JP2005088301A - Image forming apparatus and image forming system using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

Even when an image forming apparatus such as a printer receives a plurality of image data and is printing, the information processing apparatus such as a computer connected to the network can immediately issue a print instruction, thereby burdening the apparatus. Provided is an image forming apparatus which can be reduced.
First, when the power is on, initialization (initialization) is performed. Next, the server 3 is accessed to inquire whether image data is stored. If there is image data, the image data is transferred and printed.
[Selection] Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to a printer (image forming apparatus) control device, and more particularly to control of a printer connected to a network.

  With the recent development of network technology, printing on a single printer connected to a network can be performed from a plurality of computers, and effective use of resources is progressing.

  On the other hand, print jobs are often sent from a plurality of computers of one printer. In such a case, the printer receives the print jobs in the order of arrival and prints them. It was necessary to monitor the status of the printer until a print job was received.

Also, when printing an image or document file created by a computer or the like, it is stored in a storage device such as a server via a network, and the server can be accessed via the network even from an unspecified location. A network information output system for printing image data stored in a server has been proposed (see, for example, Reference 1).
JP 2001-256010 A

  However, in the conventional method, image data stored in a predetermined position is called by operating a receiving side device such as a printer. However, the printer automatically prints by checking the presence or absence of image data. Is not shown at all.

  An object of the present invention is to reduce the burden on an information processing apparatus such as a computer by allowing an image forming apparatus such as a printer to receive a plurality of image data and issuing a print instruction immediately even during printing. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of performing the above.

The present invention includes a first image data storage unit that stores image data input from the outside via a network for each print job;
A print processing unit that prints out image data stored in the first image data storage unit for each print job;
In an image forming apparatus comprising:
Empty area detecting means for detecting whether or not there is an empty area capable of storing image data in the first image data storage unit;
When the vacant area detecting means detects a vacant area, the second image data storage unit connected to the network and determined in advance is accessed, and the image data is stored when the image data is stored in the storage unit. Image data transfer means for transferring to the first image data storage unit;
It is characterized by having.

  In this configuration, if there is a free area in the first image data storage unit where image data can be stored, the image forming apparatus uses the first image data storage unit to store the image data stored in the second image data storage unit. Therefore, it is not necessary for the information processing apparatus to monitor the state of the image forming apparatus.

  According to the present invention, the image data transfer means accesses a second image data storage unit that is connected to the network and is predetermined when the free area detection means detects a free area, and When image data suitable for the first image data storage unit is stored, the image data is transferred to the first image data storage unit.

  In this configuration, even if a print instruction is issued, printing cannot be performed if the data format of the print job is different. Therefore, the format of the data stored in the second image data storage unit is confirmed, and it is determined that printing is possible. Since the print job is transferred from the first image data storage unit to the print processing unit only for the received image data, the print processing unit can be prevented from being in an error state, and the print job is retransmitted from the information processing apparatus. There is no need.

  According to the present invention, the image data transfer means accesses the second image data storage unit when the power is turned on, and when the image data is stored in the storage unit, the image data is transferred to the first image data storage unit. It is characterized by being transferred to.

  With this configuration, it is possible to immediately print a print job that requires printing when the power is turned on.

  According to the present invention, the image data transfer means accesses the second image data storage unit after printing of the image data, and stores the image data in the first image when the image data is stored in the storage unit. It is characterized by being transferred to a data storage unit.

In this configuration, when printing of the job transmitted to the first image data storage unit is completed, the image data stored in the external second image data storage unit is extracted and printing is started. Can be prevented.
The present invention is characterized in that the print processing unit prints out the image data stored in the first image data storage unit at a preset time.

  In this configuration, since the printing time can be specified, printing can be performed in a time zone in which the frequency of use of the image forming apparatus is low, such as a break time or nighttime, so that the operation rate of the image forming apparatus can be improved. .

The present invention provides a first image data storage unit that stores image data input from the outside via a network for each print job, and image data stored in the first image data storage unit for each print job. An image forming apparatus including a print processing unit that prints the output;
A second image storage unit connected to the image forming apparatus via a network and storing image data for each print job;
In an image forming system comprising:
The image forming apparatus includes:
Empty area detecting means for detecting whether or not there is an empty area capable of storing image data in the first image data storage unit;
When the empty area detecting means detects an empty area, the second image data storage unit is accessed, and when the image data is stored in the storage unit, the image data is stored in the first image data storage unit. Image data transfer means for transferring to,
It is characterized by having.

  In this configuration, if there is a free area in the first image data storage unit where image data can be stored, the image forming apparatus uses the first image data storage unit to store the image data stored in the second image data storage unit. Therefore, it is not necessary for the information processing apparatus to monitor the state of the image forming apparatus.

  According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

(1) If there is a free area in the first image data storage unit that can store image data, the image forming apparatus stores the image data stored in the second image data storage unit in the first image data storage unit. Since the data is transferred, the information processing apparatus does not need to monitor the state of the image forming apparatus.

(2) Even if a print instruction is issued, printing cannot be performed if the data format of the print job is different. Therefore, the data format stored in the second image data storage unit is confirmed, and it is determined that printing is possible. Since the print job is transferred from the first image data storage unit to the print processing unit only for the received image data, it is possible to prevent the print processing unit from entering an error state and to retransmit the print job from the information processing apparatus. Disappears.

(3) A print job requiring printing can be printed immediately when the power is turned on.

(4) When printing of the job transmitted to the first image data storage unit is completed, the image data stored in the external second image data storage unit is extracted and printing is started. Can be prevented.
(5) Since the printing time can be specified, printing can be performed in a time zone in which the frequency of use of the image forming apparatus is low, such as a break time or nighttime, so that the operation rate of the image output apparatus can be improved.

  Hereinafter, an image processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an image forming system using an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. The image forming apparatus 1, a network 2, a server 3, and an information processing apparatus 4 (hereinafter simply referred to as a PC). It is composed of The image forming apparatus 1 includes an image reading unit 5, an operation unit 6, an image forming unit 7, a device control unit 8, a communication unit 9, a hard disk 10, and a management unit 11.

  The image reading unit 5 includes, for example, a CCD reading device 5a and functions as image data input means for inputting image data.

  The operation unit 6 includes an input unit 6a including various input keys and a display unit 6b including a display unit such as an LCD, and inputs operation of the apparatus, conditions, and displays conditions.

  The image forming unit 7 includes a volatile memory 7a and a printing unit 7b (corresponding to the print processing unit of the present invention) including an LSU (laser scanning unit) and the like, and image data stored in the hard disk 10 Serves as image data output means for outputting.

  The device control unit 8 and the management unit 11 perform device and job status management and control.

  The communication unit 9 controls communication with the external network 2.

  The hard disk 10 corresponds to the first image data storage unit of the present invention. The hard disk 10 stores image data input via the image reading unit 5 or the network 2.

  The management unit 11 performs management of the entire apparatus and management of erasing processing of data that is no longer necessary.

  When the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is used as a copying machine, image data of a document read by the image reading unit 5 is output from the image forming unit 7 as a copy.

  The image reading unit 5 is provided with a CCD 5a and can electronically read an image of a document set at a reading position. Then, the read image data of the document is completed as an output image on the volatile memory 7 a and temporarily stored in the hard disk 10. When there are a plurality of documents, the reading and storing operations are repeated.

  Thereafter, based on the processing mode instructed from the operation unit 6, the image data stored in the hard disk 10 is sequentially read out at an appropriate timing and sent to the volatile memory 7a. Then, the image data is transferred from the memory 7a to the printing unit 7b in accordance with the writing timing to the printing unit 7b.

  Similarly, when printing a plurality of read image data, the output image is similarly stored in the hard disk 10 in units of pages and sent from the hard disk 10 to the volatile memory 7a according to the output mode. The data is repeatedly transferred to the printing unit 7b in accordance with the writing timing to the printing unit 7b.

  Next, when the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is used as a printer, the image data received by the communication unit 9 is output from the image forming unit 7 via the memory 7a or the like.

  The communication unit 9 is connected to the network 2 by a communication cable or the like, and receives image data from the PC 4 connected on the network 2. The image data received by the communication unit 9 is sent to the memory 7 a as page data as output image data, and is temporarily stored in the hard disk 10. Then, it is sent again from the hard disk 10 to the memory 7a and transferred to the printing unit 7b in the same manner as when used as a copying machine.

  Next, when the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is used as a network scanner, image data of a document read by the image reading unit 5 is transmitted from the communication unit 9 to an arbitrary PC 4 via the network. be able to. Also here, the image of the original is electronically read by the CCD 5a provided in the image reading unit 5. Then, the read image data of the document is completed as an output image on the volatile memory 7 a and temporarily stored in the hard disk 10. Then, the data is sent again from the hard disk 10 to the volatile memory 7a, and is transmitted from the communication unit 9 to the target transmission destination after establishing communication with the transmission destination instructed via the operation unit 6. Further, the communication unit 9 is connected to a telephone line other than the network, and the same operation is performed when the digital multi-function peripheral according to the present embodiment is used as a facsimile apparatus.

  Here, the hard disk 10 is described as a storage device for temporarily storing image data. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a non-volatile storage that can retain the stored image data even if it is removed from the device main body. The present invention can be similarly applied to a case where a memory, a memory with a backup function, and other storage devices (medium) using a magnetic storage medium are provided.

  Each component of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is controlled by the device control unit 8 to monitor an operation instruction from the input unit 6a such as a tablet and a key group provided in the operation unit 6, and a display unit. Information to be notified to the user, such as information related to the state of the image forming apparatus 1, is accurately guided and displayed via 6 b. The management unit 11 manages information about each component managed by the device control unit 8, and the device control unit 8 controls the operation of the entire digital multi-function peripheral based on the information.

  Next, a processing procedure when image data is received from the PC 4 via the network 2 and the image forming apparatus 1 is used as a printer will be described with reference to FIG.

  When printing is performed from the PC 4 side, a pre-communication procedure is performed between the PC 4 and the image forming apparatus 1 via the network, and information is exchanged such as printable and out of paper, thereby forming an image on the PC 4 side. Check the status of the device 1. Next, if the image forming apparatus 1 is in a ready state (not busy) (S1 → S2) and can receive image data, the PC side transmits image data to be printed to the image forming apparatus 1 side (S4). .

  Next, when the status of the image forming apparatus 1 is confirmed after the print request on the PC side, if the image forming apparatus 1 is printing and the hard disk 10 is full (S1 → S2), the PC 4 will store new image data. Therefore, the PC 4 transmits the image data to a storage device (second image data storage unit of the present invention) such as a server or its own hard disk (S3).

  The image forming apparatus 1 can access the server and the hard disk of the PC 4 to acquire and print image data. Hereinafter, this processing procedure will be described with reference to FIG. Here, it is assumed that image data is stored in the server 3.

  First, when the power is turned on, initialization (initialization) is performed (S11). Next, the server 3 is accessed to inquire whether image data is stored (S2). If there is image data (S13), transfer processing for transferring the image data to the hard disk 10 in the image forming apparatus 1 is performed (S15). If not, it is determined whether there is a print request from the operation unit 6 or the like (S14). If printing is possible after the transfer process is performed (S16), the printing process is performed (S17). Thereafter, if there is more image data in the server 3 (S18), the same transfer process as described above is performed (S15), and if not, the process returns to the step of determining whether there is a print request (S14). If there is a print request in step S14, it is determined whether printing is possible (S16), and if printing is possible, printing processing (S17) is performed.

  Thus, even when the image forming layer apparatus 1 is busy and cannot receive image data for printing, the PC 4 immediately sends the image data to the server 3 without monitoring the state of the image forming apparatus 1. And the efficiency of the PC 4 is not lowered. Note that the storage device to which image data is transmitted from the PC 4 when the image forming apparatus 1 is busy is the server 3 in this embodiment. The address of the server 3 on the network is set in advance on the PC 4 side and the image forming apparatus 1. In addition, when transferring image data from the server 3, image data format, paper size, black and white / color, double-sided printing, and other essential conditions for image formation are extracted, and image data that can be adapted. By performing only the transfer, it is possible to prevent the transferred image data from becoming unprintable.

  For the second image data storage unit, if a file server or the like exists in an existing environment, the server 3 is set for printing as in the present embodiment, and the image data from the image forming apparatus 1 is stored. Confirmation and transfer of presence / absence becomes easy. However, using a server increases the cost of equipment and labor costs, such as increasing the cost of the system and installing an administrator, so the PC drive (hard disk) used by each individual is temporarily stored. In addition, by using it as the second image data storage unit, the price of the system can be reduced.

  Further, when the image forming apparatus 1 is energized, it is energized on the premise that printing is performed. Therefore, when energizing (when the power is turned on), the second image data storage unit is accessed to check whether image data exists By confirming, printing efficiency is improved. Further, when the image forming apparatus finishes printing one print job or all print jobs, a free space is generated in the storage unit in the apparatus, and at that time, the second image data storage unit is installed. Printing efficiency is improved by accessing, confirming the presence or absence of image data, and transferring the image data when the image data exists.

  In addition, printing is performed by many operators during normal business hours, but the image data remaining in the second image data storage unit during off-hours (overtime) or at times when the printing frequency decreases, such as late at night By setting the time for printing, it is possible to print a large amount of image data efficiently without disturbing other operators.

  When image data is stored in the second image data storage unit, the image data is stored as a file copy (xxx.doc, zzz.xls) from the PC, and the Microsoft WORD is stored on the image forming apparatus 1 side. May be converted into a printable file format using an application such as EXCEL, or may be stored in the second image data storage unit after being converted into a print format file from the PC side. Other intermediate file formats may be used.

  Further, by erasing the image data transferred from the second image data storage unit from the second image data storage unit by operating the image forming apparatus 1, the storage capacity of the second image data storage unit can be efficiently increased. It can be used for.

Explanatory drawing showing an image forming system A flowchart showing a processing procedure when image data is received from a PC via a network and the image forming apparatus 1 is used as a printer. A flowchart showing a processing procedure in which the image forming apparatus accesses the hard disk of the server or PC 4 to acquire and print image data.

Claims (6)

A first image data storage unit that stores image data input from outside via a network for each print job;
A print processing unit that prints out image data stored in the first image data storage unit for each print job;
In an image forming apparatus comprising:
Empty area detecting means for detecting whether or not there is an empty area capable of storing image data in the first image data storage unit;
When the vacant area detecting means detects a vacant area, the second image data storage unit connected to the network and determined in advance is accessed, and the image data is stored when the image data is stored in the storage unit. Image data transfer means for transferring to the first image data storage unit;
An image forming apparatus comprising:   The image data transfer unit accesses a second image data storage unit that is connected to the network and is determined in advance when the free area detection unit detects a free area, and stores the first image in the storage unit. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when image data suitable for the data storage unit is stored, the image data is transferred to the first image data storage unit.   The image data transfer means accesses the second image data storage unit when the power is turned on, and transfers the image data to the first image data storage unit when the image data is stored in the storage unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:   The image data transfer means accesses the second image data storage unit after printing of the image data and stores the image data in the first image data storage unit when the image data is stored in the storage unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus transfers the image.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the print processing unit prints out the image data stored in the first image data storage unit at a preset time. A first image data storage unit that stores image data input from the outside via a network for each print job, and prints out image data stored in the first image data storage unit for each print job. An image forming apparatus comprising a print processing unit;
A second image data storage unit connected to the image forming apparatus via a network and storing image data for each print job;
In an image forming system comprising:
The image forming apparatus includes:
Empty area detecting means for detecting whether or not there is an empty area capable of storing image data in the first image data storage unit;
When the empty area detecting means detects an empty area, the second image data storage unit is accessed, and when the image data is stored in the storage unit, the image data is stored in the first image data storage unit. Image data transfer means for transferring to,
An image forming system comprising:

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