Patent EP0809176A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0809176A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Printer communication system and method
Assignee: Lexmark International Inc
•
Filing: 1997-05-23
•
Granted: —
•
Expires: 2017-05-23
Abstract
Abstract A printer communication system includes a printer (20) having a printer controller (34) with memory (38) and a processor (36). The printer (20) receives and transmits information through a port (40) to which a host computer is coupled. The printer controller (34) may be programmed to be operable to receive configuration-related commands through the port (40), process the configuration-related commands received by the port immediately provided that a command is a safe command to process while the printer (20) is busy processing a print job. The printer (20) may respond to the host computer by indicating that the change was successful or that the printer (20) must be taken offline before the change may be made. The printer controller (34) is programmed to be remotely taken offline and put back online. A symbol set list command may be used by printer (20) to send symbol sets to the host computer. Font information may also be sent to a host computer by a printer (20) so that a font table including associated symbol sets may be constructed in the host computer.
Inventors
- 👤 Ricky C. Brown
- 👤 Joseph P. Kolb
- 👤 Gail M. Songer
- 👤 Edward William Yohon, Jr.
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 11:01
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04L; H04L41/00; H04L41/08; H04L41/0803; H04L41/0813; H04L41/082; G; G06; G06F; G06F13/00; G06F13/10; G06F3/00; G06F3/12; G06F3/1201; G06F3/1202; G06F3/1203; G06F3/1204; G06F3/1205; G06F3/1223; G06F3/1229; G06F3/1237; G06F3/1259; G06F3/1278; G06F3/1285; G06F3/1286
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 25
Claim 1
Independent Claim
105 words
A printer (20), comprising: a printer controller (34) having a memory (38) for storing a plurality of printer configuration settings, and a processor (36); and a port (40) coupled to said printer controller (34) which receives signals from a host computer (10), wherein said printer controller (34) receives configuration change information via said port (40) and processes said configuration change information to effect an update of one or more of said plurality of printer configuration settings using said configuration change information while said printer (20) is processing a current print job if said update will not adversely affect the processing of said current print job.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
38 words
The printer of claim 1, wherein said printer processor (36) processes said configuration change information to effect a substantially immediate update of said one or more of said plurality of printer configuration settings using said configuration change information.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
22 words
The printer of claim 2, wherein said printer processor (36) further informs the host computer (10) when said changes have been made.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
39 words
The printer of claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein upon updating said printer configuration settings said processor (36) further updates the printer configuration environment associated with the updated settings while said printer (20) is processing said current print job.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
54 words
The printer of any preceding claim, wherein said printer controller (34) is further programmed to notify the host computer (10) if a command received with said configuration change information is not safe to process immediately while the printer (20) is busy processing said current print job, informing the host computer (10) to go offline.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
34 words
The printer of any preceding claim, wherein the printer controller (34) is further programmed to take the printer (20) offline as soon as possible upon receiving a remote-offline command from said host computer (10).
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
33 words
The printer of claim 6, wherein the printer controller (34) is further programmed to notify said host computer (10) when the printer (20) has been taken offline in response to said remote-offline command.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
32 words
The printer of claim 6 or 7, wherein the printer controller (34) is further programmed to respond to a remote online command received from said host computer (10) by going back online.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
28 words
The printer of claim 8 wherein the printer controller (34) is further programmed to provide an acknowledgment response to said host computer (10) upon successfully going back online.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
53 words
The printer of any preceding claim, wherein the printer controller (34) is further programmed to: collect all the resident font and symbol set information; identify each font by a predetermined number of variables; and send said predetermined number of variables for each font and the symbol set information to said host computer (10).
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
40 words
The printer of claim 10 wherein said printer controller (34) is further programmed to generate and send an alert to said host computer (10) if any font or symbol set in said memory (38) of said printer (20) is modified.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
114 words
A printer (20) for preparing printed pages of information from signals transmitted by a host computer (10), the printer (20) comprising: a port (40) for receiving signals from the host computer (10); a processor (36) coupled to the port (40); a printer memory device (38) coupled to the processor (36) for holding coded instructions and data; and a print engine (42) coupled to the processor (36) for receiving signals from the processor (36) and printing pages of information in response thereto, wherein the coded instructions in printer memory (36) in conjunction with the processor (36) are operable to send symbol sets that are resident in the memory device (38) to the host computer (10).
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
232 words
A printer communication system including a host computer (10), a printer (20), and a communication means (24) for coupling the host computer (10) and printer (20) to provide for bidirectional communication of signals therebetween, wherein the printer (20) comprises: a port (40) coupled to the communication means (24) for receiving signals from the host computer (10) through the communication means (24) and transmitting signals to the host computer (10); a printer controller (34) coupled to the port (40), wherein the printer controller (34) comprises a printer microprocessor (36), and a printer memory device (38) coupled to the processor (36), the printer memory device (38) for holding coded instructions and data; and a print engine (42) coupled to the printer controller (34) for receiving signals from the printer processor (36) and printing pages of information in response thereto, wherein the coded instructions and printer processor (36) are operable to: (a) send symbol sets that are resident in the printer memory device (38) to the host computer (10), (b) send font information resident in the printer memory (38) to the host computer (10), and (c) receive configuration-related commands from the host computer (10) and accept and execute them immediately if the configuration-related command does not interfere with any current activities of the printer (20) and inform the host computer (10) if the configuration-related command would interfere with the current activities of the printer (20).
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
51 words
The printer communication system of claim 13, wherein the coded instructions and printer processor (36) are further operable to: send symbol sets that are resident in the printer memory device (38) to the host computer (10); and send font information resident in the printer memory (38) to the host computer (10).
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
40 words
The printer communication system of claim 14, wherein the coded instructions and printer processor (36) are further operable to send an alert to the host computer (10) whenever any font or symbol set information in printer memory (38) is modified.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
50 words
The printer communication system of claim 13, 14 or 15, wherein the coded instructions and printer processor (36) are further operable to receive a remote offline command requesting that the printer (20) be taken to an offline state and to take the printer (20) offline at the next available time.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
37 words
The printer communication system of claim 16, wherein the coded instructions and printer processor (36) are further operable to send an alert message to the host computer (10) as soon as the printer (20) is taken offline.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
37 words
The printer communication system of claim 16 or 17, wherein the coded instructions and printer processor (36) are further operable to receive an online command through the port (40) and remotely take the printer (20) back online.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
36 words
The printer communication system of claim 18, wherein the coded instructions and printer processor (36) are further operable to send an alert to the host computer (10) when the printer (20) has been placed back online.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
47 words
The printer communication system of claim 18 or 19, wherein the coded instructions and printer processor (36) are further operable to go back online automatically if a remote online command does not follow a remote offline command after a specified time-out during which no activity takes place.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
95 words
The printer communication system of any of claims 13 to 20, wherein the host computer (10) includes a processor (134) and memory (136) operable to send a command to change a current font setting in the printer (20) that contains four variables uniquely describing the desired font, and wherein the coded instructions and printer processor (36) are further operable to receive the command to change the current font and to only allow the change of the current font if the variables in the change current font command identify a valid font in printer memory (38).
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
36 words
The printer communication system of any of claims 13 to 21, wherein the host computer (10) is programmed to construct a dynamic font table from the font information and symbol sets sent by the printer (20).
Claim 23
Independent Claim
67 words
A method of updating operation configuration settings of a printing apparatus, comprising the steps of: receiving configuration change information from a host computer (10); processing said configuration change information; and updating one or more of said configuration settings using said configuration change information while said printing apparatus is processing a current print job if said updating will not adversely affect the processing of said current print job.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 23, wherein said updating step further comprises substantially immediately updating said one or more of said configuration settings after processing said configuration change information.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
38 words
The method of claim 23 or 24, further comprising the step of updating a configuration environment associated with said updated settings upon said updating of said configuration settings while said printer (20) is processing said current print job.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
Maintenance schedule is calculated for granted US utility patents.