Printer Control Apparatus for Validating Ticket Printing Completeness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current printing technologies lack the ability to ensure complete and valid ticket printing, leading to incomplete or invalid tickets due to errors during the printing process, which can result in unusable tickets and disputes between users and distributors.
Innovation Solution
A printing control method and apparatus that divides the printing process into distinct stages, acquires real-time printer state information, and performs corresponding control actions to ensure complete and valid ticket printing by checking printer states before, during, and after the printing process, and registers tickets as invalid if errors occur.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the upper machine control software considers printing successful upon distributing ticket data to the printer, then the printing process is simple and fast, but the ticket printing completeness cannot be ensured and invalid tickets may be generated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism by having the upper machine control software continuously monitor printer state information during the printing process. The software queries the printer's working state (such as whether the lid is open, paper is exhausted, or errors occur) and uses this feedback to determine whether to register the ticket as valid or invalid, ensuring printing completeness while maintaining efficient workflow.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by checking printer state information before, during, and after the printing process. The upper machine control software proactively monitors printer states (such as checking if the lid is closed before printing, if paper is available, and if printing completes successfully) to prevent invalid ticket generation before it occurs, rather than reacting after problems arise.
2Reliability
If the upper machine control software monitors printer state information throughout the printing process, then ticket printing completeness can be ensured, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies self-service by having the printer automatically provide its own state information to the upper machine control software. The printer includes built-in functionality to report its working state (such as lid status, paper status, error conditions) through standard communication interfaces, eliminating the need for complex external monitoring hardware or complex control logic in the upper machine software.
3Reliability
If the upper machine control software checks printer state information in real time during printing, then printing errors can be detected, but the printing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies periodic action by having the upper machine control software check printer state information at specific intervals and key points during the printing process (before printing starts, during printing at defined checkpoints, and after printing completes) rather than continuously monitoring. This periodic checking approach detects printing errors reliably while minimizing the time overhead added to the printing process.
Data Source
AI summary
A printing control method includes the following steps: dividing the printing process of the printer into different working processes, obtaining the state information of the printer of different working processes in real time, and controlling the corresponding printing process on the basis of the obtained state information of the printer of different working processes. In addition, a printing control apparatus includes the following units: a unit for dividing the process, a unit for obtaining the state of the printer and a unit is for controlling printing process. The invention can make sure that every par data needed to be printed could be fully printed on the surface in order to realize the printing of the effective par data.