JP2003259059A - Multi-functional document preparing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a multi-functional document preparing device which can confirm a printed result without printing it wastefully and can realize resource saving. <P>SOLUTION: The multi-functional document preparing device connected to a network has a function of previously scanning documents as a copy objective by one sheet, the specified number of sheets or all of the documents according to an input from an operation panel 11 prior to printing of the documents; and displaying the pre-scanned result on the operation panel 11, when the device performs its copying operation based on a read setting by a user's instruction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a multi-function document creation device connected to a network.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art It is a well-known fact that the function of copying or the function of connecting to a network as a scanner and accumulating image data in a hard disk of the main body or transferring to a file server. When performing copy printing
The result of printing the content of the original does not always become the result desired by the user only by the print setting performed before the copy printing. Also, there is a function to check in advance whether or not the intended print result can be obtained by performing trial printing before full-scale printing, but even then, one sheet is always printed, so paper resources are wasted. .

[0003]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Problems to be Solved by the Invention
The 288 publication describes the preview function at the time of the copy function. However, the user can only choose to execute or discard the previewed result. It is an object of the present invention to provide a multifunctional document creating apparatus that can confirm a print result without wasteful printing and can save resources.

[0004]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention according to claim 1 is a multifunctional document creating apparatus connected to a network, when copying is performed by reading setting of a user instruction, A multi-function document creation device having a function of performing a pre-scan and displaying the result on the operation panel before scanning one or a specified number of copies or all originals to be printed on a medium by input from the operation panel. Is the most important feature. The invention described in claim 2 is claim 1
When the copy settings such as color mode, document size, copy range, scaling, and aggregation are changed for the prescan image displayed on the operation panel in the described multifunctional document creation device, the changes also occur. The main feature is a multifunctional document creation device in which the display of the prescan image is changed in real time. According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the multi-function document creation apparatus according to the second aspect, the multi-function document creation in which the change of the copy setting for the pre-scan image is reflected in the pre-scan image of one page or a specified number of pages or all pages The device is the main feature. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the multi-function document creation apparatus according to the first aspect, the characteristics of the document are analyzed on the prescan screen, and the most preferable copy setting is automatically set to form the prescan image. The main feature is the multi-function document creation device that reflects it. A fifth aspect of the present invention is the multifunctional document creating apparatus according to the second aspect, which is a main feature of the multifunctional document creating apparatus that reflects a change made to a prescan screen and performs a copy operation as set. And According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the multi-function document creation apparatus according to the first aspect, when copy printing is not performed with the setting after the prescan, the image data itself is discarded, or the original prescan image or copy. A predominant feature of the multi-function document creation device is to store one page, a specified number of pages, or all pages in the hard disk with the pre-scan image updated by the setting change as image data.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the multi-function document creation apparatus according to the first aspect, when the copy printing is not performed with the setting after the prescan, the image data itself is discarded, or the original prescan image. Alternatively, the main feature of the multi-function document creating apparatus is to transfer one page, a specified number of pages, or all pages to the specified image file server, using the prescan image updated by the change in the copy setting as the image data. According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the multi-function document creation apparatus according to the first aspect, the image data stored in the hard disk without being printed first or the image data sent to the designated image file server is converted into an operation panel. Its main feature is a multi-function document creation device that displays it again on the pre-scan screen of the operation panel by inputting from and prints it as a copy. According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the multi-function document creation apparatus according to the first aspect, the image data stored in the hard disk without being printed first or the image data sent to the designated image file server is operated again. Its main feature is a multi-function document creation device that displays a pre-scan screen on the panel, sets copy settings again, and prints as a copy. The invention described in claim 10 is claim 1
In the described multifunctional document creation apparatus, image data of a commonly used image format created in advance by another means other than the data that is not pre-scanned and stored or distributed as an image without being printed is stored on the hard disk. Alternatively, the main feature is a multifunctional document creating apparatus that transfers the data to an image file server, displays the data on a prescan screen of the operation panel, and gives a print instruction. According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the multi-function document creation apparatus according to the first aspect, data other than data that is not pre-scanned and is stored or distributed as an image without being printed,
Transfer the image data of a commonly used image format created in advance by another method to the hard disk or image file server, display the data on the prescan screen of the operation panel, and then on the prescan screen. The main feature is a multifunctional document creating apparatus that sets copy settings again and prints as a copy.

[0006]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a multi-function document creation system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this system, a multifunction device (multi-function document creation device) 1 that has multiple functions such as a fax, a scanner, and a printer in addition to a copy function uses a contact glass and a document feeder to print paper such as originals and photographs. An image of a medium is optically scanned, printed on another paper medium, and copied. Further, the multi-function device 1 has an operation panel 11 (described later in FIG. 2) that also has a user interface for displaying settings for the copy function and the contents of the settings, the status of the main body, and an image display of the result of prescan. To have. In addition, the multifunction device 1 has a system (IP address assignment, network interface card equipment, etc.) for connecting to a network, connects to the Internet, and uses a file transfer protocol such as FTP to create an image. Data can be sent. Further, the multi-function device 1 has a hard disk 2 inside and can store input data from the device body or from the outside, and can further refer to and obtain the contents of the hard disk 2 from the outside. Hard disk 2
Is a data storage device installed inside the multi-function device 1. This is a place where the prescan image acquired during prescan can be temporarily stored when it is handled as image data without printing. Further, the image data transferred from the image file server 3 or the user PC 4 can be stored. It is used not only for storing images, but also when it is necessary for the device body to operate. For example, after the prescan, the data of the prescan image may be stored in the hard disk 2 depending on the data capacity even while the image is displayed on the operation panel 11 before the accumulation or printing operation. The image file server 3 is a personal computer (P
C), which manages the electronic data of the prescan image transmitted from the multifunction device 1 using a file transfer protocol such as FTP, and transfers the image data file in the server PC if requested, or It receives an image file sent from another client PC. The user PC 4 can use this to refer to the hard disk 2 and the image file server 3 of the multi-function device 1 to acquire the image data of the pre-scan image, and the multi-function device 1 can replay the image data. Image data for printing can be transferred to the image file server 3 or the hard disk 2 of the multifunction device 1.

FIG. 2 is a layout diagram of the operation panel. The multi-function device 1 has an operation panel 11 for making settings, displaying actual operation instructions, and displaying a pre-scan result at the time of the copy function. The operation panel 11 has various keys 12
And a display unit (screen) 13. In the multi-function document creation device having the above-described configuration, first, before performing the actual print operation by the copy function, the pre-scan is executed and the print result is displayed on the operation panel. Since the information is displayed, the print result can be understood without wasteful printing, so that waste of resources can be eliminated. Further, in another embodiment of the present invention, by changing the copy setting with respect to the result of prescanning and displaying on the operation panel, it is possible to display on the operation panel the change in the image in real time. . As a result, it is possible to visually judge what kind of copy setting should be performed to obtain the desired print result, and it is not necessary to change the setting many times and print. Further, according to another embodiment of the present invention, the change of the copy setting can be reflected to the page designated at one time or all the pages. Therefore, when a large number of documents are pre-scanned, it is possible to check each image one by one and eliminate the trouble of changing the settings. Further, another embodiment of the present invention has a function of analyzing what characteristics the pre-scanned image has in the image data and automatically reflecting the optimum copy setting. As a result, when it is troublesome to check and set the images one by one, such as when a large number of originals are pre-scanned, it is possible to easily make settings that the user is satisfied with.

The details of the operation of the multifunctional document creating apparatus of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 3 is a basic operation flow chart when the copy function is used. Operation panel 1
Various settings related to copying are displayed in 1.
Each can be set by the user. The user specifies copy settings (S1) and sets the document on the reading section (Note: the operation panel can be set even after the document is set) (S2). When the copy is ready, either the copy operation or the pre-scan can be selected on the operation panel 11, and one of them is instructed (S3). When the copy operation is executed, the document is read (S4), and immediately printed on paper (S5), and the operation is completed. When the pre-scan is performed, the document is read (S6) but is not printed and is displayed on the display unit 13 of the operation panel 11.

FIG. 4 is an operation flow chart after the prescan operation is performed. The image obtained by the prescan is displayed on the display unit 13 so that the user can be informed what kind of print result is obtained. If it is desired to change the copy setting set at the time of the prescan at this point (Y in S11), the copy setting can be changed again on the operation panel 11 (S12). Further, when it is desired to make the optimum copy setting for the prescan image (Y in S13), the optimum copy setting is made for the image by instructing the multifunction device 1 to perform the automatic analysis (S1).
4). Those changes are reflected in the display of the prescan image displayed on the operation panel 11 (S15). After that, whether to print with that setting (S1
6), it is possible to select whether to obtain the data of the pre-scan image as electronic data or cancel all the operations (S17). When canceling, the data is discarded (S18). When printing, printing is performed based on the copy settings reflected in the prescan image display (S
19, S20, S21). Further, the pre-scan image used for printing after printing can be converted into electronic data.
According to this, the copy setting set while checking the pre-scanned image is reflected in the actual printing. As a result, it is possible to print the image after the prescan according to the changed setting. FIG. 5 is an operation flow chart when the prescan image is used as electronic data without being printed. First, the image format of the prescan image of the copy to be acquired as electronic data is set (S31). Mainly, compression format, number of colors, resolution, etc. After the setting, it is possible to specify whether the electronic data is stored in the hard disk 2, transferred to the image file server 3, or all data is discarded (S3).
2). When transferring to the file server 11, the transfer file server is designated (S33), the image conversion process is performed (S34), and the transfer destination is designated (S35). If the server can be connected (S36), the file is received (S3).
7) The file is registered (S38). If the transfer cannot be performed due to the settings of the file server 11 or the network environment, it is possible to retry the transfer, store the data in the hard disk, or discard all the data (S39). When storing on the hard disk 2,
Image conversion processing (S40) and accumulation (S41) are performed. When canceling, the image is discarded (S42). As a result, a document that does not need to be printed or a document that has been printed but wants to be stored electronically can be acquired as electronic data and can be reused for another purpose.

FIG. 6 shows image data of a prescan image once stored in the hard disk 2 or the image file server 3, or the multifunction device 1 by the user.
Image data obtained by other means transferred to the hard disk 2 or the image file server 3 of the operation panel 11 of the multifunction device 1 again.
FIG. 7 is an operation flow diagram in the case of displaying as a pre-scan image of and printing. Not only the image data on the hard disk 2 of the multi-function device 1 or the image file server 3 or the image data pre-scanned by this system but not printed and digitized, the image obtained by the user by another means With respect to the data, the multifunction device 1 is read again (S51),
Display as a prescan image. When reading from the image file server 3 (S52), the transfer file server is designated (S53), and the designated server is accessed (S54). If it is a server connection (S55), file transfer is performed (S56), and the data is temporarily written in the hard disk 2 (S57). If the server connection fails, it is determined whether to retry or cancel (S58). When the content of the hard disk 2 is read, it is executed (S59), and in the case of expandable image data, the file is expanded into image data (S60, S61). And operation panel 11
Is redrawn (S62). According to this embodiment, the user accesses the hard disk or the image file server, transfers the image data other than the acquired image to the user, reads the data, displays it on the operation panel, and again sets the copy setting. You can customize the data to be reprinted. As a result, even if the image is not originally acquired for copying, it is possible to set a print result desired by the user and perform printing as if it were a copy.

[0011]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the invention, before the actual printing operation is performed by the copy function, the prescan is performed and the printing result is displayed on the operation panel. It provides the function to
As a result, since the print result can be known without performing wasteful printing, waste of resources can be eliminated. According to the second aspect of the present invention, by providing a function of changing the copy setting for the result of pre-scanning and displaying, the change in the image can be displayed on the operation panel in real time. There is. As a result, it is possible to visually judge what copy setting should be made to obtain the desired print result, and it is not necessary to change the setting many times and print. According to the third aspect of the invention, the function of reflecting the change of the copy setting on the page designated at one time or all pages is provided. Therefore, when prescanning a large number of documents,
It is possible to check the images one by one and eliminate the hassle of changing the settings. The invention according to claim 4 provides a function of analyzing what kind of characteristics the pre-scanned image has in the image data and automatically reflecting the optimum copy setting. As a result, when it is troublesome to check and set the images one by one, such as when a large number of originals are pre-scanned, it is possible to easily make settings that the user is satisfied with. According to the fifth aspect of the invention, a function is provided in which the copy setting set while checking the pre-scanned image is reflected at the time of actual printing. As a result, it is possible to print the image after the prescan according to the changed setting. In the invention according to claim 6, when not actually printing as a copy,
It provides a function that allows the image displayed as a pre-scan image to be stored in the hard disk as electronic image data. As a result, a document that does not need to be printed or a document that has been printed but wants to be stored electronically can be acquired as electronic data and can be reused for another purpose. According to the invention of claim 7, a function capable of transferring an image displayed as a pre-scan image as electronic image data to an image file server that collectively manages image files when the image is not actually printed as a copy. Are offered.
As a result, a document that does not need to be printed or a document that has been printed but wants to be stored electronically can be acquired as electronic data and can be reused for another purpose.

According to the present invention, there is provided a function capable of reading the prescan image once stored in the hard disk or transferred to the image file server, displayed again on the operation panel, and printed. Thereby, the image acquired as electronic data can be printed like a copy function. According to the invention of claim 9, the prescan image once stored in the hard disk or transferred to the image file server is read, displayed again on the operation panel, and the copy setting is performed again to customize the data to be reprinted. It provides the functions that can be done. As a result, the print result desired to be acquired by the user can be set again for the image acquired as the electronic data, and the original document can be printed like a copy function without rereading. Claim 1
In the invention described in 0, the user accesses the hard disk or the image file server, transfers image data other than the acquired image to the user, reads the data, displays it on the operation panel, and prints the data. It provides the function to give instructions. As a result, even if the image is not originally acquired for copying, it can be printed as if it were a copy. In the invention described in claim 11, the user accesses the hard disk or the image file server, transfers image data other than the acquired image to the user, reads the data, displays it on the operation panel, and sets copy again. Provides a function to customize the data to be reprinted. As a result, even if the image is not originally acquired for copying, it is possible to set a print result desired by the user and perform printing as if it were a copy.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a multi-function document creation system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a layout diagram of an operation panel.

FIG. 3 is a basic operation flow chart when a copy function is used.

FIG. 4 is an operation flow chart after performing a prescan operation.

FIG. 5 is an operation flow diagram when the prescan image is not printed and is used as electronic data.

FIG. 6 is an operation flow diagram in a case where the acquired image data is displayed again as a pre-scan image on the operation panel of the multifunction device and is printed.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Multi-function device 2 hard disk 3 image file server 11 Operation panel

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A multifunction document creating apparatus connected to a network, when copying is performed according to a user-specified reading setting, one sheet to be copied or a designated number or all originals are scanned by input from an operation panel. A multi-function document creation apparatus having a function of performing pre-scan and displaying the result on an operation panel before printing on a medium. 2. The multifunctional document creating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a copy setting such as a color mode, a document size, a copy range, a scaling, and a combination is changed for the prescan image displayed on the operation panel. In this case, the display of the pre-scan image is changed in real time according to the change, a multi-function document creating apparatus. 3. The multifunctional document creating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the copy setting for the prescan image is changed,
A multi-function document creation device characterized by reflecting on a pre-scan image of one page, a specified number of pages, or all pages. 4. The multifunctional document creating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the characteristics of the original document are analyzed on the prescan screen, and the most preferable copy setting is automatically set and reflected in the prescan image. A multifunctional document creation device characterized by: 5. The multi-function document creation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein changes made to the prescan screen are reflected,
A multifunctional document creation device characterized by performing a copy operation according to settings. 6. The multi-function document creation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the pre-scan is not used for copy printing after the pre-scan, the pre-scan image is discarded or the original pre-scan image or the copy setting is changed. A multi-function document creating apparatus characterized by accumulating one page, a specified number of pages, or all pages in a hard disk by using an updated pre-scan image as image data. 7. The multi-function document creation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the pre-scan is not used for copy printing after the pre-scan, the pre-scan image is discarded or the original pre-scan image or the copy setting is changed. A multi-function document creating apparatus, characterized in that one page, a specified number of pages, or all pages are transferred to a specified image file server by using an updated pre-scan image as image data. 8. The multi-function document creation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein image data stored in a hard disk without being printed first or image data sent to a designated image file server is input from an operation panel. A multi-function document creation device characterized by displaying again on the pre-scan screen of the operation panel and printing. 9. The multi-function document creation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image data stored in the hard disk without being printed first or the image data sent to the designated image file server is pressed again on the operation panel. A multifunctional document creating apparatus characterized by displaying on a cancel screen, setting copy settings again, and printing. 10. The multifunctional document creating apparatus according to claim 1, which is generally used in advance, created by another means, other than data that is not prescanned and is stored or distributed as an image without being printed. A multi-function document creation apparatus characterized in that image data in an image format is transferred to a hard disk or an image file server, the data is displayed on a pre-scan screen of an operation panel, and a print instruction is given. 11. The multifunctional document creating apparatus according to claim 1, which is generally used in advance, created by another means, other than data that is not prescanned and is not printed and stored or distributed as an image. Image data in image format is transferred to the hard disk or image file server, the data is displayed on the pre-scan screen of the operation panel, copy settings are set again on the pre-scan screen, and printing is performed. Function document creation device.