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

• US 6,678,863 B1
• Filed: 08/25/1999
• Issued: 01/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Sugiyama, Hideki
• Primary Examiner(s): Decady, Albert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Torres, Joseph D.
• Application Number:
  US09/382,637
• Time in Patent Office: 1,602 Days
• Field of Search: 714/799
• US Class Current: 714/799
• 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. An information processing apparatus that communicates with a peripheral device through an upper-layer interface and a lower-layer interface, said information processing apparatus comprising:

a command unit, arranged to issue a command to the peripheral device so as to shift the peripheral device to communication through the upper-layer interface;

a discrimination unit, arranged to discriminate whether an error has occurred during communication through the upper-layer interface; and

an execution unit, arranged to (a) issue to the peripheral device a specific command used for the lower-layer interface so as to cause the peripheral device to terminate communication through the upper-layer interface, and (b) terminate communication through the upper-layer interface, if said discrimination unit discriminates that the error has occurred during communication through the upper-level interface.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the upper-layer interface is provided for IEEE 1284.4 standards, and the lower-layer interface is provide for IEEE 1284 standards, and the specific command comprises a device ID request.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the peripheral device comprises a printer.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, if said discrimination unit discriminates that the error has occurred during processing through the upper-layer interface, said command unit executes a device ID request process, defined in the lower-layer interface, for informing the peripheral device of the error state and terminates the communication through the upper-layer interface.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said command unit executes a device ID request process and receives a device ID during communication through the lower-layer interface.

6. An information processing method of an information processing apparatus that communicates with a peripheral device through an upper-layer interface and a lower-layer interface, said method comprising:

a command step of issuing a command to the peripheral device so as to shift the peripheral device to communication through the upper-layer interface;

a discrimination step of discriminating whether an error has occurred during communication through the upper-layer interface; and

an execution step of (a) issuing to the peripheral device a specific command used for the lower-layer interface so as to cause the peripheral device to terminate communication through the upper-layer interface, and (b) terminate communication through the upper-layer interface, if it is discriminated in said discrimination step that the error has occurred during communication through the upper-layer interface.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the upper-layer interface is provided for IEEE 1284.4 standards, and the lower-layer interface is provided for IEEE 1284 standards, and the specific command comprises a device ID request.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the peripheral device comprises a printer.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein, if it is discriminated in said discrimination step that the error has occurred during communication through the upper-layer interface, said command step executes a device ID request process, defined in the lower-layer interface, for informing the peripheral device of the error state and terminates the communication through the upper-layer interface.

10. The method according to claim 6, wherein said command step executes a device ID request process and receives a device ID during communication through the lower-layer interface.

11. A computer program product embodying a program for implementing an information processing method of an information processing apparatus that communicates with a peripheral device through an upper-layer interface and a lower-layer interface, said program product comprising:

a code for a command step of issuing a command to the peripheral device so as to shift the peripheral device to communication through the upper-layer interface;

a code for a discrimination step of discriminating whether an error has occurred during communication through the upper-layer interface; and

an execution step of (a) issuing to the peripheral device a specific command used for the lower-layer interface so as to cause the peripheral device to terminate communication through the upper-layer interface, and (b) terminate communication through the upper-layer interface, if it is discriminated in the discrimination step that the error has occurred during communication through the upper-layer interface.

12. The program product according to claim 11, wherein the upper-layer interface is provided for IEEE 1284.4 standards, and the lower-layer interface is provided for IEEE 1284 standards, and the specific command comprises a device ID request.

13. The program product according to claim 11, wherein the peripheral device comprises a printer.

14. The program product according to claim 11, wherein, if it is discriminated in the discrimination step that the error has occurred during communication through the upper-layer interface, the command step executes a device ID request process, defined in the lower-layer interface, for informing the peripheral device of the error state and terminates the communication through the upper-layer interface.

15. The program product according to claim 11, wherein the command step executes a device ID request process and receives a device ID during communication through the lower-layer interface.