BACKGROUND ART In recent years, with the wide spread of computers and the improvement of the information technologies, most of documents have been created by computer software such as a document editor.

Particularly, in an organization such as a company, a school, a public institution and the like, various formal documents have been made out by word processor or official software. But, the transportation and storage of the documents made out by the above method still depend on papers in most cases. Especially, if there is a need for storing and maintaining the documents for a predetermined period, the

management of the documents further depends on the papers.

And, a bar code is widely used for managing the documents and for storing the documents during the predetermined period.

Since the bar code has a strong point in that it can memorize various data such as information of goods, price and input data simply and rapidly in comparison with a manual work, it has been widely used in a real life.

And also, since the bar code can be read even if a portion thereof is damaged, it guarantees more accuracy and stability than conventional characters.

Recently, a two-dimensional bar code which is capable of storing <BR> <BR> more information, e. g. , about 100 times, than a rod type one dimensional bar code, has been developed. This two dimensional bar code can be used in various fields such as a deposit slip, a written notice or the like due to its large amount of indicating information contained therein. However, it is necessary to solve the problem in the operation of outputting the bar code in order to utilize this bar code widely.

Further, if the two-dimensional bar code is outputted by replacing existing conventional software related to the operation of outputting, <BR> <BR> e. g. , a word processor, a sheet program, a business transaction and personal business software, a problem in efficiency occurs due to the loss of time and cost.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION It is a primary object of the present invention to solve the above mentioned problems of the prior art and to provide a print control method for printing documents with a two-dimensional bar code which is compatible with an existing conventional device driver and which inserts a two-dimensional bar code having a designated information into a document to be output for outputting the same without changing or replacing existing conventional software related to an outputting operation.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a print control method for printing documents with a two-dimensional bar code which inserts a two-dimensional bar code into a preset document prints the same together with the output document without changing existing conventional software or system, thereby reducing cost and time.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a print control method for printing documents with a two-dimensional bar code which is capable of improving the efficiency of an input job during the management of documents by creating a desired content designated from a selected document in a two-dimensional bar code and inserting the corresponding content into the selected document for outputting the same.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is

provided a print control method for printing documents with a two-dimensional bar code, comprising the steps of: a) directing an arbitrary document to be printed; b) designating one of the contents of the output document to be transformed into the two-dimensional bar code; c) storing the designated content into an information file; d) creating a two-dimensional bar code image containing the designated content in the document with reference to the script information of the corresponding document and the value of the information file during printing; and e) printing the document along with the created two-dimensional bar code image being inserted into a predetermined position of the output document.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a print control method for printing documents with a two-dimensional bar code, wherein the step of designating one of the contents of the output document to be transformed into the two-dimensional bar code includes the steps of: displaying the document to be outputted on a screen by using an output script; and designating a predetermined position of the displayed document screen.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a print control method for printing documents with a two-dimensional bar code, wherein the information file stored in the step c) includes designated information, a method, an output position and the like.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer-readable recording medium in a computer with a printer driver connected to a printer, the recording medium storing a program for operating a first mean for designating a predetermined content in a document to be outputted by an order of the printer driver, a second means for storing the information on the content designated by the first means, a third means for creating a two-dimensional bar code storing the designated content with reference to the information of the output ordered document and the information stored by the second means, and a fourth means for supplying a two-dimensional bar code image created by the third means to the printer as an output document by inserting the two-dimensional bar code image into a predetermined position of the output ordered document.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS These and other features, aspects, and advantages of preferred embodiments of the present invention will be more fully described in the following detailed description, taken accompanying drawings. In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of apparatus for employing a print control method for printing documents with a two-dimensional bar code in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 2 depicts a block diagram representing a schematic

structure of a bar code output software for implementing the method in accordance with the present invention; Figs. 3a and 3b show flow charts for illustrating the a print control method for printing documents with a two-dimensional bar code in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 4 is a view explaining an example of a document printed by a conventional printing method; and Fig. 5 represents a diagram depicting the output state of a two-dimensional bar code created on the document of Fig. 4 in accordance with the present invention.

BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, a print control method for printing documents with a two-dimensional bar code in accordance with the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of apparatus for employing a print control method for printing documents with a two-dimensional bar code in accordance with the present invention, wherein the present invention loads an output information on the document installed on a computer 10 and stored on a hard disk 14, outputs the output information as a preview, creates a designated portion of the contents of the output document by a user in a two-dimensional bar code image, inserts the image into a predetermined

position of the output documents and prints it through the printer 18.

The computer 10 at least includes a central processing unit (CPU) 11 for implementing processes based on software described hereinafter, a read only memory (ROM) 12 for storing a program such as a booting program, a random access memory (RAM) 13 for serving as an operational area of the CPU 11, a hard disk 14 for storing various application programs such as a bar code output software 141 for realizing a two-dimensional bar code output function and a text edit software 142 for editing the documents in accordance with the present invention or data, a display device 15 for displaying two-dimensional bar code creation and output processes in accordance with the present invention or an image of the documents, an input device 16 such as a key board or mouse for implementing various input operations and an interface device 17 such as various drivers, network adaptors and the like including the computer 10 and the printer 18.

The printer 18 connected to the computer 10 by the interface device 17 at least includes a printer queue 19 for storing the output documents transmitted through the interface device 17.

Fig. 2 depicts a block diagram representing a schematic structure of a bar code output software 141 for implementing a method stored on the hard disk 14 in accordance with the present invention, wherein the software includes a script information analyze function block 21 for analyzing the script information of the output documents, an extraction

information select function block 22 for designating the position or information created with the two-dimensional bar code among the contents of the documents by the user, a information storage function block 23 for storing information for the contents or information to be created by the bar code selected at the extraction information select <BR> <BR> function block 22 as an attribute file, e. g. , INI, an information file edit function block 24 for editing the information of the attribute file stored at the information storage function block 23, a two-dimensional bar code image creation block 25 for loading the information file by the information storage function block 23 and for creating the contents of the documents by the two-dimensional bar code in response to the result, an image combine block 26 for inserting the two-dimensional bar code image created at the two-dimensional bar code image creation block 25 into a predetermined position of the documents selected through the output information analyzed by the script information analyze function block 21 and an output function block 27 for outputting the document combined with the two-dimensional bar code by the display device 15 or the printer 18.

Hereinafter, the print control method in accordance with the present invention is described in detail with reference to the above-described explanation.

The print control method in accordance with the present invention is approximately classified into a design mode and an output

mode.

For one thing, as shown in Fig. 3a, there is shown a flow chart for illustrating an operational flow in a design mode designating the information to be stored in the two-dimensional bar code.

For another, as shown in Fig. 3b, there is shown an operational flow chart at an output mode for illustrating a method for creating a two-dimensional bar code with reference to the contents of the information file designated by analyzing the output information and for printing the created image to an existing conventional output part by adding.

At first, the operation of the design mode is explained hereinafter.

After the documents to be printed are displayed on the screen of the display device 15 by using the information transmitted to the queue 19 of the printer 18 through the interface 17, the information contained in the two-dimensional bar code by using the input device 16 are previously selected by a user and can be used in the output mode by <BR> <BR> storing the designated part in the form of information file, e. g. , INI file.

Referring to Fig. 3a, the operation steps of the design mode are further explained hereinafter as follows: At step S301, ordering an output of an arbitrary document; and, at step S302, displaying the ordered arbitrary document on the screen at first by a script to be transmitted to the printer 19. At this time, the extraction information select function block 22 provides both of a

designation selection button and a display device capable of designating the information to be created into the two-dimensional bar code by the user.

At step S303, the information to create the two-dimensional bar code among the output screens is designated by the input device 16 by the user and at step S304 the designated document contents are stored as an information file by the information storage function block 23. At this time, for example, the stored information can be a position value representing a position of a pixel in up and down and in right and left on the screen.

As described above, at the design mode, a portion to be converted into a two-dimensional bar code image among the document information transmitted to the printer queue 19 by using the information file is defined and the defined portion can be added to the original documents during the output of the documents.

Thereafter, the operation of the output mode is explained hereinafter.

At the output mode, the output information, i. e. , script information, transmitted to the printer 18 is analyzed; the two-dimensional bar code images are created with reference to the contents existing in the designated information file; and the created two-dimensional bar code images are added to the output documents and the output documents are outputted together with the created

two-dimensional bar code without changing the existing conventional output portion. Referring to Fig. 3b, the operation steps of the output mode are further explained in detail hereinafter as follows.

At the output mode, the document file is created together with the <BR> <BR> information file, and the information, i. e. , script information, of the output documents arrived at the printer 18 is identified at step S305.

And, the contents of the portion to be converted into the two-dimensional bar code among the document information with reference to the value of the information file, related to the corresponding document, created in the design mode are detected and the two-dimensional bar code is created based on the corresponding contents at step S306.

In the next steps S307 and S308, the document information is transferred together with the two-dimensional bar code created as described above and the documents are printed with inserting the bar code image into a predetermined position of the document information.

Fig. 4 is a view explaining an output deposit slip image 50 as a document image before the bar code is inserted into the document image, and Fig. 5 represents a diagram depicting the output deposit slip image 50 printed with the two-dimensional bar code image combined thereto.

As shown in Fig. 5, the two-dimensional bar code images 51 can be created and printed in the existing conventional output deposit slip

image 50 shown in Fig. 4 without changing the existing information.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY As described above, the present invention is capable of creating a two-dimensional bar code image in the documents and printing the two-dimensional bar code image together with the documents while utilizing the existing conventional system and software, thereby activating the use of bar code and improving the efficiency of input job of a document processing system.

While the present invention has been described with respect to the preferred embodiments, other modifications and variations may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the following claims.