The present invention relates to an automatic paper feed control apparatus for a printing device to which an automatic paper feeder for sequentially supplying a plurality of papers, and a continuous paper feeder for supplying a continuous paper, can be attached.
As a paper feed apparatus for supplying papers to a printing device, for example, there is known a continuous paper feeder for supplying to a platen of the printing device a paper which is wound in the form of a roll and in which perforations are formed at regular intervals. After the character data of one page is printed on the paper supplied by such continuous paper feeder, a one page paper is drawn out and printing onto the paper of the next page is prepared. As another paper feeder, there is known an automatic paper feeder in which a plurality of papers, each having a predetermined size, are preliminarily enclosed in a tray and they are sequentially fed by one sheet at a time to the platen of the printing device.
There has been conventionally provided a printing device which is constituted in a manner such that the papers are selectively received from the mentioned continuous paper feeder and automatic paper feeder and character data or the like is printed on the papers received.
In such a kind of printing device, for example, in case of printing the character data or the like on the paper supplied from the automatic paper feeder, a sheet of paper is first drawn out from a plurality of papers enclosed in the tray of the automatic paper feeder in response to a paper feed command which is generated from an external host computer, then the print starting portion of this paper is set on the platen so as to face a print hammer. Thereafter, the character data corresponding to the character codes from the host computer is sequentially printed on the paper. After the character data of one page is completely printed, a page feed command for a sheet of paper is supplied from the host computer, so that the platen is rotated in response to this page feed command, thereby discharging the paper after completion of the printing to the outside. When a paper feed command is supplied from the host computer after that, the next paper is drawn out in the similar manner as above and the printing is performed.
On the other hand, when printing character data on the paper supplied from the continuous paper feeder, the paper from the continuous paper feeder is drawn out in response to a paper feed command from the host computer and the print starting portion of a certain page section is set on the platen so as to face the print hammer. The initialization of this continuous paper may be manually executed. Thereafter, the character data corresponding to the character code from the host computer is sequentially printed on this page section. After the character data of one page is completely printed, a page feed command for the continuous paper is supplied from the host computer and the platen is rotated in response to this page feed command, thereby setting the paper into the position where the print starting portion of the next page section faces the printing hammer. Thereafter, the character data is printed on the next page section in a similar manner as above.
In the case where the automatic paper feeder is used, whenever the page is updated, it is necessary for the host computer to generate two kinds of different commands such as the paper feed command for allowing a paper to be drawn into the printing device from the tray of the automatic paper feeder, and the page feed command for allowing the printed paper to be drained. Thus, the program for the host computer becomes complicated and the amount of information to be transmitted between the host computer and the printing device increases, causing the information processing speed and information transmission efficiency of the host computer to be deteriorated.
In the case where the continuous paper feeder is used, the page feed command may be generated from the host computer in order to update the page. However, since it is necessary for the host computer to generate the different commands depending upon the type of continuous paper feeder or automatic paper feeder used, it is necessary to send to the host computer the information regarding which one of the continuous paper feeder and automatic paper feeder is used. Therefore, this causes the program for the host computer to be further complicated.