JP2003341150A - Image forming apparatus and image forming system - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] To provide an image forming apparatus capable of always forming an image with the latest information in a short time. An information apparatus having a large number of information data including a time stamp, an image forming apparatus having storage means for storing the information data, and an image forming means for forming an image of the information data, are connected via a network. Before forming the information data stored in the storage means 8 as an image, the information device 2 is inquired of the time stamp of the information data to the information device 2, and in response to the inquiry, the time stamp is transmitted to the image forming device 3; The time stamp of the stored information is compared with the time stamp in the forming device 3, and the information data of the image forming device 3 is updated in accordance with the comparison result, so that the latest information data is always formed in a short time. be able to.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to improvements in an image forming apparatus and an image forming system connected to a network.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, by connecting an information device such as a computer having information data to an image forming apparatus by a network such as the Internet or a LAN, the information data is transmitted from the information apparatus to the image forming apparatus and By forming an image of the information data on a paper surface or the like, it can be obtained instantly at hand.

To explain this technique in detail, information data for forming an image from an information device is stored in a storage means which is a part of the image forming device via a network, and the stored information data is printed on a paper surface or the like in the image forming device. In order to form an image, an image forming command is input from the input unit of the information apparatus or the image forming apparatus, and the image is formed on the paper surface at an arbitrary timing.

Thus, by transmitting the information data held by the information device to the image display device via the network and forming an image on a paper surface or the like, the information data can be instantly obtained.

[0005]

However, in the image forming apparatus having the above configuration, when the latest information data is image-formed, it is necessary for the information apparatus to transmit the latest information data to the image forming apparatus.

Further, there has been a problem that it is necessary to confirm whether the latest information data is stored in the storage means of the image forming apparatus by the display means such as a liquid crystal which is a part of the information apparatus or the image forming apparatus.

The present invention has been completed in view of the above, and its purpose is to check the latest information data,
An object is to provide an image forming system capable of forming an image in a short time.

[0008]

An image forming apparatus of the present invention comprises a connecting means for connecting to a network connected to an information apparatus having a large number of information data including time stamps,
In an image forming apparatus having a storage unit for storing the information data and an image forming unit for forming an image of the information data, the information stored before the image formation of the information data stored in the storage unit A time stamp inquiry means for inquiring the time stamp of the data and a time stamp comparison means for comparing the new time stamp acquired by the time stamp inquiry means with the time stamp of the information data previously stored in the storage means are provided. Is characterized by.

The image forming system of the present invention comprises an information device having a large number of information data including a time stamp, an image forming device having a storage means for storing the information data and an image forming means for forming an image of the information data. In an image forming system connected via a network, the image forming apparatus includes a time stamp inquiry means and a time stamp comparison means, the information apparatus includes a time stamp transmission means, and information stored in the storage means Before the data is formed by the image forming means, the time stamp inquiry means makes an inquiry to the information device about the time stamp of the information data, and the information device forms the time stamp by the time stamp transmission means in response to the inquiry. It is sent to the device and the time stamp comparison means And comparing the time stamp of the information data that the storage and transmission time stamp from.

Another image forming system of the present invention is characterized by comprising information requesting means for requesting the latest information data to the information device when the image forming apparatus determines that the time stamp comparing means is different. To do.

Another image forming system of the present invention comprises an information transmitting means for transmitting the latest information data to the image forming apparatus in response to the information request from the information transmitting means in the information device. And

In another image forming system of the present invention, corresponding to the information data received from the information requesting means in the image forming apparatus, the previous information data stored in the storing means is deleted, reserved, or updated. It is characterized in that it is provided with a selection means that can select to update the information data.

Another image forming system of the present invention comprises an information device having a large number of information including a time stamp, an image forming device having a storage means for storing the information data and an image forming means for forming an image of the information data. In the image forming system, the image forming apparatus is provided with a time stamp transmitting means, the information apparatus is provided with a time stamp comparing means, and the information data stored in the storage means is image formed. Before the information is transmitted, the time stamp transmitting means transmits the time stamp of the information data stored in the storage means to the information device, and the time stamp comparing means transmits the time stamp and the information stored in the information device. It is characterized by comparing with the time stamp of the data.

Another image forming system of the present invention is characterized in that the information device comprises an information transmitting means for transmitting the latest information data to the image forming device.

In another image forming system of the present invention, the previous information data stored in the storage means is deleted, reserved, or received corresponding to the information data received from the information transmitting means in the image forming apparatus. It is characterized in that a selection means for selecting to update to the latest information data is provided.

[0016]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION (First Image Forming System) FIG.
FIG. 1 is a configuration block diagram of an image forming system which is a first invention of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 3 is connected to a network 1 such as the Internet or a LAN, and an information device 2 such as a computer or a mobile terminal is connected to the network 1.
Are connected.

The image forming apparatus 3 will be described in more detail. The image forming apparatus 3 is provided with a control means 5 for controlling movement and conversion of information data. The control means 5 is connected through a connecting means 4 such as an interface. An image forming means 7 for connecting to the network 1 and further printing information data on a paper surface, a storage means 8 such as a memory for storing information data, and an input means 6 for manually inputting settings and commands of the image forming apparatus 3. Connected. The input means 6 is connected to a display means 9 such as a liquid crystal for displaying the settings of the image forming apparatus 3.

In the figure, one image forming device 3 and one information device 2 are connected to the network 1, but one image forming device 3 and one information device 2 are connected.
One or more are connected.

Here, the control until the image formation of the information data having the time stamp transmitted from the information device 2 by the image forming device 3 on the paper surface will be described in detail with reference to FIG. The time stamp is information data such as date and time of creation and update of information data and files.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the image forming system according to the first invention. It should be noted that the processing performed for the image forming apparatus is assumed to be performed by the control unit of the information apparatus. That is, the time stamp transmission means and the information transmission means according to claims 2 and 4 are one of the control means in the information device.

The information data A created, processed or converted by the information device 2 and the command X for storing the information data A in the storage means 8 are transmitted to the control means 5 in the image forming apparatus 3. The control means 5 receives the command X and the information data A and stores the information data A in the storage means 8.

When a command Y for forming an image is transmitted from the information device 2 or the input means 6 to the control means 5,
The control means 5 receives the command Y and transmits an inquiry command Z for the time stamp P to the information device 2 before forming the image of the information data A as shown in FIG. 2 (step 1). Corresponding to the information device 2
It is determined whether or not the information data A is present (step 2). If the information data A is present, this time stamp P is transmitted to the control means 5, and the information data A is not deleted. In this case, a command indicating that there is no information data A or a command for image formation is transmitted (step 2), and an image is formed on the paper or the like by the image forming apparatus (step 7). When inquiring the time stamp P, it is preferable that the information data A is preferably converted into the data immediately before the image formation. That is, after the command Y is received, the information data A is converted into data for forming an image and is not converted into data for forming an image when the information data A is stored in the storage means, instead of preparing for image formation. Keep it. For example,
If the information data A is a page description language, it is converted into an intermediate language and further converted into rasterized data.

The received time stamp P is compared with the time stamp O of the information data A previously stored in the storage means 8 (step 3). If the received time stamp P is the same as the time stamp O, Image forming apparatus 3
Information A stored in the computer and information data A in the image device
Is determined to be the same, and the image forming means 7 forms an image on the paper or the like (step 7).

On the other hand, when the time stamp P is closer to the time of image formation than the time stamp O, the image forming apparatus 3
It is determined that the information data A in the information device A and the information data A in the information device 2 are not the same, and the updated information of the information data A for the information device 2 (hereinafter, the updated information is referred to as information data A ′). The command U requesting the information of 1) is transmitted (step 4). Information device 2 receiving this command U
Transmits the information data A ′ to the image forming apparatus 3 (step 5).

Upon receiving the information data A ', the image forming apparatus 3 deletes or holds the information data A stored in the storage means 8 or performs a preset process such as overwriting on the information data A', The image forming means 7 forms an image on a paper surface or the like (step 6). When set to hold, the information data A and the information data A ′ are stored in the storage means 8 and the information data A ′ is image-formed.

Thus, according to the image forming system having the above configuration, when the image forming apparatus 3 is used to form an image on a sheet of paper or the like, whether the information data A is the latest data before the image is formed or the information apparatus 2 is time stamped. Is compared with the time stamp of the information data A stored in the image forming apparatus 3 by the obtained time stamp, and the latest information can be always image formed by forming an image corresponding to the comparison result. It was

In addition, in the information device 2, it is confirmed whether the latest information data is image-formed at the time of image formation by activating an application to create the information data or information stored in the image forming device. The trouble of updating the data to the latest information data was eliminated, and the latest information data could be image-formed in a short time. In particular, when the image is formed by operating the input means 6 of the image forming apparatus 3, the latest image information can be easily obtained because it is not necessary to confirm with the information apparatus 2 whether the information is the latest information. It was

In addition, when inquiring about the time stamp P, the information data A in the image forming apparatus 3 is preferably converted into the data immediately before the image formation, so that the information data A can be obtained as a result of the time stamp comparison. The image could be formed in a short time when updating was not required.

Further, the image forming apparatus 3 which has received the latest information data A ′, deletes or holds the information data A stored in the storage means 8 or overwrites it on the information data A ′. By performing the preset processing, you can select whether the information data to be image-formed is the latest or earlier, and along with this, the image of the latest information data and the information before this information data. You could choose to print the image with data or both.

Therefore, it is possible to compare the latest image with the previous image.

The first feature of the image forming system of the present embodiment is that the image forming apparatus is provided with the time stamp inquiring means and the time stamp comparing means. It is possible to judge the latest information data and the information data before it before forming. Therefore, unnecessary image formation is not performed, and waste of resources and costs can be eliminated. (Second Image Forming System) Next, the operation of the image forming system according to the second aspect of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the image forming system of the second invention. It should be noted that the processing performed for the image forming apparatus is assumed to be performed by the control unit of the information apparatus. That is, the time stamp comparison means and the information transmission means according to claims 6 and 7 are one of the control means in the information device.

The operation of the second invention is the operation of the information data previously stored in the image forming apparatus when the latest information data is received from the information apparatus before the image forming apparatus of the operation of the first invention forms an image. The same applies to deletion, holding or overwriting (step 6) and image formation of the latest information data (step 7), but the time stamp is transmitted by the image forming apparatus and the time stamp is transmitted by the information apparatus 2. In comparison, the information device 2 sends the latest information data to the image forming device 3 or notifies that the information data stored in the image forming device 3 and the information data possessed by the information device are the same.
2 which is the operation of the invention of FIG.

That is, the information data A created, processed or converted by the information device 2 and the command X for storing the information data A in the storage means 8 are transmitted to the control means 5 in the image forming apparatus 3. Upon receiving the command X and the information data A, the control means 5 receives the command data and stores the information data A in the storage means 8.

When a command Y for forming an image is transmitted from the information device 2 or the input means 6 to the control means 5,
The control means 5 receives the command Y and transmits the time stamp P of the information data A to the information device 2 before forming the image of the information data A. (Step 11) The information device 2 that has received the time stamp P
The time stamp Q and the time stamp P of the information data A contained therein are compared (step 12), and if the time stamp Q and the time stamp P are the same, the command G for forming an image again to the image forming apparatus 3 is executed. Alternatively, the command H or the like indicating that the time stamps P and Q are the same is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 3 (step 14). The image forming apparatus 3 that has received the commands G, H, etc. forms the image of the information data A stored in the storage unit 8 on the paper surface or the like by the image forming unit 7 (step 16). When the information data A is not deleted or the like to the information device 2, a command indicating that the information data A does not exist or an image forming command is transmitted (step 12), and the image forming device forms an image (step 12). 16).

On the other hand, when the time stamp P is closer to the time of image formation than the time stamp Q, the image forming apparatus 3
Updated information data of information data A (hereinafter,
The updated information is referred to as information data A ′) (step 13), and the image forming apparatus 2 receiving this information data A ′ receives the information data A stored in the storage unit 8.
Is deleted, suspended, or a preset process such as overwriting is performed on the information data A '(step 15), and the image forming means 7 forms an image on the paper or the like (step 16).

Thus, according to the other image forming system having the above-described structure, the information device 2 is provided with the time stamp comparing means, so that the image forming apparatus 3 is provided with the time stamp comparing means. When the information stored in the forming apparatus 3 is older than the information stored in the information apparatus 2, an information requesting unit or the like with the image forming apparatus 3 is not necessary, and the image formation can be performed in a shorter time.

In the second image forming system of this embodiment, the image forming apparatus is equipped with the time stamp transmitting means, and the information apparatus is equipped with the time stamp comparing means. Therefore, it is possible to determine the latest information data and the information data before it before forming an image.

The first and second image forming systems of this embodiment inquire the information device of the time stamp of the information data stored in the image forming apparatus or form the time stamp before forming the image in the image forming apparatus. The case where the latest information data is image-formed, which is characterized by transmitting and comparing each time stamp of the information data of the information apparatus and the information data of the image forming apparatus, has been described. After that, by displaying the result on the display means or the information device, the time stamp is inquired or transmitted to the information device before the image is formed on the information device or the image forming device, and the information data of the information device and the image forming device The feature is that each time stamp is compared with the information data. Which information data, new or old, is used when forming an image after the comparison? It is determined, it is possible to image forming the most up-to-date information data.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications and improvements may be made without departing from the scope of the paper of the present invention.

For example, according to the image forming system of the present invention, the image forming apparatus 3 inquires the information apparatus 2 about the time stamp before forming the image of the information data, and sets the designated time or time interval. Thus, the latest information data can be appropriately stored in the storage unit of the image forming apparatus.

Therefore, since the information is always updated to the latest information, the frequency of requesting the latest information data from the image forming apparatus 3 to the information apparatus 2 is reduced, and the information data is image-formed in a short time. You can

In the above embodiment, the information device 2 and the image forming device 3 are connected to the network 1. However, the same effect can be obtained by connecting the storage device or the like alone.

That is, in the case of forming an image of the information data stored in the storage device from the information device 2, the image forming device inquires not the information device 2 but the storage device which is the information source of the time stamp of the information data. Therefore, the effect of the present invention can be obtained even if the number of devices such as a storage device is increased.

Even if there is no means for transmitting the time stamp of the information data in the storage device or the like, the information device 2 is inquired and the time stamp of the information data stored in the storage device by the information device 2 is extracted, By transmitting this to the image forming apparatus 3, the effect of the present invention can be obtained.

[0047]

As described above, according to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, before forming the image of the stored information data, the time stamp of the information data is inquired to the information source of the information data, and the inquired time stamp. By comparing the time stamp stored in the image forming apparatus with the time stamp stored in the image forming apparatus, it is possible to determine whether the information data is the latest one before forming the image. did it.

Further, according to the image forming system of the first aspect of the present invention, before the image formation of the information data stored in the image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus inquires of the information apparatus about the time stamp, and By comparing the time stamp received from the device with the time stamp of the stored information data, the latest information data can be always image-formed.

According to the image forming system of the second aspect of the present invention, the image forming apparatus requests a time stamp from the information apparatus before forming the image of the information data stored in the image forming apparatus. By quickly transmitting the information data of the information device in accordance with the above, the latest information data can be always image-formed by comparing the time stamp received from the image forming device with the time stamp of the information possessed by the information device. It was

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration block diagram of an image forming system of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a processing operation that is the first invention of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a processing operation that is the second invention of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Network 2 ... Information device 3 ... Image forming apparatus 4 ... Connecting means 5 ... Control means 6 ... Input means 7 ... Image forming means 8 ... Storage means 9 ... Display means

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A connection means for connecting to a network connected to an information device having a large number of information data including a time stamp, a storage means for storing the information data, and an image forming means for forming an image of the information data. In the image forming apparatus, a time stamp inquiry means for inquiring a time stamp of the stored information data and a new time acquired by the time stamp inquiry means before the information data stored in the storage means is formed into an image by the image forming means. An image forming apparatus comprising: a time stamp comparing means for comparing the time stamp of the information data previously stored in the storage means. 2. An information device having a large number of information data including a time stamp, a storage means for storing the information data, and an image forming device having an image forming means for forming an image of the information data are connected via a network. In the image forming system, the image forming apparatus includes a time stamp inquiry means and a time stamp comparison means,
The information device is provided with a time stamp transmitting means, and before the image forming of the information data stored in the storage means by the image forming means, the time stamp inquiry means inquires of the information device about the time stamp of the information data, In response to the inquiry, the information device transmits the time stamp to the image forming device by the time stamp transmitting means, and the time stamp transmitted from the information device by the time stamp comparing means and the time stamp of the stored information data. An image forming system characterized by comparing the following. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image forming apparatus further comprises information requesting means for requesting the latest information data from the information apparatus when the time stamp comparing means determines that there is a difference. system. 4. The information apparatus comprises an information transmitting means for transmitting the latest information data to the image forming apparatus in response to an information request from the information transmitting means.
The image forming system described. 5. The image forming apparatus may delete, hold, or update the latest information data stored in the storage means in correspondence with the information data received from the information requesting means. The image forming system according to claim 4, further comprising a selecting unit that can be selected. 6. An information device having a large number of information including a time stamp, a storage means for storing the information data, and an image forming device having an image forming means for forming an image of the information data are connected via a network. In the image forming system, the image forming apparatus is provided with a time stamp transmitting means, the information device is provided with a time stamp comparing means, and the time stamp transmitting means is provided before the image formation of the information data stored in the storage means. Transmits the time stamp of the information data stored in the storage means to the information device, and the time stamp comparison means compares the time stamp transmitted by the time stamp transmission means with the time stamp of the information data stored in the information device. An image forming system characterized by the above. 7. The image forming system according to claim 6, wherein the information apparatus includes an information transmitting unit that transmits the latest information data to the image forming apparatus. 8. The image forming apparatus deletes, holds, or updates the latest information data stored in the storage means to the latest information data corresponding to the information data received from the information transmitting means. 8. The image forming system according to claim 7, further comprising a selection unit that can select that.