System for changing print format5081579Abstract A print format changing system includes a printer, a device for inputting print format-related information, and a memory containing an edit table region for storing the print format-related information input by the input device, thereby rewriting the print format-related information stored in the edit table region of the memory so as to change the format of data printed out by the printer. Claims What is claimed is: Description BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
TABLE 1
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(Edit Type Table 38)
Edit
Type Description
Memory
No.
Edit Type of Point Type
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0 No printing
1 1 9 2 3 Tab Pack
sign
2 1 9 2 3 Registered decimal
Pack
point sign
3 2 1 9 3 Tab Pack
sign
4 2 1 9 3 Registered decimal
Pack
point sign
5 1 9 9 9 . . . 9 2 3 Pack
6 1 9 2 3 "
7 Character string (No editing)
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The 1, 2 and 3 in the above Table 1 represent symbols described later. The character "9" represents a numeric data string for a sum of money. The space between 2 and 1 in the Edit Type Nos. 3 and 4 and between 1 and "9" in the Edit Type No. 6 indicates zero suppression. The typical construction of the edit table 39 is shown on Table 2 below.
TABLE 2
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(Edit Table 39)
Edit Table
Edit Type Symbol 1 Symbol 2
Symbol 3
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No. 1 01 * SP SP
No. 2 07 SP SP SP
No. 3 02 SP x SP
No. 4 01 SP SP SP
No. 5 02 SP / SP
No. 6 02 SP x SP
.
.
.
No. 16 00 SP SP SP
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Here "Sp" indicates a space. The edit table 39 includes an edit type column and symbol 1 through symbol 3 columns, each column having 16 lines. Since one byte memory capacity is allocated for each data, the edit table 39 has a memory capacity of 64 bytes at the maximum. "No. 1" through "No. 16" indicating edit types on Table 2 above are displayed in terms of 8 bit binary numbers with the following bit construction: C7, C6, C5, C4, C3, C2, C1, C0 . . . (1) The bits C6 through C0 are used for indicating the numerals 01 to 16 in the edit type column. C7, the most significant bit, is used as a flag for setting the character size of data printed according to the selected edit type. Specifically, data is printed with normal size characters when C7 is set at 0, and with double size characters when C7 is set at 1. The construction of the print table 40 is shown in Tables 3 through 6. The edit table numbers in the print table 40 correspond to the edit table Nos. "1" through "16" on Table 2.
TABLE 3
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(Print Table 40)
Number of
Table Edit
Print
Digits
No. Items Table
Position
(Characters)
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1 DPT/
Multiplication
Quantity
06 08 06
PLU/
2 SKU/ Unit price
04 20 08
UPC
3 Continued
Quantity 1
06 08 06
4 multiplication
Quantity 2
06 08 06
5 Unit price
04 20 08
6 Split pricing
Quantity
06 08 06
7 Base quantity
05 08 02
8 Unit price
04 20 08
9 Scale Quantity
12 00 00
10 Unit price
12 00 00
11 Scale split
Quantity
12 00 00
12 pricing
Base quantity
12 00 00
13 Unit price
12 00 00
14 Single Text 02 01 10
15 commodity
Amount 01 22 08
16 Modify 00 12 00
17 Add up Text 02 01 10
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Numbers of two digits shown in the print position column on Tables 3 through 6 represent the maximum number of digits to be printed out L1 which determines the print reference point P2 in the unit price printing region 2 at which the unit digit of a price is printed. The figures in the number of digits (characters) column in Tables 3 through 6 represent the number of digits for unit prices printed in the unit price printing region 2. The printing operation by the ECR 11 is described with reference to FIGS. 1 through 7. In the description, it is assumed that two commodities whose unit price is $100 have been purchased. First, the user inputs "2" for the quantity by using the ten keys 27 and depresses the "@" key 42. Then the CPU 34 of the ECR 11 operates, referring to the print table 40 in the order of the table No. Namely, operation starts from the multiplication in the table No. 1 at which quantity is printed out. In accordance with "06" for the edit table No., the CPU 34 reads the data in the edit table No. 6 of the edit table 39 shown on Table 2. Since the edit type of the edit table No. 6 is "02", reference is made to edit type No. 2 of the edit type table 38 shown on Table 1. The edit type No. 2 represents the print format in which the symbol 1, a numeric data, the symbol 2 and the symbol 3 are printed out successively in this order, with the print reference point set at the unit digit of the numeric data to be printed out. "Pack sign" indicates that the data contains the sign ".+-.". Reference is then made to the data in the symbol 1 to symbol 3 columns for edit table No. 6 in the edit table 39 on Table 2. The symbols 1, 2 and 3 in the edit type table 39 represent data in the columns of symbol 1, symbol 2 and symbol 3, respectively, of the edit table 39. Since these data for edit table No. 6 are: SP.times.SP . . . (2) a space is put in place of the symbols 1 and 3 and in "X" in place of the symbol 2 in the print format of the edit type No. 2. Then, in accordance with "08" for the print position shown on Tables 3 through 6, the distance L1 from the point P1, or the maximum number of digits to be printed out on the receipt 1 of FIG. 4 is set at 08, which determines the print reference point P2. From "06" for the number of digits shown on Tables 3 through 6, it is understood that the number of digits or characters of data to be printed out is six. Using this format, the printer 22 prints out: 2X . . . (3) Thus, the numerals for quantities and unit prices and various other characters are printed out following the above process. It is intended that the present invention provides a system for changing data in the edit table 39 on Table 2 and in the print table 40 on Tables 3 through 6 by using the key input means 12 to modify the format of the data printed out on the receipt 1. FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the operation procedure for changing data in the edit table 39 on Table 2. The procedure is described with reference to FIGS. 1 through 5. In step n1 of FIG. 5, the operator rotates the specified key in the mode selector switch 18 of the ECR 11 to change the operation mode from, say for example the normal register mode to the service mode (SVR) 37, and operates ten keys 27 to call the program for changing data in the edit table 39. In step n2, referring to the edit table 39, the operator inputs, by using ten keys 27, the edit table No. (1 to 16) containing data to be corrected, and operates the "@" key 42 in the step n3 to make the ECR 11 ready to accept data input in the edit table 39. In step n4, the operator inputs data for the edit type and for the symbols 1 through 3 of the edit table 39 shown on Table 2. These data are displayed in terms of 11-digit numerical data strings shown below: D10, D9, D8, D7, D6, D5, D4, D3, D2, D1, D0 . . . (4) FIG. 6 shows an example of data setting in which a data string "$@SP" is set at the edit table No. 1 in the edit table 39. The numerical value shown in parentheses under each character setting in FIG. 6 is the ASCII code in hexadecimal notation corresponding to the character. In a actual input operation, the hexadecimal data code is converted to a decimal number and the decimal number is input. The data string of D0, D1, D2 in the above expression (4) corresponds to the data for the symbol 3, the data string of D3, D4, D5 to the data for the symbol 2, and the data string of D6, D7, D8 to the data for the symbol 1. The data D9 and D10 corresponds to the data for the edit type on Table 2. In other words, the data of D9 and D10 is equivalent to the data string C0 to C7 in the expression (1): the data D9 corresponds to the data string C0 to C6, and the data D10 to the data C7. After the above data is input, the operator depresses the sub total (SBTL) key 43 in step n5. With this key operation, new data input in step n4 replaces the old data in the edit table 39 on Table 2 as exemplified in FIG. 6. In step n6, the operator decides whether or not the correcting operation is continued. If yes, the operator returns to step n2 to designate a new edit table No. for data correction. If no, the operator proceeds to step n7 and depresses CA key 44 to end the procedure. FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing the operation procedure for changing data in the print table 40 shown on Tables 3 through 6. The procedure is described with reference to FIGS. 1 through 7. In step m1 of FIG. 7, the operator inputs a code forking the program for this procedure as in step n1 of FIG. 5. In step m2, referring to the print table 40 shown in Tables 3 through 6, the operator inputs the table No. (1 to 62) containing data to be corrected, and depresses the @ key 42 in step m3. Then in step m4, the operator inputs data for the edit table No., data for the print position, and data for the number of digits in the print table 40. These data are input in form of a seven-digit data string shown below: E6, E5, E4, E3, E2, E1, E0 . . . (5) The data string of E0, E1 represents the number of digits of the data printed in, for example, the unit price print region 2 of the receipt 1 of FIG. 4. The data string E2, E3 corresponds to the maximum number of digits to be printed out L1 which determines the print reference point P2 in the unit price print region 2 of FIG. 4. The numeric value for this data string is 1 to 22 for a receipt and 1 to 48 for a slip. The data string E4, E5, E6 corresponds to the edit table No. in the edit table 39 on Table 2: the data string E4, E5 represents the edit table No. (1 to 16) and the data E6, the most significant bit, is a flag determining whether the data in the format designated by the input edit table No. is printed or not. The data is printed when E6=1, and not when E6=0. Following the above data input, the operator depresses SBTL key 43 in step m5 to replace the old data with new data in the print table 40. Then in step m6, the operator decides whether or not the correction operation is continued. If yes, the operator returns to step m2 to designate a new print table No. for data correction. If no in step m6, the operator proceeds to the step m7 and depresses CA key 44 to end the procedure. According to the present invention, as understood from the above, the print format of various data printed out by the ECR 11 can be changed easily by using the key input device 12, so that it is easy to adapt the ECR's 11 installed in a store to a new line of commodities added to the existing ones in the store as well as to possible future changes in the print format demanded by law. According to the present invention, print format can be changed without putting users to the trouble of replacing the ROM as required in the prior art. Consequently, the operability of the ECR 11 is improved remarkably. Although the print format changing system of the present invention has been described above as related to an ECR, it may be applied widely to any apparatus having a printing function. While only certain embodiments of the present invention have been described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as claimed.
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