Method of adding value to print data, a value-adding device, and a recording medium

• US 9,262,106 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2015
• Issued: 02/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Kodama, Tomohiro, Oyama, Hitoshi, Furuhata, Tadashi, Takamoto, Akio
• Primary Examiner(s): Dulaney, Benjamin O
• Application Number:
  US14/686,257
• Publication Number:
  US 20150220287A1
• Time in Patent Office: 308 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.18
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1206 resulting in increased flexibility in input data format or job format or job type
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1243 Variable data printing, e.g. document forms, templates, labels, coupons, advertisements, logos, watermarks, transactional printing, fixed content versioning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1244 Job translation or job parsing, e.g. page banding
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1251 for continuous media, e.g. web media, rolls
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1284 Local printer device
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/022 for printing on continuous media, e.g. tapes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/18 Conditioning data for presenting it to the physical printing elements for data conditioning specific to a type of printer see subgroups G06K15/028 - G06K15/14; print job translation or parsing G06F3/1244
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/209 Specified transaction journal output feature, e.g. printed receipt or voice output
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0009 Details of the software in the checkout register, electronic cash register [ECR] or point of sale terminal [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 5/00 Receipt-giving machines cash registers giving receipts G07G1/00

Abstract

Various kinds of value can be easily added to print data output from an existing application without modifying the existing application program. A value-adding method executes a process of adding value to print data output from an application on a computer that has one or more communication ports and executes a specific process by means of an application, and includes a data acquisition step of acquiring the print data at the operating system kernel layer before the print data is received at the communication port, and a data processing step that applies at the application layer a process of adding and/or deleting print content in the print data based on previously registered information, and outputs the data after processing to the specified communication port.

Claims

1. A value-adding device rendered by a computer configured to operate according to an operating system, to execute a specific process according to an application, and to have a first communication port and a second communication port, and to execute a process of adding value to print data output from the application to the first communication port, comprising:

a data acquisition unit configured to acquire, from the application, before the print data output from the application is received at the first communication port; and

a data processing unit, configured to apply a process of adding and/or deleting print content in the print data acquired by the data acquisition unit based on information previously registered in the computer, and to output the data after processing to the second communication port.

2. The value-adding device described in claim 1, wherein:

the process of adding or deleting print content is determined based on information contained in the acquired print data.

3. The value-adding device described in claim 1, wherein:

the process of adding or deleting print content is determined based on time information kept by the computer.

4. The value-adding device described in claim 1, wherein:

the data processing unit is configured to receive selection information; and

the process of adding or deleting print content is determined based on the received selection information.

5. The value-adding device described in claim 1, wherein:

the data processing unit is configured to accumulate specific information contained in the print data in the computer; and

the process of adding or deleting print content is determined based on the accumulated information.

6. The value-adding device described in claim 1, wherein:

a screen prompting input to the computer is displayed on a display unit of the computer, information input to the screen is received, and the information previously registered in the computer is generated based on the received information.

7. The value-adding device described in claim 1, wherein:

the print data is data for a receipt, and adding print content is adding a coupon.

8. The value-adding device described in claim 1, wherein:

the print data is data for a receipt, and adding print content is adding an advertisement or logo.

9. A value-adding method that runs on a computer that operates according to an operating system, executes a specific process according to an application, and has a first communication port and a second communication port, the value-adding method executing a process of adding value to print data output from the application to the first communication port comprising:

a data acquisition step in which the computer acquires the print data from the application before the print data output from the application is received at the first communication port; and

a data processing step in which the computer applies a process of adding and/or deleting print content in the print data acquired in the data acquisition step based on information previously registered in the computer, and outputs the data after processing to the second communication port.

10. The value-adding method described in claim 9, wherein:

the process of adding or deleting print content is determined based on information contained in the acquired print data.

11. The value-adding method described in claim 9, wherein:

the process of adding or deleting print content is determined based on time information kept by the computer.

12. The value-adding method described in claim 9, wherein:

the data processing step includes a step of receiving selection information; and

the process of adding or deleting print content is determined based on the received selection information.

13. The value-adding method described in claim 9, wherein:

the data processing step includes a step of accumulating specific information contained in the print data in the computer; and

the process of adding or deleting print content is determined based on the accumulated information.

14. The value-adding method described in claim 9, further comprising:

a step of displaying a screen prompting input to the computer on a display unit of the computer, receiving information input to the screen, and generating the information previously registered in the computer according to the received information.

15. The value-adding method described in claim 9, wherein:

the print data is data for a receipt, and adding print content is adding a coupon.

16. The value-adding method described in claim 9, wherein:

the print data is data for a receipt, and adding print content is adding an advertisement or logo.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a program that when executed causes a computer to execute the steps of the value-adding method described in any of claims 9 to 16.