Printer, program and method for processing information on printer

Abstract

To enable an event occurring in a printer to be managed properly according to a state of the printer.SOLUTION: A printer according to one embodiment in the present invention comprises: a storing part that stores a data base associated with a priority in dealing with an event corresponding to each of a plurality of events that may occur in the printer, for each state of the printer; and a priority determining part that determines a priority corresponding to a current state of the printer, for each of one or more events occurring on the printer, on the basis of the data base. When the current state of the printer changes, the priority determining part determines the priority for each event, on the basis of the changed state of the printer.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a printer. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, printers that issue print media such as labels have been known. Some such printers are equipped with a display monitor that can display errors that occur in the printer (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2004-230610 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, because the display monitors installed in printers are often relatively small, some printers can only display one event even if two or more events equivalent to an error have occurred. In such printers, when two or more events equivalent to an error have occurred, it is preferable that the event to be displayed is the one with the highest priority for the printer user (e.g., one that requires immediate action from the user). Furthermore, the priority of an event for the user can vary depending on the printer's status (e.g., whether it is operating online, undergoing maintenance, or in sleep mode).

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to make it possible to appropriately manage events occurring in a printer according to the state of the printer. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is a printer that includes: a storage unit that stores a database in which a priority for dealing with a plurality of events that may occur in a printer is associated with each of the printer states; a priority determination unit that determines a priority for each of one or more events occurring in the printer based on the database in accordance with the current state of the printer; The priority determination unit is a printer that, when the current state of the printer changes, determines the priority of each event based on the state of the printer after the change. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, events occurring in a printer can be managed appropriately according to the state of the printer. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a printer according to an embodiment with the printer cover in a closed state, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view of a printer according to an embodiment with the printer cover in an open state. [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a printer for explaining a printing operation by the printer of an embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a printer according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram related to user notification control of firmware of the printer according to an embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a list of device states of a printer according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the transition of notification types and device states for each error level. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the data structure of an event database. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the data configuration of an occurrence event dataset. [Figure 9] 1A to 1C are diagrams illustrating an example of a display transition of a printer according to an embodiment. [Figure 10] 1A to 1C are diagrams illustrating an example of a display transition of a printer according to an embodiment. [Figure 11]10 is a flowchart illustrating a process performed by a printer according to an embodiment. [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a process performed by a printer according to an embodiment. [Figure 13] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a process performed by a printer according to an embodiment. [Figure 14] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a process performed by a printer according to an embodiment. [Figure 15] 1A to 1C are diagrams illustrating an example of a display transition of a printer according to an embodiment. [Figure 16] 1A to 1C are diagrams illustrating an example of a display transition of a printer according to an embodiment. [Figure 17] 1A to 1C are diagrams illustrating an example of a display transition of a printer according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The embodiments described below are not limited to the drawings described by the brief description of the drawings.

[0010] A first aspect of the present invention is a printer control system including: a storage unit that stores a database in which a priority for dealing with a plurality of events that may occur in a printer is associated with each of the printer states; a priority determination unit that determines a priority for each of one or more events occurring in the printer based on the database in accordance with the current state of the printer; The priority determination unit is a printer that, when the current state of the printer changes, determines the priority of each event based on the state of the printer after the change.

[0011] According to a first aspect of the present invention, events occurring in a printer can be managed appropriately according to the state of the printer.

[0012] A second aspect of the present invention is a printer according to the first aspect, wherein, when the current state of the printer changes, the priority determination unit determines the priority of each event according to the changed state of the printer, and identifies a first event, among one or more events occurring in the printer, which is the event with the highest priority determined by the priority determination unit.

[0013] According to a second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to manage the event with the highest priority among a plurality of events that occur in the printer according to the current state of the printer.

[0014] A third aspect of the present invention is a printer according to the first aspect, further comprising a display unit that displays a first screen including information about the first event when the priority of the first event is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

[0015] According to a third aspect of the present invention, the user of the printer can immediately recognize the first event, which is the event with the highest priority.

[0016] A fourth aspect of the present invention is a printer according to the third aspect, wherein when the state of the printer changes, if the first event among one or more events occurring in the printer changes, the display unit switches the information contained on the first screen to information about the first event after the change.

[0017] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to flexibly notify the user of the printer of the event with the highest priority in accordance with a change in the printer's status.

[0018] A fifth aspect of the present invention is a printer described in any of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the display unit, in response to a predetermined operation by the user, displays, in order of decreasing priority, one or more events occurring in the printer, those events whose priority determined by the priority determination unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

[0019] According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a user of a printer can recognize one or more events occurring in the printer that have relatively high priorities, in descending order of priority.

[0020] A sixth aspect of the present invention is a printer according to any of the fifth aspects, wherein when the display unit sorts one or more events occurring in the printer in order of priority, if multiple events having the same priority determined by the priority determination unit are included, the multiple events are displayed in order of the time the events occurred.

[0021] According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, a printer user can recognize multiple events with the same priority in order of occurrence time.

[0022] A seventh aspect of the present invention is a printer described in any of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the display unit, in response to a predetermined operation by a user, displays, in order of decreasing priority, one or more events occurring in the printer, whose priority determined by the priority determination unit is less than a predetermined value.

[0023] According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, a user of a printer can recognize one or more events occurring in the printer that have relatively low priority, in descending order of priority.

[0024] In an eighth aspect of the present invention, the display unit displays the first screen including information about the first event when a priority of the first event is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, In the printer of the third or fourth aspect, the priority determination unit lowers the priority of the first event to below the predetermined value in response to a predetermined operation on the first screen indicating that the user has recognized the occurrence of the first event.

[0025] According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, when a printer user recognizes a first event, which is the event with the highest priority, the priority of that event is lowered, allowing the user to deal with the event with the next highest priority.

[0026] In a ninth aspect of the present invention, the first screen is operable by a user and includes one or more operation targets corresponding to the first event, The printer according to any one of the third, fourth, and eighth aspects, wherein the display unit displays an image related to the first event in response to an operation on any one of the one or more operation targets.

[0027] According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the user of the printer can immediately deal with the first event, which is the event with the highest priority, by operating any of the displayed operation objects.

[0028] A tenth aspect of the present invention is a printer according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, wherein the printer state is one of a plurality of system states that the printer can be in.

[0029] According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, events occurring in a printer can be managed appropriately according to the system status of the printer.

[0030] An eleventh aspect of the present invention is a method for implementing a printer driver in a computer, the method comprising: a step of storing in a storage device a database in which a priority for dealing with a plurality of events that may occur in the printer is associated with each of the printer states; a step of determining a priority for each of one or more events occurring in the printer based on the database in accordance with the current state of the printer; If the current state of the printer changes, a procedure for determining a priority for each event based on the changed state of the printer; This is a program that executes the above.

[0031] According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, events occurring in a printer can be managed appropriately according to the state of the printer.

[0032] A twelfth aspect of the present invention is a method for storing a database in a storage device, the database associating a priority for dealing with a plurality of events that may occur in a printer with a corresponding state of the printer; determining a priority for each of one or more events occurring in the printer based on the database in accordance with the current state of the printer; if the current state of the printer changes, determining a priority for each event based on the changed state of the printer; The present invention relates to an information processing method for a printer, including:

[0033] According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, events occurring in a printer can be managed appropriately according to the state of the printer.

[0034] Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the configuration of the printer shown in Figures 1A to 2 is merely an example for explaining the printer of one embodiment.

[0035] 1A, 1B, and 2 are perspective views of an exemplary printer 1. Fig. 1A shows the printer 1 when the printer cover 3 is in a closed state, and Fig. 1B shows the printer 1 when the printer cover 3 is in an open state. Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the printer 1 to explain the printing operation by the printer 1.

[0036] The printer 1 is a thermal printer that operates on power from a battery 10 (see FIG. 2). As shown in Figure 1A, the internal functional components of printer 1 are protected by a main body case 2 and a printer cover 3. A discharge unit 20 for discharging labels is provided on the top surface of printer 1. When the cover opening button 51b is operated while printer cover 3 is closed, printer cover 3 swings to the open state. A display panel 14 is provided in the main body case 2 in front of the discharge unit 20. The display panel 14 has a touch panel input mechanism that accepts operation inputs from the user. The display panel 14 displays, for example, a GUI (Graphical User Interface) related to the operating status and operation of the printer 1, as well as images that notify the user of errors, warnings, and the like related to various events that occur in the printer 1. The roll paper R loaded into the printer 1 is a strip of continuous paper CP wound into a roll. Although not shown, in one embodiment, the continuous paper CP has, for example, a strip of backing paper and multiple labels temporarily attached to the backing paper at predetermined intervals. Each label has a thermosensitive coloring layer on one side.

[0037] 2, the printer 1 has a platen roller 16 that transports the continuous paper CP pulled out from the roll paper R, and a print head 15 that prints information on labels on the continuous paper CP. When the printer cover 25 is closed, the print head 15 is positioned opposite the platen roller 16 and holds the continuous paper CP together with the platen roller 16. The print head 15 has multiple heating elements (heating resistors) arranged along the width direction of the continuous paper CP, and prints on each label by selectively energizing the multiple heating elements.

[0038] A label position detection sensor 17 is installed on the transport path of the continuous paper CP. In one embodiment, the label position detection sensor 17 is a light transmission sensor that includes a light-emitting element provided on one side of the continuous paper CP and a light-receiving element provided on the other side of the continuous paper CP. When light emitted from the light-emitting element is received by the light-receiving element, the label position detection sensor 17 detects the edge of each label PL in the transport direction of the continuous paper CP based on the difference in received light intensity between light that has passed through the label PL and liner PM and light that has passed only through the liner PM. The detection result (output signal) of the label position detection sensor 17 is used to control the transport of the continuous paper CP. Although not shown, the printer 1 is equipped with a cover open / close detection sensor that detects the open / close state of the printer cover 3. The cover open / close detection sensor can be configured, for example, as a light detection sensor that is configured to block the conduction of light when the printer cover 3 is closed.

[0039] FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of the printer 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 11 of the printer 1 includes a CPU 111, a head controller 112, a memory 113, a motor controller 114, an input interface (I / F) 115, a display control unit 116, a sensor interface (I / F) 117, a battery interface (I / F) 118, and a communication bus 119.

[0040] The CPU 111 executes firmware stored in the memory 113 to realize various functions of the printer 1. The input interface 115 is an interface that receives operation inputs from operation buttons displayed on the display panel 14 and transmits them to the CPU 111. The display control unit 116 displays an image on the display panel 14 (see FIG. 1) based on display data received from the CPU 111. The memory 113 includes a random access memory (RAM) and a read only memory (ROM). The ROM of the memory 113 (an example of a storage unit) stores an event database and an occurred event dataset, which will be described later.

[0041] The motor controller 114 includes a drive circuit that drives the motor 19 based on a control signal sent from the firmware. The control signal includes, for example, information regarding the transport amount of the continuous paper CP. The head controller 112 controls the flow of current selectively through the multiple heating elements included in the print head 15 based on control signals (for example, data signals for one line) sent sequentially from the firmware based on the print data. The sensor interface 117 receives the detection values ​​of the label position detection sensor 17 and the cover open / close detection sensor 18, converts them into digital values, and transmits them to the CPU 111.

[0042] Various events can occur in the printer 1, such as an event that "the cover is open" or an event that "a specific sensor is abnormal." The firmware of the printer 1 executes control (user notification control) as to how an event that occurs in the printer 1 is notified to the user of the printer 1. This control mode will be described below.

[0043] FIG. 4 shows function blocks (program function blocks) related to user notification control of the firmware of the printer 1. As shown in FIG. 4, the firmware includes a device status management module 121, an occurrence event management module 122 (an example of a priority determination unit), a screen display module 123 (an example of a display unit), and various modules Ma, Mb, Mc, . . .

[0044] Each of the various modules Ma, Mb, Mc, . . . recognizes an event that has occurred in the printer 1 or a change in an event, and notifies the event management module 122 as necessary. The various modules Ma, Mb, Mc, . . . are not limited as long as they can recognize the occurrence of events that may occur in the printer 1, but examples include the following modules. (a) A module that monitors the detection value of the cover open / close detection sensor 18 and notifies when it determines that the printer cover 3 has been opened or closed (a module that notifies of the event that "the cover is open" or that the event has changed from "the cover is closed" to "the cover is open"). (b) a module that monitors the voltage level of the battery 10 and notifies when the voltage of the battery 10 is low enough to require charging; (c) A module that acquires the self-diagnosis results of the print head 15 and notifies if an abnormality occurs in the print head 15.

[0045] The device status management module 121 is a module that manages the device status of the printer 1, and changes the device status of the printer 1 in response to operations on the printer 1, events that occur on the printer 1, etc. In one embodiment, the device status of the printer 1 is one of a plurality of system states that the printer 1 can be in. The device status management module 121 successively notifies the occurring event management module 122 of device status information that indicates the current device status of the printer 1.

[0046] FIG. 5 shows an exemplary list of device states of the printer 1. When the printer 1 starts up, the device status becomes "in operation." The "in operation" device status includes multiple device statuses: "online," "offline," "printer error," "under maintenance," "maintenance printing," "application updating," and "terminating," and the initial state is "offline." "Offline" is a device status in which the printer 1 is able to print based on its internal data. "Online" is a device status in which the printer 1 is able to print based on its internal data, as well as receive data sequentially from external devices and print continuously, and can be transitioned from "offline" by user operation. The device status "under maintenance" is the device status when the settings of the printer 1 are changed or the like. "Deep sleep" differs from "sleep" in that it disables major functional parts related to the display device, printing function, etc., and is a device state in which the wake-up time is later than in "sleep."

[0047] Changes to the device state of the printer 1 performed by the device state management module 121 include, but are not limited to, the following: When the power is turned on, the device status is set to "Starting up", and when the printer 1 system is started, the device status is changed to "Running". After changing to "Running", the device status is changed to "Offline", but the device status is changed to "Online" depending on the user's operation. If an event equivalent to an error occurs when the device status is "online" or "offline," the device status will change to "printer error," and when the error condition is resolved, the device status will return to "online" or "offline." When the device status is "online" or "offline", the device status is changed to "under maintenance" according to user operation.

[0048] Referring again to FIG. 4, the event management module 122 determines an error level (an example of a priority) for each of one or more events occurring in the printer 1 based on the event database (described below), according to the current state of the printer 1. Here, "error level" indicates the priority or urgency with which the user should deal with an event that occurs in printer 1, and in the example described below, the lower the error level, the higher the priority or urgency. The event management module 122 determines the error level for an event that has occurred in the printer 1 according to the device status indicated by the device status information acquired from the device status management module 121. At this time, even if the event is the same, the error level may change if the device status information changes.

[0049] Even if an error level is assigned (determined) to an occurring event, that event itself is not necessarily reported to the user as an error. In the printer 1, a notification type is set corresponding to the error level. The notification type refers to the type of manner in which the occurring event is reported to the user. In one embodiment, "error," "warning," and "notification" are set as the notification types depending on the error level, but this is not limited to this. Depending on the error level, only "error" and "warning" may be set as the notification types, or only "error" and "notification" may be set as the notification types. When the notification types are "error," "warning," and "notification," this means that the corresponding events are notified to the user as "error," "warning," and "notification," respectively.

[0050] FIG. 6 shows a table showing the relationship between exemplary error levels and notification types. This table is referenced by the screen display module 123. In the example shown in FIG. 6, when the error level is 0 to 5, the notification type is set to "error." When the error level is 6 to 8, the notification type is set to "warning." When the error level is 9, the notification type is set to "notification." When the error level is 0 to 1, the device status management module 121 changes the device status of the printer 1 to "system error." When the error level is 2 to 5, the device status management module 121 changes the device status of the printer 1 to "printer error." A "system error" is an error that makes the printer 1 unrecoverable and inoperable, or that makes printing impossible and forces you to stop using the printer 1. "Printer errors" range from serious errors (error level: "2"; for example, an error that prevents printing from continuing) to relatively minor errors (error level: "5"; for example, an error that the user can immediately recover from).

[0051] Fig. 7 shows an example of the data configuration of the event database referenced by the event management module 122. In the event database shown in Fig. 7, for each event code that identifies an event, the event content, an error level corresponding to each of the multiple device states of the printer 1, a character string indicating the error name, a character string indicating the error message, etc. are associated. For example, the event content "Cover is open" corresponds to the event that the printer cover 3 of the printer 1 is open. For this event, for example, the error level is set to "5" when the device status is "offline" or "online," and the error level is set to "7" when the device status is "under maintenance." Therefore, referring to the table in FIG. 6, for the event "Cover is open," an "error" is reported to the user if the printer 1 is currently offline or operating offline, and a "warning" is reported to the user if the printer 1 is currently undergoing maintenance. When an "error" or "warning" is reported to the user, character strings indicating the corresponding "error name" and "error message" are displayed on the display panel 14.

[0052] The occurring event management module 122 manages the error level and other information determined for each event currently occurring in the printer 1 by referring to the event database, using an occurring event data set. Figure 8 shows an example of the data structure of the occurrence event dataset. The occurred event data set shown in Fig. 8 associates the determined error level, the time of the event occurrence, and, if necessary, detailed information about the event for each event code. The event occurrence time is the notification time when an event or a change in the event is notified from various modules Ma, Mb, Mc, ....

[0053] As described above, the error level can change depending on the device status even for the same event (the same event code). For example, as described above, in the event database, for the event "cover open," the error level is set to "5" when the device status is "offline" or "online," and the error level is set to "7" when the device status is "under maintenance." Therefore, for example, if the event "cover open" occurs when the current device status of printer 1 is "under maintenance," the occurred event management module 122 refers to the event database and determines the error level corresponding to the event to be "7." If the device status of the current printer 1 subsequently changes to "offline," the event management module 122 refers to the event database and determines the error level corresponding to the event to be "5." Therefore, even for the same event, the error level is sequentially determined (re-determined) depending on the device status, and the determined error level is recorded (reflected) in the occurred event dataset.

[0054] Referring again to FIG. 4, the screen display module 123 receives data output corresponding to each record in the incident data set from the incident management module 122, and generates and outputs a screen to be displayed on the display panel 14. The screen display module 123 generates a screen (image information) to notify the user of the event of each record in the occurred event dataset according to the notification type (see FIG. 6) corresponding to the error level. The screen display module 123 references the event database and generates a screen that includes the character strings of "error name" and "error message" corresponding to each event. When generating the screen, the screen display module 123 also adjusts the display content for the user (for example, language conversion). In one embodiment, the screen generated by screen display module 123 may include a list of multiple events corresponding to the same notification type.

[0055] 9 and 10 show examples of screens (display transition examples) generated by the screen display module 123, respectively. Screen G1 in FIG. 9 is a screen that is displayed on the display panel 14 when the device status of the printer 1 is "online." Screen G1 includes a notification button 101 and a settings button 102. The notification button 101 is a button for displaying a list of currently occurring events that correspond to the notification type "notification." The settings button 102 is a button for configuring the printer 1. Operating the settings button 102 transitions to the settings screen.

[0056] If an event "out of paper" occurs when the device status is "online," the screen transitions from screen G1 to screen G2, and the error screen G2 (an example of the first screen) appears. Note that in the event database, the event "out of paper" is set to an error level of "5" when the device status is "online." In this case, the notification type corresponding to the error level is "error," so the error screen is displayed. The error name ("out of paper") and error message ("Please open the cover...") displayed on screen G2 are character strings set in the event database. If multiple events occur that are reported as "errors," the error screen displayed will be the one with the lowest error level among the multiple events, allowing the printer 1 user to immediately recognize the event with the highest priority or urgency.

[0057] Screen G2 includes a Cancel button 103, an Inquiry button 104, and a List Display button 105. When the Cancel button 103 is operated, the printer 1 determines that the user has recognized the occurrence of the "out of paper" event, and hides the corresponding error. When the Inquiry button 104 is operated, for example, a phone number or email address that can be connected to customer service is displayed. The List Display button 105 is a button for displaying a list of one or more currently occurring errors.

[0058] In one embodiment, the screen G2 is provided with an action button display area 201 that displays one or more action buttons. An action button is an example of an operation target for executing content that the user can use to deal with a displayed event. A predetermined number of action buttons (up to six in the example of FIG. 9) can be displayed in the action button display area 201, and the action buttons displayed can vary depending on the corresponding event. The action buttons displayed depending on the event are preset in the event database.

[0059] As shown on screen G2 in FIG. 9, three action buttons b1 to b3 are displayed for the "out of paper" event. Action button b1 is assigned a settings button (a button that displays a settings screen including a settings menu), action button b2 a video button (a button that displays a video that provides instructions on how to change the paper, etc.), and action button b3 a code button (a button that displays code information such as a QR code (registered trademark)). By scanning the code information displayed when a code button is operated with a smartphone or the like, a URL can be displayed for displaying part of the printer 1 instruction manual file (for example, a part related to the corresponding event, such as how to change the paper) on the smartphone or the like. In other words, operating any of the action buttons displays an image related to the event displayed on screen G2.

[0060] For example, in the case of a command error, two action buttons may be displayed: a code button and a cancel button (a button for canceling the print job currently being processed and executing the next print job). Depending on the event displayed on screen G2, a restart button for restarting printer 1 may be displayed as an action button. The user of the printer 1 can immediately deal with the event with the lowest error level by operating one of the displayed action buttons.

[0061] When the list display button 105 is operated on the screen G2, the screen G3 is displayed. Screen G3 displays a list of currently occurring errors. Operating the back button 106 on screen G3 returns to screen G2. If the number of currently occurring events corresponding to "errors" is too large to display on a single screen on screen G3, a screen switching button 107 is displayed. Operating screen switching button 107 allows the currently occurring events corresponding to "errors" to be displayed in groups of a predetermined number.

[0062] In one embodiment, when an operation is performed to select the highest-ranking event in the list displayed on screen G3 (in the example of screen G3, the event whose error name corresponds to "out of paper"), the control unit 11 displays detailed information about the highest-ranking event. Note that the error message shown on screen G2 ("Please open the cover...") is an example of detailed information. In one embodiment, when an operation is performed to select an event other than the top event in the list displayed on screen G3 (for example, in the example of screen G3, an event whose error name corresponds to "Bluetooth (registered trademark) module..."), the control unit 11 restricts the display of detailed information about the selected event. In this case, the user of printer 1 can only access detailed information about the top event, which motivates the user to deal with the top event first.

[0063] Referring to FIG. 10, when the notification button 101 is operated on the screen G1 when the device status is "online", a screen G4 is displayed. Screen G4 displays a list of currently occurring events that correspond to a "notification" as a report type (an example of an event whose priority is lower than a predetermined value). If the number of currently occurring events that correspond to a "notification" is too large to display on a single screen, screen G4 displays a screen switching button 107. By operating screen switching button 107, currently occurring events that correspond to a "notification" can be displayed in groups of a predetermined number. When an event is selected on screen G4, the screen changes to screen G5, which displays detailed information about the selected event.

[0064] In one embodiment, the list display on screen G4 is displayed in ascending order of error level, allowing the user of printer 1 to recognize one or more events with relatively high error levels occurring on printer 1 in descending order of priority or urgency.

[0065] Next, the processing executed by the control unit 11 (more specifically, firmware) of the printer 1 (mainly the processing executed by the occurrence event management module 122 and the screen display module 123 in Figure 4) will be explained with reference to the flowcharts in Figures 11 to 14.

[0066] 11 is a flowchart showing the process of displaying an error screen on the display panel 14 when an event equivalent to an "error" has occurred. The control unit 11 of the printer 1 manages events that have occurred in the printer 1 using an occurring event dataset. That is, as described above, when a new event occurs in the printer 1, an error level for that event is determined based on the event database, and a record corresponding to that event is created in the occurring event dataset. The error level determined at this time takes into account the current device status of the printer 1. If the occurred event dataset contains an event with an error level of 5 or less (i.e., an event whose report type corresponds to "error") (step S2: YES), the control unit 11 identifies the event with the smallest error level (hereinafter also referred to as the "highest priority event"; an example of the first event) as the event to be displayed (step S4). Next, the control unit 11 generates and outputs an error screen corresponding to the highest priority event identified in step S4 (step S6). An example of the screen displayed in step S6 is the error screen G2 in FIG. 9. Note that an error level of the highest priority event being 5 or less is an example of the priority of the first event being equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

[0067] FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the process of displaying a list of currently occurring events that correspond to "errors." When the list display button 105 (see, for example, screen G2 in FIG. 9) is operated (step S10: YES), the control unit 11 extracts events with an error level of 5 or less (i.e., events whose report type corresponds to "error") from the occurred event dataset (step S12). That is, events whose error level determined by the occurred event management module 122 (FIG. 4) (i.e., the error level of the event recorded in the occurred event dataset) is 5 or less are extracted. Next, the control unit 11 ranks the extracted events so that the lower the error level, the higher the ranking (step S14), and generates and outputs a screen for displaying the list (step S16). That is, the control unit 11 displays events whose error level determined by the occurred event management module 122 is a predetermined value ("5" in the example of FIG. 6) or less in descending order of priority or urgency. An example of the screen displayed in step S16 is screen G3 in FIG. 9.

[0068] The screen displayed in step S16 is displayed in order of decreasing error level (i.e., in order of increasing priority or urgency), so that the user of printer 1 can recognize one or more events occurring on printer 1 that are relatively high priority or urgency in order of decreasing priority or urgency.

[0069] In one embodiment, when displaying the list in ascending order of error level, if the occurred event data set contains multiple events with the same error level, the control unit 11 displays the multiple events in order of the event occurrence time, thereby allowing the user of the printer 1 to recognize the multiple events with the same error level in order of the event occurrence time.

[0070] FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the process of updating the occurred event dataset when a new event occurs or when an event that has already occurred changes. The control unit 11 continuously monitors whether or not there is a change in the event (step S20). Here, a "change in the event" refers to either the resolution of an event recorded in the occurring event dataset, or the occurrence of a new event not recorded in the occurring event dataset. If any of the events recorded in the occurring event dataset has been resolved (step S22: YES), the control unit 11 deletes the record of the corresponding event from the occurring event dataset (step S24).If any of the events recorded in the occurring event dataset has not been resolved (step S22: NO), this means that an event not recorded in the occurring event dataset has newly occurred, so the control unit 11 adds a record corresponding to the event to the occurring event dataset (step S26).

[0071] FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the process of updating the event dataset when the device status of the printer 1 changes. The control unit 11 continuously monitors changes in the current device status of the printer 1 (step S30). If a change in the device status has occurred (step S30: YES), the control unit 11 refers to the event database for each event included in the occurred event data set, determines an error level based on the device status of the printer 1 after the change, and updates the occurred event data set (step S32). By continuously re-determining the error level based on changes in the current device status, events occurring in the printer 1 can be appropriately managed according to the status of the printer 1. 14 and 11 are executed sequentially, the control unit 11 updates the occurring event data set when there is a change in the device status, and then identifies the highest priority event based on the updated occurring event data set. This makes it possible to manage the event with the lowest error level among multiple events that occur in the printer 1 according to the current device status of the printer 1.

[0072] When the device status of printer 1 changes, the error level of each event is updated appropriately, and based on the updated error level, processing of step S4 in Figure 11 (processing to identify the highest priority event as the event to be displayed) and processing of step S14 in Figure 12 (processing to rank the events) are performed. That is, in one embodiment, when the event with the lowest error level (highest priority event) changes due to a change in the device status of the printer 1, the control unit 11 switches the information included in screen G2 of Fig. 9 to information on the changed highest priority event. This makes it possible to flexibly notify the user of the printer 1 of the event with the highest priority or urgency according to the change in the device status of the printer 1.

[0073] In one embodiment, when a user operates the cancel button 103 on an error screen such as screen G2 in Fig. 9, the control unit 11 increases the error level of the event displayed on the error screen above a predetermined value (an example of lowering the priority below a predetermined value). For example, the control unit 11 sets the error level of the corresponding event to a value corresponding to the message type of "notification" ("9" in the example of Fig. 6). This causes the event with the next lowest error level (that is, the event with the highest priority at the current time) to be displayed, allowing the user of the printer 1 to recognize and deal with the new highest priority event.

[0074] Next, examples of the display of the printer 1 when the error levels of multiple events occurring in the printer 1 change in response to changes in the device status will be described with reference to Figures 15 to 17. Figures 15 to 17 correspond to the first to third examples described below, respectively.

[0075] (1) First example (Figure 15) In the first example, it is assumed that the event database is configured as shown in the table below. [Table 1]

[0076] 15, in the first example, when the device status of printer 1 is "under maintenance" and the setting screen G10 is displayed, two events, "cover is open" and "print head temperature is outside the allowable range," are assumed to occur. In this case, the error level corresponding to either event is not 5 or lower, and the notification type is not "error," so the error screen is not displayed. Next, if the device status of Printer 1 changes from "under maintenance" to "offline" due to a user operation, screen G11 is displayed. At this time, the notification type for both events corresponds to "error," but the event with a relatively lower error level, "print head temperature outside the allowable range," takes priority and error screen G12 (error name: "overheat error") is displayed.

[0077] (2) Second example (Figure 16) In the second example, it is assumed that the event database is configured as shown in the table below. [Table 2]

[0078] 16, in the second example, it is assumed that the device status of printer 1 is "under maintenance" and the setting screen G10 is displayed, and an event "print head temperature is outside the allowable range" occurs. In this case, the error level corresponding to the event is not 5 or lower, and the notification type is not "error," so the error screen is not displayed. Next, it is assumed that a "battery is out" event also occurs while operating the settings screen (screen G13). In this case, the report type of the "battery is out" event corresponds to "error," so the screen transitions to error screen G14 (error name: "low battery"). In this case, as shown in FIG. 6, the device status of printer 1 transitions from "under maintenance" to "printer error," but when the device status is "printer error," the "battery is out" event, which has a relatively low error level, takes priority, and the error screen G14 continues to be displayed.

[0079] (3) Third example (Figure 17) In the third example, it is assumed that the event database is configured as shown in the table below. [Table 3]

[0080] 17, in the third example, it is assumed that the device status of printer 1 is "under maintenance" and the setting screen G10 is displayed, and an event "print head temperature is outside the allowable range" occurs. In this case, the error level corresponding to the event is not 5 or lower, and the notification type is not "error," so the error screen is not displayed. Now, suppose that an event called "battery abnormality" occurs. This "battery abnormality" event always has an error level of 5 regardless of the device status, and the notification type corresponds to "error." Therefore, the screen transitions from the settings screen G10 to the error screen G15 (error name: "battery abnormality"). In this case, as shown in Figure 6, the device status of printer 1 transitions from "under maintenance" to "printer error." When the device status becomes "printer error," the error level of the event "print head temperature outside the allowable range" changes from "6" to "4," which is lower than the error level of the event called "battery abnormality." As a result, the screen transitions to the error screen G16 (error name: "overheat error"), which corresponds to the event "print head temperature outside the allowable range," which has become the highest-level event.

[0081] In the first to third examples, the determination of the error level of each event accompanying a change in the device status of the printer 1 and the identification of the highest priority event based on the determined error level are performed immediately in real time by the control unit 11 as shown in the flowcharts of Figures 11 and 14.

[0082] As described above, the printer 1 determines an error level for each of one or more events occurring in the printer 1 based on the event database, in accordance with the current device status of the printer 1. At this time, if the current device status of the printer 1 changes, the printer 1 is configured to determine an error level for each event based on the device status of the printer 1 after the change. This makes it possible to appropriately manage events occurring in the printer 1 in accordance with the device status of the printer. In one embodiment, the printer 1 displays an error screen including information on the highest priority event, which is the event with the highest determined error level, among one or more events occurring in the printer 1. The content of the events displayed on this error screen can vary depending on the current device status of the printer 1. Therefore, the user of the printer 1 can immediately recognize the highest priority event according to the current device status of the printer 1.

[0083] In one embodiment, a method for processing information in a printer 1 is disclosed, comprising the following steps. (I) A step of storing in the memory 113 an event database in which, for each of a plurality of events that can occur in the printer 1, an error level when dealing with the corresponding event is associated with each device status of the printer 1. (II) determining an error level corresponding to the current device status of the printer 1 for each of one or more events occurring in the printer 1 based on the event database; (III) When the current device status of the printer 1 changes, a step of determining an error level for each event based on the device status of the printer 1 after the change.

[0084] In one embodiment, a program for causing a computer to execute the steps (I) to (III) above is disclosed. Such a program is implemented as firmware executed by the CPU 111 of the printer 1, for example.

[0085] Although the printer, program, and printer information processing method of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments can be improved or modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0086] 1...Printer 2...Main unit case 3. Printer cover 10...Battery 11...Control unit 111...CPU, 112...head controller, 113...memory, 114...motor controller, 115...input interface, 116...display control unit, 117...sensor interface, 118...battery interface, 119...bus, 121...device status management module, 122...occurrence event management module, 123...screen display module 13...Input button 14...Display panel 15...Print head 20...Issuing port 16...Platen roller 17...Label position detection sensor 18...Cover open / close detection sensor 19...Motor 51b...Cover release button 101...Notification button 101, 102...Setting button, 103...Cancel button, 104...Inquiry button, 105...List display button, 106...Back button, 107...Screen switching button, 201...Action button display area b1~b6...Action buttons CP...continuous paper, R...roll paper

Claims

1. A storage unit that stores a database associating the priority of dealing with each of the multiple events that may occur in the printer with the state of the printer, The system includes a priority determination unit that determines the priority of each of the one or more events occurring in the printer based on the aforementioned database, according to the current state of the printer, The priority determination unit determines the priority for each event based on the changed state of the printer when the current state of the printer changes. Printer.

2. The priority determination unit, when the current state of the printer changes, determines the priority of each event according to the changed state of the printer, and identifies the first event, which is the event with the highest priority determined by the priority determination unit, among the one or more events occurring in the printer. The printer according to claim 1.

3. The system further includes a display unit that displays a first screen containing information about the first event if the priority of the first event is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. The printer according to claim 2.

4. When the state of the printer changes, the display unit switches the information contained in the first screen to the information of the changed first event if the first event among the one or more events occurring in the printer changes. The printer described in claim 3.

5. The display unit, in response to a predetermined operation by the user, displays, in descending order of priority, one or more events occurring in the printer whose priority, as determined by the priority determination unit, is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. The printer described in claim 3.

6. When the display unit arranges one or more events occurring in the printer in order of priority, if there are multiple events with the same priority determined by the priority determination unit, it displays the multiple events in order of their occurrence time. The printer according to claim 5.

7. The display unit, in response to a predetermined operation by the user, displays, in descending order of priority, one or more events occurring in the printer whose priority, as determined by the priority determination unit, is less than a predetermined value. The printer described in claim 3.

8. The display unit displays the first screen containing information about the first event when the priority of the first event is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. The priority determination unit, in response to a predetermined operation on the first screen indicating that the user has recognized the occurrence of the first event, reduces the priority of the first event to less than the predetermined value. The printer described in claim 3.

9. The first screen is operable by the user and includes one or more objects to be operated on corresponding to the first event. The display unit displays an image related to the first event in response to an operation on any of the one or more of the operation targets. The printer described in claim 3.

10. The state of the printer is one of several system states that the printer can be in. A printer according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. When installed on the printer, on the computer, A procedure for storing in a storage device a database that associates the priority of dealing with each of the multiple events that may occur in the printer with the state of the printer, A procedure for determining the priority of each of the one or more events occurring in the printer based on the aforementioned database, according to the current state of the printer, A procedure for determining the priority of each event based on the changed state of the printer when the current state of the printer changes, A program that executes the command.

12. The steps include storing in a storage device a database that associates the priority of dealing with each of the multiple events that may occur in the printer with the state of the printer, and Based on the aforementioned database, the steps include determining the priority of each of the one or more events occurring in the printer according to the current state of the printer, If the current state of the printer changes, the steps include determining the priority of each event based on the changed state of the printer, A printer information processing method, including...

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