JP2002044304A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming device that copes with a temporary large-amount of prints. SOLUTION: The image forming device connected to other image forming devices via a network transmits/receives image data read by an image read section 1 to/from the other image forming devices so that all the image forming devices share the image data and conduct print processing. Furthermore, print data such as characters or graphics are attached to the image data on request of the user. In the case of sharing the print processing, the image forming device transmits/receives the print data to/from the other image forming devices to add the print data to the image data of the respective image forming devices.

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 that is connected to another image forming apparatus via a network and processes print output in a shared manner with the other image forming apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, image forming apparatuses are classified into low-speed machines, medium-speed machines, and high-speed machines in accordance with the application and the printing processing speed. Generally, the higher the printing processing speed, the more expensive. Normally, high-speed machines are used for large-volume printing at copy centers and the like. On the other hand, low-speed and medium-speed aircraft are widely used in general offices, and the frequency of use is often averaged throughout the year.

[0003]

However, on the weekend,
A large amount of printing may be required at the end of the month, at the end of the year, and the like, and it is wasteful in terms of cost to introduce a high-speed machine only for such exceptional cases.

[0004] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its object to provide an image forming apparatus capable of coping with temporary mass printing as described below.

A plurality of digital image forming apparatuses for reading an original image as image data, storing the read image in a storage device, and outputting the image data are connected by an interface for transmitting and receiving image data.
By transmitting a part of the image data read by one digital image forming apparatus to another image forming apparatus connected by the interface and sharing the printing processing, the productivity of the printing processing is improved, Even when a large amount of printing is required, it can be dealt with without introducing an expensive high-speed machine.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus connected to a network, comprising: image reading means for reading image data of a document; Data compression means for compressing the read image data; data storage means for storing the image data compressed by the data compression means; print output means for printing the image data stored by the data storage means; Data dividing means for dividing the data into a plurality of pieces, image data stored by the data storing means, and data transmitting means for transmitting the image data divided by the data dividing means to another image forming apparatus via a network; A print sharing unit for causing another image forming apparatus to print the image data transmitted by Data receiving means for receiving image data transmitted from, 2 such as character and graphic information
Print data adding means for adding print data as the next information to the image data.

Therefore, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the image data is transmitted to another image forming apparatus connected via a network and output, thereby sharing the output processing of the image data and processing time. Can be reduced. Also, by adding print data as secondary information such as character and graphic information to image data,
Documents can be easily managed.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, an electronic sort that outputs image data of a plurality of pages one by one in a page order by sharing with another image forming apparatus. An electronic sort output unit for executing an output mode is provided.

Therefore, according to the second aspect of the present invention, by executing the electronic sort output mode, the sharing of the image data output process and the reduction of the processing time are realized, and the printed transfer paper is copied one copy at a time. It is possible to reduce the time for organizing.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first or second aspect, a simple allotment in which image data of a plurality of pages is shared and output for each page with another image forming apparatus. It has a simple shared stack output means for executing the stack output mode.

Therefore, according to the third aspect of the present invention, by executing the simple shared stack output mode, the output processing of the image data can be shared and the processing time can be reduced.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, image data for a plurality of pages is divided into pages in order of a predetermined number of pages. And an original front / rear sharing stack output unit for executing a front / rear sharing stack output mode for sharing and outputting the image forming apparatus.

Therefore, according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, by executing the original document front / rear sharing stack output mode, the output processing of the image data can be shared and the processing time can be reduced.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the image data for a plurality of pages is divided into odd pages and even pages.
Output one of the odd-numbered page and the even-numbered page image data,
The image forming apparatus further comprises a document odd / even sharing stack output unit for executing a document odd / even sharing stack output mode for outputting the other to another image forming apparatus.

Therefore, according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, by executing the document original odd / even sharing stack output mode, it becomes possible to share the image data output process and reduce the processing time.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the fifth aspect, an electronic sort output mode, a simple shared stack output mode, a document front and rear shared stack output mode, and an original odd / even shared stack output. An output selection means for selecting an output mode from the mode and outputting the selected output mode is provided.

Therefore, according to the present invention, an output form is selected and output from the electronic sort output mode, the simple shared stack output mode, the original front and rear shared stack output mode, and the original odd / even shared stack output mode. As a result, the sharing of image data output processing and the reduction of the processing time are realized, and the image data can be output in an output form according to the user's request.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the sixth aspect, when the electronic sort output mode and the simple shared stack output mode are selected by the output selecting means, the image forming apparatus and the other shared output modes are selected. The image forming apparatus further includes an output sheet number setting unit for setting the number of sheets output from the image forming apparatus.

Therefore, according to the seventh aspect of the present invention, when the electronic sort output mode and the simple shared stack output mode are selected, the number of sheets output by the image forming apparatus and the other image forming apparatuses is set, whereby printing is performed. It is possible to reduce the time for sorting the transferred transfer paper.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, print data customization for setting print data so as to conform to user requirements. Means, print data transmitting means for transmitting print data to another image forming apparatus, and transmission print data adding means for adding print data transmitted by the print data transmitting means to image data of another image forming apparatus. It is characterized by having.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the print data is transmitted to another image forming apparatus, and the transmitted print data is added to the image data of the other image forming apparatus, so that another image is formed. Documents output from the forming apparatus can be easily managed.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the eighth aspect, the print data receiving means for receiving print data transmitted from another image forming apparatus and the print data receiving means. It is characterized by having print data storage means for storing received print data, and received print data adding means for adding print data received by the print data storage means to image data.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, print data held by another image forming apparatus is received and stored, and is added to the image data, so that print data which has not been held until now is stored. , And can be used freely, making it possible to manage documents more flexibly and easily.

[0024]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an image forming apparatus and components according to an embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, the configuration and functions of the image forming apparatus will be described with reference to FIG.

The image forming apparatus includes an image reading unit 1 and an ADF
(Auto Document Feeder) 2, an operation unit 3, an image forming unit 4, an extension unit 8, and a user restriction device 9.

The image reading section 1 irradiates a document with a light source, converts reflected light into an electric signal by a CCD (Charge Coupled Device: solid-state image pickup device), and performs quantization, shading correction, MTF (Modulation Transfer Function) correction, Performs scaling processing.

Quantization is a process of converting analog data converted into an electric signal by a CCD into binary or multi-valued data. Magnification processing changes the image reading density and uses the read image data. To interpolate data.
The shading correction is a correction process for uneven irradiation of a light source for irradiating a document and a variation in sensitivity of a CCD, and the MTF correction corrects blur caused by an optical system.

An ADF 2 for automatically feeding a document and an operation unit 3 for inputting various instructions are provided above the image reading unit 1. FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of the ADF 2 in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, the operation of the ADF 2 will be described with reference to FIG.

The ADF 2 is a pulse generator 131
, A separation belt 132, a call lever 133, a document set detection unit 134, a document table 135, a discharge roller 136, a reversing switching claw 137, and a reversal discharge detection unit 1.
38, a document length detector 139, a separation roller 140,
A registration detection unit 141, a document width detection unit 142, a document scale 143, a call roller 144, and a reverse roller 1
45.

The ADF 2 separates a bundle of documents one by one, feeds them onto a contact glass, and sets them. The ADF 2 has two DC (Direct Current) servo motors, a transport motor and a discharge motor, and a paper feed unit. And the reversing sheet discharge section are installed independently. The reversing discharge unit has a reversing mechanism and realizes single-sided printing of a double-sided document.

When a document is placed on the document table 135 and inserted until it is lightly touched, the document set detector 134 detects the document and the document turn-off display turns off. Next, when the start key is pressed, the calling solenoid, the paper feed spring, and the electromagnetic clutch are turned on, the transport motor is turned on, and the document is fed. At this time, as for the fed document, only one lowermost document is fed by the separation belt 132 and the separation roller 140.

The original that has passed through the separation roller 140 is detected by the registration detector 141, the original width detector 142, the pulse generator 131, and the original length detector 139 to detect the original size.

When the trailing edge of the document passes through the registration detection unit 141, the registration detection unit 141 is turned off, and the conveyance motor is turned off when a designated pulse is reached. As a result,
The transport belt stops, and the document stops at a fixed position.

When the reading of the document image is completed and the document replacement signal is transmitted, the transport motor and the discharge motor are turned off.
N, the document is discharged and the next document is fed. When a two-sided document is printed, a document reversing mechanism is used in which the document passes through the contact glass once, reverses the document at the reverse discharge unit, and transports the document again onto the contact glass.

The number of sheets that can be set on the document table 135 is limited by the opening of the insertion portion, the separation mechanism, and the like. If the number of sheets is set to the limit or more, paper feed jam or double feed occurs. The ADF 2 is connected to other parts of the image forming apparatus by a power line and a communication line for transmitting and receiving commands, receives a command such as paper feeding or discharging, operates in accordance with the command, and transmits information such as the presence or absence of a document. Send.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the appearance of the operation unit 3 in the image forming apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, FIG.
The configuration and function of the operation unit 3 will be described with reference to FIG. The operation unit 3 includes a numeric keypad 11, a liquid crystal display screen 12, a guidance key 13, a program key 14, an area processing key 15, a brightness adjustment knob 16, a mode clear residual heat /
It has a timer key 17 and an interrupt key 18.

By pressing the numeric key 11, the number of prints is set. Further, the liquid crystal display screen 12 displays an operation state, a message, and the like. The guidance key 13 is used for shifting to a mode for displaying a description of a function and an operation method, and the program key 14 is used for setting, registering, and calling a frequently used mode.

The area processing key 15 is used for designating a print area and setting a print mode for each area.
The brightness adjustment knob 16 is used to adjust the brightness of the liquid crystal display screen 12, and the interrupt key 18 is used to interrupt during a printing operation and to print another original.

Pressing the mode clear residual heat / timer key 17 cancels the set contents, and pressing the key continuously for a certain period of time or more executes the transition to the residual heat state (remaining heat mode). The residual heat mode is a mode in which the fixing temperature is reduced to a fixed temperature (for example, 10 ° C.), control is performed, and the display on the liquid crystal display screen 12 of the operation unit 3 is turned off to save power consumption.

The transition to the residual heat mode is performed by a key input on the operation unit 3 or automatically when a predetermined time elapses after the operation and operation of the image forming apparatus is completed. The release from the residual heat mode is performed by key input on the operation unit 3 or when the human body detection sensor 54 detects that a person stands in front of the image forming apparatus.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the settings of the touch panel detection circuit elements according to one embodiment of the present invention, and the elements X1, X2, Y1, Y2 in the image forming apparatus of this embodiment.
Is set based on FIG. Hereinafter, the setting of the elements X1, X2, Y1, and Y2 will be described with reference to FIG.

When "1" is described in "detection" on the input side (IN in FIG. 7) of the OR circuit 25, an operation for detecting whether or not the touch panel is pressed is being performed. Is shown. On the other hand, when “0” is described in “detection”, it indicates that the operation of measuring the coordinates of the touched position of the touch panel is performed without performing the detection operation.

The input side of the OR circuit 25 (I in FIG. 7)
In "X measurement" in N), when "1" is described, it indicates that the operation of measuring the X coordinate of the pressed position of the touch panel is specified. On the other hand, "X measurement"
In this case, when "0" is described, it indicates that the operation of measuring the Y coordinate of the pressed position of the touch panel is specified.

“V _IN ” on the output side (OUT in FIG. 7) of the OR circuit 25 is a potential indicating the coordinates of the pressed position of the touch panel. “H” indicates a high state of the digital signal, and “L” indicates a low state of the digital signal.

The tri-state buffers 23, 24
Is a switch for controlling the direction of current, and functions by bringing the element X2 or Y2 into a high impedance state.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration of a touch panel detection circuit in the image forming apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. The controller 21 controls the entire touch panel detection circuit, and uses an A / D converter (Analog / Digital con
verter) 22 converts an analog signal into a digital signal. Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the touch panel detection circuit will be described with reference to FIG.

The circuit having the elements Y1 and Y2 is an active element connected to a positive power supply (pulled up). In the element Y1, +5 V is applied in the OFF state where the touch panel is not pressed, and the ON state is set in the OFF state where the touch panel is pressed. In this case, a potential of 0 V is detected. Therefore, A / D converter 2
2 determines whether or not the touch panel is pressed by detecting the output.

When confirming that the touch panel is in the ON state in which the touch panel is pressed, the controller 21 switches to the measurement mode for calculating the coordinates of the touch panel in which the touch panel is pressed. When calculating the X coordinate, the element X1 is detected as + 5V and the element X2 is detected as 0V, the potential of the pressed X coordinate is connected to the A / D converter 22 through the element Y1, and the X coordinate is calculated. Similarly, the Y coordinate is calculated, and the pressed position is detected.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the operation unit 3 in the image forming apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, the configuration and functions of the operation unit 3 will be described with reference to FIG.

The operation unit 3 includes a CPU (Central Processing).
Unit) 30, an address latch 31, and a ROM (Read
Only Memory) 32, 40 and system reset 33
, Address decoder 34, and LED (Light Emitting
Diode) driver 35, keyboard 36, LCD
(Liquid Crystal Display) controller 37, touch panel 38, LCD module 39, RAM (Ra
ndom Access Memory) 41, an optical transceiver 42,
Having.

The address signal output from the CPU 30 is taken into an address latch 31 and controlled by a signal from the CPU 30. A part of the address signal output from the address latch 31 is input to an address decoder 34, where the IC (Integer)
grated circuit) and use it to create a memory map.

The address signal is supplied to the ROMs 32, 40
And a memory such as the RAM 41 and the LCD controller 3
7 and used for addressing. On the other hand, CP
The data bus from U30 is ROM 32, 40 and R
It is connected to a memory such as the AM 41 and the LCD controller 37, and performs bidirectional data reception.

The LCD controller 37 receives signals from the keyboard 11 and a touch panel (the liquid crystal display screen 1).
2) Display data is created from the data stored in the ROM 40 and the RAM 41 by the signal from 2), and the LCD module 3
9 is controlled.

FIGS. 9 and 10 are views showing examples of display on the liquid crystal display screen 12 in the image forming apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, each part installed on the liquid crystal display screen 12 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10.

The link copy key 71 operates on the liquid crystal display screen 12.
Is a hard key installed outside the printer, and is depressed when shifting to a connection mode in which two image forming apparatuses are connected and printed. When the link copy key 71 is pressed, the LED (Light Emitting Diode) of the key is turned on to indicate that the link mode has been selected.

In the message area 72, a message such as "I can copy" or "Please wait" is displayed, and in the copy number display section 73, the number of copies of the original is displayed.

When the automatic density key 74 is pressed, the image density is automatically adjusted. When the automatic paper selection key 75 is pressed, the transfer paper of an appropriate size for the document is controlled to be automatically selected, and when the same-size key 76 is pressed, the printing magnification is set to the same magnification. .

When the sort key 79 is depressed, a sort process for aligning the printed transfer sheets in order of each copy is performed, and when the staple key 77 is depressed, the sorted printed transfer paper bundles are sorted for each copy. A binding process is performed. When the stack key 78 is pressed, a process of dividing the printed transfer paper bundle into pages is performed.

As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming section 4 has a double-sided unit 5, a paper sorting device (sorter) 6, and a paper cassette 7, and converts an image image transmitted by an electric signal into an electronic image. This part is formed on plain paper or thermal paper by means such as photo, heat, thermal transfer, and ink jet. The electric signal converted by the image reading unit 1, the electric signal of the image input to the image forming unit 4, and the signal for synchronizing with the electric signal of the image are referred to as a video signal or image data.

The extension section 8 is a section for controlling an extension function (application) that can be realized in the digital image forming apparatus system. One of the main features of a digital image forming apparatus is that an image is converted into an electric signal and read, and the electric signal is restored by an image forming unit.

By providing means for processing and transmitting the read electrical signal into various formats, it is possible to apply the present invention to fields other than those in which the conventional analog image forming apparatus has been used, such as facsimile machines and page printers. , Scanner, file system, and other functions.

When the copying function is executed, the read image data is temporarily stored in a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access).
By storing the data in a storage device such as a memory, and reading out the image data as necessary, a plurality of printings are performed by one scanning when copying a plurality of sheets. Also, a function of printing a plurality of originals on one transfer sheet (hereinafter, a memory function)
And so on.

The user restriction device 9 is a device for specifying, limiting, and managing users, and includes, for example, a coin rack, a key counter, a key card, a prepaid card, and the like. In particular, an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic process consumes a large amount of electricity, and thus has many opportunities to restrict its use. In some cases, a password is used to restrict users.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are diagrams showing an example of the configuration of an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, the configuration and functions of the image forming system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

The image forming system shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 includes a user restriction device 9, an image reading unit 50, an image writing unit 51, a system controller 52, a memory unit 53, a human body detection sensor 54, Remote diagnostic device (CS
S: Customer Support System) 55, clock 56,
HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 60 and I / F (InterFac
e) 62 and 63.

In executing the copy mode, the system controller 52 controls the paper feed cassette for paper transport processing, electrophotographic processing, abnormal status, and presence or absence of transfer paper to form an image in the image writing unit 51. In order to control in-machine monitoring such as a state and read an image with the image reading unit 50,
The scanner operation and the ON / OFF of the light source are controlled.

In recent years, digital image forming apparatuses have
Not only one extension function is installed, but also a plurality of extension functions. A digital image forming apparatus sharing one resource may be referred to as a “system”, and a controller that controls this system may be referred to as a system controller. Here, the resource indicates a functional unit shared by a plurality of extended functions, and is also expressed as a resource.

The system controller 52 performs system control on a resource-by-resource basis. In the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment, the image reading unit 1, the image forming unit 4, the operation unit 3, the memory, and the peripherals (ADF2, duplex unit) 5, sorters 6) are managed as resources.

The memory unit (storage device) 53 is used not only for storing image data but also as a buffer for transmitting image data between machines on a network. In this embodiment, a DRAM is shown, but a similar function can be achieved by using another memory element. Further, when a storage device such as the HDD 60 is added to the DRAM, a larger storage capacity can be obtained. The human body detection sensor 54 and the remote diagnosis device (CSS) 55 are installed according to the situation.

The clock 56 is provided to realize a weekly timer function for starting up or shutting down the apparatus at a predetermined time for each day of the week.
In order to execute the operation of the weekly timer function, it is necessary to adjust the time of the clock module and set an ON / OFF time.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the human body detection sensor 54 in the image forming apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, the configuration and function of the human body detection sensor 54 will be described with reference to FIG. The human body detection sensor 54 includes an infrared ray, a light emitting diode, an optical unit that restricts the emission of infrared rays in a certain direction, and an infrared light reception sensor that detects reflected light of the emitted infrared rays. An object such as a user existing at a certain distance is detected and a signal is transmitted to the main body control board.

Further, the human body detection sensor 54 has a detection distance changeover switch, and can switch the detection distance in two stages. The human body detection sensor 54 is disposed on the installation side of the operation unit 3 of the image forming apparatus. Can be detected as to whether or not the user has approached.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a remote diagnosis system having remote diagnosis devices (CSS) 55 and 90 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, the configuration and functions of the remote diagnosis system will be described with reference to FIG.

The remote diagnosis system includes a remote diagnosis device 55,
90, a public network 91, and a management device 92. The remote diagnosis device 55 is a PPC as an image forming device.
(Plain Paper Copier: plain paper copier) 93-95,
Telephone (TEL) 96 and communication control device 97
And the remote diagnostic apparatus 90 includes PPCs 98 and 99.
And a facsimile machine (FAX) 100 and a communication control device 101.

Management device 9 installed at service base
2 and PPCs 93 to 9 installed under the user
Devices such as 5, 98, and 99 are connected via a public line network 91. Communication control devices 97 and 101 are installed on the user side for controlling communication with the management device 92, and are connected to PPCs 93 to 95, 98 and 99. In addition, a telephone 96 and a facsimile machine 100 can be connected to the communication control devices 97 and 101 by being inserted into a line.

The communication control devices 97 and 101 include:
A plurality of image forming apparatuses can be connected, but a single case may be considered. The connected image forming apparatuses need not be the same type, and may be different models or devices. In this embodiment, for convenience of explanation, it is assumed that a maximum of five image forming apparatuses can be connected to one communication control apparatus 55, 90.

Communication control devices 97 and 101 and PP
C93 to 95, 98, and 99 are connected according to the RS-485 standard by a multi-drop system that allows each terminal to simultaneously use data from a line.

The communication control devices 97 and 101 and each P
Communication control with the PCs 93 to 95, 98, and 99 is performed by a basic type data transmission control procedure. A data link is established by a polling / selecting method of centralized control using the communication control devices 55 and 90 as control stations, and communicates with arbitrary PPCs 93 to 95, 98 and 99. Each PPC sets a unique value by an address setting switch, and the polling address or the selecting address of each of the PPCs 93 to 95, 98, and 99 is determined.

Hereinafter, the configuration and functions of the memory unit 53 will be described with reference to FIGS. Memory unit 5
3 is a compression block 65, a DRAM block 66,
And a DMA block 67. In the configuration of FIG. 3, a CPU 68 is added to the configuration of FIG. The HDD 60 is connected to the memory unit 53.

The compression block 65 has a compression and decompression function, compresses an image once read, and
In addition, it is possible to improve the use efficiency of the memory such as the HDD 60.

The DRAM block 66 includes the image reading unit 50
This is a part for storing image data read from the image controller, and transmits the stored image data to the image writing unit in response to a request from the system controller 52. Further, by changing the read address to the image writing unit 51 and the read direction, the image can be rotated.

When the HDD 60 is used as a storage device, the compressed image data stored in the DRAM is
Send to 60. Further, the image data is transmitted from the HDD 60 to the DRAM, decompressed, and transmitted to the image writing unit 51.

In the configuration shown in FIG. 2, the image reading section 50,
Image writing unit 51, memory unit 53, and CSS5
5 is controlled only by the CPU 64 of the system controller 52.

On the other hand, in the configuration shown in FIG. 3, each of the image reading section 50, the image writing section 51, and the memory unit 53 has CPUs 50, 51, 68, and commands from the system controller 52 to the CPUs 50, 51, 68 are given. Is transmitted by a control signal. The control signal refers to a unit for transmitting information between the image reading unit 1, the image forming unit 4, the extension unit 8, and the like, and is also called command issuance.

Hereinafter, a printing process in the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described. In the printing process, when transferring to image data, printing data stored in advance is generally added to the image data and output to transfer paper.
Below, security management numbering, date printing, page printing,
Five types of printing processes, stamp printing and user stamp printing, will be described.

The security management numbering is a printing process for adding a copy-forgery-inhibited pattern to a confidential document and printing it out. In addition, the date printing is a printing process in which the date of the printing process is added and printed out, and the page printing is a printing process in which the number of pages is added to each transfer sheet and printed out.
1 shows an example of page printing in the image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Stamp printing is a printing process in which stamp data registered in advance is added to an arbitrary position and printed out. User stamp printing reads frequently used characters and marks as image data, This is a printing process in which data is registered, added to an arbitrary position, and printed out.

In confidentiality management numbering and stamp printing, print data stored in advance is not changed during one print setting and output process. On the other hand, page printing switches page data to be printed each time a page of transfer paper is updated. In the date printing, the print data is changed every time the date is changed, but is not changed during one print setting and output process.

The user stamp printing is not changed during one print setting and output process, but it is necessary to read and register characters and marks used as print data in advance. In a printing process other than the user stamp printing, data registered as character data is extracted and output according to a printing request.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a print processing block in the image forming apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. Less than,
The configuration and function of the print processing block will be described with reference to FIG. The print processing block includes a print control unit 43, an image synthesis unit 44, an image memory 45, a print ROM 46,
And

The print controller 43 controls the DRAM block 66 and the like to store the image data transmitted from the image reader 50 and the like. The print ROM 46 is a read-only nonvolatile memory that stores several types of print patterns, and the print control unit 43 controls a read process and the like. FIG. 16 shows a print ROM according to this embodiment.
An example of the print pattern stored in 46 is shown.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing the relationship among the following signals in the image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and includes a frame gate signal (FGATE), a line synchronization signal (LSYNC), and a pixel synchronization signal (LSYNC). PCLK), and image data.

FIG. 20 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the image synthesizing section 44 in the image forming apparatus of this embodiment. Hereinafter, the configuration and function of the image combining unit 44 will be described with reference to FIG.

The image synthesizing section 44 includes an AND circuit 47 and an O
It has an R circuit 48. The input side of the AND circuit 47 receives input image data and a white mask instruction signal. The white mask instruction signal is a signal supplied when performing a mask process for synthesizing a part of the input image data.

The output side of the AND circuit 47 is connected to an OR circuit 48.
Is connected to one input side. The other input side of the OR circuit 48 has the image memory 45 or the print ROM 4
6, print data is supplied, and output image data is transmitted to the image writing unit 51 from the output side of the OR circuit 48. Further, in FIGS. 2 and 3, the image synthesizing unit is not particularly shown, but is assumed to be present on the image data bus.

Hereinafter, referring to FIG. 2, transmission means between an image forming apparatus (hereinafter, referred to as an operating device) according to an embodiment of the present invention and another image forming apparatus (hereinafter, referred to as a connecting device) connected via a network will be described. explain. The I / F 62 is connected to the memory unit 53 and is an interface for transmitting image data to the coupling device.

When the operating device is connected to the connecting device via the I / F 62 and the print processing of the operating device is distributed to the connecting device, the image data read by the operating device is selected according to the print output mode, and the connection is performed. Sent to the machine. Data compressed by performing image compression processing simultaneously with transmission processing (hereinafter, compressed data)
Is stored in the HDD 60 of the operating device. In addition, the linking machine also performs image compression processing at the same time as receiving image data,
It is stored in the HDD 60 of the coupling device.

In the operating device and the coupling device, the compressed data stored in the HDD 60 is taken out according to the copy output mode, and at the same time, the image is expanded and expanded into the DRAM.
The required number of sheets is output as image data on transfer paper. Also,
In FIG. 2, an I / F 63 connected to the system controller 52 is an interface for transmitting and receiving a setting command such as a copy output mode.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a second embodiment according to the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of distribution of print jobs when two image forming apparatuses are connected. Hereinafter, using FIG. 13, printing when four pages of originals A, B, C, and D are printed by electronic sort output, simple shared stack output, original front and rear shared stack output, and original odd / even shared stack output. The characteristics of job distribution will be described.

In the electronic sort output mode, copies are output one by one in the page order of the document, the number of copies is divided into half, distributed to two image forming apparatuses, and output. As described above, the electronic sort output is a very characteristic output form in which sort output is automatically performed.

In the simple shared stack output mode,
The number of copies is simply halved. For example, when printing four copies, the two image forming apparatuses output two copies for each page. As described above, the simple shared stack output is an output form suitable for a case where it is required to output two units at the same time and to reduce the time spent for the printing process to half.

In the simple shared stack output mode,
Although it is necessary to arrange the output sheets, it is not always so disadvantageous depending on the relationship between the number of pages of the document and the number of printed sheets. Also, it is considered that there is no disadvantage even when it is required to distribute the paper output to two places by half.

In the original document front / rear sharing stack output mode, the total number of pages to be printed is divided into halves in the first half and the second half, respectively, and output to two image forming apparatuses. For example, when printing four pages of originals, one of the two image forming apparatuses outputs the first half of A and B, and the other outputs C and D of the second half. If the sheets output by the two image forming apparatuses are stacked, a print result similar to that obtained by simple print processing by one unit is obtained.

In the document odd / even number sharing stack output mode, the document to be printed is divided into odd pages and even pages by half, and output to two image forming apparatuses. For example, 4
When printing a document for a page, one of the two image forming apparatuses outputs A and C, and the other outputs B and D. In the stack output of the odd and even documents, it may be necessary to rearrange the output sheets in document order.

In this embodiment, the user can select an optimum output form from the four output forms described above according to the situation. The selection of the output mode is performed by direct input by the user to the liquid crystal display screen 12 of the operation unit 2. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a display example of the liquid crystal display screen 12 when the output mode is selected in the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment. Hereinafter, the selection of the output mode will be described with reference to FIG.

In FIGS. 9 and 10, when the user presses the link copy key and selects the link copy mode,
The liquid crystal display section 12 displays as shown in FIG. 14, and an optimum one can be selected from four types of output forms. Figure 1
The hatched portion in FIG. 4 is displayed negatively and positively inverted on the display, indicating that it is currently selected.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a second embodiment according to the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a display example of a liquid crystal display screen 12 for setting the number of processed sheets when a print job is shared by two image forming apparatuses. Hereinafter, the setting of the number of processed sheets for each image forming apparatus will be described with reference to FIG.

In the electronic sort output and the simple shared stack output, it is possible to set the number of prints of each image forming apparatus in addition to dividing the number of prints into two as described above. For example, when 15 copies are requested by the department A and 10 copies are requested by the department B, it is possible to omit the work of organizing the output sheets by setting the same in each image forming apparatus.

[0109]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, image data is transmitted to another image forming apparatus connected via a network and output, thereby outputting image data. Processing can be shared and processing time can be reduced. In addition, by adding print data, which is secondary information such as character and graphic information, to image data, a document can be easily managed.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, by executing the electronic sort output mode, the sharing of the image data output process and the reduction of the processing time are realized, and the printed transfer paper is copied one copy at a time. It is possible to reduce the time for organizing.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, by executing the simple shared stack output mode, the output processing of the image data can be shared, and the processing time can be reduced.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, by executing the original front / rear sharing stack output mode,
The output processing of the image data is shared, and the processing time can be reduced.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, by executing the document odd / even sharing stack output mode, it is possible to share image data output processing and reduce processing time.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, an output mode is selected and output from the electronic sort output mode, the simple shared stack output mode, the original front and rear shared stack output mode, and the original odd / even shared stack output mode. As a result, the sharing of image data output processing and the reduction of the processing time are realized, and the image data can be output in an output form according to the user's request.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, when the electronic sort output mode and the simple shared stack output mode are selected, the number of sheets output by the image forming apparatus and the other image forming apparatuses is set, whereby printing is performed. It is possible to reduce the time for sorting the transferred transfer paper.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, print data is transmitted to another image forming apparatus, and the transmitted print data is added to image data of another image forming apparatus, whereby another image is formed. Documents output from the forming apparatus can be easily managed.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, print data held by another image forming apparatus is received and stored, and is added to the image data, so that print data which has not been held until now is stored. , And can be used freely, making it possible to manage documents more flexibly and easily.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating another system configuration example of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of an automatic document feeder in the image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an appearance of an operation unit in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of a touch panel detection circuit in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating setting of elements of a touch panel detection circuit in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an operation unit in the image forming apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a display example of a liquid crystal display screen in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another display example of the liquid crystal display screen in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a human body detection sensor in the image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a remote diagnosis system having a remote diagnosis device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of distribution of print jobs when two image forming apparatuses are connected according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a display example of a liquid crystal display screen when an output mode is selected in the image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a display example of a liquid crystal display screen for setting the number of processed sheets when a print job is shared by two image forming apparatuses according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of a print pattern stored in a print ROM in the image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of page printing in the image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a print processing block in the image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a relationship among the following signals in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, in which a frame gate signal, a line synchronization signal, a pixel synchronization signal, and image data are illustrated.

FIG. 20 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image combining unit in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1, 50 Image reading unit 2 Automatic document feeder (ADF) 3 Operation unit 4 Image forming unit 5 Double-sided unit 6 Discharge sorting device (sorter) 7 Paper feed cassette 8 Expansion unit 9 User restriction device 11 Numeric keypad 12 Liquid crystal display screen 13 Guidance key 14 Program key 15 Area processing key 16 Brightness adjustment knob 17 Mode clear remaining heat / timer key 18 Interrupt key 21 Controller 22 A / D converter 23, 24 Transform buffer 25, 48 OR circuit 30, 68-70 CPU 31 Address Latches 32, 40 ROM 33 System reset 34 Address decoder 35 Driver 36 Keyboard 37 LCD controller 38 Touch panel 39 LCD module 41 RAM 42 Optical transceiver 43 Print control unit 44 Image synthesis unit 4 5 Image memory 46 Print ROM 47 AND circuit 51 Image writing unit 52 System controller 53 Memory unit 54 Human body detection sensor 55, 90 Remote diagnostic device (CSS) 56 Clock 60 HDD 62, 63 I / F 65 Compression block 66 DRAM block 67 DMA block 71 Concatenated copy key 72 Message area 73 Number of copies display section 74 Automatic density key 75 Automatic paper selection key 76 Actual size key 77 Staple key 78 Stack key 79 Sort key 91 Public network 92 Management device 93-95, 98, 99 PPC 96 Telephone 97, 101 Communication control device 100 Facsimile device 131 Pulse generator 132 Separation belt 133 Call lever 134 Document set detector 135 Document table 136 Paper discharge roller 137 Reversing switching claw 138 Reversing discharge detecting unit 139 Document length detecting unit 140 Separation roller 141 Registration detecting unit 142 Document width detecting unit 143 Document scale 144 Calling roller 145 Reverse roller X1, X2, Y1, Y2 Touch panel detection circuit element R Resistance

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G03G 21/00 396 H04N 1/21 5C076 H04N 1/21 1/387 1/387 G03G 21/00 382 F term (Ref.) AA06 AB07 BB01 BB07 CC02 CC03 CE01 CE04 5C076 AA16 AA36 BA02 BA05 BA06

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. An image forming apparatus connected to a network, wherein: image reading means for reading image data of a document; data compression means for compressing the image data read by the image reading means; A data storage unit that stores the image data compressed by the data storage unit; a print output unit that prints the image data stored by the data storage unit; a data division unit that divides the image data into a plurality of pieces; Said image data stored by means;
A data transmitting unit for transmitting the image data divided by the data dividing unit to another image forming apparatus via the network; and printing the image data transmitted by the data transmitting unit on the other image forming apparatus. A print sharing unit for causing the image data to be transmitted from the another image forming apparatus; a data receiving unit for receiving the image data transmitted from the another image forming apparatus; An image forming apparatus comprising: a data adding unit. 2. An electronic sort output unit for executing an electronic sort output mode in which image data of a plurality of pages is output one by one in a page order by sharing with said another image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus as described in the above. 3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a simple shared stack output unit that executes a simple shared stack output mode for sharing the image data of the plurality of pages for each page and outputting the divided data. 3. The image forming apparatus according to 1 or 2. 4. An original front / rear sharing stack output means for executing a front / rear sharing stack output mode for dividing the image data for a plurality of pages into a predetermined number of pages in a page order and sharing and outputting the image data with the other image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: 5. The image data of the plurality of pages is divided into odd-numbered pages and even-numbered pages, and one of the odd-numbered page and the even-numbered page is output, and the other image forming apparatus outputs the other. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a document odd / even sharing stack output unit that executes a document odd / even sharing stack output mode. 6. An output selecting means for selecting and outputting an output form from the electronic sort output mode, the simple shared stack output mode, the original front and rear shared stack output mode, and the original odd / even shared stack output mode. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein: 7. An output sheet number setting unit that sets the number of sheets output by the image forming apparatus and the other image forming apparatus when the electronic sort output mode and the simple shared stack output mode are selected by the output selection unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising: 8. A print data customizing unit for setting the print data so as to conform to a user's requirement, a print data transmitting unit for transmitting the print data to the another image forming apparatus, and the print data transmitting unit And a transmission print data adding unit for adding the print data transmitted by the control unit to the image data of the another image forming apparatus.
Item 10. The image forming apparatus according to item 1. 9. A print data receiving means for receiving print data transmitted from said another image forming apparatus; a print data storage means for storing said print data received by said print data receiving means; 9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising: a reception print data adding unit that adds the print data received by the unit to image data.