JPH11265273A - Network printer device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a network printer device in which the list of link information and the list of HTTP(hypertext transfer protocol) header information can be printed so as to be easily referred to. SOLUTION: The network printer device 1 connected through a network with a computer or an HTTP server is provided with an HTTP client 12, HTML (hypertext markup language) data processing part 13, and plot data converting part 14. The HTML data processing part is provided with a function for extracting an URL(uniform response locator) included in an HTML document with linked words and phrases, and adding the information as a header or a foot.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a network printer for printing characters and images based on data created by an image processing device such as a computer or a workstation, and is used in the WWW (World Wide Web). The present invention relates to a network printer including an HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) client function.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An arbitrary number of image processing apparatuses such as host computers and workstations are connected to a plurality of printer apparatuses via a network, and print data created by the image processing apparatuses is output by a predetermined printer apparatus. Various network print systems have been proposed. The Applicant has identified that WWW
By incorporating client software, it communicates with a WWW server on the Internet / intranet to control data transfer and peripheral device-specific functions, replace peripheral device-specific data, and communicate with an HTTP server. By including both functions of the HTTP client, information obtained by the HTTP client can be transmitted to an external WWW browser or an HTTP server via an HTTP server.
A mechanism for passing information to a TP client or operating data unique to a peripheral device from an external WWW browser or HTTP client is realized. Further, a protocol for a client in the peripheral device to communicate with a server on the Internet is not limited to HTTP. We have already proposed a technology that allows files to be transferred on the Internet. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 9-130593 discloses a printer device having a layout generating unit for converting moving image data into a still image without using a computer having a display device and laying out the moving image data in one page. , HTM
It does not handle image data embedded in the L document.

[0003]

In order to obtain information while displaying data on a display using a WWW browser, a predetermined process is performed even if the data includes a link. By displaying on the display, the desired data can be obtained,
When data containing link information is printed, the data at the link location is not printed. To print the data at the link location, it is necessary to display the data at the link location on a display or the like and then print it again. there were. Therefore,
The problem to be solved by the present invention is that a network printer device incorporating WWW client software is
WW on the Internet / intranet
When receiving and printing HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) data by communicating with the W server, extract the linked URL (Uniform Response Locator) together with the words and phrases to which the link is attached, and send the extracted information to If the HTML data is received and printed by providing it as a header or footer, or by providing a network printer that prints URL information or a list of HTTP header information on another sheet, and links to the HTML data. An object of the present invention is to provide a network printer that can print the link information even if the information is included.

[0004]

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a network printer connected to a computer or an HTTP server via a network.
A TTP client, an HTML data processing unit, and a rendering data conversion unit.
It has a function of extracting the URL included in the L document together with the phrase to which the link is attached, and adding the information as a header or footer. According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the network printer device according to the first aspect, the HTML data processing unit transmits the header information transmitted when the HTML document is acquired from the HTTP server. Is added as a header or footer. According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a network printer according to the first aspect, further comprising:
The L data processing unit has a function of converting image data shown in an HTML document to be displayed as an animation into a plurality of still images and re-laying them out for printing. is there. In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 4 is
2. The network printer according to claim 1, wherein H
When printing the HTML document, the HTML data processing unit transmits the UR included in the HTML document.
L has a function of extracting a link information list together with a phrase to which a link is attached, creating a list of link information, and printing the created link information list on another sheet. In order to achieve the above object, according to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the network printer device according to the fourth aspect, the HTML data processing unit transmits the H to the HTTP server.
It has a function of printing a list of header information sent when a TML document is acquired on another sheet. In order to achieve the above object, according to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the network printer device according to the fourth or fifth aspect, the HTML data processing section stores the list of link information or the list of header information in the HTML. It has a function of selecting whether to print at the end of a document, to print in an area set as a header or footer area, or to print on another sheet. According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a network printer according to the sixth aspect, further comprising:
If it is determined that the printing of the link information list or the header information list does not fit in the selected header or footer area, the ML data processing unit prints the list by adding it to the end of the HTML document, or The printing apparatus has a function of selecting one of printing on another sheet and printing.

[0005]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, as described above, a list of URLs is added as header or footer information, so that information of linked URLs is presented in an easily understandable manner. Further, the invention of claim 2 is based on the invention of the network printer configured as in claim 1,
By adding the header information sent when the HTML document is acquired from the HTTP server as a header or footer, this information can be confirmed by looking at the printed matter. The invention of claim 3 is based on claim 1
In addition to the invention of the network printer device configured as described above, what is to be displayed as an animation in the image data shown in the HTML document is described below.
By converting the image into a plurality of still images and laying it out again for printing, the moving image can be confirmed in printed matter. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the network printer of the first aspect, when printing an HTML document, a URL included in the HTML document is linked with a link. By extracting a list of link information together with the words and phrases and creating a list of the link information and printing the list on another sheet, the information of the linked URL can be presented in a more easily understandable manner than in claim 1 without being mixed with the HTML document. According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the invention of the network printer configured as in the fourth aspect, a list of header information transmitted when an HTML document is obtained from the HTTP server is stored in another paper. , The list of header information can be presented more easily without being mixed with the HTML document. According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the invention of the network printer configured as in the fourth or fifth aspect, a list of link information or a list of header information is added to the end of the HTML document. Printing, printing in an area set as a header or footer area, or printing on another sheet, enables printing in a layout method intended by the user. According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in addition to the invention of the network printer device according to the sixth aspect, printing of a list of link information or a list of header information is performed in a selected header or footer area. If it does not fit, HTML
If you select either to print at the end of the document or to print on a different sheet of paper, and the list of link information or header information does not fit in the specified area. Are also presented clearly without being divided.

[0006]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of a network print system including a network printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. This system is configured by connecting at least one printer device 1, at least one personal computer 2, and at least one HTTP server 3 via the Internet 4.
The printer device 1 includes a module 11, and the module 11 includes at least an HTTP client 12, an HTML data processing unit 13, and a drawing data conversion unit 14. In the drawing, (1) to (4) are numbers indicating the respective processing procedures in the module 11 of the printer 1 of the present system. Hereinafter, the control operation performed by the module 11 will be described in the order of (1). (1) The printer device 1 uses the HTTP client 12 to request an HTML document from the HTTP server 3 and receive the HTML document. (2) The HTTP client 12 transfers the HTTP header information obtained in (1) to the HTML data processing unit 13 together with the HTML document. (3) The HTML data processing unit 13 has one or more of the following functions. a. The URL contained in the HTML document is extracted together with the phrase to which the link is attached, and the information is added as a header or footer. b. The header information sent when the HTML document is acquired from the HTTP server 3 is added as a header or footer. c. In the image data shown in the HTML document, the image data to be displayed as an animation is converted into a plurality of still images and laid out again for printing. d. When printing the HTML document, the URL included in the HTML document is extracted together with the phrase to which the link is attached, a list of link information is created, and the list is printed on another sheet. e. A list of header information sent when the HTML document is acquired from the HTTP server 3 is printed on another sheet. f. A list of link information or a list of header information
It is possible to select whether to print at the end of the TML document, to print in an area set as a header or footer area, or to print on another sheet (selection function). g. If it is determined that the print of the link information list or the header information list does not fit in the selected header or footer area, it is added to the end of the HTML document and printed, or printed on another sheet. Select one of them and print (selection function). The HTML data processing unit 13 processes the HTML document as described above, and delivers the HTML document to the drawing data conversion unit 14.

(4) The drawing data conversion unit 14 converts the processed HTML document into drawing data unique to the printer device 1 and prints it. (5) Since the processed HTML document and drawing data before printing can be transmitted to the personal computer 2 using the HTTP client function, the image created by the printer device 1 is displayed and confirmed on the personal computer 2. Can be done. FIG. 2 is a processing flowchart in the HTML data processing unit 13, and each function will be described using an example that realizes claims 1 to 5 (having the above-described functions a to e) as an example. First, the information of the HTTP header transmitted when the HTML document is acquired from the HTTP server 3 is read and stored (process A). Further, since the link relationship in the HTML document is indicated by a structural descriptor called a tag, the URL included in the HTML document is extracted together with the phrase to which the link is attached, and the information is used as a header or footer. Add. Or HT
In order to convert the image data shown in the ML document to be displayed as an animation into a plurality of still images and re-layout them for printing, H
The TML documents are sequentially read (process B), and the tag and the text portion are classified (process C). In the case of a tag indicating image information, the image information is newly requested from the HTTP server 3 and acquired. Image data is GIF (Graphics
If the data is an Interchange Format and contains a plurality of images, it is developed and stored as a plurality of images (Process D). Also,
In the case of the tag indicating the link relationship, the URL indicating the link destination to be referred to and the associated phrase are stored for header display (process E). Also, the stored header information and the image data developed on a plurality of sheets are stored in H
Data embedded in the last part of the TML document is created, converted into drawing data specific to the printer using the processed HTML document, and used as output data (Process F).

A network printing system including a network printer according to the present embodiment is configured by connecting a printer 1, a personal computer 2, and an HTTP server 3 via the Internet 4. The printer device 1 is an HTT
A P client 12, an HTML data processing unit 13, and a drawing data conversion unit 14 are provided. Then, the HTML data processing unit 13 extracts the URL included in the HTML document together with the phrase to which the link is attached, and adds the information as a header or footer. Also, the header information sent when the HTML document is acquired from the HTTP server 3 is added as a header or a footer. Also, of the image data shown in the HTML document, what is to be displayed as an animation is converted into a plurality of still images and laid out again for printing. When printing the HTML document, the URL included in the HTML document is extracted together with the phrase to which the link is attached, a list of link information is created, and the list is printed on another sheet.
In addition, a list of header information sent when an HTML document is obtained from the HTTP server is printed on another sheet. Whether a list of link information or a list of header information is added to the end of the HTML document and printed, printed in an area set as a header or footer area, or printed on another sheet of paper. Can be selected. Further, if it is determined that the list of link information or the list of header information does not fit in the selected header or footer area, the list is printed at the end of the HTML document or printed on another sheet. Select either print or print. Through the above process, the intended purpose is achieved.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration for adding the function f and the function g in order to perform claim 6 or claim 7 of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart in which it is added to the flow of FIG. 2 to determine whether or not header information fits in a header or footer area. The processing G and the processing H are added to the flow of FIG. 2, and the processing will be mainly described, and other processing not mentioned is not different from the processing described in FIG. 2. First, the HT sent when acquiring the HTML document from the HTTP server 3
In order to print the information of the TP header, it is received and stored as header or footer area setting information (process G). Next, a part for reading and storing the information on the HTTP header sent when the HTML document is obtained from the HTTP server 3 and at the same time, determining the area occupied when printing the HTTP header information (H
Inform the TML data processing unit 13) (Process A). Also, a part for performing area determination (HTML data processing unit 13)
Then, the setting information of the header or footer area and the HT
By comparing the TP header information with the area required to actually print it, it is possible to print in the specified header or footer area, and if not, how much of the header information can be printed. It is calculated (process H). Therefore, if it is determined from the above-described area determination processing that it does not fit within the designated area, a command to select whether to print at the end of the HTML document or to print on another sheet is issued. Is to be issued.

[0010]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since a list of URLs is added as header or footer information to a document to be printed and printed, the link relationship is difficult to understand in a printed matter. Can be eliminated. According to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the invention of the first aspect, the HTT
The header information sent when the HTML document is acquired from the P server contains useful information such as the date and time when the document was last updated, and the information is stored in the header or footer area. Can be printed on According to the third aspect of the invention, in addition to the invention of the first aspect, the image data can be divided into still images, so that the contents can be confirmed even in a printed matter. According to the invention of claim 4, in addition to the invention of the network printer of claim 1, since the list of link information is printed on a sheet different from the HTML document, it is difficult to refer to the list together with the HTML document. Problem was completely solved. According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the invention of the fourth aspect, the list of header information is printed on a sheet different from the HTML document, so that the HTTP header information and the HTML document are printed. You can now refer to and save the print results separately. According to the invention of claim 6, in addition to the invention of the network printer device of claim 4 or claim 5, the print position of the list of link information or the list of HTTP header information can be set and selected. This information can be added to the print position intended by the user. According to the invention of claim 7, in addition to the invention of the network printer of claim 6, if the list of link information or the list of header information does not fit in the designated area,
The problem of missing information caused by not being able to print in the specified area because printing was done by selecting either printing at the end of the HTML document or printing on another paper. Was solved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of a network print system including a network printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a processing flowchart in an HTML data processing unit.

FIG. 3 is a processing flowchart for selecting and processing a print area in an HTML data processing unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printer apparatus 2 Personal computer 3 HTTP server 4 Internet 11 Module 12 HTTP client 13 HTML data processing part 14 Drawing data conversion part

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A computer or an H via a network
In a network printer device connected to a TTP server, the network printer device includes an HTTP client, an HTML data processing unit, and a drawing data conversion unit, and the HTML data processing unit pastes a URL included in the HTML document into a link. A network printer device having a function of extracting the information together with the phrase and adding the information as a header or footer. 2. The network printer according to claim 1, wherein the HTML data processing unit has a function of adding header information sent when acquiring the HTML document from the HTTP server as a header or a footer. A network printer device characterized by the above-mentioned. 3. The network printer according to claim 1, wherein the HTML data processing unit converts the image data shown in the HTML document to be displayed as an animation into a plurality of still images, and prints the still images. A network printer device having a function of re-laying out a network printer. 4. The network printer according to claim 1, wherein when printing the HTML document, the HTML data processing unit extracts a URL included in the HTML document together with a phrase to which a link is attached, A network printer device having a function of creating a list of link information and printing the created link information list on another sheet. 5. The network printer according to claim 4, wherein the HTML data processing section has a function of printing a list of header information sent when acquiring the HTML document from the HTTP server on another sheet. A network printer device, characterized in that: 6. The network printer according to claim 4, wherein the HTML data processing unit comprises:
A list of link information or a list of header information can be
A network printer having a selection function for selecting whether to print at the end of an L document, to print in an area set as a header or footer area, or to print on another sheet. apparatus. 7. The network printer according to claim 6, wherein the HTML data processing unit determines that the printing of the link information list or the header information list does not fit in the selected header or footer area. When,
A network printer device having a selection function of selecting whether to print by adding to the end of an HTML document or printing on another sheet.