Printing apparatus, system, and method with an error search function

• US 6,806,975 B1
• Filed: 02/12/1998
• Issued: 10/19/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Inoue, Hiroo, Tajika, Hiroshi, Takahashi, Kenji, Ishikawa, Hisashi, Konno, Yuji, Kawatoko, Norihiro, Fujita, Miyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Poon, King Y.
• Application Number:
  US09/022,977
• Time in Patent Office: 2,441 Days
• Field of Search: 395/113, 395/114, 395/115, 358/1--, 358/1-1-, 358/296, 358/302, 396/281-300, 396/544, 400/74, 400/703, 348/207.2
• US Class Current: 358/1.14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00278 with a printing apparatus, e.g. a laser beam printer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00485 providing a hardcopy output to the user, e.g. print out
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32625 Fault detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32657 locally
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/001 Sharing resources, e.g. processing power or memory, with a connected apparatus or enhancing the capability of the still picture apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0084 Digital still camera

Abstract

Simple manual management and easy use are aimed for a system having a printer and an external apparatus such as a digital camera connectable thereto. This aim can be achieved by storing the contents of a manual, an error countermeasure corresponding to an error code and the like respectively of the external apparatus in a memory of the printer or external apparatus in the form of text and by printing out a necessary portion of the contents stored in the memory when necessary such as when a user requests and when an error is detected.

Claims

1. A printer connectable to a digital camera, said printer comprising:

a storage unit, arranged to store information on a digital camera error and information on a manual for the digital camera;

a first discrimination unit, arranged to discriminate whether an error code has been received from the digital camera;

a display unit, arranged to display a digital camera error indication, if said first discrimination unit discriminates that the error code has been received;

a second discrimination unit, arranged to discriminate whether a print instruction has been entered by a user while said display unit displays the digital camera error indication;

a search unit, arranged to search said storage unit for a message corresponding to the received error code, if said second discrimination unit discriminates that the print instruction has been entered;

a print unit, arranged to print the message corresponding to the error code searched by said search unit, and arranged to print the information on the manual in response to a camera-manual-print instruction entered by the user;

a third discrimination unit, arranged to discriminate whether an error release signal has been received from the digital camera, if said second discrimination unit discriminates that the print instruction has not been entered; and

a release unit, arranged to release the digital camera error indication displayed by said display unit, if said third discrimination unit discriminates that the error release signal has been received.

2. A printer according to claim 1, wherein said printer is connected directly to the digital camera via an IEEE 1394 connection.

3. A printer according to claim 1, wherein said printer is an ink jet printer.

4. A printer according to claim 1, wherein the message corresponding to the error code includes an error description and an error countermeasure.

5. A print system including a digital camera and a printer connectable to each other, said system comprising:

a storage unit, arranged to store information on a digital camera error and information on a manual for the digital camera;

a first transmission unit, arranged to transmit an error code from the digital camera to the printer, if an error has occurred in the digital camera;

a second transmission unit, arranged to transmit an error release signal from the digital camera to the printer, if the error has been released;

a display unit, arranged to display a digital camera error indication at the printer in response to the error code transmitted by said first transmission unit;

a discrimination unit, arranged to discriminate whether a print instruction has been entered by a user while said display unit displays the digital camera error indication;

a search unit, arranged to search said storage unit for a message corresponding to the transmitted error code, if said discrimination unit discriminates that the print instruction has been entered;

a print unit, arranged to print the message corresponding to the error code searched by said search unit at the printer, and arranged to print the information on the manual in response to a camera-manual-print instruction entered by the user; and

a release unit, arranged to release the digital camera error indication displayed by said display unit in response to the error release signal transmitted by said second transmission unit.

6. A print system according to claim 5, wherein the digital camera and the printer are connected directly to each other via an IEEE 1394 connection.

7. A print system according to claim 5, wherein the printer is an ink jet printer.

8. A print system according to claim 5, wherein the message corresponding to the error code includes an error description and an error countermeasure.

9. A method of operation of a printer connectable to a digital camera, the printer having a storage unit for storing information on a digital camera error and information on a manual for the digital camera, said method comprising:

a first discrimination step, of discriminating whether an error code has been received from the digital camera;

a display step, of displaying a digital camera error indication, if it is discriminated in said first discrimination step that the error code has been received;

a second discrimination step, of discriminating whether a print instruction has been entered by a user while the digital camera error indication is displayed in the display step;

a search step, of searching the storage unit for a message corresponding to the received error code, if it is discriminated in the second discrimination step that the print instruction has been entered;

a print step, of printing the message corresponding to the error code searched in the search step, and printing the information on the manual in response to a camera-manual-print instruction entered by the user;

a third discrimination step, of discriminating whether an error release signal has been received from the digital camera, if it is discriminated in said second discrimination step that the print instruction has not been entered; and

a release step, of releasing the digital camera error indication displayed in said display step, if it is discriminated in said third discrimination step that the error release signal has been received.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein the printer is connected directly to the digital camera via an IEEE 1394 connection.

11. A method according to claim 9, wherein the printer is an ink jet printer.

12. A method according to claim 9, wherein the message corresponding to the error code includes an error description and an error countermeasure.

13. A method of operation of a print system that includes a digital camera and a printer connectable to each other, the printer having a storage unit for storing information on a digital camera error and information on a manual for the digital camera, said method comprising:

a first transmission step, of transmitting an error code from the digital camera to the printer, if an error has occurred in the digital camera;

a second transmission step, of transmitting an error release signal from the digital camera to the printer, if the error has been released;

a display step, of displaying a digital camera error indication at the printer in response to the error code transmitted in the first transmission step;

a discrimination step, of discriminating whether a print instruction has been entered by a user while the digital camera error indication is displayed in the display step;

a search step, of searching the storage unit for a message corresponding to the transmitted error code, if it is discriminated in the discrimination step that the print instruction has been entered;

a print step, of printing the message corresponding to the error code searched in the search step at the printer, and printing the information on the manual in response to a camera-manual-print instruction entered by the user; and

a release step, of releasing the digital camera error indication displayed in said display step in response to the error release signal transmitted in the second transmission step.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein the digital camera and the printer are connected directly to each other via an IEEE 1394 connection.

15. A method according to claim 13, wherein the printer is an ink jet printer.

16. A method according to claim 13, wherein the message corresponding to the error code includes an error description and an error countermeasure.

17. A computer-readable memory medium storing a program for implementing a method of operation of a printer connectable to a digital camera, the printer having a storage unit for storing information on a digital camera error and information on a manual for the digital camera, the program comprising:

program code of a first discrimination step, of discriminating whether an error code has been received from the digital camera;

program code of a display step, of displaying a digital camera error indication, if it is discriminated in the first discrimination step that the error code has been received;

program code of a second discrimination step, of discriminating whether a print instruction has been entered by a user while the digital camera error indication is displayed in the display step;

program code of a search step, of searching the storage unit for a message corresponding to the received error code, if it is discriminated in the second discrimination step that the print instruction has been entered;

program code of a print step, of printing the message corresponding to the error code searched in the search step, and printing the information on the manual in response to a camera-manual-print instruction entered by the user;

program code of a third discrimination step, of discriminating whether an error release signal has been received from the digital camera, if it is discriminated in the second discrimination step that the print instruction has not been entered; and

program code of a release step, of releasing the digital camera error indication displayed in the display step, if it is discriminated in the third discrimination step that the error release signal has been received.

18. A computer program product embodying a program for implementing a method of operation of a printer connectable to a digital camera, the printer having a storage unit for storing information on a digital camera error and information on a manual for the digital camera, the program comprising:

program code of a first discrimination step, of discriminating whether an error code has been received from the digital camera;

program code of a display step, of displaying a digital camera error indication, if it is discriminated in the first discrimination step that the error code has been received;

program code of a second discrimination step, of discriminating whether a print instruction has been entered by a user while the digital camera error indication is displayed in the display step;

program code of a search step, of searching for a message corresponding to the received error code, if it is discriminated in the second discrimination step that the print instruction has been entered;

program code of a print step, of printing the message corresponding to the error code searched in the search step, and printing the information on the manual in response to a camera-manual-print instruction entered by the user;

program code of a third discrimination step, of discriminating whether an error release signal has been received from the digital camera, if it is discriminated in the second discrimination step that the print instruction has not been entered; and

program code of a release step, of releasing the digital camera error indication displayed in the display step, if it is discriminated in the third discrimination step that the error release signal has been received.

19. A printer connectable to a digital camera, said printer comprising:

a storage unit, arranged to store information on a digital camera error and information on a manual for the digital camera;

a first discrimination unit, arranged to discriminate whether an error code has been received from the digital camera;

a display unit, arranged to display a camera error indication, if said first discrimination unit discriminates that the error code has been received;

a second discrimination unit, arranged to discriminate whether a print instruction has been entered by a user while said display unit displays the digital camera error indication;

a search unit, arranged to search said storage unit for a message corresponding to the received error code, if said second discrimination unit discriminates that the print instruction has been entered; and

a print unit, arranged to print the message corresponding to the error code searched by said search unit, and arranged to print the information on the manual in response to a camera-manual-print instruction entered by the user.

20. A print system including a digital camera and a print connectable to each other, said system comprising:

a storage unit, arranged to store information on a digital camera error and information on a manual for the digital camera;

a first transmission unit, arranged to transmit an error code from the digital camera to the printer, if an error has occurred in the digital camera;

a second transmission unit, arranged to transmit an error release signal from the digital camera to the printer, if the error has been released;

a display unit, arranged to display a digital camera error indication at the printer in response to the error code transmitted by said first transmission unit;

a discrimination unit, arranged to discriminate whether a print instruction has been entered by a user while said display unit displays the digital camera error indication;

a search unit, arranged to search said storage unit for a message corresponding to the transmitted error code, if said discrimination unit discriminates that the print instruction has been entered; and

a print unit, arranged to print the message corresponding to the error code searched by said search unit at the printer, and arranged to print the information on the manual in response to a camera-manual-print instruction entered by the user.