JP2015197844A - Printer, firmware verification method of printer, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printer capable of executing prompt upgrade verification of firmware with less omission of verification, using a print job according to each printing site.SOLUTION: In a printer 100, an operator preliminarily selects a print job for upgrade verification from a print job history, and the print job for the upgrade verification selected is automatically executed after the firmware is upgraded.

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus, a firmware verification method for a printing apparatus, and a program, and more particularly to a firmware verification method for a printing apparatus.

  In a conventional printing apparatus, the firmware (control program) is upgraded by a service person or a user. Further, in recent years, a system that automatically upgrades to the latest firmware by communicating with a firmware distribution server without the intervention of a service person or a user is also generally used.

  By such firmware upgrade, it is possible to add functions and correct defects in the printing apparatus. On the other hand, the firmware upgrade may cause problems for the user. For example, in an environment where the printing device is used in cooperation with other independent systems, the behavior of the printing device changes after a firmware upgrade, and the cooperation function with other systems that have been operating normally will not work. There is a case. In addition, there is a case in which the color of the output material changes after the firmware upgrade, and the color consistency with the printed material that has been output so far cannot be obtained.

  When the above-described problems are discovered after the firmware upgrade, it is necessary to return the firmware of the printing apparatus to the one before the upgrade (downgrade), which causes a great time loss and trouble. For this reason, in the printing field where the reliability of printing devices is strongly required, such as in the production market, and in the printing field where there are many printing devices, careful operation as described below may be performed during firmware upgrades. Many.

  First, only some of the multiple printing devices in the field are upgraded. The operator at the printing site uses these printing apparatuses for a certain period of time as usual, and verifies whether there is any problem in printing quality and printing performance. Then, after the operator determines that there is no problem in this verification, the firmware is also upgraded in the remaining printing apparatuses at the printing site. By such an operation, even if a problem occurs after the firmware upgrade, it is possible to minimize the time loss and the adverse effect on the business caused by that.

  Further, proposals have been made for smoothly performing such a series of firmware upgrade operations. For example, according to the method described in Patent Document 1, firmware distribution to a plurality of printing apparatuses is performed in two stages. First, in the first stage, firmware is distributed to a printing apparatus selected in advance. Next, in the second stage, first, it is determined whether or not the printing apparatus to which the firmware is distributed in the first stage satisfies a predetermined condition (for example, continuous operation for 100 hours or more after firmware upgrade). Only when it is determined that the conditions are satisfied in this determination, the firmware can be upgraded as described above by distributing the firmware to a printing apparatus different from the printing apparatus that distributed the firmware in the first stage. Yes.

JP 2009-59210 A

  According to the above-mentioned prior art documents, the labor required for the firmware upgrade operation can be saved and the convenience is improved. However, the verification of the upgraded firmware still requires the work of using it normally for a certain period of time. This is a print job that is actually used at the printing site as a print job used for firmware verification, and is expected to be printed during normal use for a certain period of time.

  However, in practice, there is no guarantee that a print job used on the printing site during the period will be printed without omissions, and there will be not a few verification omissions. There is. In order to reduce this omission of verification, there is a method of extending the verification period, but verification takes a long time and the verification work of the operator increases.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a verification method that can quickly perform firmware upgrade verification with little leakage using a print job according to each printing site. And

  In order to achieve the above object, a printing apparatus according to the present invention includes a storage unit that stores an executed print job as a job history in a printing apparatus having an updating unit that updates firmware, and verifies the firmware from the job history. A selection unit that selects a verification print job to be used; and after the firmware is updated by the update unit, the verification print job selected by the selection unit is executed to verify the firmware. And verifying means to perform.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to select a print job for firmware upgrade verification from the job history and use an appropriate print job according to each printing site. For this reason, it is possible to reduce the possibility of firmware verification failure, and convenience is improved.

  Also, firmware upgrade verification can be performed with a simple operation after firmware upgrade. For this reason, it is possible to perform verification in a short period of time compared to the conventional operation in which verification is performed after normal use for a certain period of time, and convenience is improved.

  Further, an appropriate upgrade verification print job corresponding to each printing site is automatically selected. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the time and effort for the operator to select a print job for upgrade verification, and convenience is improved.

  In addition, since a print job with a high printing frequency is automatically selected, it is possible to reduce the possibility of a verification failure with respect to a print job with a high printing frequency, thereby improving convenience.

  In addition, a print job having a print form not included in the job history is automatically selected as a print job for upgrade verification. For this reason, print jobs in a wide variety of printing forms are verified in the upgrade verification, and the possibility of a verification failure occurring can be reduced, and convenience is improved.

  In addition, it is easy to verify whether or not a print job in which a software error has previously occurred can be normally output by upgrading the firmware, and convenience is improved.

1 is a block diagram illustrating an outline of a hardware configuration of a printing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a menu screen for accepting an operation for firmware upgrade in the printing apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a menu screen for accepting an operation on a print job list used for upgrade verification. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a menu screen for accepting an operation for adding a print job to a print job list used for upgrade verification. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the printing apparatus 100 when a button 420 is pressed. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the printing apparatus 100 when a button 201 is pressed. (A) The figure which shows the dialog screen displayed by step S604 of FIG. 6, (b) The figure which shows the dialog screen displayed by step S607 of FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation in the printing apparatus that has received the upgrade instruction transmitted in step S611. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a menu screen for accepting an operation on a print job list used for upgrade verification according to the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a menu screen that receives settings for selection conditions for a print job to be automatically added to a print job list used for upgrade verification according to the second embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a printing apparatus when a print job is executed in the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a menu screen that receives settings for selection conditions for a print job to be automatically added to a print job list used for upgrade verification according to the third embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the printing apparatus 100 when a print job is executed in the third embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an outline of a hardware configuration of a printing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, a printing apparatus 100 is a multifunction machine having a plurality of functions such as an image reading function, a printing function, and a communication function, and is connected to a firmware distribution apparatus 101 via a network 105. The firmware distribution apparatus 101 is a file server installed on the network 105 and has a function of distributing firmware for upgrading the printing apparatus 100 to the printing apparatus 100 on the network 105. The firmware distribution method may be a method of receiving firmware by connecting a portable storage medium such as a USB memory or an SD card to the printing apparatus 100 in addition to the method of distributing from the firmware distribution apparatus 101.

  The printing apparatus 100 includes a system controller 110, an operation panel 140, a scanner unit 150, and a printer unit 160.

  The system controller 110 performs various data processing and controls the operation of the printing apparatus 100. The operation panel 140 receives various operations from the user by a touch panel method. The scanner unit 150 scans a document using an optical sensor and acquires image data. The printer unit 160 prints image data on paper.

  Next, the internal configuration of the system controller 110 will be described.

  The I / O control unit 111 is connected to the network 105 and performs communication control with an apparatus (for example, the firmware distribution apparatus 101) on the network.

  The flash memory 112 is a rewritable flash memory that stores various control programs. The flash memory 112 stores an activation program 113 and a firmware update program 114. The activation program 113 is a program that is executed when the system is activated. The firmware update program 114 is a program that is executed when the firmware stored in the HDD 120 is updated.

  The RAM 115 is a RAM that reads and stores various control programs. The RAM 115 also functions as a main memory and work memory for the CPU 116.

  The CPU 116 is a CPU that executes a control program read to the RAM 115 and controls each unit in the printing apparatus.

  The HDD 120 is an HDD used for the purpose of holding image data, print data, etc. temporarily or for a long time. The HDD 120 stores firmware 121, upgrade firmware 122, and backup firmware 123.

  The firmware 121 includes the firmware of the printing apparatus 100, an operating system, and the like. The upgrade firmware 122 is upgrade firmware distributed from the firmware distribution apparatus 101. The backup firmware 123 is firmware immediately before the upgrade (update) is performed, and is used at the time of downgrade to return the firmware to the one before the upgrade.

  The HDD 120 also stores a print job history 124 and a verification print job 125.

  The print job history 124 is history information of print jobs processed by the printing apparatus 100. The verification print job 125 is a print job used when verifying the upgraded firmware.

  Further, the HDD 120 stores a printing device list 126. The printing device list 126 is a list for managing IP addresses of printing devices connected to the network 105 and to which the same firmware as the printing device 100 can be applied. The IP address of the printing apparatus is designated in advance by an operator, for example.

  Each unit described above is connected to each other via the system bus 130. Further, the system bus 130 is connected to the operation panel 140, the scanner unit 150, and the printer unit 160.

  In addition to the printing apparatus 100 and the firmware distribution apparatus 101, a plurality of printing apparatuses and servers may be connected to the network 105.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a menu screen for accepting an operation for firmware upgrade in the printing apparatus 100 of FIG.

  In FIG. 2, the menu screen 200 is displayed on the operation panel 140 by the CPU 116. The button 201 is a button for the operator to instruct the start of firmware upgrade processing. The button 202 is a button for displaying the menu screen shown in FIG.

  The button 210 on the screen is a button for the operator to interrupt (cancel) the operation related to the firmware upgrade. When the button 210 is pressed, the menu screen 200 is closed.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a menu screen for accepting an operation on a print job list used for upgrade verification.

  In FIG. 3, the menu screen 300 is displayed on the operation panel 140 by the CPU 116. The list 310 displays a list of print jobs stored in the HDD 120 as the verification print job 125. In the illustrated example, five print jobs are stored as the verification print job 125.

  As the contents of each print job in the list 310, a print job name 311, a required time 312, and a sheet 313 to be used are displayed.

  A print job name 311 represents the print job name of each print job. The required time 312 represents the time required for processing each print job. The paper 313 to be used represents the details of the paper used in each print job, and displays the paper name, paper size, and number of papers used.

  On the menu screen 300, it is possible to select a print job by touching a portion of the list 310 where an arbitrary print job is displayed. The selected print job is highlighted (inverted display). In the illustrated example, “Print job 1.ps” is selected. When the number of verification print jobs 125 to be displayed is larger than the number of jobs that can be displayed at once in the list 310, all the verification print jobs 125 cannot be displayed. Therefore, the operator can display the verification print job 125 that could not be displayed by operating the scroll bar 314.

  The button 320 is a button for displaying the menu screen shown in FIG.

  When the button 321 is pressed, the print job selected in the list 310 is deleted from the verification print job 125.

  The button 322 is a button for the operator to interrupt the operation for the verification print job 125. When the button 322 is pressed, the menu screen 300 is closed and the menu screen 200 is restored.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a menu screen for accepting an operation for adding a print job to a print job list used for upgrade verification.

  In FIG. 4, the menu screen 400 is displayed on the operation panel 140 by the CPU 116. The list 410 displays a list of print jobs stored in the HDD 120 as the print job history 124.

  As the contents of each print job in the list 410, a print job name 411, a print date and time 412, a required time 413, and a sheet 414 to be used are displayed.

  A print job name 411 represents the print job name of each print job. The print date and time 412 represents the date and time when each print job was executed. The required time 413 represents the time required for processing each print job. The paper 414 to be used represents details of the paper used in each print job, and displays the paper name, paper size, and number of papers used.

  On the menu screen 400, it is possible to select a print job by touching a portion of the list 410 where an arbitrary print job is displayed. The selected print job is highlighted (inverted display). In the illustrated example, “Copy job 13” is selected. Note that when the number of jobs in the print job history 124 to be displayed is larger than the number of jobs that can be displayed in the list 410 at a time, the entire print job history 124 cannot be displayed. Therefore, the operator can display the print job history 124 that could not be displayed completely by operating the scroll bar 415.

  When the button 420 is pressed, the print job selected in the list 410 is added to the verification print job 125. If there is no print job selected in the list 410, the button 420 is grayed out so that it cannot be pressed. The detailed operation when the button 420 is pressed will be described with reference to FIG.

  The button 421 is a button for interrupting an operation in which the operator selects a print job from the print job history 124 and adds it to the verification print job 125. When the button 421 is pressed, the menu screen 400 is closed and the menu screen 300 is restored.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the printing apparatus 100 when the button 420 is pressed. This process is executed by the CPU 116.

  In step S <b> 501, the CPU 116 determines whether the print job selected in the list 410 already exists in the verification print job 125. If it is determined that it does not exist, the process proceeds to step S502. If it is determined that it exists, this process ends.

  In step S <b> 502, the CPU 116 reads the print job selected in the list 410 from the print job history 124, adds the read print job to the verification print job 125, and ends this processing.

  The verification print job 125 is generated by the processing operation as described above. The generated verification print job 125 is referred to after the firmware is upgraded.

  Next, details of the firmware upgrade process will be described.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the printing apparatus 100 when the button 201 is pressed. This process is executed by the CPU 116.

  In step S601, the CPU 116 stores the current firmware 121 stored in the HDD 120 as backup firmware in the HDD 120, and proceeds to step S602.

  In step S602, the CPU 116 activates the firmware update program 114 stored in the flash memory 112, updates the current firmware 121 with the upgrade firmware 122, and proceeds to step S603.

  In step S603, the CPU 116 restarts the printing apparatus 100 using the firmware updated in step S602, and proceeds to step S604.

  In step S604, the CPU 116 displays the dialog 700 shown in FIG. 7A on the operation panel 140, and proceeds to step S605. In the dialog 700, an instruction is received from the operator as to whether to start upgrade verification.

  In step S605, the CPU 116 determines whether or not the operator has instructed the start of upgrade verification using the dialog 700 displayed in step S605. When the button 701 is pressed by the operator, the CPU 116 determines that the operator has instructed the start of upgrade verification. On the other hand, when button 702 is pressed by the operator, CPU 116 determines that the operator has not instructed the start of upgrade verification. If it is determined that the start of upgrade verification has been instructed, the process proceeds to step S606. If it is determined that the upgrade verification has not been instructed, the process ends. If the operator wishes to use the upgraded printing device immediately, the start of upgrade verification will not be instructed here.

  In step S606, the CPU 116 sequentially executes the print jobs listed in the verification print job 125, and proceeds to step S607. If there are a plurality of print jobs listed in the verification print job 125, all of them are executed.

  In step S607, the CPU 116 displays the dialog 800 shown in FIG. 7B, and proceeds to step S608. In the dialog 800, an instruction is received from the operator as to whether to return the firmware to the original version. First, the operator confirms that there is no problem in printing the verification print job performed in step S606. This is performed, for example, by the operator confirming “whether the output product is printed without omission”, “the print quality is sufficient”, “the print performance is not deteriorated”, or the like. As a result, if the operator determines that there is a problem with the upgraded firmware, it is possible to instruct to return to the original firmware using the dialog 800.

  In step S608, the CPU 116 determines whether the operator has instructed to return the firmware to the original version by the dialog 800 displayed in step S607. When the button 801 is pressed by the operator, the CPU 116 determines that the operator has instructed to return the firmware to the original version. On the other hand, when the button 802 is pressed by the operator, the CPU 116 determines that the operator has not instructed to return the firmware to the original version. If it is determined that an instruction to return to the original version has been given, the process proceeds to step S609. If it is determined that no instruction has been given, the process proceeds to step S611.

  In step S609, the CPU 116 activates the firmware update program 114, updates the current firmware 121 with the upgrade firmware 122, and proceeds to step S610.

  In step S610, the CPU 116 restarts the printing apparatus 100 with the firmware updated in step S609, and ends this process.

  In step S611, the CPU 116 transmits an upgrade instruction to another printing apparatus having an IP address listed in the printing apparatus list 126, and ends this process.

  With the above operation, firmware upgrade can be started even in a printing apparatus to which the same firmware as the printing apparatus 100 on the network can be applied. Firmware upgrade processing in another printing apparatus that has received the upgrade instruction will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an operation in the printing apparatus that has received the upgrade instruction transmitted in step S611. The configuration of the printing apparatus that has received the upgrade instruction is the same as that of the printing apparatus 100 in FIG. 1 and will be described using the same reference numerals as those of the printing apparatus 100.

  In step S901, the CPU 116 starts the firmware update program 114, updates the current firmware 121 with the upgrade firmware 122, and proceeds to step S902.

  In step S902, the CPU 116 restarts the printing apparatus 100 with the firmware updated in step S602, and ends this process.

  Thus, unlike the operation described with reference to FIG. 6, the printing apparatus that has received the upgrade instruction does not perform verification work after the firmware upgrade.

  According to the first embodiment, the operator selects an upgrade verification print job from the print job history in advance, and automatically executes the selected upgrade verification print job after the firmware upgrade. As a result, it is possible to use an appropriate upgrade verification print job according to each printing site, reduce the possibility of verification failure, and improve convenience. Also, firmware upgrade verification can be performed with a simple operation after firmware upgrade. For this reason, it is possible to perform verification in a short period of time compared to the conventional operation in which verification is performed after normal use for a certain period of time, and convenience is improved.

[Second Embodiment]
In the first embodiment, firmware upgrade verification can be performed with a simple operation after firmware upgrade. Thereby, compared with the operation | movement which verifies after using normally for a fixed period of time like the past, an operator's effort is reduced.

  However, the print job used for verifying the upgraded firmware needs to be manually selected by the operator in advance, which requires a lot of trouble from the operator. Further, if the operator does not select an appropriate print job as the firmware verification print job, there is a high possibility that a verification failure will occur.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, an example will be described in which the print system can automatically select a print job used for firmware verification.

  In the present embodiment, only the parts different from the first embodiment will be described, and the same components will be described using the same reference numerals. The hardware configuration of the printing apparatus according to the second embodiment is the same as that described in FIG. 1 of the first embodiment.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a menu screen for accepting an operation on a print job list used for upgrade verification in the second embodiment.

  The menu screen 1000 shown in FIG. 9 is different from the menu screen 300 shown in FIG. 3 in that a button 1001 is added. A button 1001 is a button for displaying the menu screen shown in FIG.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a menu screen that accepts settings for selection conditions for a print job to be automatically added to a print job list used for upgrade verification according to the second embodiment.

  In FIG. 10, a menu screen 1100 is displayed on the operation panel 140 by the CPU 116. Fields 1101 and 1102 are text fields that accept numerical input from the operator. The operator can specify a text field by touching each text field, and can input a numerical value by operating a numerical key (not shown) on the operation panel 140. The field 1101 receives a period, and the field 1102 receives a count. As a result, the operator can make an automatic addition setting based on the printing frequency, such as automatically adding “how many times in the past days have been printed” to the verification print job 125. In the example shown in the figure, the setting for automatically adding “prints printed 30 times or more in the past 100 days” to the verification print job 125 is made. In this way, it is possible to select a print job that has been executed a certain number of times in a past fixed period as a verification print job.

  When the button 1110 is pressed, the settings input on the menu screen 1100 at that time are confirmed. Information on the confirmed automatic addition setting is stored in the HDD 120. Thereafter, the menu screen 1100 is closed and the menu screen 1000 is restored.

  A button 1111 is a button for interrupting the setting operation for the selection condition of the print job automatically added to the verification print job 125 by the operator. When the button 1111 is pressed, the menu screen 1100 is closed and the menu screen 1000 is restored.

  With the menu screen 1100, automatic print job addition setting is made for the verification print job 125. Thereafter, every time the print job is executed, the printing apparatus 100 determines whether to add the print job to the verification print job 125 according to the automatic addition setting.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the printing apparatus 100 when a print job is executed in the second embodiment. This process is executed by the CPU 116.

  In step S1201, the CPU 116 executes a print job and proceeds to step S1202.

  In step S1202, the CPU 116 adds the print job executed in step S1201 to the print job history 124, and proceeds to step S1203.

  In step S <b> 1203, the CPU 116 determines whether or not the HDD 120 has automatic print job addition settings based on the print frequency set on the menu screen 1100. If it is determined that the automatic addition setting based on the printing frequency exists, the process proceeds to step S1204. If it is determined that there is no automatic addition setting, the process ends.

  In step S1204, the CPU 116 refers to the print job history 124, counts the number of times the print job has been printed in the period set by the print job automatic addition setting, and proceeds to step S1205.

  In step S1205, the CPU 116 determines whether or not the number of times counted in step S1204 is equal to or greater than the number set in the print job automatic addition setting. If it is determined that the number of times is equal to or greater than the set number of times, the process proceeds to step S1206. If it is determined that the number of times is not equal to or greater than the set number of times, the process ends.

  In step S <b> 1206, the CPU 116 determines whether the print job already exists in the verification print job 125. If it is determined that it does not exist, the process proceeds to step S1207. If it is determined that it exists, this process ends.

  In step S <b> 1207, the CPU 116 adds the print job information to the verification print job 125 and ends the process.

  Through the above operation, the verification print job 125 is automatically generated. The generated verification print job 125 is referred to after the firmware is upgraded. The details of the firmware upgrade process are the same as those described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8 of the first embodiment.

  According to the second embodiment, an appropriate upgrade verification print job corresponding to each printing site is automatically selected. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the time and effort for the operator to select a print job for upgrade verification, and convenience is improved. In addition, since a print job with a high printing frequency is automatically selected, it is possible to reduce the possibility of a verification failure with respect to a print job with a high printing frequency, thereby improving convenience.

[Third Embodiment]
In the second embodiment, a print job having a high printing frequency is automatically selected as a print job used for firmware upgrade verification.

  However, in an actual printing site, print jobs of a wide variety of printing forms are printed. Examples of the printing form here include printing settings such as the type of paper to be used, finishing settings, and the type of PDL to be used, and protocols used. In the printing system shown in the second embodiment, although a print job with a high printing frequency is automatically selected, there is a possibility that only a print job having a similar print form is selected. In this case, only the biased printing form is verified in the firmware upgrade verification. Naturally, just because there is no problem in upgrade verification of a print job having a certain print form, a print job having a different print form may not be printed normally. Therefore, there is a desire to perform upgrade verification for a wide range of printing formats.

  As another request, there is also a request to verify whether or not a print job that has previously occurred due to a software error and cannot be printed normally can be output normally by firmware upgrade.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, a print job that has a low print frequency but has a new print mode, or a print job that has failed to print normally due to a software error is automatically selected as a print job used for firmware verification. An example that makes it possible to do this will be described.

  In the present embodiment, only parts different from the first and second embodiments will be described, and the same components will be described using the same reference numerals. The hardware configuration of the printing apparatus according to the third embodiment is the same as that described in FIG. 1 of the first embodiment.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a menu screen for accepting settings for selection conditions for a print job to be automatically added to a print job list used for upgrade verification according to the third embodiment.

  The menu screen 1300 shown in FIG. 12 is different from the menu screen 1100 shown in FIG. 10 in that check boxes 1301 and 1302 are added.

  Check boxes 1301 and 1302 are check boxes for accepting ON / OFF designation from the operator. The operator can switch specified ON / OFF by touching each check box.

  A check box 1301 is a check box for designating whether or not a print job using a new sheet is automatically added to the verification print job 125. A check box 1302 is a check box for designating whether or not a print job in which a software error has occurred is automatically added to the verification print job 125.

  As described with reference to FIG. 10, when the button 1110 is pressed, the settings input on the menu screen 1300 at that time are confirmed and the information is stored in the HDD 120.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the printing apparatus 100 when a print job is executed in the third embodiment. This process is executed by the CPU 116. In the process shown in FIG. 13, steps that perform the same processes as those described in FIG. 11 are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

  In step S1401, the CPU 116 refers to the automatic addition setting stored in the HDD 120, and determines whether the setting for automatically adding a print job in which a software error has occurred to the verification print job 125 is ON. That is, it is determined whether the check box 1302 on the menu screen 1100 is ON or OFF. If it is determined that the setting for automatically adding a print job in which a software error has occurred to the verification print job 125 is ON, the process proceeds to step S1402, whereas if it is determined to be OFF, the process proceeds to step S1203.

  In step S1402, the CPU 116 determines whether a software error has occurred during execution of the print job in step S1201. If it is determined that a software error has occurred, the process proceeds to step S1206. If it is determined that a software error has not occurred, the process proceeds to step S1203.

  In step S1403, the CPU 116 refers to the automatic addition setting stored in the HDD 120 and determines whether the setting for automatically adding a print job that uses a new sheet to the verification print job 125 is ON. That is, it is determined whether the check box 1301 is ON or OFF on the menu screen 1100. If it is determined that the setting for automatically adding a print job using a new sheet to the verification print job 125 is ON, the process proceeds to step S1404. If it is determined OFF, the process ends.

  In step S1404, the CPU 116 refers to the print job history 124, and determines whether or not the print job executed in step S1201 is a print job that uses paper that has never been used. If it is determined that the print job uses paper that has not been used before, the process proceeds to step S1206. If it is determined that the print job uses paper that has been used so far, the process proceeds to step S1206. The process ends.

  Through the above operation, the verification print job 125 is automatically generated. The generated verification print job 125 is referred to after the firmware is upgraded. The details of the firmware upgrade process are the same as those described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8 of the first embodiment.

  According to the third embodiment, a print job in a print form not included in the print job history is automatically selected as a print job for upgrade verification. Therefore, it is possible to verify a print job in a wide range of printing forms in the upgrade verification, and to reduce the possibility of a verification failure, improving convenience. In addition, the firmware upgrade facilitates the work of verifying whether a print job in which a software error has previously occurred can be normally output, thereby improving convenience.

[Other Embodiments]
In the first to third embodiments, the verification print job 125 is stored in the HDD 120. However, the verification print job 125 is stored in a storage device on the network, and is commonly used for upgrade verification of a plurality of printing devices. It may be.

  In the first embodiment, the verification print job 125 is managed as one list. However, the verification print job 125 may be managed as a different list according to the characteristics of the print job and the conditions when automatically added. . When managed by another list, it is possible to perform upgrade verification with higher flexibility by selecting which list to use at the time of upgrade verification.

  In the second embodiment, a print job that has been executed a certain number of times in a past fixed period is selected and automatically added to the verification print job 125. This may be configured such that a print job whose total execution time has been executed for a certain period in the past is selected and automatically added to the verification print job 125.

  In the third embodiment, as an example of the print mode, a print job that uses a new sheet is selected and automatically added to the verification print job 125. Needless to say, other printing forms such as finishing settings and PDL types to be used may be noted, and if they are new, they may be automatically added to the verification print job 125.

  In the second and third embodiments, a print job can be automatically added to the verification print job 125. However, when a large number of print jobs are accumulated, it takes a long time to verify the firmware. It will be. Therefore, the number of print jobs that can be stored in the verification print job 125 and the upper limit of the total time required to execute the print job may be set, and when the upper limit is exceeded, the oldest addition date and time may be deleted.

  The present invention can also be realized by executing the following processing. That is, software (program) that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or apparatus via a network or various storage media, and a computer (or CPU, MPU, or the like) of the system or apparatus reads the program. It is a process to be executed.

100 Printing Device 110 System Controller 113 Startup Program 114 Firmware Update Program 121 Firmware 122 Upgrade Firmware 123 Backup Firmware 124 Print Job History 125 Verification Print Job 126 Printing Device List

Claims (12)

In a printing apparatus having an updating means for updating firmware,
Storage means for storing the executed print job as a job history;
Selecting means for selecting a verification print job to be used for verifying the firmware from the job history;
And a verification unit configured to verify the firmware by executing the verification print job selected by the selection unit after the firmware is updated by the update unit.   The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selection unit displays the job history and receives a selection of the verification print job from a user.   The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selection unit selects a verification print job that satisfies a preset condition from the job history.   4. The printing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the selection unit selects, as the verification print job, a print job that has been executed a predetermined number of times in a past fixed period from the job history.   4. The printing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the selection unit selects, as the verification print job, a print job in which a total execution time has been executed for a certain period of time in the past certain period from the job history.   4. The printing according to claim 3, wherein the selection unit selects, as the verification print job, a print job that is determined from the job history that a print form of the print job is not included in the job history. apparatus.   The printing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the printing form includes at least one of a finishing setting of the print job, a PDL type of the print job, and a paper type used by the print job.   4. The printing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the selection unit selects, as the verification print job, a print job that has been determined from the job history that a software error has occurred during execution of the print job.   The selection unit determines the upper limit of the number of print jobs that can be selected as the verification print job or the total time required to execute the print job, and deletes the oldest addition date and time when the upper limit is exceeded. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8. Downgrade means to return the firmware to the version before the upgrade,
Receiving means for accepting selection of whether or not to return the firmware to the version before upgrade after execution of the print job by the verification means;
The downgrade means returns the firmware to the version before the upgrade when there is an instruction to return the firmware to the version before the upgrade by the accepting means. The printing apparatus as described. In a firmware verification method for a printing apparatus having update means for updating firmware,
A storage step of storing the executed print job as a job history;
A selection step of selecting a verification print job to be used for verifying the firmware from the job history;
A verification method comprising: a verification step of performing verification of the firmware by executing the verification print job selected in the selection step after the firmware is updated by the update unit. A computer-readable program for causing a printing apparatus to execute the verification method according to claim 11.