparatus; an error information receiving device for receiving image data as error information from the printing apparatus; and an error information displaying device for displaying an image on the basis of the received image data, and the printing apparatus has: a print data receiving device for receiving the print data from the host apparatus; a print data storing device for storing the received print data; an image data generating device for generating the image data on the basis of the stored print data; a printing device for printing an image on the basis of the generated image data; an error detecting device for detecting an error in a process from receiving the print data by the print data receiving device to printing the image by the printing device; and an error information sending device for sending the stored image data at a stage where the error is detected by the error detecting device, as the error information, to the host apparatus.

Claims

1. A printing system comprising a host apparatus for generating print data and sending the generated print data to a printing apparatus, and the printing apparatus for printing an image on the basis of the received print data,

the host apparatus comprising:

a print data generating device for generating the print data;

a print data sending device for sending the generated print data to the printing apparatus;

an error information receiving device for receiving image data from the printing apparatus; and

an error information displaying device for displaying an image showing an image represented by the received image data as error information,

the printing apparatus comprising;

a print data receiving device for receiving the print data from the host apparatus;

a print data storing device for storing the received print data;

an image generating device for generating the image data on the basis of the stored print data;

a printing device for printing an image on the basis of the generated image data;

an error detecting device for detecting an error in processes from receiving the print data by the print data receiving device to printing the image by the printing device; and

an error information sending device for sending the generated image data at a stage where the error is detected by the error detecting device to the host apparatus.

2. A printing system according to claim 1, wherein the error detecting device detects the error in a process of generating the image data by the image data generating device.

3. A printing system according to claim 1, wherein the error detecting device detects the error in a process of printing the image by the printing device.

4. A printing system according to claim 1, wherein the error information sending device sends the generated image data and an error message to the host apparatus.

5. A printing system according to claim 1, wherein

the error information displaying device comprises:

a receiving information displaying device for displaying information indicating that the image data is received by the error information receiving device;

an input device for inputting an instruction to display the image showing the image represented by the received image data from an external; and

an image displaying device for displaying the image on the basis of the received image data when the instruction is inputted by the input device.

6. A printing system according to claim 1, wherein the error information displaying device displays an image represented by the received image data.

7. A printing system according to claim 1, wherein the error information displaying device displays a same image as or a similar image to be printed out by the printing device of the printing apparatus, on the basis of the received image data.

8. A method of displaying error information in a printing system comprising a host apparatus for generating print data and sending the generated print data to a printing apparatus, and the printing apparatus for printing an image on the basis of the received print data, the method comprising the processes of:

generating the print data in the host apparatus;

sending the generated print data from the host apparatus to the printing apparatus;

receiving the print data from the host apparatus, in the printing apparatus;

storing the received print data in the printing apparatus;

generating image data on the basis of the stored print data in the printing apparatus;

printing an image on the basis of the generated image data in the printing apparatus;

detecting an error in the processes from the process of receiving the print data to the process of printing the image, in the printing apparatus;

sending the generated image data at a stage when the error is detected in the process of detecting the error, from the printing apparatus to the host apparatus;

receiving the image data from the printing apparatus, in the host apparatus; and

displaying an image showing an image represented by the received image data, as the error information, in the host apparatus.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein, in the process of detecting the error, the error is detected in the process of generating the image data.

10. A method according to claim 8, wherein, in the process of detecting the error, the error is detected in the process of printing the image.

11. A method according to claim 8, wherein, in the process of sending the generated image data, an error message is further sent to the host apparatus.

12. A method according to claim 8, wherein the process of displaying the image comprises the processes of:

displaying information indicating that the image data is received in the process of receiving the image data;

receiving an instruction to display the image showing the image represented by the received image data from an external; and

displaying the image showing the image represented by the receiving image data when the instruction is received in the process of receiving the instruction.

13. A method according to claim 8, wherein the displaying process comprises the process of displaying an image represented by the received image data.

14. A method according to claim 8, wherein the displaying process comprises the process of displaying a same image as or a similar image to an image to be printed out by the printing device of the printing apparatus, on the basis of the received image data.

15. A program storage device readable by a host apparatus and a printing apparatus in a printing system comprising the host apparatus for generating print data and sending the generated print data to the printing apparatus, and the printing apparatus for printing an image on the basis of the received print data, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the host apparatus and the printing apparatus to perform method processes for displaying error information in the printing system, said method processes comprising:

generating the print data in the host apparatus;

sending the generated print data from the host apparatus to the printing apparatus;

receiving the print data from the host apparatus, in the printing apparatus;

storing the received print data in the printing apparatus;

generating image data on the basis of the stored print data in the printing apparatus;

printing an image on the basis of the generated image data in the printing apparatus;

detecting an error in the processes from the process of receiving the print data to the process of printing the image, in the printing apparatus;

sending the generated image data at a stage when the error is detected in the process of detecting the error, from the printing apparatus to the host apparatus;

receiving the image data from the printing apparatus, in the host apparatus; and

displaying an image showing an image represented by the received image data, as the error information, in the host apparatus.

16. A program storage device according to claim 15, wherein, in the process of detecting the error, the error is detected in the process of generating the image data.

17. A program storage device according to claim 15, wherein, in the process of detecting the error, the error is detected in the process of printing the image.

18. A program storage device according to claim 15, wherein, in the process of sending the generated image data, an error message is further sent to the host apparatus.

19. A program storage device according to claim 15, wherein the process of displaying the image comprises the processes of:

displaying information indicating that the image data is received in the process of receiving the image data;

receiving an instruction to display the image showing the image represented by the received image data from an external; and

displaying the image showing the image represented by the receiving image data when the instruction is received in the process of receiving the instruction.

20. A program storage device according to claim 15, wherein the displaying process comprises the process of displaying an image represented by the received image data.

21. A program storage device according to claim 15, wherein the displaying process comprises the process of displaying a same image as or a similar image to an image to be printed out by the printing device of the printing apparatus, on the basis of the received image data.