CN105446668B - Image forming apparatus and method of changing print setting - Google Patents

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide an image forming apparatus and a method for changing print settings. The apparatus includes an acquisition unit that acquires a print job including print condition information from an information processing apparatus; a storage unit that stores the print job; and an image forming unit that An image forming process for paper is executed according to a print job stored in the storage unit; an operation unit that accepts a change instruction for changing the print condition information or an execution instruction for executing an image forming process based on a print job; and a control unit, When the operation unit accepts the change instruction, the control unit changes the print condition information included in the print job stored in the storage unit according to the change instruction, and when the operation unit accepts the execution instruction, the control unit causes the image forming unit to use the information stored in the storage unit. The stored print job performs image forming processing. With the embodiments of the present invention, the user can change the printing conditions of the printing task on the printer, thereby improving the operability.

Description

Image forming apparatus and method of changing print settings

technical field

Embodiments of the present invention relate to the field of printing, and in particular, to an image forming apparatus and a method for changing print settings, which record and reuse print setting changes that occur before data is printed.

Background technique

In the existing printing technology, the following process is generally included. An information processing device (such as a host computer, also referred to as a PC) sets printing conditions according to user operations, and the PC sends a print job with the printing conditions set to the image forming device ( For example, a printer), after the printer receives a print job, it stores it in the storage unit and does not execute it.

When the user moves from the PC to the printer, the printer accepts a print instruction based on the user's operation from an operation unit (eg, UI panel), and the printer executes printing in accordance with the print condition set on the PC in accordance with the print instruction.

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-249848

It should be noted that the above description of the technical background is only for the convenience of clearly and completely describing the technical solutions of the present invention and facilitating the understanding of those skilled in the art. It should not be assumed that the above-mentioned technical solutions are well known to those skilled in the art simply because these solutions are described in the background section of the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

However, the inventors found that in the prior art disclosed in Patent Document 1, after the user moves from the PC to the printer, the print conditions of the print job stored in the printer cannot be changed, and thus the print adjustment cannot be easily performed.

The embodiments of the present invention are proposed to solve this problem. The embodiments of the present invention provide an image forming apparatus and a method for changing print settings, so that a user can change the print conditions of a print job and perform further processing on the printer. .

According to an aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus having:

an acquisition unit that acquires a print job including print condition information from the information processing apparatus;

a storage section, which stores print tasks;

an image forming section that executes image forming processing for paper according to the print job stored in the storage section;

an operation unit that accepts a change instruction for changing the print condition information, or an execution instruction for executing an image forming process based on a print job; and

The control unit, when the operation unit accepts the change instruction, changes the print condition information included in the print job stored in the storage unit according to the change instruction; when the operation unit accepts the execution instruction, the control unit causes the image formation The section executes image forming processing based on the print job stored in the storage section.

According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, a method for changing print settings is provided, including:

Acquire a print job containing print condition information from an information processing device, and store the print job;

accepting a change instruction for changing the print condition information, or accepting an execution instruction for executing image forming processing based on the print job;

When the change instruction is accepted, the print condition information included in the stored print job is changed according to the change instruction; when the execution instruction is accepted, the stored print job is executed. Describe the image forming process.

The beneficial effects of the embodiments of the present invention are: the user can change the printing conditions of the printing task on the printer, so that the printing adjustment can be conveniently performed; and even in the case of saving toner, the readability of the text can be maintained sex.

With reference to the following description and drawings, specific embodiments of the invention are disclosed in detail, indicating the manner in which the principles of the invention may be employed. It should be understood that embodiments of the present invention are not thereby limited in scope. Embodiments of the invention include many changes, modifications and equivalents within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Features described and/or illustrated for one embodiment may be used in the same or similar manner in one or more other embodiments, in combination with, or instead of features in other embodiments .

It should be emphasized that the term "comprising/comprising" when used herein refers to the presence of a feature, integer, step or component, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps or components.

Description of drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the embodiments of the invention, constitute a part of the specification, are used to illustrate embodiments of the invention, and together with the written description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention, and for those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can also be obtained from these drawings without creative effort. In the attached image:

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an overall schematic diagram of Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a configuration example diagram of the printing device and the host computer according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is an overall flow chart of a setting change operation before printing according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a print setting change in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

6 is a schematic diagram of storing print data and print settings according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of printing selection in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

8 is a schematic diagram of a change in print settings according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

9 is a schematic diagram of printing/deleting in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is another example diagram of the configuration of the printing device and the host computer according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a schematic flowchart of a return print setting change in Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

12 is a schematic diagram of the information processing apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention when printing again;

13 is a schematic diagram of setting prompt/selection in Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

14 is a schematic diagram of a method for changing print settings according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention.

Detailed ways

The foregoing and other features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the specification and drawings, specific embodiments of the invention are disclosed in detail, which are indicative of some of the embodiments in which the principles of the invention may be employed, it being understood that the invention is not limited to the described embodiments, but rather The invention includes all modifications, variations and equivalents falling within the scope of the appended claims.

Example 1

An embodiment of the present invention provides an image forming apparatus. FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1 , the image forming apparatus 11 includes:

an acquisition unit 111, which acquires a print job including print condition information from the information processing device 10;

a storage unit 112, which stores the print job;

an image forming unit 113, which executes image forming processing for paper according to the print job stored in the storage unit 112;

an operation unit 114 that accepts a change instruction for changing the print condition information and an execution instruction for executing the image forming process based on the print job;

The control unit 115 , when the operation unit 114 accepts the change instruction, the control unit 115 controls the print condition information included in the print job stored in the storage unit 112 according to the change instruction change; when the operation unit 114 accepts the execution instruction, the control unit 115 causes the image forming unit 113 to execute the image forming process based on the print job stored in the storage unit 112 .

In this embodiment, the image forming apparatus 11 may be, for example, an actual printer or a virtual printer, such as a PDF Printer. The information processing apparatus 10 may be, for example, a host computer, that is, a personal computer (PC, Personal Computer), or may be other terminals such as a mobile terminal (mobile phone), a tablet computer, and the like. The image forming apparatus 11 and the information processing apparatus 10 can communicate through a network such as a local area network or a wide area network, or a wireless network.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the image forming apparatus 11 may further include:

The display unit 116 and the control unit 115 cause the display unit 116 to display the print condition information before the change and the print condition information after the change in a list.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the image forming apparatus 11 may further include:

In the transmission unit 117 , the control unit 115 causes the transmission unit 117 to transmit the change information related to the change instruction to the information processing device 10 . Wherein, the change information may be the changed print condition information, but the present invention is not limited to this.

In this embodiment, a print job including printing condition information can be obtained from the information processing apparatus 10 by the obtaining unit 111 , and the print job can be stored by the storage unit 112 ; The printing condition information is changed at this point, and the storage unit 112 may also store the changed information. In this way, not only can the print conditions of the print job stored in the printer be changed after the user moves to the printer, but also the previous print settings can be retained in the printing device when the user changes the print settings. and the changed print settings.

In addition, the display unit 116 can display the print condition information before the change and the print condition information after the change in a list, so that the user can easily change the print condition information. The sending unit 117 can also send the change information related to the change instruction to the information processing apparatus 10; thus, the user's setting change history can be returned to the PC, which affects the user's subsequent printing settings.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail by taking the image forming apparatus 11 as a printing apparatus, the information processing apparatus 10 as a host, and the image forming apparatus and the information processing apparatus being connected through a wired network as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the image forming apparatus and the information processing apparatus may be connected via a wireless network.

FIG. 2 is an overall schematic diagram of an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2 , the user 104 transmits the print job 102 from the host computer 101 to the printing device 103 , changes the print settings by the printing device 103 , and outputs the print job 102 .

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example configuration of the printing device and the host according to the embodiment of the present invention, and shows each component of the printing device 103 . It is worth noting that, for the sake of simplicity, FIG. 3 only shows various components related to the embodiment of the present invention, and other components of the printing apparatus (eg, power supply, etc.) are not shown.

In FIG. 3 , the printing device 103 may include: a storage device 201 , an interface 202 , a task processing part 203 , a control part 204 , a UI control part 205 , a printing part 206 , and a UI panel 207 . The printing apparatus 103 is connected to the host computer 101 through the communication network 208 .

The storage device 201 may implement the function of the storage unit 112 . The storage device 201 may be, for example, a component such as a ROM, an SD card, or an HDD, and is a component that stores the print job 102 composed of print data and related print settings. The print job 102 is read/written by the control unit 204 .

The interface 202 can realize the functions of the acquisition unit 111 and the transmission unit 117 . The interface 202 can communicate with the host computer 101 via the communication network 208 , and can realize the function of returning the reception of the print job 102 and the change log of the print settings to the host computer 101 .

The job processing unit 203 and the printing unit 206 can realize the functions of the image forming unit 113 . The job processing unit 203 analyzes and processes the print jobs 102 stored in the printing apparatus 103 in advance, and converts the data format into a data format that the printing apparatus 103 can recognize.

The control unit 204 can realize the function of the control unit 115 . The control unit 204 is a component that integrates the components in the printing apparatus 103 and controls the overall operation flow of the printing system in order to realize data printing from the host computer 101 .

The UI (User Interface) control unit 205 and the UI panel 207 can realize the functions of the operation unit 114 and the display unit 116 . The UI control unit 205 realizes information exchange with the user 104 using the UI panel 207 . The UI control unit 205 presents the print job 102 and related print settings to the user 104 using the UI panel 207 . The operation from the user 104 is notified to the UI control unit 205 via the UI panel 207 .

It should be noted that the task processing unit 203 and the printing unit 206 are only a specific implementation of the embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The virtual printing function of the image forming section 113 can be realized by, for example, printing software such as PDF Printer.

In addition, the UI control unit 205 and the UI panel are only a specific implementation of the embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the function of the operation unit 114 may be realized by a keyboard or a mouse, and the function of the display unit 116 may be realized by using a display.

In this embodiment, the host 101 stores the printing material that the user 104 wants to print, converts the material into a printing task 102 according to the instruction of the user 104 , and sends the material to the printing device 103 . After the user 104 moves to the printing apparatus 103, the printing condition information can be changed. The following describes the change of print settings in detail.

FIG. 4 is an overall flow chart of a setting change operation before printing according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment of the present invention, when the print setting is changed, the original setting is also recorded, and the next action is performed according to the selection of the user 104 .

As shown in FIG. 4 , in step 401 , after the printing device 103 receives the print job 102 from the host 101 , in step 402 , the accepted print job 102 is stored in the storage device 201 of the printing device 103 in advance.

As shown in FIG. 4 , in step 403 , while the printing device 103 is waiting for the operation of the user 104 , if the UI panel 207 receives the operation of the user 104 , in step 404 the request operation of the user 104 is determined. When the request from the user 104 is "modification of print settings", step 406 opens a setting change screen.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a print setting change according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a screen for changing the print setting. As shown in FIG. 5 , in this change screen, in accordance with the operation of the user 104 , the change of the print settings is performed in step 407 . After the setting change is completed, it returns to the accepting state of the operation of the user 104 .

In FIG. 5 , when a print job 102 sent by the user 104 to the printing device 103 wants to change the print settings used for printing, the printing device 103 displays a message for changing the print settings to the user 104 through the UI panel 207 . 501 of the operation screen. On this screen, each print setting that can be changed by the user and a list 502 of current setting values are displayed. For example, "Copy", "Collate", "Duplex", "Binding", "Color", etc., but the present invention is not limited to this, and may include other set value.

The user 104 can select the icon of the print setting to be changed, and set it to be used when printing. When the user 104 changes the settings, when printing is executed with the current print settings as it is, the user 104 selects the Print button 504 on the setting change screen 501 . When the user 104 does not immediately execute printing and stores the change in settings, the user 104 selects the Save button 505 . When the user 104 wants to abandon the change of the print settings, the Cancel button 503 can be selected to cancel the current setting change operation.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of storing print data and print settings according to an embodiment of the present invention, and shows a situation in which each print job 102 is stored in the storage device 201 of the print device 103 . The print job 102 may be composed of print data 602 and a related print setting group 603 . The storage device 201 has a job information table 601 for each print job 102 in order to correctly store the print jobs 102, and establishes a correspondence between the print data 602 and the print setting group 603 based on the table.

As shown in FIG. 4 , if the request of the user 104 is a direct processing request such as printing or deletion, step 405 is performed, and the control unit 204 reads out the corresponding print job 102 from the storage device 201 , and the job processing unit 203 analyzes and analyzes it. Data printing is performed by the printing unit 206; or, after the control unit 204 reads out the corresponding print job 102 from the storage device 201, the operation of deleting the associated information is performed.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of print selection according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a selection screen during printing. FIG. 7 shows a case where the user 104 confirms the stored print job 102 from the printing apparatus 103 and operates on the print job 102 .

As shown in FIG. 7 , on this screen 701 , the user 104 can confirm/operate the original setting 702 of the print job 102 and the list 704 of setting groups that the user 104 has changed for the job. In addition, through the triangle button 703, the setting of each task (for example, as shown in FIG. 7, setting 1 and setting 2 of task 1 . . . ) can be displayed or hidden.

As shown in FIG. 7, various operations 705, such as Delete, Detail, Modify, Print, etc., may be provided for each print setting. When the user 104 wants to change the print settings, he/she can select the modification button 706 to change the print settings on the setting change screen 501 shown in FIG. 5 .

It is worth noting that FIG. 5 and FIG. 7 only schematically show the screens for changing print settings and selecting print jobs, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In practical applications, the screen can also be adjusted or deformed appropriately according to the actual situation, such as adding or reducing buttons, or adjusting the layout of each button, and so on.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of changing the print settings according to an embodiment of the present invention, for example, showing part of the operations of steps 406 and 407 in FIG. 4 . FIG. 8 shows the flow of processing when the print settings of the print job 102 are changed in accordance with the operation of the user 104 .

As shown in FIG. 8 , according to the operation of the user 104 , in step 801 , the printing apparatus 103 displays the setting change screen 501 . When the user 104 selects the print setting to be modified, in step 802 , the printing device 103 opens an adjustment screen of the print condition to be modified, and in step 803 accepts the user's value adjustment operation. After the adjustment of the value is completed, in step 804 , the locally adjusted value is stored, and in step 805 , the screen returns to the setting change screen 501 .

As shown in FIG. 8 , in step 806 , if the user 104 has other printing conditions that he wants to adjust, the above process is used again to adjust the printing conditions. After the user 104 completes the changes for all the print settings that he wants to adjust, the printing device 103 generates new print conditions in step 807 according to the changes of the user 104, and stores them in the storage device 201 in step 808, Finally, through step 809, the task information table 601 storing the print tasks is updated.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of printing/deleting according to an embodiment of the present invention, for example, showing part of the operation of step 405 in FIG. 4 . FIG. 9 shows the flow of data printing in which the printing device 103 reads out the print settings when printing the print job 102 .

As shown in FIG. 9 , according to the selection screen 701 of the print job 102 currently displayed on the UI panel 207 , if the print instruction from the user 104 is accepted in step 901 , in step 902 , the printing device 103 reads out from the storage device 201 the The print data 602 of the print job 102 designated by the user 104; in step 903, the print settings designated by the user 104 are read; in step 904, the data processing unit 203 and the printing unit 206 execute the printing of the print job 102.

As shown in FIG. 9 , after the job is printed, if it is determined in step 905 that the print job 102 needs to be deleted, the print data is deleted from the storage device 201 , and in step 907 all print settings of the print job 102 are acquired After the group 603 is deleted in step 908 , the table 601 storing the information of the print job 102 is deleted from the storage device 201 in step 909 .

As described above, according to Embodiment 1, when the user 104 uses the printing device 103 to retrieve the print job 102 again, the original print settings and the changed print settings can be seen; according to the selection of the user 104, different settings can be The print job 102 is printed. When the print setting conditions are changed before printing the print job 102, the original setting at the time of sending the print job 102 and the print setting conditions changed by the user 104 coexist in the printing device 103, and the user 104 cancels the setting, thus improving the operability.

Example 2

Embodiments of the present invention provide an image forming apparatus and an information processing apparatus, and the present invention will be further described on the basis of Embodiment 1.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of the constitution of the printing device and the host according to the embodiment of the present invention, and shows the components of the printing device 103 and the host 101 . It is worth noting that, for the sake of simplicity, FIG. 10 only shows various components related to the embodiment of the present invention, and other components of the printing device and the host (eg, power supply, etc.) are not shown.

In FIG. 10 , the printing device 103 may include: a storage device 201 , an interface 202 , a task processing part 203 , a control part 204 , a UI control part 205 , a printing part 206 , and a UI panel 207 . The printing apparatus 103 and the host computer 101 are connected through a communication network 208 . As described in Example 1.

In FIG. 10 , the changes from the first embodiment will be described with reference to a block diagram. As shown in FIG. 10 , the configuration on the side of the host computer 101 includes a hard disk drive (HDD, Hard Disk Drive) 1001 for storing documents, a print driver 1002 , and a display device 1003 .

Among them, the HDD 1001 stores materials that the user 104 wants to print. Before sending the print job 102 from the host computer 101 to the printing apparatus 103, the original material is stored in the HDD 1001 in advance. The driver 1002 may be software that enables conversion from printing raw materials to print jobs 102 and communication between the host 101 and the printing device 103 when sending from the host 101 to the printing device 103 . The display device 1003 is a display of the host computer 101 , which presents necessary information to the user 104 and accepts a print instruction from the user 104 .

In this embodiment, the printing device 103 may send the change information related to the change instruction to the host 101; the change information may be the changed printing condition information. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other modification information related to the modification instruction may also be used.

FIG. 11 is a schematic flow chart of returning the change of print settings according to an embodiment of the present invention. Based on FIG. 9 , it shows the operation flow of returning the change information of the print settings. As shown in FIG. 11 , in steps 901 , 902 and 903 , the printing device 103 reads out the print data and print settings when printing the print job 102 in the storage device 201 according to the request of the user 104 .

As shown in FIG. 11 , while the printing unit 206 prints the data in step 904, in step 1101, the print setting selected by the user 104 is used as the sender of the print job 102, and the change of the print setting is returned to the host computer 101. information, in step 1102, the host 101 side stores the print settings received from the printing device 103 in the HDD 1001 in advance.

In this embodiment, when the user uses the host to print again, the printing condition information can be compared with the stored printing condition information, and the comparison result can be displayed on the display unit.

12 is a schematic diagram of the information processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention when printing again, showing the processing flow of the host 101 when the user 104 uses the host 101 to print again.

As shown in FIG. 12 , after the host 101 accepts the document print request from the user 104 in step 1201 , in step 1202 , the print driver 1002 analyzes the change information of the print settings stored in the HDD 1001 .

As shown in FIG. 12 , in step 1203, the host 101 compares the print settings frequently used by the user 104 in the printing device with the print settings of the current user 104 for the analysis result; in step 1204, the setting is determined Whether there is a difference; if there is a difference point, in step 1205, use FIG. 13 to prompt the user 104 for a list of the difference information of the print settings, and in step 1206, select according to the operation of the user 104; if there is a setting change If so, in step 1207, after changing the print settings, in step 1208, the print job 102 is sent to the printing apparatus 103.

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of setting prompt/selection according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing the setting prompt/selection screen when the host 101 prints again, such as the print settings and users often used when the printing device 103 performs actual printing. 104. Screen of the difference between the current settings.

As shown in FIG. 13 , a list 1302 of different print settings is displayed on the prompt screen 1301 . The user 104 can attach the change flag 1303 and adopt the setting that has been frequently used in the past. After the confirmation by the user 104 is completed, click the print button 1305 in the lower part of the screen and send the print job 102 to the printing device 103, or click the cancel button 1304 and cancel the printing.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, the change information of the print setting is notified to the host computer 101 as the sender of the print job 102 . In the next printing, when the host 101 sends a similar job to the printer, it can check with the user 104 whether or not the print setting conditions are appropriate based on the setting change history.

Example 3

An embodiment of the present invention provides a method for changing print settings, using the image forming apparatus described in Embodiment 1 or 2. The same content as in Embodiment 1 or 2 will not be repeated.

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of a method for changing print settings according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 14 , the method includes:

Step 1401, the image forming apparatus acquires a print job including print condition information from the information processing apparatus;

Step 1402, the image forming apparatus stores the printing task;

Step 1403, the image forming apparatus accepts a change instruction for changing the print condition information, or accepts an execution instruction for executing image forming processing based on the print job;

In step 1404, when the change instruction is accepted, the printing condition information included in the stored print job is changed according to the change instruction; when the execution instruction is accepted, the image forming process is executed based on the stored print job.

In this embodiment, the image forming apparatus may also transmit change information related to the change instruction to the information processing apparatus. Wherein, the change information may be the changed print condition information. As a result, the user's print settings can be affected during subsequent printing.

It can be seen from the above-mentioned embodiments that the user can change the printing conditions of the printing task on the printer, so that the printing adjustment can be conveniently performed; and even in the case of saving toner, the readability of the characters can be maintained.

Example 4

In Embodiments 1 and 2, the description is made using a host computer, a printing device, and a network connection, but it can also be applied to other data transmission terminals, image processing devices, and various communication channels between terminals and image processing devices.

An embodiment of the present invention provides an image forming apparatus, and the image forming apparatus is not limited to an actual printer, but can also be applied to a virtual printer, such as a PDF Printer and the like.

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 15 , the image forming apparatus 1500 may include: a central processing unit (CPU) 200 and a memory 210 ; the memory 210 is coupled to the central processing unit 200 . The memory 210 can store various data; in addition, it also stores a program for information processing, and executes the program under the control of the central processing unit 200 to receive various information sent by the information processing device (eg PC) and send it to the PC. various information.

In one embodiment, the functionality to control changes to print settings may be integrated into the central processing unit 200 . Here, the central processing unit 200 may be configured to control and implement the method of changing the print settings described in Embodiments 1 to 3.

In another embodiment, the function of controlling the change of print settings may be configured separately from the central processing unit. For example, the function of controlling the change of printing settings may be configured on a chip connected to the central processing unit 200 and configured through the central processing unit Control to realize the function of changing the print settings.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 15 , the image forming apparatus 1500 may further include: a communication unit 220 and an input/output unit 230 , etc.; wherein, the functions of the above components are similar to those in the prior art, and will not be repeated here. It is worth noting that the image forming apparatus 1500 does not necessarily include all the components shown in FIG. 15 ; in addition, the image forming apparatus 1500 may also include components not shown in FIG. 15 , and reference may be made to the related art.

The apparatuses and methods above in the embodiments of the present invention may be implemented by hardware, or may be implemented by hardware combined with software. The present invention relates to a computer-readable program which, when executed by logic components, enables the logic components to implement the above-described apparatus or constituent components, or causes the logic components to implement the above-described various methods or steps. The present invention also relates to a storage medium for storing the above program, such as a hard disk, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a DVD, a flash memory, and the like.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above in conjunction with specific embodiments, but it should be clear to those skilled in the art that these descriptions are exemplary and do not limit the protection scope of the embodiments of the present invention. Various variations and modifications of the present invention can be made by those skilled in the art in accordance with the spirit and principles of the present invention, and these variations and modifications are also within the scope of the present invention.

Claims (8)

1. An image forming apparatus, characterized by comprising:

an acquisition unit that acquires a print job including print condition information from an information processing apparatus;

a storage unit that stores the print job;

an image forming section that executes image forming processing for a sheet in accordance with the print job stored in the storage section;

an operation unit that accepts a change instruction for changing the print condition information or an execution instruction for executing the image forming process based on the print job;

a control unit that changes the print condition information included in the print job stored in the storage unit in accordance with the change instruction when the operation unit accepts the change instruction; when the operation unit accepts the execution instruction, the control unit causes the image forming unit to execute the image forming process based on the print job stored in the storage unit;

a display unit that causes the display unit to display a list of the print condition information before the change and the print condition information after the change; and

and a transmission unit configured to transmit, to the information processing apparatus, change information associated with the change instruction for presenting a history of print condition change to a user in a list so that the user can select the change information.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

the change information is the changed printing condition information.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition section and the transmission section communicate with the information processing apparatus via a communication network through an interface.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the storage section is further configured to store the change information.

5. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the image forming section includes:

a job processing section that analyzes and data-processes the print job stored in advance in the storage section, converts a data format, and makes it into a data format that can be recognized by the image forming apparatus;

and the printing part is used for printing the printing task.

6. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the operation portion includes:

a UI panel for accepting user operations;

and a UI control unit for realizing information communication with the user by using the UI panel.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the UI control section presents the print job and the relevant print setting to a user using the UI panel, and the UI control section learns the operation from the user through the UI panel.

8. A method of changing print settings, the method comprising:

acquiring a print job including print condition information from an information processing apparatus and storing the print job;

receiving a change instruction for changing the print condition information or receiving an execution instruction for executing an image forming process based on the print job;

changing the print condition information included in the stored print job in accordance with the change instruction when the change instruction is accepted, and executing the image forming process based on the stored print job when the execution instruction is accepted;

displaying a list of the print condition information before the change and the print condition information after the change;

and transmitting, to the information processing apparatus, change information relating to the change instruction, the change information being used to present a history of printing condition changes to a user in a list so that the user can select the change information.

Images