Character processing in window system

Claim 2

The method according to claim 1, wherein said printer forms a print image internally and prints the print image page by page.

Claim 3

The method according to claim 1, wherein the code is described in a page definition language.

Claim 4

The method according to claim 1, wherein the character output request includes information which designates a font used when the character is printed by said printer, said method further comprising a step of determining, via said printer driver, whether a font designated by a task is exists in said printer.

Claim 5

The method according to claim 4, wherein said font is a vector font.

Claim 6

The method according to claim 4, wherein said window system has a font driver for forming a character image outputted to a display device, said method further comprising the steps of: forming a bit-image font of a character in said font driver in response to a command from said window system when a font designated by a task is determined not to exist in said printer, and sending this bit-image font to said printer via said window system; and forming said code in said printer driver in response to a command from said window system when a font designated by a task is determined to exist in said printer, and sending this code to said printer via said window system.

Claim 7

The method according to claim 4, wherein said window system has a font driver for forming a character image outputted to a display device, said method further comprising the steps of: forming a bit-image font of a character in said font driver in response to a command from said window system when a font designated by a task is determined not to exist in said printer, and sending this bit-image font to said printer by said font driver; and forming said code in said printer driver in response to a command from said window system when a font designated by a task is determined to exist in said printer, and sending this code to said printer by said printer driver.

Claim 8

The method according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of windows are generated by said window system.

Claim 9

A character processing method for managing a printer driver and outputting a character pattern to a printer in a window system, in which an external storage device for storing fonts is capable of being freely loaded and unloaded, through said printer driver, comprising the steps of: determining by said window system whether said external storage device has been loaded in said printer; and sending the character pattern to said printer in the form of an image or code in dependence upon the result of the determination.

Claim 10

The method according to claim 9, wherein the determination by said window system as to whether said external storage unit has been loaded is performed via said printer driver.

Claim 11

The method according to claim 9, wherein said window system has a display driver or a font driver.

Claim 12

The method according to claim 9, wherein said printer forms a print image internally and prints the print image page by page.

Claim 13

The method according to claim 9, wherein the code is described in a page definition language.

Claim 14

The method according to claim 9, wherein a plurality of task programs for outputting character output requests operate under said window system, and the character output requests include information which designates a font used when a font is printed by said printer, said method further comprising a step of determining, via said printer driver, whether a font designated by a task is exists in said printer.

Claim 15

The method according to claim 14, wherein said font is a vector font.

Claim 16

The method according to claim 9, wherein there is provided a table for managing information regarding whether printing can be performed in said printer based upon said code, said method further comprising a step, executed when said external storage device has a stored font, of updating said table so as to indicate that said font has been stored.

Claim 17

The method according to claim 16, further comprising the steps of: detecting again the name of a font that has been stored in said external storage device; and determining whether there is agreement between the name of a font stored in said external storage device and the name of a font registered in said table as having been stored in said external storage device.

Claim 18

The method according to claim 9, wherein said external storage device is a ROM cartridge.

Claim 19

A character processing method in a window system for outputting a character pattern to a printer, in which fonts are capable of being downloaded, through a printer driver, comprising the steps of: determining by said window system whether a font has been newly downloaded to said printer; and sending said character pattern to said printer in the form of an image or code in dependence upon the result of the determination.

Claim 20

The method according to claim 19, wherein the determination as to whether a font has been newly downloaded is performed by said window system.

Claim 21

The method according to claim 19, wherein said window system has a font driver.

Claim 22

The method according to claim 19, wherein said printer forms a print image internally and prints the print image page by page.

Claim 23

The method according to claim 19, wherein the code is described in a page definition language.

Claim 24

The method according to claim 19, wherein a plurality of task programs for outputting character output requests operates under said window system, and the character output requests include information which designates a font used when a font is printed by said printer, said method further comprising a step of determining, via said printer driver, whether a downloaded font exists in said printer.

Claim 25

The method according to claim 24, wherein said font is a vector font.

Claim 26

The method according to claim 19, wherein there is provided a first table for managing information regarding whether printing can be performed in said printer based upon said code, said method further comprising a step, executed when a new font has been downloaded, of updating said table so as to indicate that said font has been stored.

Claim 27

The method according to claim 21, wherein there is provided a second table for managing an identifier of a font capable of being downloaded, said method further comprising a step of comparing information in said first table and information in said second table, and confirming that a font registered in said second table but not registered in said first table is a font capable of being downloaded.

Claim 28

The method according to claim 21, wherein a font is downloaded from the font driver to said printer via said window system and printer driver.

Claim 29

A character processing method using a window system including the steps of downloading a required font to an output device; verifying whether the font has been downloaded to the output device; and outputting a character pattern from the window system to the output device.

Claim 30

A character processing apparatus using a method according to any one of the preceding claims.