Character processing system and method

A character processing system comprising:

• a character processing apparatus comprising a font memory for storing therein fonts for a plurality of character codes, a character information memory for storing therein storage address information for each character code as well as a font corresponding to the character code, a storage address output means for receiving an arbitrary character code, retrieving a matching character code from said character information memory according to the received character code, and outputting storage address information for the retrieved character code, and a display device for inputting therein a corresponding font from said font memory according to the storage address information received from said storage address output means and displaying a character of the arbitrary character code on a screen;
• and
• a font output device connected through a network to said character processing apparatus for receiving a character code from said character processing apparatus and outputting a font corresponding to the character code;
• wherein said character processing apparatus transmits the received character code to said font output device when it receives character code for a font not stored in the apparatus;
• wherein said font output device retrieves a corresponding font according to the character code received from said character processing apparatus and transmits the retrieved front to said character processing apparatus;
• and
• wherein said character processing apparatus displays a character of the character code with the font not stored in the apparatus on a screen using the font transmitted from said font output device.

A character processing apparatus comprising:

• a font memory for storing therein fonts for at least representative characters among a group of different character shapes comprising representative characters and variant font characters thereof;
• a character information memory for storing therein storage address information or no-font information for each character code and for fonts corresponding to the character code, type information indicating whether the character code is for a representative character or for any variant font character thereof assigned to each character code, and group information for group numbers for character code among group numbers assigned to classified groups of character code, said each character code group comprising a representative character and variant font characters thereof;
• a storage address output means for receiving an arbitrary character code, retrieving a matching character code from said character information memory according to said received character code, referring to storage address information or no-font information corresponding to the retrieved character code, outputting, when there is storage address information, the storage address information, retrieving character code having an identical group number as that of said retrieved character code and also having type information for a representative character according to said type information as well as to the group information, and outputting storage address information for the character code;
• and
• a printer for receiving a corresponding font from said font memory according to the storage address information inputted from said storage address output means and executing print processing for said arbitrary character code.

A character processing method with a character processing apparatus comprising a font memory for storing therein fonts for at least representative characters among a group of different character shapes comprising representative characters and variant font characters thereof;

• and a character information memory for storing therein storage address information or no-font information for each character code and for fonts corresponding to the character code, type information indicating whether the character code is for a representative character or for any variant font character thereof assigned to each character code, and group information for group numbers for character code among group numbers assigned to classified groups of character code, said each character code group comprising a representative character and variant font characters thereof;
• said character processing method comprising:
• a first step of inputting arbitrary character code and retrieving matching character code from said character information memory according to said inputted character code;
• a second step of referring to storage address information or no-font information corresponding to the character code retrieved in said first step, outputting, when there is storage address information, the storage address information, retrieving, when there is no-font information, character code having the same group number as that for the retrieved character code and also having type information for a representative character according to said type information as well as said group information, and outputting storage address information for the character code;
• and
• a third step of inputting the storage address information outputted in said second step, inputting a corresponding font from said font memory according to the inputted storage address information, and displaying a character of said arbitrary character code on a screen.

A character processing method of using a character processing apparatus comprising a font memory for storing therein fonts for a plurality of character codes;

• a character information memory for storing therein storage address information for each character code and a font corresponding to the character code;
• a storage address output means for receiving an arbitrary character code, retrieving a matching character code from said character information memory according to the received character code, and outputting storage address information corresponding to the retrieved character code;
• and a display means for inputting a corresponding font from said font memory according to the storage address information inputted from said storage address output means and displaying a character of said arbitrary character code on a screen, and also using a font output device connected through a network to said character processing apparatus for receiving character code from said character processing apparatus and outputting a font corresponding to the character code, said character processing method comprising:
• a first step of transmitting, when character code for a font not stored in said character processing apparatus is inputted into said character processing apparatus, the inputted character code to said font output device;
• a second step of receiving the character code transmitted in said first step with said font output device, retrieving a corresponding font according to the received character code according to the received character code, and transmitting the retrieved font to said character processing apparatus;
• and
• a third step of receiving the font transmitted in said first step with said character processing apparatus and displaying a character of character code with a font not stored in said character processing apparatus using the received font on a screen.