JPH11155036A - Picture forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a picture forming device for detecting the start of copying by a user, for switching an operation mode to a copy mode at the time of detecting the start of copying, and for inhibiting interruption from an information processor. SOLUTION: At the time of detecting the start of an operation by a user (S403), a scanner printer is set in a scan mode being a mode for copying (408). Also, the copy mode is continuously maintained in a prescribed time even after the end of copying (S410, S412-S414, S408).

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus for printing out image information input from a plurality of apparatuses.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, there is a printer connected to an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer, which is connected to a scanner for reading an image of a document and can print image information scanned by the scanner. Such a printer has a “print mode” in which image information is input from an information processing apparatus and prints out the image information, and a “print mode” in which image information is input from a scanner and the image information is printed out. Scan mode ". By operating the printer in this scan mode, a user can copy (so-called) a document.

Generally, switching from the print mode to the scan mode is performed by receiving image data from a scanner. That is, in the print mode, when the user operates the operation panel of the scanner to activate the scanner, image information of the document scanned by the scanner is transmitted to the printer. When the printer receives this image information, it switches from the print mode to the scan mode. Thereafter, the printer prints the scanned image transmitted from the scanner.

[0004]

In this case, there are the following problems. That is, when image information is transmitted from the information processing apparatus to the printer while the user is operating the operation panel of the scanner to perform a copy operation, the printer switches to the print mode, and performs printing in accordance with a print request from the information processing apparatus. Start. Therefore, the user who is operating the scanner is kept waiting until the printing of the image information from the information processing apparatus is completed. In particular, recently, printers are often connected to a network and used by being shared by a plurality of terminals, and it is considered that such a situation can occur frequently.

Generally, when a user issues a print request from an information processing apparatus, the user can continue other operations on the information processing apparatus even while the printer is in use. On the other hand, when operating the scanner for copy work or the like, since the user has bother to move to the place where the scanner is operating, if the printer is in use during the operation, until the printing is completed, You have to wait at that location, which is a waste of time for the user.

An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus which switches an operation mode to a copy mode when a user starts a copying operation, and prohibits interruption from an information processing apparatus.

[0007]

A first image forming apparatus according to the present invention is an image forming apparatus connected to an information processing apparatus for processing image data. Document input means for inputting image information from the information processing apparatus, second input means for inputting image information scanned from the document scan means, the first input means, An input selection unit for selecting any one of the second input units, a printing unit for printing out image information input from the input unit selected by the input selection unit, and a printing unit based on operation information from the operation unit. And control means for controlling the input selection means so as to select the second input means when a predetermined operation for operating the document scanning means is started on the operation means.

[0008] A second image forming apparatus according to the present invention is an image processing apparatus for processing image data, and an image connected to a document scanning device having operation means for operating a user and scanning a document image. A first input unit for inputting image information from the information processing apparatus; a second input unit for inputting image information scanned from the document scanning device; Operation information input means for inputting operation information, input selection means for selecting one of the first input means and the second input means, and input from the input means selected by the input selection means Printing means for printing out image information, and the input selection means for selecting the second input means when an operation is started on the operation means based on operation information from the operation information input means. And control means for controlling the.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<First Embodiment> FIG. 1 shows a control block diagram of a scanner printer according to the present invention. As shown in the figure, the scanner printer 10 includes a printer unit 1 for printing input image information, a scanner unit 3 for scanning and reading a document image, and a C for controlling each unit in the scanner printer 10.
It comprises a PU 15 and an operation panel 17 for the user to perform operations such as setting. The printer unit 1 includes an information processing device 2
A PC interface 11 for exchanging image data and the like with the scanner unit 3, a scanner interface 12 for exchanging image data and the like with the scanner unit 3, an interface selecting unit 13 for switching between these interfaces 11 and 12, And a print execution unit 14 that executes The scanner printer 10 is connected to an information processing device 2 such as a personal computer via a network or directly. FIG. 1 shows only the configuration of the main part of the scanner printer 10, and parts that are not directly related in the following description of the operation are omitted.

FIG. 2 shows an operation panel 17 of the scanner printer 10. The operation panel 17 includes exposure switching keys 301 and 302 for setting exposure, a sheet switching key 303 for selecting a sheet, a stop key 304 for stopping scanning, a start key 305 for starting scanning, and setting. And a display screen 307 for displaying information such as a mode. The user performs various settings and operations such as paper and exposure using these keys.

Scanner printer 1 configured as described above
Reference numeral 0 has a print function for printing image data sent from the information processing apparatus 2 and a copy function for printing image data of a document read by the scanner unit 3. Hereinafter, the operation mode for executing the print function is referred to as “print mode”, and the operation mode for executing the copy function is referred to as “scan mode”. In the print mode, image data is input from the information processing device 2 via the PC interface 11 and printed by the print execution unit 14. In the scan mode, image data read by the scanner unit 3 is sent to the print execution unit 14 via the scanner interface 12 and printed. In this case, the PC interface 11 is selected by the interface selecting unit 13 in the printer mode, and the scanner interface 12 is selected in the scan mode. The detailed processing of the interface selection unit 13 will be described later.

The scanner printer 10 according to the present embodiment detects that the user has started a copy operation on the operation panel 17 and maintains the scan mode for a predetermined time from the time when this operation is detected. In this case, a print request from the information processing apparatus 2 is not accepted. Thus, once the user starts the copy operation, the user can continue the copy operation without interruption even if a print request is received from the information processing apparatus 2 during the operation.

The operation of the scanner printer 10 will be described below. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the control of the CPU 15. This control starts when the scanner printer 10 is turned on or reset.

When this control is started, first, initialization of the CPU 15 for clearing the RAM inside the scanner printer 10 and setting of various registers and initialization of the entire apparatus are performed (S10).
0). Next, a first timer built in the CPU 15 is started (S200). The value of this timer is referred to in the following processing routine. After that, an interface control routine (S3
00), an interface selection routine (S400) for switching between the PC interface 11 and the scanner interface 12, and a print operation routine (S) for controlling the print execution unit 14 and printing the input image information.
500), and other processes for performing other processes (S60)
0) The routine is executed. After the end of each routine, the end of the first timer set in step S200 is determined (S700), and after the end of the first timer, step S200
Return to

Steps S100, S200, S3
Since 00, S500, S600, and S700 are realized using a known technique and are not directly related to the present invention, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The processing of the interface selection routine (S400) for switching between the PC interface 11 and the scanner interface 12 will be described below. In this routine, "print mode" and "scan mode"
Is switched. That is, it is detected whether or not an operation (copy operation) for a copy operation has been performed by the user on the operation panel 17, and when this operation has been performed, a process of setting the mode to the scan mode is performed.

FIG. 4 shows an interface selection routine (S4).
00) is shown. In this routine,
First, it is determined whether the set mode is the print mode (S401). If the mode is the print mode, it is next determined whether or not a print job is being executed (S402). If a print job is being executed, it is determined whether or not there is an operation for a copy operation by the user on the operation panel 17, that is, an operation for operating the scanner unit 3 (S403). Here, the operation for the copy operation by the user includes, for example, an operation of setting a document on the scanner unit 3 in addition to an operation of a predetermined setting key used at the time of the copy operation on the operation panel 17. Refers to connected operations. If such an operation is performed by the user, a flag indicating that an operation has been performed (hereinafter, referred to as a flag)
It is called "operation flag". ) Is set (S404).
If this operation flag is set, the operation panel 17
Indicates that there is an operation for the copy operation by the user, and when reset, indicates that there is no operation for the copy operation. Thereafter, the mode is set to the print mode (S405), and the process returns.

If a print job is not being executed in step S402, it is determined whether an operation flag is set (S406). If the operation flag has been set, the operation flag is reset (S407), and the mode is set from the print mode to the scan mode (S40).
8). That is, in the print mode, if an operation for a copy operation is detected on the operation panel 17 during execution of a print job, the operation mode is switched from the print mode to the scan mode.

If the operation flag has not been set in step S406, it is determined whether or not the user has performed an operation for copying (S409). If there is an operation for copy work, the scan mode is set (S4).
08) If there is no operation for copy work, the print mode is set (S405). That is, in the print mode, when an operation for a copy operation is performed when a print job is not being executed, the operation mode is switched from the print mode to the scan mode.

On the other hand, if it is not the print mode in step S401, that is, if it is in the scan mode, it is determined whether or not there is an operation for a copy operation by the user on the operation panel 17 (S410). If there is an operation for copying, the second timer is set (S411), and the operation mode is set to the scan mode (S408). The second timer is set when the user starts an operation in the scan mode, and is used to measure an elapsed time since the last operation for the copy operation on the operation panel 17.

If there is no operation for copying in step S410, it is determined whether or not the original is being scanned by the scanner unit 3 (S412). If the document is being scanned, the flow advances to step S408 to set the operation mode to the scan mode. If the document is not being scanned, it is determined whether the second timer is set (S41).
3). If the second timer is set, the value of the second timer is counted up (or down) (S
414), it is determined whether the second timer has expired (S415). The determination of the end of the second timer is made based on whether or not the value of the second timer has reached a predetermined value. If the second timer has expired, the operation mode is set from the scan mode to the print mode (S405). If the second timer has not expired, the operation mode is set to the scan mode as it is (S408). If the second timer is not set in step S413, the second timer is set (S416), and the mode is set to the scan mode (S408).

The reason why the second timer is set is as follows.
This is for maintaining the operation mode in the scan mode for a predetermined time after the last operation for the copy operation on the operation panel 17. The value of the second timer defines a predetermined time during which the scan mode is maintained, and is set in consideration of the time required for the user to exchange documents and to set the mode. This value may be set and changed by the user.

<Embodiment 2> FIG. 4 shows a configuration diagram of an image forming system using a printer according to the present invention. The printer 10a includes an information processing device 2 that processes image data,
Scanner 3 that scans a document image and outputs the scanned image
a. The scanner 3a is set by the user.
An operation panel 30 for performing operations and the like is provided. FIG. 5 is a control block diagram of the printer 10a of the present embodiment. The printer 10a is a printer unit 1a that prints the input image.
And a CPU 1 for controlling the operation of each unit in the printer 10a
5a, and an operation panel 17a for the user to operate. The printer unit 1a includes a PC interface 11a for exchanging data with the information processing device 2,
It comprises a scanner interface 12a for exchanging data with the scanner 3a, an interface selection unit 13a for selecting any of these interfaces, and a print execution unit 14a for printing an image. The operations and functions of each unit are the same as those in the case of the scanner printer 10 of the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

The scanner printer 10 according to the first embodiment has a scanner unit therein to read an image. In addition, the user's copy operation information has been obtained from the operation panel 17. On the other hand, the printer 10 of the present embodiment inputs the scanned image data read by the scanner 3a via the scanner interface 12a, and also operates information on the operation panel 30 of the scanner 3a via the scanner interface 12a. input.
Except for this point, the operation is the same as that of the scanner printer 10 of the first embodiment. Therefore, the CPU of the printer 10a
15a performs the same processing as the processing shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 3 and 4, and sets the mode to the scan mode when copy operation information in the scanner 3a is input via the scanner interface 12a. Thus, once the user starts the copy operation, even if there is a print request from the information processing device 2, the user can continue the copy operation without interruption.

[0026]

According to the first image forming apparatus of the present invention,
When the user operates the document scanning means on the operation means, the input means is selected so as to input the scanned image information from the document scanning means. Thus, once the user performs an operation to operate the document scanning unit on the operation unit, the image information from the information processing apparatus is not received, so that the user can perform the operation without interruption. A print output of the scanned image information can be obtained.

According to the second image forming apparatus of the present invention, when the user operates the operation unit of the original scanning device, the input unit is selected so as to input the scanned image information from the original scanning device. I do. Thus, once the user starts the operation on the operation unit of the document scanning device, the image information from the information processing device is not accepted, so that the user can perform the operation without interruption, and can continue to scan the image. A printed output of information can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a scanner printer according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view showing an operation panel of the scanner printer according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a control flowchart of the scanner printer according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an interface selection routine.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of an image forming system using the printer according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic block diagram of a printer according to the invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 1a Printer section 2 Information processing apparatus 3 Scanner section 3a Scanner 10 Scanner printer 10a Printer 11, 11a PC interface 12, 12a Scanner interface 13, 13a Interface selection section 14, 14a Print execution Units 15, 15a: CPU 17, 17a, 30 ... Operation panel.

Claims (2)

[Claims] An image forming apparatus connected to an information processing apparatus for processing image data, an operation unit operated by a user, a document scanning unit for scanning a document image, and inputting image information from the information processing apparatus A first input unit, and a second input unit that inputs image information scanned from the document scanning unit.
Input means, an input selecting means for selecting one of the first input means and the second input means, and image information input from the input means selected by the input selecting means is printed out. A print unit, based on operation information from the operation unit, the input selection unit selects the second input unit when a predetermined operation for operating the document scanning unit is started on the operation unit. An image forming apparatus comprising: a control unit that controls a unit. 2. An information processing apparatus for processing image data,
An image forming apparatus having an operation unit for a user to operate and connected to a document scanning device for scanning a document image; a first input unit for inputting image information from the information processing device; and the document scanning device. Input image information scanned from the second
Input means for inputting operation information on operation means of the document scanning device; input selection means for selecting one of the first input means and the second input means; A printing unit that prints out image information input from the input unit selected by the input selection unit, based on operation information from the operation information input unit, when an operation is started on the operation unit, Control means for controlling the input selection means so as to select a second input means.