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Contents
1. the factory so that the computer can install the driver by accessing the USB driver 152 stored on the FLASH memory 15 in the printer as a memory device when the printer is connected to the computer for the first time 0085 Step S73 determine the device type of the printer 0086 After the printer reads the device identification 152 it is indicated that the device type of the printer is a memory device when the read information is 0 and it is indicated that the device type of the printer is a printing device when the read information is 1 If the device type of the printer is a memory device subsequent processing is performed accord ing to Step S73 If the device type of the printer is a printing device go to Step S83 to perform processing 0087 Step S75 the PnP communication of the USB inter face is performed on the printer It is indicated by changing the state of the D signal of the USB interface from the high impedance state to the pull up state by the printer that the printer has been connected to the USB interface of the com puter When the computer detects that the state of the D signal of the USB interface has been changed from the high impedance state to the pull up state it is indicated that a USB device is connected to the computer and the computer starts to communicate with the USB device i e PaP communication During the communication establishment process the com puter acquires configuration data 1002. 19 US 20130038888A1 a2 Patent Application Publication o Pub No US 2013 0038888 A1 United States Leeuwen et al 43 Pub Date Feb 14 2013 54 76 21 22 86 30 PRINTER WITH USB INTERFACE AND DRIVER INSTALLING METHOD AND SYSTEM THEREOF Adrianus Jacobus Antonia Maria Van Leeuwen Weihai CN Chuntao Wang Weihai CN Zongsheng Guo Weihai CN Yanbin Xing Weihai CN Inventors Appl No 13 638 601 PCT Filed Mar 15 2011 PCT No 371 2 4 Date PCT CN11 71813 Oct 23 2012 Foreign Application Priority Data aa sa ATE RRA s 201010137547 8 Apr 1 2010 CN device when connected to a computer a printer is identified as a memory device or a printing in the case that the printer is identified as a memory device the computer installs a driver stared in the printer Publication Classification 51 Int Cl GO6K 15 02 2006 01 CS USM EEIE E 358 1 13 57 ABSTRACT The invention discloses a printer with a Universal Serial Bus USB interface and its driver installing method and system wherein the printer with the USB interface includes a USB interface and a printing mechanism and further includes a controller and a first memory connected with the controller and storing a driver of the printer wherein the first memory further stores a device identification wherein the type of the device identification includes a memory device ident
3. and not intended to limit the scope of protection of the invention For those skilled in the art there may be various modifications and changes and any modifications equivalent replacements improvements and the like within the spirit and principle of the invention shall fall within the scope of protection of the invention What is claimed is 1 A printer with a USB interface comprising a USB inter face 18 and a printing mechanism 12 and further com prising a controller 13 and a first memory 15 connected with the controller 1 3 storing a driver of the printer wherein the first memory 15 further stores a device iden tification wherein the type of the device identification includes a memory device identification and a printing device identification 2 The printer according to claim 1 further comprising an input mechanism 11 connected with the controller 13 configured to receive a signal inputted by a user to enable the controller 13 to modify the type of the device identification in the first memory 15 3 The printer according to claim 1 wherein the type of a default device identification in the first memory 15 is the memory device identification 4 The printer according to claim 3 wherein the printer is connected to a computer 40 by the USB interface 18 wherein after the driver is installed by the computer 40 the device identification is modified to be a printing device iden tificat
4. as a memory device The computer may read or modify a file in the FLASH memory and execute the selected operation When the printer establishes USB communication with the computer next time the printer is still identified as a memory device 0069 FIG 7 is a program flowchart of a communication process between a computer and a printer according to an embodiment of the invention 0070 The communication process between the computer and the printer is described below according to FIG 7 0071 As shown in FIG 7 the communication process between the computer and the printer is performed interac tively The arrow the figure represents the direction of interactive data between the computer and the printer Firstly the operation of the computer 40 is described 0072 When the printer is a memory device the steps from 51 to S59 are performed When the printer is a printing device the steps from S61 to S65 are performed Since the computer cannot determine whether the printer accessed from a USB interface is amemory device or a printing device the computer cannot also directly determine whether to start with Step S51 or Step S61 and can determine whether to start with Step S51 or Step S61 only by the device type of the accessed printer during Plug and Play PnP communication 0073 Step S51 perform PnP communication of the USB interface on the computer When the printer is connected to the computer by the USB interface 18 a D s
5. identification 0010 Further the printer is connected to a computer by the USE interface wherein after the driver is installed by the computer the printer modifies the type of the device identi fication to be a printing device identification 0011 Further the first memory is set inside or outside the printer In the case that it is set outside the printer the first memory is connected to the printer by an external interlace of the printer 0012 Further the first memory further stores a product information file of the printer or the printer further includes a second memory connected to the printer by the external interface of the printer and storing the product information file and or the driver of the printer 0013 To realize the purpose above a driver installing method of as printer with a USB interface is provided accord ing to another aspect of the invention 0014 The driver installing method of the printer with the USB interface according to the invention includes when connected to a computer the printer is identified as a memory device ora printing device wherein the printer stores a device identification wherein the type of the device identification includes a memory device identification and a priming to device identification In the case that the printer is identified as a memory device the computer installs a driver stored in the printer 0015 Further the device type of the printer is modified by a signal
6. inputted by a user wherein the device type includes a memory device or a printing device 0016 Further when the printer is connected to the com puter for the first time the device type of the printer is a memory device After the driver is installed by the computer the method further includes the computer modifies the device type of the printer to be a printing device 0017 Further when the printer is connected to the com puter the method further includes in the case that the printer is identified as a memory device the computer determines whether or not to install the driver in the printer If the deter mination result is yes the computer installs the driver and modifies the device type of the printer to be a printing device If the determination result is no the computer does not modify the device type of the printer and the printer estab lishes communication with the computer to execute a prede termined operation 0018 Further the method includes the printer receives a control signal inputted by the user and modifies the device type through the control signal 0019 To realize the purpose above a driver installing system of a printer with a USB interface is provided accord ing to a third aspect of the invention 0020 The driver installing method of the printer with the USB interface of the invention includes a computer and a printer connected with the computer by the USB interface US 2013 0038888 Al where
7. of a printer according to the first embodiment of the invention 0024 FIG 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating memory area distribution of a FLASH memory in a printer according to an embodiment of the invention 0025 FIG 3 is another schematic diagram illustrating memory area distribution of a FLASH memory in a printer according to an embodiment of the invention 0026 FIG 4 is a flowchart illustrating a driver installing method of a printer with a USB interface according to an embodiment of the invention 0027 FIG 5 is a flowchart illustrating communication of a computer and a printer according to the first embodiment of the invention 0028 FIG 6 is a flowchart illustrating communication of acomputer and a printer according to the second embodiment of the invention 0029 FIG 7 is a program flowchart of a communication process between a computer and a printer according to an embodiment of the invention 0030 FIG 8 is a block diagram illustrating internal com position of a printer according to the second embodiment of the invention and 0031 FIG 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating memory area distribution of an external memory ofa printer according to an embodiment of the invention DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 0032 It should be noted that if there is no conflict the embodiments of the application and the characteristics in the embodiments can be combined with one another The inven tion wi
8. the communi cation with the computer when the printer is connected to the computer via the USB interface 18 0060 Step S21 the computer communicates with the printer and the printer executes a printing task 0061 After the printer establishes the USB communica tion with the computer as a printing device the installed USB driver can be invoked to transmit data to the printer which receives the printing data and executes the printing task 0062 FIG 6 is a flowchart illustrating communication of a computer and a printer according to the second embodi ment of the invention and FIG 3 is another schematic dia gram illustrating memory area distribution of a FLASH memory in a printer Another embodiment of communication of a computer and a printer of the invention is described according to FIG 3 and FIG 6 As shown in FIG 3 besides a USB driver and a printing device identification the FLASH memory in the printer further stores other files such as product information 153 etc of the printer wherein product informa tion 153 of the printer includes a printer specification 1531 a printer programming manual 1532 a printer maintenance manual 1533 and a printer logo 1534 etc The quantity of memory files is determined by the size of the memory capac ity of the FLASH memory of the printer A larger memory capacity of the FLASH memory may store more files In such a case a communication process of the computer and the printer is as sho
9. 38888 A1 50 Controtfer l 19 Ponting ee EL ASH memory poo mechanism iod x pg Exteraal _ 6 Sewer aren memory we B o AE a controller I8 i f Fig 8 16 External memory y USB device driver 7 162 roguet information file aan A 1621 Printer specification a Printer 1622 programming manual E a as Printer maintenance manual Printer LOGO 1623 1624 D eens Fig 9 US 2013 0038888 Al PRINTER WITH USB INTERFACE AND DRIVER INSTALLING METHOD AND SYSTEM THEREOF TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 0001 The invention relates to the printing field and more particularly to a printer with a Universal Serial Bus USB interface and its driver installing method and system BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 0002 Inrecent years printing devices using USB to con nect Personal Computers hereinafter referred to as computer or PC to facilitate description has become the mainstream gradually Point of Sale POS printers in particular which are broadly applied in the retail industry and the catering industry only need to use printing device drivers provided by operation systems instead of installation of special printer drivers if merely general functions such as data printing and simple state monitoring etc of the printers are used when communicating with PCs If all functions of the printers need to be used and if the currently applied POS printe
10. can man age or edit data in the memory conveniently Feb 14 2013 0098 The first memory 15 and the external memory 16 may be set at the same time or one of them may be set In the case that they are set at the same time the external memory can store the driver or the product information only 0099 The external memory as an extension of the FLASH memory of the printer may store more information besides the device identification of the printer As shown in FIG 9 the external memory 16 due to its large memory capacity is able to store not only a USB driver 161 and a product information file 162 such as a printer specification 1621 a printer pro gramming manual 1622 a printer maintenance manual 1623 and a printer logo 1624 etc but also other files such as a printer application etc 0100 What needs to be noted is that the steps as shown in the flowcharts of the accompanying drawings may be executed in as computer system such as a group of computer executable instructions In addition the steps may he executed according to sequences different from those as shown or described herein although logical sequences have been shown in the flowcharts 0101 It can be seen from the description above that the invention is able to install a driver of a USB device conve niently manage the memory area in the USB device and switch the type of a printing device easily 0102 The above is only the preferred embodiment of the invention
11. due a host communicates with the printer and the printer executes a printing task Patent Application Publication Feb 14 2013 Sheet 4 of 6 US 2013 0038888 A1 a printer reads a device identification _ the printer establishes USB communication AS a memory gevi we E EE EIE ENTA TA a NE EASE Sam dn Maen acini aa E A PE TOSA A T EE VOLERE a PC reads a file nd ma kL ASH n memory of i the printer install a USB driver on the PC and modify a device _ identification of the printer a S I 3 Fe aa s the printer establishes USB ae l communie ation with the PC as a i printing device i a host comnranicates with the printer and the printer executes a printing task PNAN EE AA A Patent Application Publication Feb 14 2013 Sheet 5 of 6 US 2013 0038888 A1 whither the priwe A ee SMENY deviee aaa tye Yes ican 75 nP comm nin a oni transnnt the USB Gry er whether change of the devices No sido aye is ae Y e aes modified Printer device Wentfication identification tothe printer as _SKL modity ihe dev ice a identification S identify the primer as __aprinting device S68 Mid tL OO Penn Sent eee co cr Se i oo con aoe Sa enn receve SHS eee ee Pr mine data PNN E ES NEE E E R a i print data Fg 7 Patent Application Publication Feb 14 2013 Sheet 6 of 6 US 2013 00
12. e printer and storing the product information file and or the driver of the printer 19 The method according to claim 8 wherein the method further comprising the printer receiving a control signal inputted by the user and the printer modifying the device type through the control signal 20 The method according to claim 9 wherein the method further comprising the printer receiving a control signal inputted by the user and the printer modifying the device type through the contrast signal
13. e computer modifying the device type of the printer to be a printing device 10 The method according to claim 7 wherein when the printer is connected to the computer the method further com prising in the case that the printer is identified as a memory device the computer determining whether or not to install the driver in the printer if the determination result is yes the computer installing the driver and modifying the device type of the printer to be a printing device and if the determination result is no the computer not modify ing the device type of the printer and the printer estab lishing communication with the computer to execute a predetermined operation 11 The method according to claim 7m wherein the method further comprising the printer receiving a control signal inputted by the user and the printer modifying the device type through the control signal 12 A driver installing system of a printer with a USB interface comprising a computer and a printer connected with the computer by the USB inter face Feb 14 2013 wherein the computer identifies the printer as a memory device or a printing device in the case that the printer is amemory device the computer installs a driver stored in the printer 13 The printer according to claim 2 wherein the first memory 15 is set inside or outside the printer in the case that the first memory 15 is set outside the printer the first memory is con
14. er is not desired on the computer or an operation system of the computer does not allow the automatic installation of the USB driver the driver can be installed by reading the USB driver 151 stored in the FLASH memory 15 of the printer The device identification 152 stored in the FLASH memory 15 needs to be modified after the installation of the USB driver The printer can deter mine that the USB driver has been installed on the computer only after the device identification of the printer is modified If the installation of the USB driver on the computer ended without modifying the device type of the printer the device type of the printer can be modified manually e g configura tion menu of the printer is selected by a push button mecha nism 11 or the device type is modified by key pressing If the US 2013 0038888 Al printer is provided with a display mechanism e g LCD dis play not shown in FIG 1 a menu can be displayed by the display mechanism The printer may be also configured by printing the configuration menu on a medium 0057 Step S19 the primer establishes USB communica tion with the computer as a printing device 0058 After the printer determines itself to be a printing device by detecting the device identification the following operations are performed 1 the primer resets a USB inter face immediately i e a D signal sent to the USB interface 18 is changed from a pull up state into a high impedance state and a
15. etermined as a printing device by the bDeviceClass field in the device descriptor returned by the printer 0079 Step S63 identify the printer to be a printing device 0080 When the USB communication is established between the computer and the printer multiple descriptors are returned to respond to the requests of the computer The device type of the USB printer is determined to be a printing device by the bDeviceClass field in the returned device descriptor 0081 Step S65 transmit printing data After the USB communication is established between the computer and the primer the printing data 104 may be transmitted from com puter to the printer which performs data printing 0082 At the same time related operations from Step S71 to Step S87 are performed on he printer 50 which is described as follows specifically 0083 Step S71 the printer reads the device identification 0084 Before the USB communication is established between the printer and the computer the device type of the printer needs to be determined first The device type of the printer is distinguished by the device identification 152 in the FLASH memory 15 It is provided that the device type of the printer is amemory device when the device identification 152 is 0 and the device type of the printer is a printing device when the device identification 152 is 1 The default device type of the printer is a memory device when dispatched from Feb 14 2013
16. fter the computer detects the change of the D signal it is determined that the primer identified as a memory device has been disconnected from the computer 2 the printer waits for a certain period of time 3 the printer sets the D signal and changes the D signal of the USB interface from the high impedance state to the pull up state When the computer detects that the D signal is changed from the high impedance state to the pull up state it is considered that a new USB device is connected to the USB interface Subsequently the computer starts a USB communication establishment process with the printer During the communication establishment process the USB printer is determined to be a printing device by a bDeviceClass field in a device descriptor which is returned by responding to a GET_DESCRIPTOR device request of the computer by the printer The content of the bDeviceClass field is determined by the device identification 152 of the printer and the device identification 152 of the printer has been changed from a memory device to a printing device after the USB driver is installed on the computer Printing related operations can be performed after the com puter establishes the USB communication with the printer e g printing data transmission inquiring printer s state etc 0059 After the printer is powered on and if the device identification thereof is a printing device the operation 3 above is performed directly to establish USB
17. ification and a printing device identification By using the invention a driver of a USB device can be installed conveniently toy 402 Poi S 3 brai a S404 Patent Application Publication Push bution mechanism Printing mrechanisrp Feb 14 2013 Sheet 1 of 6 US 2013 0038888 A1 Controller Device identification Fig 2 50 RAM memory poe FLASH memory p T Patent Application Publication Feb 14 2013 Sheet 2 of 6 US 2013 0038888 A1 FLASH memory ae 15 U S B dri yer a Device identification i i Product information file Lon r t Printer specification eerercessecrshssesereeertssteersessrss ree ehee es Printer programming manual Printer maintenance manual Printer LOGO Fig 3 gett eete esses eee N anette tenements when connected to a computer a printer 1s identified as a memory device or a printing device S402 in the case that the printer is identified as a memory device the computer installs a driver stored in the printer 8404 Patent Application Publication Feb 14 2013 Sheet 3 of 6 US 2013 0038888 A1 anne ice2 No uals the printer establishes USB communication with a PC as a memory device rs install a USB driver on the PC and modify adevice identification ofthe printer oe S19 the printer establishes USB communication with the PC as a wus iting device
18. ignal of the interface is changed from a high impedance state to a pull up state When the computer detects that the D signal of the USB interface is changed from the high impedance state to the pull up state it is indicated that a USB device is connected to the computer Subsequently USB communication is estab lished between the computer and the printer Multiple requests including a GET_DESCRIPTOR device are trans mitted by computer The device type of the USB printer is determined by a bDeviceClass field in a device descriptor returned by the printer 0074 Step S53 the printer is identified as a memory device When the USB communication is established between the computer and the printer the printer returns US 2013 0038888 Al multiple descriptors in order to respond to the requests of the computer e g a device descriptor a configuration descriptor and an interface descriptor etc wherein the device type of the USB printer is determined to be a memory device by the bDeviceClass field in the device descriptor 0075 Step S55 read a USB driver The computer must read the USB driver first when installing the USB driver If installed automatically the USB driver is read by an installa tion program run on the computer If the USB driver is installed manually an operator needs to read the USB driver from a FLASH memory 15 in the printer 0076 Step S57 install the USB driver The computer installs the USB driver after readi
19. in the computer identifies the printer as a memory device or a printing device In the case that the printer is a memory device a driver stored in the printer is installed 0021 The invention applies a printer with a USB interface with the following structure comprising a controller and a first memory connected with the controller and storing a driver of the printer wherein the first memory further stores a device identification wherein the type of the device identifi cation includes a memory device identification and a printing device identification Since two types of device identifica tions are stored in the first memory the printer is identified as a memory device or a printing device when connected to a computer wherein when the printer is identified as a memory device the computer can install the driver stored in the printer Therefore the invention solves the problem of incon venience in installing a driver of a USB device thus installing the driver of the USB device conveniently BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 0022 The accompanying drawings illustrated here pro vide further understanding to the invention and constitute a part of the application The exemplary embodiments of the invention and the illustrations thereof are used for explaining the invention instead of constituting an improper limitation to the invention In the accompanying drawings 0023 FIG 1 is a block diagram illustrating internal com position
20. inconvenience in installing a driver of a USB device in related technologies SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 0005 The invention is put forward to solve the problem of inconvenience in installing a driver of a USE device There fore the main purpose of the invention is to provide a printer with a USE interface and its driver installing method and system to solve the problem above 0006 To realize the purpose above a printer with a USB interface is provided according to an aspect of the invention 0007 The printer with the USE interface according to the invention includes a USB interface and a printing mecha nism and frillier includes a controller and a first memory connected with the controller and storing a driver of the printer wherein the first memory further stores a device iden Feb 14 2013 tification wherein the type of the device identification includes a memory device identification and a printing device identification 0008 Further the printer includes an input mechanism connected with the controller and configured to receive a signal inputted by a user to enable the controller to modify the type of the device identification in the first memory The input mechanism may he a manual input mechanism such as a push button mechanism and may be also an external mechanism such as a dedicated application input mechanism 0009 Further the type of the default device identification in the first memory is the memory device
21. inter is a printing device go to Step S19 to continue processing If the printer is a memory device instead of a printing device go to Step S15 to perform processing 0052 Step S15 the printer establishes USB communica tion with the computer as a memory device 0053 When the USB communication is established between the computer and the printer the USB printer is determined to be amemory device by a bDeviceClass field in a device descriptor which is returned by responding to a GET_DESCRIPTOR device request of the computer by the printer The content of the bDeviceClass field is determined by the device identification 152 of the printer When the computer determines that the printer is a memory device a file in the FLASH memory of the printer can be accessed by using amemory USB driver provided in the computer directly instead of installing a special USB memory device driver on the computer 0054 Step S17 install a USB driver on the computer and modify the device identification of the printer 0055 Ifthe USB driver is installed automatically a USB driver installation interface will pop up automatically on a computer screen The installation is performed automatically according to tips on the installation interface After the instal lation an installation program will modify the device type of the printer automatically and the device identification does not need to be modified manually 0056 Ifthe installation of the USB driv
22. inter 50 while the device type of the primer is controlled by the device identification in the FLASH memory 15 of the printer The default device identification of the printer is amemory device when dispatched front the factory In this way when the printer is connected with the computer for the first time the computer can perform operations such as installation of the USB driver browsing user manual and browsing printer configuration etc by accessing the FLASH memory 15 of the printer which serves as a memory device After the USB driver of the printer is installed on the com puter the computer modifies the device identification of the printer After the primer detects that the device identification is modified the printer disconnects the USB connection with the computer automatically and establishes the USB commu nication over again with the computer after waiting for a certain period of time When reconnected with the computer the printer communicates with the computer as a printing device and is able to execute a printing task directly There fore the printer and the driver installing method provided by the invention can perform operations including installing a printer driver and looking up a user manual and printing configuration etc without setting a CD additionally which is convenient simple and more user friendly 0095 The printer can be also provided with a second memory device an external memory device or a second memo
23. ion 5 The printer according to claim 1 wherein the first memory 15 is set inside or outside the printer in the case that the first memory 15 is set outside the printer the first memory is connected to the printer by an external interface of the printer 6 The printer according to claim 1 wherein the first memory 15 further stores a product information file of the printer or the printer further comprising a second memory US 2013 0038888 Al 16 connected to the printer by the external interface of the printer and storing the product information file and or the driver of the printer 7 A driver installing method of a printer with a USB interface comprising when the printer is connected to a computer the printer being identified as a memory device or a printing device wherein the printer stores a device identification wherein the type of the device identification includes a memory device identification and a printing device iden tification and in the case that the printer is identified as a memory device the computer installing a driver stored in the printer 8 The method according to claim 7 wherein the device type of the printer is modified by a signal inputted by a user 9 The method according to claim 7 wherein when the printer is connected to the computer for the first time the device type of the printer is a memory device after the driver is installed by the computer the method further comprising th
24. ll be described in details below with reference to the reference accompanying drawings and in combination with the embodiments Feb 14 2013 0033 FIG 1 is a block diagram illustrating internal com position of a printer according to the first embodiment of the invention 0034 As shown in FIG 1 the printer with a USB interface according to an embodiment of the invention includes a USB interface 18 and a printing mechanism 12 and further includes a controller 13 and a first memory e g a FLASH memory 15 connected with the controller 13 and storing a driver of the printer wherein the first memory 15 further stores a device identification wherein the type of the device identification includes a memory device identification and a printing device identification 0035 Inthis embodiment either the memory device iden tification or the printing device identification is identified as an enabled state wherein when the memory device identifi cation is identified as the enabled state the printing device is identified as a memory device At the moment a computer may install the driver stored in the memory device In the case that the printing device identification is identified as the enabled state the printer is identified as a printing device At the moment the printer may be enabled to execute a printing operation etc By this embodiment the driver of the printer can be installed conveniently 0036 As shown in the figure the
25. n the printer and the computer including establish ment of USB communication device configuration of the printer and transmission of various data etc The controller 13 controls other parts of the printer to complete the establish ment of the USB communication the data transmission data printing and medium transmission of the printer together with the controller 0037 FIG 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating memory area distribution of a FLASH memory of a printer As shown in the figure the FLASH memory 15 stores a USB driver 151 and as device identification 152 of the printer wherein the USB driver is a printing device driver of the printer When the printer is connected to a computer as a memory device the printer is identified as amemory device by the computer the computer may read and install the USB driver The device identification of the printer represents the device type of the US 2013 0038888 Al printer when the printer establishes USB communication with the computer i e the printer establishes communication with the computer as a memory device or a printing device Preferably the default device type of the printer is a memory device only when the device type is modified by the com puter from a memory device to a printer device after the USB driver of the printer is installed on the computer to the use the printing device for the first time the driver may be installed conveniently and the printer may be enabled t
26. nected to the printer by an external interface of the printer 14 The printer according to claim 3 wherein the first memory 15 is set inside or outside the printer in the case that the first memory 15 is set outside the printer the first memory is connected to the printer by an external interface of the printer 15 The printer according to claim 4 wherein the first memory 15 is set inside or outside the printer in the case that the first memory 15 is set outside the printer the first memory is connected to the printer by an external interface of the printer 16 The printer according to claim 2 wherein the first memory 15 further stores a product information file of the printer or the printer further comprising a second memory 16 connected to the printer by the external interface of the printer and storing the product information file and or the driver of the printer 17 The printer according to claim 3 wherein the first memory 15 further stores a product information file of the printer or the printer further comprising a second memory 16 connected to the printer by the external interface of the printer and storing the product information file and or the driver of the printer 18 The printer according to claim 4 wherein the first memory 15 further stores a product information file of the printer or the printer further comprising a second memory 16 connected to the printer by the external interface of th
27. ng the USB driver The USB driver may be installed automatically or manually 0077 Step S59 send a modified device identification to the printer The computer needs to modify the device identi fication of the printer after installing the driver If the driver is installed automatically the device identification of the printer is modified automatically b an automatic installation pro gram If the driver is installed manually the device identifi cation of the printer needs to be modified manually The computer sends modification information of the device iden tification to the printer as shown by a printer identification 102 0078 Step S61 perform the PnP communication of the USB interface on the computer After detecting that the device identification is modified the printer initiates the PnP com munication The computer determines the plug in or removal of the USB device according to the change of the D signal of the USB interface When the computer detects that the D signal of the USB interface is changed from the pull up state to the high impedance state it is considered that the device with the USB interface has been removed When the com puter detects that the D signal of the USB interface is changed from the high impedance state to the pull up state it is considered that a new device is plugged in the USB inter face and the computer initiates a USB communication estab lishment process The device type of the printer is d
28. o communicate with the computer as a printing device after installing the driver i e the printer is identified by the computer as a printing device to execute a printing operation In addition the device type of the printer may be also modified by a push button mechanism an enabled state of the device identifica tion in the printer is modified so as to facilitate a user to modify the device type of the printer 0038 The input mechanism may be also a dedicated appli cation input mechanism The device type of the printer may be modified by the dedicated application input mechanism using a dedicated application installed by the computer e g when the printer is a printing device the application modifies the device identification of the printer by sending a control command to the printer by the computer When the printer is amemory device the application modifies the device type of the printer by modifying the content ofa device identification file in the memory device Preferably the dedicated applica tion is stored in the FLASH memory 15 0039 FIG 3 is another schematic diagram illustrating memory area distribution of a FLASH memory in a printer according to an embodiment of the invention 0040 As shown in FIG 3 besides a USB driver 151 and a device identification 152 of the printer the FLASH memory further stores a product related information file 153 e g a printer specification 1531 a printer programming manual 1532 a p
29. of the printer and deter mines that the device type of the USB printer is a memory device by the bDeviceClass field in the device descriptor of the printer 0088 Step S77 transmit the USB driver After the printer establishes the USB communication with the computer as a memory device the computer can access the USB driver 151 in the FLASH memory of the printer which transmits the USB driver 101 to the computer via a USB cable 30 0089 Step S79 the printer determines whether or not the modification information of the printer identification is received If the printer receives the modification information 102 of the device identification sent by the computer Step S81 is performed Otherwise the printer keeps waiting for the modification information of the device identification 0090 Step S81 the printer modifies the device identifica tion After receiving the modification information of the device identification from the computer the printer modifies the device identification of the printer from a memory device to a printing device The device identification of the printer will not be lost after the printer is powered off After the device identification of the printer is modified the USB com munication needs to be established with the computer over again 0091 Step S83 the PnP communication is performed over again between the computer and the printer Firstly by chang ing the state of the D signal of the USB interface from
30. printer 50 communicates with the computer 40 via a USB communication cable 30 forming a printing system 1 together As shown in the figure the printer includes the controller 13 an input mechanism including a push button mechanism or a touch screen mecha nism etc taking the example of the push button mechanism hereinafter 11 a printing mechanism 12 a RAM memory 14 a FLASH memory 15 and a USB controller 17 wherein the input mechanism 11 is configured to perform various opera tions including configuration and testing etc for the printer such as modifying the device identification also known as a device identifier of the primer and printing a testing pattern sheet of a printing head etc The printing mechanism 12 includes a printing head a printing head driving circuit and a medium transmitting mechanism etc which are not shown in the figure The printing head is controlled by a printing head control circuit to print on a medium which is transmitted by the medium transmitting mechanism Printing data and printer state data etc transmitted by the computer are stored inthe RAM memory 14 temporarily The FLASH memory 15 not only stores such information as a control program a word library and a code page etc of the printer but also stores a USB driver of the printer the device identifier of the printer and other files such as a product information file of the printer itself etc The USB controller controls the communication betwee
31. rinter maintenance manual 1533 and a printer logo 1534 etc 0041 FIG 4 is a flowchart illustrating a driver installing method of a printer with a USB interface according to an embodiment of the invention 0042 As shown in FIG 4 the method includes the follow ing steps 0043 Step S402 when connected to a computer the printer is identified as a memory device or a printing device wherein the printer stores a device identification wherein the type of the device identification includes a memory device identification and a printing device identification When the memory device identification is identified as an enabled state the printer is identified as a memory device When the print ing device identification is identified as an enabled state the printer is identified as a printing device wherein in the case that the printer is identified as a printing device the computer is able to communicate with the printing device to perform a printing operation When the printer is identified as a memory device the computer is able to read data stored in the memory device and manage the data in the memory device 0044 Step S404 in the case that the printer is identified as a memory device the computer installs a driver stored in the printer 0045 Through the embodiment above a computer iden tified device type of the printer can be switched between a memory device and a printing device thus installing the driver ofa USB device con
32. rs provide many functions such as real time state query and automatic state returning etc special USB device drivers provided by printer manufacturers need to be installed Currently the following method is commonly used for installing a printer driver the printer driver is installed by using a computer Compact Disc Read Only Memory CD ROM through a Compact Disc CD carrying a driver The used CD carrying the driver is large in size and not easy to carry while increas ing the cost of accessories of the printer 0003 A method is put forward in related technologies to add a USB hub ina USB device When connected to a printer the USB device is identified as 2 devices a USB memory and a printing device which are two independent devices A driver of the printing device is stored in the USB memory and a USB driver of the printing device is installed by accessing the driver in the USB memory The printing device is used alter the USB device is installed Although such a solution can avoid carrying a CD by a user and the USB driver is stored in the USB device itself the USB hub and the USB memory independent of the printing device are added in the printing device which increases the cost of the printing device In addition the pinning device fails to manage the storage area of the USB memory device which causes waste of the idle memory area of the USE memory 0004 Currently there are no effective solutions for solv ing the problem of
33. ry to store a printer driver and or at product informa tion file to enlarge the memory capacity and so that the device can be used more easily FIG 8 and FIG 9 together describe device composition of a printer carrying an external memory and memory area distribution of the external memory 0096 FIG 1 is a block diagram illustrating internal com position of a printer provided with an external memory Besides the description below other parts of the composition of the printer in FIG 8 and FIG 1 are the same 0097 As shown in FIG 8 the printer 50 further includes the external memory 16 which may be a memory device such as a memory card etc When the external memory of the printer is a memory card etc the printer may further include an external interface 19 such as a card reader After the printer establishes USB communication with a computer as a print ing device the computer can access the external memory which serves as an extension of a FLASH memory of the printer and read files stored in the external memory wherein the first memory 15 may be also set inside or outside the printer if set outside the printer the first memory can be connected to the printer by an external interface which may be the external interface 19 above or other independent exter nal interfaces of the printer No matter set inside or outside the printer the computer does not need to use a CD ROM when installing a driver In addition the computer
34. the pull up state to the high impedance state at the printer it is indicated that the printer connected with the computer as a memory device have been removed from the USB interface After waiting for a certain period of time the printer changes the state of the signal D of the USB interface from the high impedance state to the pull up state over again to indicate the computer that a new USB device is plugged in When detect ing that the new USB device is plugged in the computer initiates a USB communication establishment process Dur ing the communication establishment process the computer requests for the configuration data 103 of the printer and determines that the primer is a printing device by the bDe viceClass field in the device descriptor in the configuration US 2013 0038888 Al information The printer can receive printing data and print it after the communication is established between the printer and the computer 0092 Step S85 the printer receives the printing data After establishing the USB communication with the computer as a printing device the printer receives the printing data 104 sent by the computer as a common primer 0093 Step S87 the printer prints the printing data After receiving the printing data a printing mechanism of the printer prints the printing data on a medium 0094 To sum up the computer 40 determines the device type of the printer when establishing the USB communication with the pr
35. veniently without carrying a CD by auser In addition the datain the memory device of the printer can be managed Feb 14 2013 0046 FIG 5 is a flowchart illustrating communication of a computer and a printer according to the first embodiment of the invention 0047 An installation process of a USB driver is described below according to FIG 5 0048 Step S11 a printer reads a device identification 0049 After the printer is powered on and before the com munication is established with the computer the device type of the printer needs to be determined first There are two device types of the printer i e a printing device and a memory device respectively The device type of the printer is distin guished by the device identification 152 ina FLASH memory 15 It is provided that the device type of the printer is a memory device when the device identification 152 is 0 and the device type of the printer is a printing device when the device identification 152 is 1 Each time the printer estab lishes USB communication with the computer only one device type can be selected either a printing device or a memory device 0050 Step S13 determine the device type of the printer 0051 After the printer reads the device identification 152 the device type of the printer is a memory device when the read information is 0 and the device type of the printer is a printing device when the read information is 1 Ifthe pr
36. wn in FIG 6 Except that Step S161 Step 162 and Step S163 are added the installation process of FIG 6 is same as that of FIG 5 Feb 14 2013 0063 Step S161 the computer reads files in the FLASH memory of the printer 0064 The computer reads all accessible files including a USB driver in the FLASH memory of the printer e g looking up product information of the printer etc Storing various files in the FLASH memory can not only save a CD of a printer driver but also save a CD for storing the product information of the printer In a preferred embodiment an automatic run ning program is set in the FLASH memory After the printer establishes USB communication with the computer as a memory device an interface which displays options such as driver installation browsing user manual and browsing printer configuration etc to be selected by an operator is run on the computer automatically 0065 Step S162 determine whether or not to install the driver 0066 After the printer establishes USB communication with the computer as a memory device whether or not to install the USB driver on the computer is determined If so go to Step S17 to perform processing Otherwise processing is performed according to Step S163 0067 Step S163 execute a selected operation 0068 Ifthe computer does not install the USB driver the device identification of the printer is not modified and the printer is always connected with the computer
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