Seiko Epson Corporation

Noboru Yanagisawa

Hiroshi Ono

Masahiro Minowa

Yoshikazu Ito

Takuya Hyonaga

Kazuhisa Aruga

Kazunari Yawata

Asahiro Oguchi

Teruaki Oguchi

Torao Yajima

Mitsuaki Teradaira

Hitoshi Yamakado

Jun-ichi Takenuki

Printout that enables the user to easily know printed information is produced. A print data acquisition unitacquires, as part of the print data, code information that is information for printing a code imageand contains at least one attribute data set including an identifier and a parameter. A storage unitassociates and stores the identifier to style information and a condition for determining whether to apply the style. An attribute data set extraction unitextracts from the code information the attribute data set containing an identifier stored in the storage unit. A condition evaluation unitdetermines if the parameter contained in the extracted attribute data set satisfies the condition associated in the storage unitto the identifier contained in the attribute data set. When the parameter is determined to satisfy the condition, a print command unitapplies a print command to the printer based on the style information associated to the identifier.

Printing control device, printer driver, conversion device, printer, printing system, control method for a printing control device, and control method for a printer

Advertising information input control module of a POS system receives advertising information, and a billing amount calculating module calculates a billing amount based on advertising information received by input control module. A payment confirming module confirms payment of the billing amount calculated by the billing amount calculating module, and an advertising information storing control module stores the advertising information in a storing device. A check-out information input control module receives input of customer check-out information, and an advertising information retrieving module retrieves the advertising information stored in the storing device. A printing data generating module synthesizes or combines check-out information with the advertising information so as to generate printing data, which is output at a printing device, and printed as a receipt with an ad.

POS system for advertisements printed on receipts

Method for billing for advertisements printed on check-out receipts

A data transmitter/receiver apparatus transmits host computer screen data by wireless interface or by cable to terminal. Also, the screen data is transmitted to the terminal as the bit-mapped data constituting that screen, and screen display is performed. At that time, the bit-mapped data is divided into blocks, converted into indexes having a smaller number of bits than the pixels to transmit, making the number of bits in the indexes representing each block of pixels smaller as the number of colors used within each block is smaller, and compressed before sending; the blocks may be made in units of 10K-50K pixels. Furthermore, only the parts changed in the data composing one screen are detected by comparing with the screen one screen before, and transmits the data of the changed rectangular portion when the changed rectangle detector has detected as a changed rectangle the region computed by .vertline.X1-X2.vertline..times..vertline.Y1-Y2.vertline., taking the vertical and horizontal position of the start of the bit-mapped data in a changed location as X1 and Y1, and the vertical and horizontal position of the end as X2 and Y2.

Data transmitter/receiver apparatus, data transmitter, data receiver,

A computer system is connected to a printer via a parallel interface, for point-of-sale (POS) applications employing one or more different paper sources, such as, continuous tape, document insertion, and sheet validation. A detector is associated with each paper source to sense a paper empty or out condition. The printer has an addressable latch that enables a choice of one or more of these detectors for connection through to a single status line within the parallel printer interface. The computer CPU can access the addressable latch prior to any printing so that the presence of an appropriate type of paper in its appropriate print position in the printer can be checked or tested utilizing an industry standard parallel printer interface, such as, the widely employed Centronics interface.

Status and command function extension for industry standard printer

A printer control device is employed with host computer controlled printers, typically of the point-of-sale (POS) type, which are capable of printing on several different types of recording paper. Several detectors are used on the printer to sense out-of-paper conditions with at least one detector being associated with each paper source used, and a detector selection device is used to determine which detector outputs are to be connected to the host computer through a communications interface. Detector output values can be stored and logically combined to allow transfer over a single communications line. Specific detector outputs can be enabled or selected for transfer to the host or for use in termination of printing operations. A paper type selector is used for setting line spacing or advancement amounts which are stored by the printer controller for later retrieval. Typically each advancement value relative to one type of paper is stored separately in a memory location or element. The type of recording paper and line advancement value for that paper are each selected by a printer control command, which is interpreted and acted upon by the printer controller. The printer controller responds to data printing commands and activates paper transfer mechanisms within the printer to achieve the established line advancement values during printing operations.

Printer control device to enable printing on selected multiple types of

Growing community of inventors

Shiojiri, Japan

Noboru Yanagisawa