Brother Kogyo Kabushiki-Kaisha

Satoshi Okimoto

Hiroyuki Funahashi

Kiyotaka Ohara

Takao Seki

Hifumi Kato

Yukiharu Fujikawa

Naoki Otsuka

Miyako Mukai

Miyuki Sato

Yoshie Teramura

A print system enables a user to set a different macro for each of a plurality of document sets in a simple method. A macro setting window includes a macro display region a macro setting region an image region a REGISTER button a NEW button and a DELETE button The macro display region displays macros selectable for the user and corresponding identification numbers. The macro setting region includes a first input box and a second input box The user inputs an identification number of a desired macro in the first input box Then, the user inputs in a corresponding second input box a numeral for designate a document set to which the selected macro is applied.

Print system for executing printing operations based on macros selectively designated on document set basis

A print system capable of exchanging data in the form of electronic mail between a plurality of computer systems using very low-cost communication via the Internet , rather than one-on-one communication. When the printer driver of a personal computer selects a personal computer on another computer system as the destination for transmitting print data, the printer driver and the print mail transmission utility create print mail in which a mail header including print information is added to the print data for the contents of the mail, and the print mail is transmitted via the Internet addressed to the personal computer . The print mail reception utility of the personal computer receives the print mail and prints the print mail on a printer based on the print information included in the mail header.

Printing system

When the received mail is determined to be print mail in S based on its mail header, the program first determines in S what page description language is used to describe the print data in the mail. In S , the program selects a printer which is being presently set to interpret that page description language. Then, in S , print data in the print mail is printed using the printer thus selected in S . If there exists no printer appropriately set to interpret that page description language, the program selects in S a printer provided with a function to interpret that page description language. The program then sets the function mode of the printer into a mode to interpret the page description language. Then, in S , print data in the print mail is printed using the thus selected and set printer. Thus, the print mail is printed by a printer which can appropriately interpret the processing format of the print data included in the received print mail. Hence, the print data will not be printed erroneously. The user on the receiving end can receive printed matter in the form desired by the user on the transmitting end.

Mail printing system with printer selecting function

An image forming device includes image forming means for forming an image on a recording medium, electronic mail receiving means for receiving an electronic mail transmitted from a personal computer, control means for controlling the image forming means according to contents of the received electronic mail whether or not the electronic mail is accompanied by a print file, so that an image corresponding to the electronic mail is formed on the image forming medium.

Device for forming on recording medium image corresponding to electronic mail

When the print sheet number determined based on the mail header is equal to or higher than the predetermined value (&ldquo;Yes&rdquo; in S,), the print confirmation screen is displayed in S,to request the user to indicate whether or not to print the print mail. If the program determines in S,that the user has indicated his/her desire to print, then the mail is printed in S,and S,However, if the user has not indicated a desire to print, the print operation is not performed. With this configuration, not all received print mail is immediately targeted for printing. The user can defer printing of print mail having a large amount of data according to circumstances on the receiving end. The large amount of print mail data will not occupy the printer on the receiving end for a long period of time. Hence, urgent or important printing can be given a higher priority.

Mail printing system with print confirming function

A mail transmission/reception system, in which a user on the transmitting end, who wishes to revise or delete a print mail mistakenly sent to a remote user, can transmit a cancel mail to the destination address of the same remote user to have the specified print mail deleted on the remote user's computer system in S,, thereby preventing the print mail from being printed on the remote user's end. Also, the user on the transmitting end can know whether the printing has been prevented based on mail returned from the remote user in S,-S,and can take appropriate measures when the mail cancellation has not been successful.

Mail transmission system with cancel mail sending function

In a mail reception side, it is judged in S,whether or not the number of sheets required to print the received print mail becomes equal to or higher than a prescribed number. This judgment is performed based on the mail header added to the print mail. When the number of sheets to be printed with the print mail is equal to or higher than the prescribed number, the print data included in the print mail is compacted so that one-fourth the amount of printing paper will be needed. Thus, even if print mail containing a large number of pages for printing is received, the printing side can adjust the number of pages, into which the print mail is printed, without deleting the contents of the print mail. Accordingly, the time required for printing is also reduced to one-fourth the time required for printing at the original ax state. Hence, even if print mail containing a large number of pages for printing is received at an unexpected time, the time required for printing is automatically reduced. As a result, the printer on the receiving end is not occupied for long periods of time printing unimportant mail that can delay the printing of more important documents.

Mail transmission/reception system

An image forming device including a memory for storing image data. The memory is prohibited from erasing the image data undesirably. When a user transmits the image data from a computer to the image forming device so as to obtain a plurality of copies of a document the image forming device, first, provides a first copy of the document. Also, the image data is stored in the memory. At this time, the image data is prohibited from being erased. Then, when the user wishes to obtain the rest of the copies, the user presses a continue key. On the other hand, when the user wishes not to obtain the rest of the copies, the user presses a cancel key. Then, the image data is allowed to be erased. When a predetermined time duration elapses without neither the continue key nor the cancel key is pressed, the image data is allowed to be erased.

Control unit of image forming device

A print system capable of exchanging data in the form of electronic mail between a plurality of computer systems using very low-cost communication via the Internet 28, rather than one-on-one communication. When the printer driver 30 of a personal computer 4 selects a personal computer 10 on another computer system as the destination for transmitting print data, the printer driver 30 and the print mail transmission utility 31a create print mail in which a mail header including print information is added to the print data for the contents of the mail, and the print mail is transmitted via the Internet 28 addressed to the personal computer 10. The print mail reception utility 31b of the personal computer 10 receives the print mail and prints the print mail on a printer 14 based on the print information included in the mail header.

Even when a printer is in a condition incapable of receiving commands from a personal computer (PC), a status responding mode can be switched to ON in accordance with a request from the PC, thereby allowing detailed status information of the printer to be transmitted to the PC. When a printer is in an error condition when it is powered or reset, the printer rejects reception of data on a data line. Therefore, the mode of the printer cannot be changed with a set command transmitted from the PC to the printer through the data line. In view of the fact that the printer is capable of receiving signals on control lines even if the printer is in the error condition, the PC outputs a status transmission request through the select-in line for a predetermined number of times, so that a status transmission request interrupt process can be executed and then a parameter DEVICE is set to ON. Thereafter, the PC is capable of gathering detailed status information of the printer by merely transmitting the status transmission request to the printer.

Status responding device for supplying status information responsive to

In a facsimile data processing apparatus, printer code, including a line pitch amount control command and character codes are received from a host computer. The character codes are converted into image data and the image data is converted into transmission code, such as modified Huffman code. The space following the last character line on one page is neither converted into image data nor converted into transmission code, rather a control return code is added following the transmission code of the last character line on the page.

Facsimile data processing apparatus

In a facsimile data processing apparatus, printer code, including a line pitch amount control command and character codes are received from a host computer. The character codes are converted into image data and the image data is converted into transmission code such as modified Huffman code. The line space is directly converted into the transmission code, in the form of white code, without the conversion into image data. The line space varies according to the line pitch amount control command by changing the amount of the white code to be added.

A documentation system having a multilingual function, including a keyboard; a keyboard mode selecting device for setting at least a standard language mode and a multilingual mode wherein one keyboard mode (an optional language mode different from the standard keyboard language mode) can be selected from a plurality of selectable optional language keyboard modes; an optional language keyboard mode selecting device for selecting one optional language mode from said plurality of selectable optional language keyboard modes according to an operation of certain predetermined keys on the keyboard while in the multilingual mode; a selected keyboard mode storing device for storing an optional language mode selected by the optional language keyboard mode selecting device; and a selected keyboard mode reading device for automatically reading the optional language mode selected from the selected keyboard mode storing device when the multilingual mode is set by the keyboard mode selecting device so as to automatically condition the keyboard into the selected optional language keyboard mode whenever the multilingual mode is set. With this arrangement, one of the selectable (optional language) keyboard modes is selected by the optional language keyboard mode selecting device, and it is stored in the selected keyboard mode storing device. Subsequently, when the multilingual mode is set (selected) by an operator, the keyboard is automatically conditioned into the proper optional language mode by a read from the selected keyboard mode storing device. Thus, the keyboard is conditioned into the previous selected optional language keyboard mode by simply selecting the multilingual mode, thereby simplifying and improving keyboard mode selection operations.

Documentation system having multilingual function

A documentation system having a page format function wherein a desired number of input area beginning positions can be designed in a given documentation area, comprising designating means for designating input area beginning position information; storing means for storing said input area beginning position information designated by said designating means; left margin controlling means for retrieving one of said input area beginning position information stored in said storing means and for controlling a left margin of said documentation area according to said retrieved information; and indent mode setting means for activating said left margin controlling means.

Growing community of inventors

Komaki, Japan

Satoshi Okimoto